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The Oakland Zoo is in dire straits, losing $2 million a month and at risk of never reopening if restrictions aren’t soon lifted, its leaders told the Alameda County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.
President Joel Parrott and executive vice president Nik Dehejia petitioned the board to allow the zoo to reopen as an “outdoor museum,” acknowledging that it is in danger of closing in three months.
Isabella Linares, a spokeswoman for the zoo, said Thursday that the zoo’s only source of revenue is from admissions. It has a bare-bones operating budget of $1.2 million and for the past three months has been relying on its operating reserve, which now stands at just $3.1 million.
“We need to be allowed to open because that is our only source of revenue,” Linares said.
The zoo has been closed since the first shelter-in-place orders took effect on March 17. The paycheck protection program provided a temporary cash infusion, but when that ran out, the zoo laid off or furloughed about half its staff of 250. The zoo has cut back on everything but animal care.
The zoo typically relies on the slew of visitors in the summer months to offset lower traffic in the winter, but it hasn’t seen a visitor in nearly three months. In April, the zoo launched a behind-the-scenes live-streaming video series that generated some money, but not enough to fully support the zoo.
Linares said the zoo ended the series in June in anticipation of an opening that hasn’t come.
With peak season upon them, zoo officials are trying to salvage any visitors they can get. Their proposal would allow for 2,500 guests per day, a significant decrease from the typical 7,000 daily summer visitors. Guests would be required to make a reservation for an assigned time and wear masks at all times, while indoor exhibits would remain closed.
The Alameda County Health Department has requested the “outdoor museum” designation for the zoo, but it is up to the state to make the final decision.
The San Francisco Zoo was set to reopen this week amid a broader expansion of business in the city, but Mayor London Breed paused the wider reopening as cases and hospitalizations from COVID-19 began to spike. It remains closed, though some zoos in parts of the state that had advanced into Phase 3 have partially reopened.
What happens to the more than 750 mammals, reptiles and amphibians if the zoo is unable to reopen and must shutter its doors permanently?
“If the zoo closes,” Linares says, “the City of Oakland would be responsible for the ongoing care of our animals.”
Donations to the zoo can be made at oaklandzoo.org.
