Sea turtles and money for a children’s playground are the first, but possibly not the only, collateral damage caused by the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium’s decision last week to drop out of a prestigious accrediting organization in a dispute over how its elephant herd should be handled.

Because it is no longer an accredited Association of Zoos & Aquariums facility, the zoo in Highland Park doesn’t qualify for participation in the Sea Turtle Second Chance program, which aids hatchlings of endangered loggerhead, green and leatherback turtles and has operated at the zoo since 2009.

“The requirement for permitting our program by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is that participating facilities be AZA accredited,” said Maylon White, director of the North Carolina Aquariums at Roanoke Island. “Up until a day or two ago, Pittsburgh met those standards. Now we’re working out the logistics to bring the turtles back here.”

The Pittsburgh Zoo will need to reapply to the AZA to continue its participation as a non-member in more than 100 species sustainability programs that aid threatened and endangered species through research and breeding of shared animals. The AZA has also pulled its $5,000 grant for a children’s “nature playground” at the zoo.

The Pittsburgh Zoo had been an accredited member of the AZA, the nation’s largest, oldest and most prestigious accrediting organization for zoos and aquariums, for 29 years. But the zoo dropped out rather than agree to follow an association safety policy mandating “protected contact” between keepers and its six elephants.

In an interview, Dr. Barbara Baker, the zoo’s longtime president and CEO, defended her decision to drop out of the AZA and said its elephant contact policy is “illogical” and more dangerous for keepers.

She said the zoo’s board of directors unanimously approved of the decision at a meeting Aug. 13.