Adelaide Zoo says oldest animals’ deaths have not dented attendance or finances
THE Adelaide Zoo says the deaths of some of its oldest and most popular animals this year has not dented its attendance numbers or its finances.
THE Adelaide Zoo says the deaths of some of its oldest and most popular animals this year has not dented its attendance numbers or its finances.
In fact, Zoos SA chief executive Elaine Bensted says staff have been “touched by the outpouring of support” they have received since January, when 34-year-old orang-utan Karta died hours after giving birth to a stillborn baby.
In June, Australia’s oldest Sumatran tiger, Kemiri, died at the zoo, aged 22, and in the same month, Australia’s only sloth, Miss C, died aged 43.
Susie the hippopotamus died in July.
“We have said goodbye to some iconic Adelaide Zoo residents over the last six months, but with more than 2500 animals calling Adelaide Zoo home and a number of aged animals who have well and truly exceeded their life expectancy, the death of aged animals is unfortunately to be expected,” Ms Bensted said.
“As you will see from the attendance numbers, the sad passing of some of our older animals hasn’t impacted our financial position.
“In fact, we’ve been touched by the outpouring of support we’ve received from the South Australian community.”
A total of 585,872 people visited Adelaide and Monarto zoos in 2016-17, the largest turnout in the Royal Zoological Society’s 134-year history.
Ms Bensted said there had been “well over” 200 births at Adelaide Zoo in the past year, including hamadryas baboons, white-cheeked gibbons and western swamp tortoises.
She said the organisation was finalising its 2016-17 annual report, which would show “further evidence of our improving financial position”.
It made a $927,000 surplus in 2015-16.