JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – The Jackson Zoo will be closed beginning October 1, 2019. According to Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, the zoo will be undergoing renovations and a change in management.

The announcement was made at Thursday’s special city council meeting. However, no date was given for a reopening.

The mayor says, $300,000 in renovations will take place during the closure. Some zoo employees will also be switched to contract employees. This means they will lose health benefits. However, they will be paid during the closure, according to Mayor Lumumba.

This temporary closure comes nearly a month after council members approved $200,000 to help the Jackson Zoo stay afloat throughout the year.

Thursday’s meeting drew on for hours. Council members also discussed an ordinance that prohibits protesting near health care facilities, and the city’s water billing and meter problem — in which the mayor says the city has been making progress.