Pandemic puts Beardsley Zoo in ‘rough’ financial shape
BRIDGEPORT — The state’s only zoo has lost an estimated $500,000 in revenue since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and staff continues to work behindthe-scenes to care for the animals and the zoo property.
Beardsley Zoo Director Gregg Dancho said this is the first time the zoo has had to shut down for an extended period of time in his 40 years of working there.
“We’ve never been closed for longer than five days,” he said.
Dancho estimated that between the canceled school field trips, birthday parties and weddings, the zoo lost about half a million dollars in revenue that would’ve helped them enter the spring season strong.
He said the zoo has a $5 million operating budget for the current year.
Typically, Dancho said, the zoo sees less visitors in the winter because of colder or inclement weather. But this year’s mild winter brought the zoo more visitors than usual.
“The zoo was in really good shape,” Dancho said. “We were going into the spring in a good position.”
That changed once the pandemic hit.
Financial struggle
“Financially, we’re in pretty rough shape,” Dancho said. “It’s a worldwide issue. Everybody’s hurting really badly right now.”
The zoo established an emergency fund — accessible online for donations at beardsleyzoo.org/emergency-fund.html — where residents can help financially support the zoo through the pandemic. Dancho also said residents can buy a one-year membership that won’t go into affect until the day the zoo reopens — another source of revue for the cashstrapped institution.
He said the zoo also diverted money from some projects, like finishing construction on a farmyard area, to operations. “We probably could sustain it through the fall,” Dancho said of the lack of usual revenue. “But then we’re out of season.”
The zoo’s usual peak time for visitors falls between April and September. He said that jump in attendance during those months helps the zoo sustain its operations even if the fall and winter months don’t bring in as many guests.
In April, Dancho said, the zoo usually will see an influx of visitors when local students are on spring break and stop by the zoo with their families. Having the gift shop closed has also impacted revenue, he said.
The zoo had to postpone, and Dancho said will likely have to cancel, its “Wine Safari,” which usually serves as a great fundraiser. He said roughly 2,000 people showed up to the fundraiser in 2019.
He said his staff is trying to figure out a way to potentially host the safari virtually.
As an animal-care specialist at the Beardsley Zoo, Bethany Thatcher takes care of the Bridgeport facility’s two Amur tigers, Reka and Zeya, sisters born in 2017, as well as its Amur leopards.
Unlike the roadside zoos depicted in Netflix’s hit documentary series Tiger King, the Beardsley Zoo is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and must meet strict guidelines for animal care and welfare.
Currently closed because of the coronavirus, the zoo and staff members have been posting many videos from the park. Like other museums and arts and education attractions, the zoo is struggling without visitor revenue and is desperate for donations.
We recently spoke with Thatcher via FaceTime about the documentary and the dangerous tiger care depicted on it. We also speak with Gregg Dancho, the zoo’s director, below.
What is your reaction to Tiger King?
The fact that it exists stresses me out. I’m afraid of the ideas it’s going to give people. I am interested in what people take away from it. I forget which celebrity said, well, I didn’t know you could get a tiger for just four grand. That’s what some people take away from it. Other people see the animal abuse. Other people are concerned about the human abuse. I physically can’t watch it. So I’m not going to have educated opinions on that documentary, just the stuff that I’ve heard, I will throw up. So I can’t look at it…
Because of the treatment of animals?
Exactly. I’m really interested in the human side of the story. I love true crime and mystery and stuff like that but things like shooting tigers, squeezing cubs through mesh as the mom is still giving birth, handing the cubs to people when they’re a few days old. (Zookeeper Joe Exotic) complaining that they’re screaming all night and he can’t get any sleep. I’ve raised cubs; they don’t scream if they’re not hungry, so they were hungry. I would never take cubs away from a mom that wants them. The only time we’ve pulled cubs is because the parents weren’t able to raise them. We did that under very strict guidelines. No one could go near them except for the people raising them. …There were no photo opportunities or taking them places, or doing anything to exploit them like that. My opinion of people who use their animals for profit couldn’t be lower. It makes me sick.