Since the Oakland Zoo’s closure on March 17, the animals and staff have been anxiously awaiting your return. To be perfectly honest, some animals didn’t notice, but others clearly miss you. In particular, the monkeys and bears love to see you and play off your visits.
Like many families and businesses, it has been a very long and scary few months. We know we are not “out of the woods” yet, but with the support of the State, Alameda County Board of Supervisors and the Alameda County Public Health Agency the Oakland Zoo recently received permission to reopen safely.
Many of you saw or read the recent media about the Zoo’s situation. Yes, we are financially stretched, but between the diligent planning from our awesome Zoo Leadership and the support from our amazing community we are working hard “to weather the storm.” In truth, we felt a bit like Sally Field, “…I can’t deny the fact that you like me…” We love our community and know they love us, but the recent outpouring of support and donations have been nothing less than stunning.
We certainly needed that support (and continue to need it). With 175 species and more than 750 animals, the cost to feed, care, protect the animals and maintain the facilities is approximately $1.2m/month. (Can you imagine buying, storing and preparing 20,000 lbs. of meat and produce every month?) To compound the situation, the revenue we make April – August supports the Zoo through the deficit months of September – March. Since we get very little government financial support, the nonprofit Zoo depends almost exclusively on visitor revenue and donations. Consequently, we are ecstatic to be open.
Plus, the need is bigger than us. The Zoo also supports wildlife conservations programs all over the world. We support programs such as jaguar protection and research in Panama, elephants in Kenya, the Cotton-top Tamarin in South America, and many more. We partner with conservation groups to rebuild endangered species, like the American Bison, Mountain Yellow-Legged Frog and Puerto Rico Crested Toad. Also, we provide wildlife care and rescue for orphaned and/or injured animals. In fact, many of our zoo animals were rescued and would have been euthanized had we not existed (e.g., our four grizzly bears, three mountain lions, and three tigers, among many others).
In addition to global conservation support, animal welfare, education, and advocacy, the pandemic brought to light how much the Zoo contributes to the emotional well-being of our community. We provide an environment for people of all ages to visit, enjoy the outdoors, learn about animal conservation – especially as a safe place to de-stress a bit.
We hope you visit the Zoo, just be aware that a few things will be different:
You must make a reservation via purchasing your ticket online (www.oaklandzoo.org) good for only a specific day and time period
Admissions will be limited to 2500 guests/day about 1/3 of the Zoo capacity
Face coverings will be required
Social distancing will be required
Sanitation stations available throughout the Zoo
Indoor areas and enclosed exhibits will be closed
Adventure Landing (rides) and play areas will be closed
Restaurant/cafes will follow County guidelines
The gondola (to access the California Trail), bathrooms and other contact surfaces will be sanitized regularly throughout the day
As we mentioned in our June article, our family started the Zoo in 1922. The Zoo has survived the Great Depression, WWII, etc. and with the support of the community we are confident that it will survive this horrific pandemic. If six-year-old Andy Soulard (she started a fundraiser on Facebook that raised over $188,000 for the Zoo) is any indication, we have no doubt that the Oakland Zoo will be here for many years to come!
For more information about the Zoo, please go to www.oaklandzoo.org.
By Nancy Clark, Resident since 1986 and Linda Clark