ANNUAL REPORT 2006 - Denver Zoo

The Blizzards of 2006Dennis SmithVice President for Zoo OperationsOn December 20, the first of two significantsnow events rolled into Denver dumpingmore than 20 inches of snow and severelyimpacting zoo operations. The secondstorm followed eight days later bringingan additional ten inches of snow while wewere just getting dug out from the first event.Over the course of the month, due to publicsafety concerns, the zoo was closed to thepublic for a total of six daytime shifts and sixZoo Lights evenings. We also closed earlyone day and opened at noon on twoother occasions.In preparation for each of the storms, agroup of animal and veterinary staff spentthe night at the zoo so they would beavailable to deal with any collection-relatedproblems that might arise. Additionalanimal care staff, snow removal crewsand others arrived at the zoo early eachmorning and worked tirelessly to care forthe collection and for the facility itself, andto clear pathways and to remove hundredsof truckloads of snow from the zoo grounds.K-M Concessions opened Samburu Grilleeach day for zoo staff meals and providedbox lunches and deli trays for those whospent the night at the zoo on four evenings.These services were graciously provided atno charge to staff or the zoo. Administrativestaff coordinated the decision makingprocess via telephone and that informationwas passed on to the full staff and themedia as necessary; the website and zootelephone recording were updated on adaily basis. All in all, zoo staff from all areasworked together as a team to see to thewell being of the animal collection and oneanother. The high level of commitment andcooperation was truly a very impressivething to witness. Kudos to all Denver Zoostaff for their work during this verydifficult time!In the end, we had no losses to thecollection or damage to the facilities;however, the financial losses weresignificant. The table below illustratessome of the primary losses attributeddirectly to the two storms.DECEMBER 2006 STORM IMPACTLost Revenue, Daytime Admissions $70,000LOSS/EXPENSELost Revenue, Zoo Lights $223,000Lost Concessions Commission, Overall $40,000Outside Contract Snow Removal $3,400Skid Steer Rental (two weeks) $1,400Operations and Animal Departments Overtime $20,000Net Loss Related to the Two Storms $357,80040