Bronx Zoo entrance. Source: wikipedia.org.
On March 16, 2020, the Bronx Zoo was forced to close to the public due to the coronavirus pandemic. The zoo reopened in late July, and visitors are now able to see their favorite animals once again. However, during the four months that the zoo was closed, the zoo’s 4,000 creatures—hailing from over 650 species—were left without an audience. Unlike the majority of tourist attractions closed due to the pandemic throughout the United States, the Bronx Zoo could not be left unattended; the animals still needed to be cared for by the zoo.
“We weren’t in a situation like a lot of businesses, or say a museum, where you can just throw drapes or curtains over certain pieces of art, shut off the lights, and walk away,” stated Jim Breheny, director of the Bronx Zoo. Breheny continued, “The animals that we care for rely on us for everything.”
Despite the park being closed to visitors, roughly 300 essential workers split into two teams to take care of the animals and maintain all important operations in the zoo. During these four months, the essential workers followed the same routines they would normally follow if the zoo had been open. For the most part, the lives of the animals went on normally as the rest of the world was in shambles; the sea lions still clapped, and the lions still roared. “The animals are blissfully unaware of what the rest of us have been going through,” Breheny said.
Breheny did state, however, that many of the primates in the zoo noticed the emptiness of the park. The Bronx Zoo’s associate director explained that the lack of guests was particularly significant to animals in the children’s seasonal zoo, such as the goats and alpacas, who usually interact with many young visitors each day. In late March, Mr. Breheny visited a group of geladas, a species of monkey that originates in the Ethiopian Highlands, and noticed that the geladas moved towards him, staring through the glass with curiosity. Breheny was likely the first human observer they had seen in a while. Although the animals’ behavior did not significantly change during the pandemic, Breheny claims that the animals were “aware that things [were] not the same.”
There has also been an increase in the number of animals within the park. Many animals were born during the four months that the zoo was closed, including several sea lion pups. Additionally, two female gaur calves were born. Gaur is native to Southeast Asia and is the largest cattle species in the world, although their populations have decreased due to human activity, leading to their recent classification as vulnerable. The gaur herd at the Bronx Zoo now has 25 gaurs in total, having grown by seven calves since 2018.
On July 24, the iconic zoo finally reopened, and visitors now have access to nearly all of the park’s exhibits once again. However, some safety protocols needed to be implemented for the reopening. For instance, there are now numerous hand sanitizer stations, signs reminding visitors to remain 6 feet apart, and a rule requiring guests to wear a face mask in the park. Additionally, attendance is restricted to no more than a third of the regular capacity. Thanks to the zoo staff who worked tirelessly every day during the pandemic to care for the animals and keep them on a consistent schedule, the Bronx Zoo was able to keep their animals healthy and eventually reopen to the public.
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