Like many businesses and organizations, the Greenville Zoo is going through a difficult time. The 60-year-old institution temporarily shut its doors on March 15 + canceled all events through May due to COVID-19.

Normally, 300,000+ people visit the zoo each year, and an additional 40,000 school children per year experience special exhibits + participate in educational programs they wouldn’t typically have access to. Spring and summer visitors generate 40% of the Zoo’s annual revenue. With the gates closed, that revenue is lost. On top of ticket revenue, the zoo relies on income through donations + public funding for essentials like food, housing + vet care (caring for exotic animals is expensive, after all).

In the midst of this, the Zoo is making improvements to provide an even better experience for visitors, animals + employees. In 2019, construction began on phase one of a 20-year master plan to improve the Zoo. The institution now faces a $1 million shortfall to complete the new lions’ den and exhibit. Closing that gap will determine if the zoo can keep its lions.

To make up for these financial losses and to fund future programs + improvements, The Greenville Zoo Foundation –an independent, community nonprofit whose purpose is to provide financial support, resources + advocacy for the Greenville Zoo – is asking for locals’ support.

Here are 5 ways you can support the Zoo and its animals while the institution is closed (to ensure it reopens post-pandemic):

- Experience the zoo virtually with the giraffe cam (and make a donation for the free entertainment). 🦒
- Engrave a brick at the Zoo to congratulate your graduating senior or give your wife a special shoutout for your big wedding anniversary. It’ll last forever.
- Buy a Zoo Membership for your family – or for the grandparents + the kiddos – to enjoy later this year (hello, perfect Father’s Day present or belated Mother’s Day gift).
- Make a one-time gift or recurring monthly donation for zoo closure support or annual operations.
- Donate to the Capital Campaign, which will help fund the Zoo’s 20-year master plan and ensure those new lions will have a home here in the Upstate. 🦁 Ⓟ

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