Adelaide Zoo Adelaide Zoo $24 Million in Debt

[nanoboy]

For most zoos in the US, 70% of the cost of operation is people. The remaining 30% tends to largely be "fixed costs" for utilities, animal food etc. There is typically very little margin to adjust, and when major cost cutting is required, it tends to mean people get fired or open positions go unfilled, usually both. Now the question of who gets sacked is entirely different--is it at the top, middle or bottom or the heirarchy? That can often be a more telling measure of an institutions' priorities and trajectory.

Yes, it will be interesting to see which employees get the sack. The knock-on effect will be that remaining employees will have to work even harder.

ZOOSSA is sitting on a lot of fixed assets that could be sold off to generate cash, and there is also the option of getting another loan or having this one forgiven.

 

[CGSwans]

and there is also the option of getting another loan or having this one forgiven.

Those are not options.

 

[Electus Parrot]

This is what I was worried about.
They seem to continue to base their zoo around the pandas and the more 'important' (by this I mean visitor favourites) animals, and with this animal review they plan to have I expect animals such as birds, some reptiles and smaller mammals (possibly including the Brazilian tapirs) to be taken from the collection and sent elsewhere. I do see why they do this, because the animals they will keep will attract more mainstream visitors, I think the zoo will lose its character, and just become like many other zoos in the region, which has been happening for a while anyway.

 

[Jabiru96]

Zoos South Australia is now finally operating in surplus: Zoos SA records operating surplus after panda financial pain - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)