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,” first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, or else, “We are at risk of closure,” Dehejia 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 the zoo has now been surviving on a reserve fund that could dry up as soon as next month, the Chronicle reports. The zoo has laid off or furloughed about half its staff of 250, and officials say they have 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. And with peak season upon them, zoo officials are left 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.
According to the Chronicle, the Alameda County Health Department has already 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.
