Officials at the Denver Zoo submitted a proposal to the local city council to approve an increase in admission costs, a measure that hadn’t been enacted in four years.
In their written proposals, zoo officials cited the need for several complex infrastructure overhauls, including necessary maintenance and rehabilitation for over 100 different buildings deemed functionally obsolete.
“Just like what many are experiencing in the city – rising costs of goods, services, housing,” said Andrew Rowan, senior director of external relations. “We’re not immune to that, and we’ve been experiencing increases to those in the last four years.”
Rowan also cited a need to attract specialized workers. “Denver is becoming an incredibly expensive place to live, and our animal staff and vet staff are highly skilled positions,” Rowan said. “We want to make sure we can continue to recruit and retain these employees.”
In addition to pleading on behalf of the buildings and the employees, Rowan also went to bat for the stars of the main attraction – the animals. In the last four years, according to Rowan, operational costs have increased 28%, and most of those costs have gone to ensure proper animal welfare, which the Zoo wants to continue to uphold.
And so, by imploring the city council and general public on behalf of all the animals, Rowan gave new meaning to the expression “bear one another’s burdens.”
We’re all part of one family, and we must sacrifice to help each other. If one part of the family is in need, we’re all in need. None of us can pull rank and claim to be more important than others.
