Today I made a call to the Texas Zoo to talk about the Texas Zoo's upcoming plans to reschedule, Wild About Wine, the Texas Zoo's largest annual fundraiser. Held most years in March, it had been rescheduled due to the recent COVID-19 outbreak for late April. I was very saddened to hear that even though the Texas Zoo was hopeful about holding Wild About Wine in the weeks ahead, the biggest concern for the Texas Zoo at this time is if they can afford to keep the door open until Wild About Wine, whenever they are able to host it.

Spring is such an amazing time for the Texas Zoo as attendance and tours to the Texas Zoo increases with the warmer weather increasing zoo activity as well. And without foot traffic on top of the loss of late winter funding from Wild About Wines' much needed fundraising dollars, they might have to take a serious look at closing. I've asked Texas Zoo Executive Director, Elizabeth Jensen to write an open letter to our community in regards to the Texas Zoo's immediate future. Here is her thoughtful response.

"Everyone is concerned about COVID-19, and rightly so. But please don’t forget about The Texas Zoo in Victoria. Dedicated staff are working to care for the zoo’s collection on a skeleton crew. The zoo does a lot of important work providing forever homes to rescued wildlife and caring for many native species of Texas wildlife that are endangered. Recently, right after we closed the zoo, one of our endangered red wolves had to have emergency surgery to save her life. The zoo’s dedicated staff worked around the clock for days to provide her with intensive care.

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As a small non-profit zoo, we operate on a small budget, and the cost to care for the animals is expensive. In this time of uncertainty, without financial resources, the zoo may be forced to close its doors forever. That would be a tragedy for the community of Victoria and for wildlife."

Thank you Elizabeth for keeping Victoria informed about the concerns of the Texas Zoo and thank you to all who cares for and contributes to our beloved Texas Zoo.

If you would like to donate or contribute to The Texas Zoo in any way, please do not hesitate to call or reach out here.

Here is a great Vlog on YouTube by Los Adraines Daily Vlog on their family trip to the Texas Zoo.

What are your favorite memories with your family of the Texas Zoo?

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