LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Like with any other business, the Louisville Zoo has felt the punch of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it’s looking back as a way to move forward with 2021 and what it has to offer.
The zoo closed its gates for three months -- from mid-March to June -- during what is usually its busiest time of year…
“Like everyone, we're really really controlling expenses,” Executive Director John Walczak said. “It was well over $1 million in lost revenue. So it was very tough.”
Just because visitors stopped, life behind the scenes didn't. The zoo still had to pay workers to take care of and feed the zoos hundreds of animals.
“We're not looked at as an essential service, but our animals depend on us 365 days a year, 24 hours a day," Walczak said. "We have to be there. The animals need to be fed."
Though the zoo is open, most of its indoor exhibits such as the Metazoo and HerpAquarium remain closed.
Rebecca Kutchta and her family are passholders and come to the zoo at least once a week. But they of course couldn’t in the spring, something her kids keep asking about.
“I think we understood it was in the interest of public safety, and we were excited, definitely, to have it open again over the summer,” Kutchta said.
The zoo's annual Wild Lights stopped 10 days after it opened in March but started up again, and so did the crowds. The zoo had over 40,000 guests for Halloween, and current attendance is projected at 70% from a year ago.
The birth of Fitz the elephant 16 months ago has definitely helped bring in visitors, especially in 2020. A little seal pup born Monday morning is the newest addition the zoo hopes people will be excited to see.
December and January are the zoo slowest months, but the pandemic is forcing more people outside, which the zoo said is nothing to bark at.
“I think, overall, that was the most rewarding thing is to see people be able to come to a safe environment, enjoy the incredible animals and each other,” Walczak said.
As for the new seal pup, zoo officials still don’t know if it’s male or female. Right now, it’s bonding with its mom and should be on display soon after the new year.
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