San Antonio Zoo set to open during second phase of Texas’ reopening plans
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Under Gov. Greg Abbott’s new guidelines, the San Antonio Zoo will reopen to the public soon — just with a few new safety rules. In this photo provided by the zoo, visitors participate in one of its exhibits.
Under Gov. Greg Abbott’s new guidelines, the San Antonio Zoo will reopen to the public soon — just with a few new safety rules. In this photo provided by the zoo, visitors participate in one of its exhibits.
Photo: San Antonio Zoo
Under Gov. Greg Abbott’s new guidelines, the San Antonio Zoo will reopen to the public soon — just with a few new safety rules. In this photo provided by the zoo, visitors participate in one of its exhibits.
Under Gov. Greg Abbott’s new guidelines, the San Antonio Zoo will reopen to the public soon — just with a few new safety rules. In this photo provided by the zoo, visitors participate in one of its exhibits.
Photo: San Antonio Zoo
Under Gov. Greg Abbott’s new guidelines, the San Antonio Zoo will reopen to the public soon — just with a few new safety rules.
An official date hasn’t been set, but the state allows zoos to open as soon as May 29. Tim Morrow, the zoo’s president and CEO said they are working with city officials to make sure they are compliant with procedures and safety measures.
READ MORE: The latest news and features about coronavirus in San Antonio
Social distancing rules, increased cleaning procedures and limited zoo attendance are some of the big differences visitors will see when they return, Morrow said. And while a large majority of the exhibits will be open, some of the indoor buildings such as Amphibia, the Hixon Bird House, the Friedrich Aquarium and Discovery House will be closed.
Under Abbott’s orders, interactive functions, play areas and amusement or video game areas aren’t allowed to open. The zoo will also only be able to run at 25 percent of its normal capacity.
“We are beyond thrilled (to be getting guests back),” Morrow said. “Our staff is beyond appreciative of the outpouring of support and thrilled to see families once again enjoying the zoo. We are very much looking forward to a return to some sense of normalcy here at the zoo with our visitors, staff and volunteers back.”
RELATED: Visitors can virtually experience the San Antonio Zoo during coronavirus shutdowns
Because the zoo is a non-profit, when its doors temporarily closed in March, it lost nearly all of its income overnight.
“It is critical for us to start the reopening process,” Morrow said. “Unlike most zoos in the country, we depend 100 percent on ticket sales, donations and grants to operate. It costs nearly $500,000 a week to operate the zoo, and without visitors we have no income to cover this expense, leading to a shortfall of millions of dollars for our non-profit to operate.”
During the quarantine, the zoo has been working with the community to raise money to keep operations going, even hosting a drive-thru zoo event so visitors could get a taste of the wildlife they were missing.
Morrow said it was important to the staff to continue educating the population during the stay-at-home orders so they offered virtual programming like yoga with the animals and behind-the-scene tours. The zoo plans to continuing the online educational services after the zoo reopens, Morrow said.
Abbott’s full order for zoos, aquariums and natural caverns openings can be found here.
Taylor Pettaway is a breaking news and general assignment reporter for MySA.com | [email protected] | @TaylorPettaway
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