MUTUAL ATTRACTION
Some animals appeared to be people-watching as the Pittsburgh Zoo reopened.
Lewis the giraffe walked to the edge of his grassy exhibit, lowered his head and stretched his long neck toward a group of people watching from behind a railing. Children crowed with delight at their first chance in three months to see animals at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium. The feeling seemed mutual on Friday.
“Lewis has been absolutely thrilled to see people,” said Brittany Balandis, director of marketing and communications.
Closed due to COVID-19 restrictions and stay-at-home orders, the zoo in Highland Park reopened Friday with some noticeable changes. Staff and animal keepers wore masks and maintained social distancing. Employees and volunteers such as Kathryn Schimmel of Verona were stationed throughout the sprawling grounds, directing foot traffic and politely making sure everyone stayed 6 feet apart.
Visitors had to sign up for a timed ticketing system that staggered admissions and limited the number of people in the zoo at any time. Final figures were not in by late afternoon, but officials expected 1,500 visitors on the first day. On a normal summer day, the zoo draws 5,000-10,000 people.
There were many couples with small children, and families who live together were not expected to stay 6 feet apart. Many adults and some children wore masks, although the zoo does not require
them to do so.
For the animals, it was also their first chance in three months to watch people watching them. Some clearly seemed to seek out closer contact with visitors, said Jenni Urban, the zoo’s special events coordinator.
The elephants are especially social, she said to two visitors as they watched two of the enormous creatures eating hay. When a family showed up, they turned around to look, and two more elephants joined them as cameras clicked.
“The kids have had nowhere to go,” said Jessica Galando, of Murrysville. She and her husband, Matt, have a family membership, and were happy to be back with their children Anna, 7, and Genevieve, 4. The girls seemed to enjoy the elephants and giraffes, but Anna said her favorite animal is the red panda.
While the Siberian tigers stayed in the back of their exhibits, an Amur leopard walked right up to three children watching from behind a viewing window. The flamingos squawked and flapped their wings when people stopped to take photos.
All food venues were open, including the Dippin’ Dots stand, Savanna Stop and Beer Den. At the main restaurant, Jambo Grill, tables and chairs had been removed to encourage social distancing, Ms. Urban said.
Timed tickets are available at www.pittsburghzoo.org. Once inside, visitors can stay as long as they like. Summer hours are 9:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Zoo members get in for free; others pay $17.95 for adults, $16.95 for seniors and $15.95 for children.