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Community steps up to save zoo
Millions still needed to ensure The Zoo-Northwest Florida's stability
BY FRANKLIN HAYES Splash! Magazine
Could this be the last year to watch lions bask in the sun at The Zoo - Northwest Florida? Park officials announced in July that they need $3 million within the next year and at least $1 million of it by the end of 2007 to keep the park open.
 | | Franklin Hayes/Splash! Magazine Zoo Keeper Lori Holt of Milton interacts with a spider monkey named Desi. |
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"We can't generate attendance fast enough to recover from the hurricanes," said The Zoo's Executive Director, H. Douglas Kemper Jr.
Kemper said hurricanes in 2004 and 2005 caused the zoo to close for nearly six months within one year, which caused a loss of $914,000 in projected revenues.
In the recovery process, Kemper said The Zoo received no federal assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) or any other disaster recovery organization and is still fighting for insurance help. The lack of financial support caused The Zoo to rack up nearly $2 million in debt since the storms.
"We could ask for less money to scrape by and keep the doors open, but then we'd be back in the same place next year, asking for money again," Kemper said.
 | | Franklin Hayes/Splash! Magazine Paddington, an American black bear, looks out from his pen at the zoo. |
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However, portions of the surrounding Gulf Breeze and Navarre communities are coming together to save the zoo.
Gulf Coast Zoological Society board member Charles A. "Chuck" Emling, who serves as president of the non-profit that absorbed operations of the park in 2004, said he was very impressed by the outpouring of support from the surrounding communities.
"To say the response has been positive would be an understatement," said Emling, who also operates The Club athletic complex near Crane Cove Boulevard in Gulf Breeze.
As of Aug. 31, zoo officials say the community has raised over $20,000 through "grassroots" fundraising efforts, including a rummage sale at the flea market across the street from the zoo, which raised $4,400. There are also websites set up in support of the zoo, including: www.dosomething.org/node/3 29 02 and www.myspace.com/savethezoo.
Zoo officials said they've fielded phone calls from concerned residents offering their own fundraising ideas and efforts.
Gulf Breeze resident Patti Hutto, a member of the Miraflores Garden Club, is putting together a charity event she calls "Feast with the Beast" at The Zoo in October. The event will begin around 7 p.m. and guests can partake of an open bar, gourmet food, unlimited Safari Express Line rides, live music, and a raffle, all while perusing the park's grounds until the event wraps up around midnight. Tickets are selling for $80 per person or $150 per couple.
Business partners Keith Sims and Tracy McCraw, who operate a company called Charitable Events Management, are planning a Texas Hold 'Em poker tournament to benefit the zoo Oct. 26. Sims said the tournament will be held at MySpayce in downtown Pensacola and will feature professional gambler Brandon Adams.
Zaxby's, a fast food eatery with locations in Pensacola and Gulf Breeze, will host "Zoo Nights" every Sunday Night in September. John Whiteaker with Zaxby's said Zoo Nights will last from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and include the restaurants in Gulf Breeze and Pensacola. The fast food chain plans to donate 10 percent of its sales during Zoo Nights to the park.
Todd Milleson, operations director for Papa John's Pizza, said his company recently signed up as a corporate sponsor, donating $550 annually to the nonprofit group in charge of the zoo.
For more information visit http://www.thezoonorthwestflorida.org or call 850-932- 2229.
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