CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo has been closed for seven weeks. Even though no tickets are being sold at the gate, Jenny DeGroot, the Associate Animal Curator says behind the gates, it’s a busy place.
“Our keepers are still coming in everyday day and feeding, training, and enriching the animals just like they would if we were open. The only thing they’re doing less of is behind the scenes tours and public demonstrations,” says DeGroot.
Turns out the animals, especially in the Asian Highlands area of the zoo are just like us during quarantine! They yawn and take naps, the kids are running everywhere, they eat at all times of the day, and look outside wondering when they’ll see more people again! Dr. Chris Kuhar, Executive Director of the zoo says the animals are also not going to the doctor as much either.
“We’ve been asked just like your doctors at home not to do preventative care and unnecessary procedures, that sort of thing, so we’ve been balancing that,” says Dr. Kuhar.
One nice surprise is that the number of animals in the zoo has grown!
“We’ve had babies born, we’ve had new animals arrive, so many of those things are really the same, so I think everyone is doing really well,” says Dr. Kuhar.
One new addition is a baby monkey and another is a baby female reindeer!
“She was named Primrose. Her mom’s name is Petunia, so we were going for a flower theme! When we did our virtual classroom, we asked the public who was watching to send some suggestions our way and that was one of them,” says DeGroot.
Everyone at the zoo we spoke with says they miss the public and are working on a plan to see you soon.
“We’re looking at different creative ways to reopen. We’re exploring a lot of different options. We’re just waiting to get the all clear from the state officials who are working with our local officials,” says Dr. Kuhar.