Setting the record straight on exhibit closures

If you read the article in the Springfield News-Leader or a post from a local blogger this past week about looming budget cuts affecting the Springfield-Greene County Park Board – and more specifically, Dickerson Park Zoo – you might be wondering what you will (or won’t) see on your next zoo visit.

First, be assured, contrary to the information published in the News-Leader’s article, there are not six closed exhibits. Have we reduced numbers of animals among certain species? Yes. Probably the animals getting the most attention were a pair of striped hyenas that had never been on public exhibit and were simply animals living at the zoo in a behind-the-scenes area. To trim expenses and streamline the zookeepers’ workload, those hyenas were relocated to ZooBoise.

We moved out a group of brown lemurs to another zoo. These animals were rarely visible to the visiting public. Another group of ruffed lemurs now inhabit that island exhibit.

In reality, when you visit Dickerson Park Zoo, you will only see one entirely vacant exhibit, not six reported by News-Leader.

The antelope in the large African Plains yard adjacent to the cheetahs were also moved. This was precipitated by two factors, one of which was a cost savings. However, more importantly, these animals needed to move so that work can begin in the exhibit yard to establish rain gardens and other water run-off improvements.

Most of the reductions at the zoo happened behind-the-scenes. Money for travel/training and advertising has been eliminated, and other expense areas for supplies and professional services have been reduced. Some part-time positions at the zoo remain open, as may future vacancies. We anticipate these reductions will continue in the new budget year (2009-2010), although the budget has not been approved and finalized by the City Council.

In trimming our budget, our primary focus has always been two-fold: maintain the highest professional standards of animal care and have the least effect on our guests’ overall zoo experience. Dickerson Park Zoo is very proud to have an 86-year history in the Springfield area. We are YOUR community and regional zoo, with more than 75 percent of our guests coming from within a 120-mile radius.

So, visit Dickerson Park Zoo this summer. We promise you will admire hundreds of animals from around the world, be inspired by the informational and conservation messages, and enjoy an oasis of green in the city.