2015 a Record Year at the Toledo Zoo
Toledo, OHIO— The final numbers are in and 2015 was a banner year for the Toledo Zoo! In fact, over 1.3 million people came to the Zoo this past year. That number surpasses by 50,000 visitors the previous record that was set in 1988 when giant pandas, on loan from China, were on exhibit here. The Toledo Zoo had a lot to celebrate in 2015 with the incredibly successful openings of the renovated Aquarium, Pheasantry exhibit and Aquarium Adventure Trail playground, surpassing one million visitors for the sixth time in the Zoo’s 115 year history and passage of a 1 mill capital levy renewal by Lucas County voters. The Zoo also earned numerous awards and accolades, including the iconic “Big Tree” being named one of the Top Five Most Beautiful Christmas Trees by Parade.com, being voted one of the Best Zoo Lights displays in the nation by USA Today’s 10 Best, named a Standout in Ohio tourism by OhioTraveler.com and being recognized by Scenic Ohio. In addition to those incredible memories, the Toledo Zoo welcomed several new species of animals, including two male yaks, two Bactrian camels, three red pandas and three Tasmanian devils in cooperation with the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program. The Zoo also celebrated the births of four Saddle-billed Stork chicks; Wakil, a male orangutan; and Mei Mei, a female Francois’ langur. Additional new Zoo residents, included three male gray wolves, three young Galapagos tortoises, three reindeer and three young male cheetahs. The Toledo Zoo continued its conservation efforts across the world and in the local region. Wild Toledo, the Zoo’s conservation organization earned the 2015 Public Agency Native Landscape Award from the Oak Openings Region Chapter of Wild Ones. The Zoo’s Wild Toledo employees released nearly 700 tagged monarch butterflies, are maintaining more than 25 acres of native prairies throughout the region, reared over 300 hellbender salamanders and released 28 into cleaned–up streams in southeastern Ohio. In addition to the local work, Zoo staff members also participated in conservation efforts across the globe, including bird re-locations in the Mariana Islands, snow leopard collaring in Kyrgyzstan, Tasmanian devil research in Tasmania, boa research in Cuba and Aruba and polar bear studies in Canada. The Toledo Zoo’s 30th anniversary season of Lights Before Christmas presented by KeyBank broke records for the highest number of total visitors in the three decade history of the display with over 230,000 guests and the single day attendance record with more than 19,500 visitors on Saturday, December 12. The Zoo’s executive director, Jeff Sailer, expressed his gratitude for the year’s success and attributed the numbers to the multi-generational appeal of the Zoo and the dedication of Zoo staff and volunteers. “The Toledo Zoo is very grateful for the incredible support this past year. We take pride in being a year-round, family-friendly destination. We are seeing people who first started bringing their children to the Zoo many years ago now enjoying it with their grandchildren and looking forward to their families continuing to enjoy it for many more years to come. That speaks volumes about the delight and excitement the Zoo brings to this community,” said Sailer. Sailer went on to add: “The success of the Zoo is truly a triumph for the whole community as many of our visitors also patronize other local businesses and attractions during their visits to the area. We are proud to be a contributing member of this community and look forward to all that 2016 has in store.”
Press Release Contact Name: Andi Norman
Press Release Contact Email: [email protected]
Press Release Contact Phone: 419-385-5721 ext. 2098
Organization Name: Toledo Zoo