From The Denver Post:  The Denver Zoo would jeopardize its high public standing and good will if it continues to stonewall the city auditor in his attempt to do his job.

Especially because the zoo doesn’t appear to have a legal leg to stand on.

Even a casual reading of the “Cooperative Agreement” between the city and the Denver Zoological Foundation leaves no doubt that Auditor Timothy O’Brien is perfectly within his rights to conduct an audit of the zoo. The agreement explicitly guarantees that ability.

So why would the zoo dispute or attempt to limit the auditor’s authority — or throw up unexpected obstacles — as O’Brien alleged in a letter Monday to Mayor Michael Hancock?

As the auditor himself said in a press release, “We have to wonder, what is it that the zoo doesn’t want us to discover?”

Just because the zoo has never come under the city auditor’s microscope before (a surprising fact we learned upon talking to O’Brien Tuesday) doesn’t mean it couldn’t or shouldn’t happen. In fact, it’s high time.

This is an institution that spends millions in public money, both from Denver and the Scientific & Cultural Facilities District. It’s not an independent fiefdom in City Park that can do whatever it likes without public accountability.

Visit The Denver Post for more.