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From left: Owen Bills, 5; friend Jennifer Felix, and Owen's mother Victoria Switzer, all of Oil City, check out Nala on April 27, 2017, at the Erie Zoo. Nala, an 18-year-old female lion, is one of the older animals at the zoo.
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Erie Zoo revenue losses top $1 million during COVID-19 andemic

CHRISTOPHER MILLETTE/ERIE TIMES-NEWS

Erie Zoo revenue losses top $1 million during COVID-19 andemic

Layoffs, furloughs and other cost-cutting measures have been the norm for Erie Zoological Society CEO Scott Mitchell since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mr. Mitchell estimates the Zoological Society has lost more than $1 million in revenue since the Erie Zoo closed March 17 following Gov. Tom Wolf’s business-closure directives.

“We care for more than 400 animals here,” Mr. Mitchell said. “I have people to care and feed animals every day, and I have to buy food every week. The long-term problems are our biggest concerns. We have to start generating some revenue. That’s what keeps me up at night.”

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It’s also why Mr. Mitchell and his staff are finalizing their own COVID-19 guidelines, which they hope will allow the zoo to reopen during the yellow phase of Mr. Wolf’s state reopening process, which started in Erie County on Friday.

Mr. Mitchell said he plans to submit his plan, which outlines health and safety protocols, to Erie County Department of Health officials and the Governor’s Office.

“We’re really unsure of when we’ll be able to open,” Mr. Mitchell said. “We really don’t know.”

The zoo opened for the season on Feb. 29. Its grounds remained open to the public for two and a half weeks before the new coronavirus shuttered one of the Erie region’s top tourist attractions.

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That has meant a loss of revenue from admissions, food and gift shop sales, rides, attractions and programs.

“Spring is one of the busiest times of the year for us and for most zoos,” Mr. Mitchell said. “This pandemic couldn’t have come at a worse time.”

Mr. Mitchell’s full-time staff now totals about 25, or about half of the normal full-time staff size. A few of those layoffs are permanent, and the remainder are furloughs, Mr. Mitchell said.

“We cut staff dramatically and we have done practically everything we can think of to save on costs,” Mr. Mitchell said. “We’ve been applying for grants, and we received a federal Paycheck Protection Program loan.”

Mr. Mitchell said he and his staff have not encountered any health issues since the pandemic’s onset.

“We have really been diligent about everything — washing our hands, wearing masks and gloves,” Mr. Mitchell said. “We have rescheduled our staff breaks, staggered their lunch schedules and limited how many people can take lunch at one time. We’ve taken every precaution. If anyone here contracted COVID-19 and we had to start to quarantine people, it would become a big problem because of our staff size.”

Mr. Mitchell said a long-term shutdown of the zoo “would be scary.”

“It’s not just us,” he said. “It’s other zoos and other nonprofits. You can survive for some time, but if it’s a two-year pandemic, that would be a real challenge for us.”

Zoo attendance in 2019 totaled about 370,000 visitors, an increase of 20,000 from 2018.

When Mr. Wolf’s COVID-19 directives shut down nonessential businesses statewide in mid-March, construction was halted on renovations to the zoo’s 10,000-square-foot main building, built in 1930 and located just inside the front gates. That $900,000 project is part of the zoo’s $10 million Wild Open Spaces capital campaign.

It has included upgrades and improvements to the facility’s lights, duct work, doors, windows and stairways, and installation of an emergency generator and an air conditioning system. The building’s brick exterior has been cleaned and re-pointed.

MitcMr. hell said construction crews resumed work last week on the final phase of renovations. Remaining work includes installation of a new slate roof and new outdoor railings for the ramp and walkways.

Two other projects scheduled this year — a new exhibit for Eurasian lynx and another exhibit to house lemurs — have been put on hold.

Mr. Mitchell said the lack of visitors on zoo grounds for nearly two months also has affected the animals.

“It’s surprised me a little,” he said. “It’s been so long since they have had people walking on the guest side, they have become used to not seeing people. I’ve startled a couple of animals. When we do open again, they’ll adapt pretty quickly.”

Contact Ron Leonardi at rleonardi@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNleonardi.

First Published: May 12, 2020, 7:44 a.m.

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From left: Owen Bills, 5; friend Jennifer Felix, and Owen's mother Victoria Switzer, all of Oil City, check out Nala on April 27, 2017, at the Erie Zoo. Nala, an 18-year-old female lion, is one of the older animals at the zoo.  (CHRISTOPHER MILLETTE/ERIE TIMES-NEWS)
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