Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Conservation Carousel - Letter from Zoo Director

On Monday April 20 a United Van Lines truck pulled into our front gate from Ohio. By Friday afternoon, we were the proud owners of a beautiful, hand-carved, hand-painted Conservation Carousel! Over the next few weeks we will be taking the final steps to prepare this new addition at the Zoo for a grand opening on May 20th.

A recent letter to the editor in the Sacramento Bee raised some questions about why the Zoo is spending money on a carousel rather than the enclosures for the animals at the Sacramento Zoo.

The care of the animals is always our top priority. With our limited space at Land Park, we have to be creative about generating revenue. We want the Zoo to be accessible and don’t want to raise admission fees beyond the reach of our community.

Three years ago we invested in a small train at the Zoo. That train now generates $50,000 annually that directly supports our animal care, education programs and conservation. We anticipate that the carousel (which cost just over $500,000) will provide even more significant revenue in the next few years, contributing additional funds to these same essential activities.

Mary Healy
Sacramento Zoo


  1. It's beautiful!

  2. i just had a question for the zoo director. Im in high school and i plan on becoming a zoo director and i was wondering if you ever get to actually interact with some of the animals?

  3. I sent your question to the Zoo director and will post her answer when I hear back from her, thanks!

  4. I am glad you are considering a career in zoos. It is very rewarding and no two days are ever alike! As a zoo director, my duties are mostly administrative and I deal with people much more than the animals. The keepers are the ones who interact the most with the animals but this does not mean physical contact. The keepers are often working in the exhibit with the less dangerous animals like many of the birds, the kangaroos and the hoofstock but never with any of the big cats or primates. Be sure to check out the link on our web site about careers in zoos:
    -Mary Healy, Zoo Director

  5. IwanttobeazoodirectorJanuary 21, 2010 at 2:25 PM

    i need to know about how much did the zoo director start with

  6. Hi iwanttobeazoodirector,

    I'm not sure I understand what you are asking. How much of what? Experience? Education? Let me know and I will pass it along and get you an answer. Thanks!

  7. iwanttobeazoodirectorJanuary 23, 2010 at 8:14 AM

    experience and education I have many more questions to like how much money he/she needs to start a zoo Designing also like where exibits go and what animals to put in them

  8. Okay, I understand your question now! I will pass it along, but give us a week or so, she is at a conference.

  9. Zoo Directors have a variety of backgrounds. Generally, all directors of AZA accredited Zoos have college degrees, many at the advanced level. Many come from a science background but many also have business and financial experience.

    Starting a zoo is a very costly and extensive process. Very few new zoos have been built from the ground up in the past twenty years. Zoo planners usually estimate about $1.5 - $2 million dollars an acre when considering new zoo development.

    When you are ready for more education about exhibit design and planning, the Careers page on our zoo web site has all the contact information.

    - Mary Healy, Zoo Director