If the zoo loses its accreditation, it will not close, but it will not need to improve its facilities, because all of the endangered species will be removed and sent to accredited institutions. It will be nothing but a giant petting zoo, and will probably lose money until it goes bankrupt. Buffalo needs a new zoo, not because it will help the economy and bring in tourists, but because the animals need to be kept in larger, more naturalistic enclosures. Some people have suggested that the zoo focus on being the best little zoo it can be. But this is backwards thinking in the zoo world, because there is only so much space in zoos around the globe.
Large zoos are more preferred than small zoos, because they contain more space.
By building a larger zoo, Buffalo will be contributing to the fight against extinction by creating more space to house endangered animals. The animals are living beings. The convention center is an inanimate object. We should build a new zoo before we waste our time and money fighting over and building anything else.