MPZ Director: About 20% down from last year

Posted on October 9, 2020
Miller Park Zoo
The zoo has limited capacity and some areas have remained closed to ensure social distancing. (WJBC file photo)

 

By Neil Doyle

BLOOMINGTON – The Miller Park Zoo is one of many places that has been impacted by the ongoing pandemic, and while some of the numbers are down, the zoo’s director said “I’ll take it.”

Jay Tetzloff told WJBC’s Craig Collins the zoo is about 20% down from last year. According to some of the numbers, 11,600 people visited the zoo in August. That’s down from 15,059 in August of 2019. This August the zoo brought in $81,634, down from $94,740 last August.

“To be 20% down I’ll take it because of what has been going on,” said Tetzloff. “I’m a based off last year kind of a guy, and last year was almost a record breaking year for us. If COVID had not hit at the end of March, we might have broken our all-time attendance record.”

“We have some limitations, but people wanted to get out and see the animals and we’re happy to see them back,” Tetzloff said. “I think people have enjoyed what they’ve seen this summer.”

The zoo has limited capacity and some areas have remained closed to ensure social distancing.

Neil Doyle can be reached at [email protected]

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