July 28, 2021 noon
(WGTD)---At the Racine Zoo, attendance and membership are setting pre-pandemic records.
And now that the visitors have returned, even the lions are noticeably happier, says Aszya Summers, Curator of Animal Care and Conservation Education. "When we had to shut down unfortunately for COVID for a few months last year, some of our animals, particularly the lions, really missed seeing our guests," she said. "A lot of the animals love to watch you as much as you love watching them."
Summers’ comments came in a walking tour of the zoo with WGTD Morning Show host Greg Berg. A video version is available here.
Also participating in the conversation was Zoo Director Beth Heidorn. She marvels at the demographic make-up of the zoo’s patrons, which includes not just tourists but generations of local families. "It's the grandparents, the kids and the grandkids and the great-grandkids," she says.
The Morning Show segment at the zoo was recorded just as zoo officials are starting to think about how they’re going to celebrate the zoo’s centennial anniversary which is coming up in 2023. Heidorn says the Racine Zoo is one of the oldest zoos in the country.
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