By Heart of Illinois ABC
BLOOMINGTON – Bloomington’s Miller Park Zoo observes Endangered Species Day on Saturday, and the union representing zoo employees said zookeepers should be added to the endangered species list.
The union put out a news release Friday afternoon saying three of the zoo’s five full-time zookeepers have been illegally terminated. The union says one zookeeper was wrongly fired twice, while two remain out of work.
The news release did not explain why the workers were fired.
The union says employees will stage a demonstration outside the zoo Saturday at 1:15 p.m. to call attention to the zookeepers’ plight.
Bloomington city government owns the zoo, and its employees are represented by American Federation of State, County and Municipal workers (AFSCME) Local 699.
“Frontline employees like zookeepers are essential to the health and well-being of the animals that bring families to Miller Park,” Renee Nestler, the union’s staff representative said in a prepared statement.
“Management should respect the employees who keep the zoo running and stop these unfair and illegal firings,” Nestler added.
Heart of Illinois-ABC reached out to city leaders, but as of Friday night, they did not return messages.
Heart of Illinois ABC can be reached at [email protected].
