The city council in Jackson has approved more than $120,000 for the Jackson Zoo to help the facility maintain its license to operate. Photo by Imani Khayyam

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The city council in Jackson has approved more than $120,000 for the Jackson Zoo to help the facility maintain its license to operate.

The money will pay for ongoing expenses such as feeding and caring for the animals, Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said.

Management company ZoOceanarium ended negotiations with the mayor’s office earlier this year, WAPT-TV reported. The city’s Parks and Recreation Department now manages the zoo.

The money will go to pay outstanding bills and other costs which have to be paid before the zoo undergoes a review by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Lumumba said.

Some of the money will also pay for the cost of reclassifying zoo employees as city workers, the mayor said.