DECATUR - On Aug. 31, Mike Borders will bid goodbye to the cheetahs, the wolves, the flamingos and the camels in Scovill Zoo, ending more than 30 years of animal care.

He's retiring from the place he built nearly from scratch into a nationally accredited zoo.

The zoo has been his life, 24/7, as a hands-on zoo director.

"I've tried to make it a fun place," he said. Attendance of 100,000 a year is proof of his success.

Bill Clevenger, executive director of the Decatur Park District, knows Borders will be difficult to replace.

"He has been the heart and soul of the zoo," Clevenger said.

"He has put every ounce of effort into the goal of making the zoo accredited. With his leadership and guidance, it happened. He has been an integral part of the park district."

As a youth, Borders worked summers for the Decatur Park District, planting flowers.

After graduating in 1974 from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, he was hired as assistant superintendent of the Faries Park golf course.

The next summer, he joined the zoo, known early on as the Scovill Farm.

"I did it all; I was the night watchman, and I fed the animals," he said. "I was the only employee. I lived on the premises in an old building. I worked every day except Monday, and on that day, I had to feed the animals."

He was the only employee for nine years.

"In the early 1980s, the zoo was called Scovill Children's Zoo. Ralph Rosser, the park board boss, came out one day and saw the parking lot was full. He was impressed. He said: 'What can the park district do to help you?'

"I told him I needed a staff and a plan for the future."

Developing a plan

After that, Borders said he and Rosser got together on a master plan and turned to Earl Weeks of the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo for help.

"He said we needed a train for an added attraction," Borders said. The park district was able to purchase the train from Weeks for $32,500.

"Mac Gentry refurbished it, and we got the train going in 1984. Attendance doubled right away, and the park board was amazed. Now, 70 percent of visitors ride the train."

In the 1990s, the park district bought a newer train from the St. Louis Zoo.

Borders said another turning point for the zoo came with the construction of Project Playground, a community effort in 1991.

"The first year we had the playground, zoo attendance was 128,000," Borders said.

"We kept increasing the number of animals; we kept extending the perimeter fence."

Another major step was adding an entry complex: a gift shop and the Shilling Education Center. That happened in 1996.

A carousel was added. Then, Norma Russell, the education coordinator in the 1980s, added children's programs. Now, about 600 children are enrolled.

"It's great to see kids go through the program and then volunteer to work here," Borders said.

Gaining accreditation

All the while, Borders was preparing the zoo to achieve accreditation.

"There are 2,500 zoos in the U.S.," he said, "with 214 accredited." It's an honor that puts Scovill Zoo in the same rank as the St. Louis Zoo and Brookfield Zoo.

"The major item needed for accreditation is animal care," Borders said. "We added an animal care building in 2000, and that was the last piece of the puzzle. We did our homework, and we became accredited in September 2001."

As for adding new animals, Borders said: "The animals are not that expensive. Preparing the exhibit is the major cost."

Donations have helped the zoo add cheetahs, wolves and other animals. The Kiwanis Club has been a major donor. The estate of the late Roberta Foulke, a longtime zoo supporter, supplied $1.4 million.

If money is available, the master plan is for the zoo to expand toward the Oriental Garden in Scovill Park.

Early in his career, Borders visited the St. Louis Zoo and introduced himself to Marlin Perkins, then the zoo director. Perkins told Borders: "If you want to make a difference and have fun, work in a zoo. If you want to make money, do something else."

"Zoo employees get low pay," Borders acknowledged. "Zoo work is a work of passion; it gets in your blood."

What's in store

Ramona Borders, a major financial supporter of the zoo, considers Mike Borders to be a "wonderful kid, the love of my life next to my late husband." She married Joe Borders, Mike's father.

"Mike is very, very dedicated," she said. "He'll keep busy. Part of his time will be dedicated to his new motorcycle, to e-Bay, to fishing and to his wife."

Borders and his wife, Cheryl, a research manager in soy food at Archer Daniels Midland Co., have a five-acre rural spread.

"I'm going to do a lot of fishing, housework and cooking," he said. "I also plan to do fundraising with the community in mind." Borders will be 56 in September.

Bob Fallstrom can be reached at bfallstrom@herald-review.com or 421-7981.