The Wilds wrestles beast of $1M loss
CUMBERLAND — A late August morning, with temperatures dipping to a comfortable 72 degrees for the first time in weeks, would have made for an ideal day to take a guided safari at the The Wilds.
Typically, the parking lot would be packed, the gift shop hopping and the concession counter really busy.
But these aren't normal times.
The private, nonprofit safari park and conservation center in Muskingum County, which is affiliated with the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, has lost $1 million in revenue this season because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Seasonal workers have been cut, daily visitor counts have been halved and costs from expensive – but muchneeded – animal facilities built last year haven't yet been matched by this season’s income.
But despite the budget cuts, animal welfare remains the No. 1 priority, said Jan Ramer, vice president of operations at The Wilds.
"We've had to make a couple tough decisions at the (park) about what's expendable," Ramer said. "But rest assured, we'll never compromise animal care."
When the state enacted an emergency coronavirus stay-at-home order in March, operations at The Wilds ceased for an entire month.
That took a finances.
Now the park is compensating for its revenue loss in other ways – and it’s had to get creative to do so — all while carving out a portion of the budget dedicated to high-quality animal care.
Taking care of the 500-plus animals, some of which are endangered species or at risk of becoming endangered, isn’t cheap. Ramer said it costs $2,200 every day just to feed the animals. That doesn’t include such things as veterinary costs and other animalcare expenses.
“It takes a lot to run this place,” she said.
To keep from having more animals to feed, the breeding program has been temporarily halted. The park also has sent some animals to trusted zoos, but those animals eventually will return. Ramer stressed that The Wilds will never sell one of its animals for profit.
Besides feeding the animals and providing typical veterinary care, The Wilds also must protect its animals from contracting COVID-19 from humans.
“We know that there are receptors for the COVID virus in many animals – what we don’t know is what does that mean with regard to them getting the disease,” Ramer said, citing recent research that found lions and tigers were able to catch the virus.
So behind-the-scenes tours have been halted. The park is cautiously moving back into visitors being able to hand feed giraffes after discontinuing that at the beginning of the season.
Because the beginning of the season was cut short this spring, the park hired only 150 seasonal workers. That’s down from the usual 200 hires at the park each season.
But that still hasn’t been enough to cover losses, Ramer said. And there will continue to be losses because the number of visitors allowed is drastically cut for social distancing.
A tour bus, for example, that previously accommodated as many as 32 toll on the park’s people now goes through the park at half-capacity. And seating in the openair vans for the premium tours is cut from eight to four (though members of the same household on a tour can exceed the four-person limit).
For Ramer, these cuts aren’t what bother her most.
“It was the uncertainty ... what does this mean for us financially? How on earth are we going to put together the protocols that we need to put together for COVID?” she said. “Then the next worry was the budget. How on earth are we going to make up the deficit?”
Ramer said the staff has gotten creative to make up for some lost revenue. For example, The Wilds has extended its regular season into November.
Still, several programs had to be eliminated for safety concerns. Kids’ camps and the summer apprenticeship programs were canceled. But Ramer said a new family camp program seems to be picking up steam.
The overnight Nomad Village yurts are still available with modifications for social distancing, and a new camping opportunity outside of the rhino and giraffe pasture is popular.
Ramer said the staff was excited for a major fundraiser called “Sleeping Under the Stars” that was planned to end the summer.
“We were going to go virtual, but we decided people are kind of tired of the virtual event,” she said. “So we decided to try a modification.”
Instead, The Wilds is selling sponsorships for people to stay in the park’s overnight accommodations, and Ramer said filling those slots has been successful: There’s now a backlog of people wanting to stay.
She also said that donors have been very generous, often increasing donations this summer to help out.
Ramer said she foresees The Wilds facing challenges into next year. But until there’s a virus vaccine, she and her colleagues are just taking it day by day.
“I think we’re all kind of affected by everything that’s happening in the world right now, but The Wilds is my happy place,” she said. “We’re preparing for the worst and hoping for the best.”