US zoos closed due to COVID-19 and duration
- Thread starter Great Argus
- Start date
TheEthiopianWolf03
Well-Known Member
I’m hearing rumors that my home zoo of Oakland might reopen early June since the behind the scenes program that they have set up is going to be terminated by that same time.
Timbavati Wildlife Park is going to be drive-through soon.
Imperator Furiosa
Well-Known Member
Revamping the Google Sheet with some long overdue updates. I'll try to make regular updates to the sheet at least once a day, as new information comes out. Also if I missed previously mentioned zoos in the thread they'll be added during my next update:
Reopenings as of 05/15
Reopenings as of 05/15
- Metro Richmond Zoo has partially reopened to offer one hour drive-through tours as of 05/12. The zoo grounds remain closed.
- Timbavati Wildlife Park has partially reopened to offer drive-through tours as of 05/15. The facility has announced their seasonal opening as 05/18.
- Ocean Adventures Marine Park has reopened as of 05/08. New operating procedures include maintaining <25% capacity and encouraging guests to book tickets online.
- Phoenix Herpetological Sanctuary has resumed providing facility tours as of 05/06. These tours have a limited capacity of 10 visitors.
- Emerald Coast Zoo has reopened to the public as of 05/04. New operating procedures include limiting capacity in buildings.
- Central Florida Zoo has reopened to the public as of 05/13. New operating procedures include shortened operating hours, one way visitor path, requiring visitors to have a dated and timed online ticket, and recommended use of facial coverings.
- Red River Zoo has reopened to the public as of 05/02. New operating procedures include the closure of most buildings, maintaining social distancing, and encouraging guests to wear facial coverings.
- Dakota Zoo has reopened to the public as of 05/09. New operating procedures include the closure of some indoor spaces, limiting gift shop capacity, maintaining social distancing, and encouraging vulnerable guests to wear masks.
- Roosevelt Park Zoo has reopened to the public as of 05/09.
- Chahinkapa Zoo has reopened to the public as of 05/09.
- Clearwater Marine Aquarium has reopened to the public as of 05/15. New operating procedures include maintaining <25% capacity, utilizing touchless transactions, requiring visitors to reserve admission in advance, and requiring visitors to wear masks.
- Memphis Zoo has reopened to the public as of 05/13. New operating procedures include maintaining 2500 visitor capacity, closure of indoor spaces and Northwest Passage, cashless transactions, and requiring visitors to wear masks.
- Ellen Trout Zoo has reopened to the public as of 05/11. New operating procedures include closure of indoor spaces, shortened operating hours, and strong encouragement of mask wearing.
- Loveland Living Planet Aquarium has reopened to the public as of 05/09. New operating procedures include limiting guest capacity, requiring visitors to purchase tickets online, and closure of certain areas.
- Oklahoma Aquarium has reopened to the public as of 05/08. New operating procedures include encouraging social distancing.
- ZooMontana has reopened to the public as of 05/11. New operating procedures include operating on winter hours and the closure of indoor and high contact spaces.
- Florida Aquarium has reopened to the public as of 05/15. New operating procedures include requiring visitors to reserve timed tickets online, having visitors follow a one-way path, and requiring staff and visitors to wear masks.
- Jacksonville Zoo & Gardens has reopened to the public as of 05/09. New operating procedures include requiring visitors to purchase timed tickets online, limiting guest capacity and group size, and only permitting cashless transactions.
- Ripley Waterfowl Conservancy will reopen to members on 05/23. New operating procedures include only being open in Saturdays, reserving visits in advance, requiring all visitors to bring and wear a mask, and not offering guided tours at this time. No public reopening has been announced yet.
- Fort Wayne Children's Zoo will reopen to members 06/14-07/03, then reopen to the public 07/04. New operating procedures include timed tickets and maintaining <50% capacity.
- Great Bend-Brit Spaugh Zoo will reopen to the public on 05/18. New operating procedures include admitting only 30 guests at a time, shortened operating hours, and closure of indoor spaces.
- Dickerson Park Zoo will reopen to members 05/26-05/28, then reopen to the public 05/29.
- Alaska SeaLife Center will reopen to the public on 05/20. New operating procedures include maintaining <25% capacity, online only tickets, one way visitor flow, requiring all staff and visitors above the age of 2 to wear masks, and the continued closure of interactive exhibits.
- Sedgwick County Zoo will reopen to members on 05/18, then reopen to the public 05/21. New operating procedures include limiting guest capacity to 1000 guests, requiring visitors to purchase timed tickets online, and the closure of contact areas.
- Texas State Aquarium will reopen to members on 05/20, then reopen to the public 05/22. New operating procedures include requiring visitors to purchase tickets online.
- Zoo Knoxville will reopen to the public on 05/18. New operating procedures include requiring visitors to purchase timed tickets online, the closure of indoor and play spaces, and requiring visitors to wear masks.
Jungle Man
Well-Known Member
The new Yellow River Wildlife Sanctuary in Georgia is going to reopen on May 21st.
Mystic Aquarium plans on reopening the outdoor areas on May 23rd, with buildings remaining closed.
Beardsley's website says they are "currently working on our Phase One Re-Opening plan" but have no date available yet.
~Thylo
Beardsley's website says they are "currently working on our Phase One Re-Opening plan" but have no date available yet.
~Thylo
Sylvan Heights Bird Park opened on the 9th for members only. The landing zone and wings of the tropics aviaries are closed though.
The NC Zoo said it will likely open during the next phase for the state. This should about 2 weeks or so from now. I’d imagine the desert building and streamside complex will be closed though.
The NC Zoo said it will likely open during the next phase for the state. This should about 2 weeks or so from now. I’d imagine the desert building and streamside complex will be closed though.
Wildwood Zoo's Zoo Drive is now open, the rest of the zoo will remain closed.
According to the mayor of Omaha, the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium was planning to open on Monday, May 18 with just outdoor pathways that were one way travel for guests. The mayor and the county health director encouraged the zoo to wait, and the zoo agreed to wait until a currently unannounced date to reopen.
Manitowoc Lincoln Park is scheduled to reopen May 26, there is chance it may even open sooner. The Education and Conservation Center and the Big Red Barn will remain closed.
Imperator Furiosa
Well-Known Member
New updates to the Google Sheet:
Reopenings as of 05/17
I couldn't verify that Mystic Aquarium is planning to reopen on the 23rd after checking their social media and website. The only article I could find mentioned the Mystic Maritime Museum reopening outdoor exhibits on May 23rd but it didn't mention the aquarium.
Reopenings as of 05/17
- Phoenix Zoo has reopened for drive-through visits from 05/06-05/31. Tickets must be purchased online in advance and a limited number of tickets are offered per day.
- San Antonio Zoo has reopened for drive-through visits from 05/01-05/21. Tickets must be purchased online in advance. The zoo grounds remain closed but plans to reopen will be announced once approval from the governor is granted.
- Sylvan Heights Bird Park has reopened to members as of 05/09 and is planned to reopen to the public in a limited capacity on 05/23. New operating procedures include limiting admission to 60 guests per hour, requiring staff and visitors to wear facial coverings, and the closure of areas where social distancing cannot be maintained.
- Wildwood Wildlife Park & Safari has reopened to the public as of 05/11. New operating procedures include encouraging social distancing and the closure of high traffic areas.
- Safari Lake Geneva has reopened for one hour drive-through visits as of 05/03. Visitors must reserve tickets in advance online, and the walk-through areas of the park remain closed.
- Shalom Wildlife Sanctuary has reopened for drive-through visits as of 04/09 (ending 05/18) and will reopen for the season on 05/19. New operating procedures for walking visits tba.
- Wildwood Park & Zoo's large animal drive has remained open through the safer at home order. The zoo grounds remain closed.
- Utah's Hogle Zoo has reopened to the public as of 05/02. New operating procedures include requiring all visitors to reserve timed tickets online, limiting visits to two hours, the closure of indoor exhibits and rides, and a one way route.
- Indian Creek Zoo has reopened to the public as of 05/01. New operating procedures include requiring masks to be worn in the giftshop and social distancing.
- Brights Zoo has reopened to the public as of 05/16. New operating procedures include limiting visitor capacity to <300 visitors in the zoo at a time, limiting guest capacity in buildings and high traffic areas, and encouraging wearing masks.
- Zootah has reopened to the public as of 05/08. New operating procedures include offering an hour before opening for high risk visitors and encouraging social distancing.
- Tracy Aviary has reopened to members on 05/01 and to the public as of 05/02. New operating procedures include only admitting 60 guests per hour and having <120 visitors on grounds at a time, offering an hour before opening for high risk visitors, requiring tickets to be purchased online or at a no-touch gate, one direction visitor flow, and strong encouragement of wearing masks.
- Chattanooga Zoo has reopened to the public as of 05/09. New operating procedures include requiring tickets to be purchased online, limiting visits to 3.5 hours, the closure of rides and some exhibits, strong encouragement of wearing masks, and one way paths.
- Oklahoma City Zoo has reopened to members on 05/04 and to the public as of 05/07. New operating procedures include requiring online reservations, a one way trail that visitors must follow, the closure of high traffic areas including indoor exhibits, staggering admission by 30 minute increments, and limiting the number of guests allowed at a time.
- Abeline Zoo will reopen to the public on 05/18. New operating procedures tbd.
- ZooTampa at Lowry Park will reopen to to the public on 06/01. New operating procedures include limiting visitor capacity to 50%, enforcing social distancing, limiting guest capacity in indoor venues to 25%, and enforcing that groups of >10 people cannot congregate.
I couldn't verify that Mystic Aquarium is planning to reopen on the 23rd after checking their social media and website. The only article I could find mentioned the Mystic Maritime Museum reopening outdoor exhibits on May 23rd but it didn't mention the aquarium.
It was posted onto the aquarium's news thread. Checking the link, it actually doesn't say when the aquarium will reopen, but that it will soon.
~Thylo
That was my bad. Mystic Seaport reopening came up when I searched Mystic Aquarium, so I thought the aquarium and maritime museum were the same complex.
Received an email from Beardsley today announcing they will be opening June 1st. The zoo will only be allowing up to 500 people on-site at a time and will be splitting their opening hours into two three hour sessions, one from 9am-12pm and one from 1pm-4pm. Cleaning will be done during the closed hour. All buildings will be closed and all tickets must be bought online in advance.
~Thylo
~Thylo
Imperator Furiosa
Well-Known Member
Fresh updates to the Google Sheet:
Reopenings as of 05/19
Reopenings as of 05/19
- Potawatomi Zoo has reopened for drive-through visits from 05/16-05/23. Tickets must be purchased online in advance, and the zoo grounds remain closed.
- Tanganyika Wildlife Park has reopened to the public as of 05/09. New operating procedures include requiring guests to reserve tickets online.
- Topeka Zoo has reopened to members on 05/14 and to the pubic as of 05/18. New operating procedures include limiting visitor capacity to 500, requiring staff to wear masks and highly encouraging visitors to wear masks, the closure of indoor exhibits and high traffic areas, and one way figure eight pathing.
- Tupelo Buffalo Park has reopened for drive-through visits as of 04/24. The zoo grounds remain closed.
- Medicine Park Aquarium & Natural Sciences Center has reopened to the public as of 05/01. They do not have any new operating procedures other than signage encouraging social distancing.
- Idaho Falls Zoo has reopened to the public as of 05/16. New operating procedures include the closure of high traffic and contact areas, and social distancing.
- Zoo Idaho has reopened to the public as of 05/16. New operating procedures include being open only on weekends, a capacity of 300 visitors at a time, and social distancing.
- Fossil Rim Wildlife Center has reopened for drive-through visits as of 05/11. Tickets must be purchased online and
- Caldwell Zoo has reopened to the public as of 05/18. New operating procedures include requiring visitors to reserve time slots online, one way paths, and the closure of parts of the zoo.
- Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary has reopened to the public as of 05/08. New operating procedures include requiring tickets to be purchased online.
- Austin Zoo has reopened on a limited basis as of 05/18 and will fully reopen to the public on 05/29. New operating procedures include requiring tickets to be purchased online, offering a limited number of tickets at a time, requiring masks to be worn for visitors and staff, cashless transactions, a one way path, and the closure of high traffic, contact, and indoor areas.
- Zoo Knoxville has reopened to the public as of 05/18.
- Great Bend-Brit Spaugh Zoo has reopened to the public as of 05/18.
- Sedgwick County Zoo has reopened to the public as of 05/18.
- Abilene Zoo has reopened to the public as of 05/18.
- Rolling Hills Zoo will reopen to the public on 05/22. New operating procedures include the closure of indoor and high traffic spaces, strong encouragement of wearing masks, and only selling tickets at the zoo side entrance.
- Yellowstone Wildlife Sanctuary will reopen to the public on 05/23. New operating procedures tbd.
- Tulsa Zoo will reopen to members on 05/25, then to the public on 06/01. New operating procedures include requiring staff to wear masks and highly encouraging guests to wear masks, strict enforcement of social distancing, and a strict cleaning schedule.
- Cape Cod Museum of Natural History will reopen to the public on 06/01. New operating procedures tbd.
- Aquarium of Boise will reopen to the public on 06/01. New operating procedures tbd.
- San Antonio Aquarium and Austin Aquarium will reopen to the public on 05/22. New operating procedures include the closure of interactive areas.
- There's now one facility in Massachusetts that has a reopening date with more likely to follow.
- All major Oklahoma facilities have either reopened or have a reopening date.
- All major Utah facilities have reopened.
- Over half of major Idaho facilities have reopened or have a reopening date.
- More Texas facilities have reopened or have announced reopening dates.
The Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium will open on June 1, 2020. The zoo plans to release further details on the opening and restrictions on Tuesday, May 26, 2020.
It is noted on the zoo's homepage: Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium
Before this all happened it seemed very likely that I was going to make it to Omaha. This may still happen if the restrictions aren't too bad.
Shalom Wildlife Zoo is now open as a drive-through zoo.
Manitowoc Lincoln Park Zoo is now open (I visited yesterday). The indoor exhibits and restaurant are closed but there are no other restrictions.
The NEW Zoo's social media and website say they aren't open, but they are running radio ads saying they are so I don't know if they are or not. Apparently they are going to become a "touchless zoo", whatever that means. I didn't think you could get the virus from surfaces (or at least, that's what they are saying now)?
Manitowoc Lincoln Park Zoo is now open (I visited yesterday). The indoor exhibits and restaurant are closed but there are no other restrictions.
The NEW Zoo's social media and website say they aren't open, but they are running radio ads saying they are so I don't know if they are or not. Apparently they are going to become a "touchless zoo", whatever that means. I didn't think you could get the virus from surfaces (or at least, that's what they are saying now)?