As the coronavirus pandemic drags on, financial losses are mounting at Oregon’s biggest zoo.

The Oregon Zoo announced Thursday that it’s in a dire financial situation, and is now turning to the public in an emergency fundraising effort for a $1 million lifeline.

“Since closing to the public on March 17, we’ve lost our ability to generate revenue through admissions, events and sales,” Don Moore, zoo director, said in a news release. “We planned for the future. We had reserves in place – but nobody was prepared for this level of catastrophe. In an instant, we lost 60% of our revenue.”

The Oregon Zoo is owned by regional government organization Metro, but it also gets funding from the Oregon Zoo Foundation, a nonprofit fundraising arm of the zoo. The foundation recently created an emergency fund that aims to raise $1 million to support zoo operations through the closure.

Donations can be made online at oregonzoo.org/donate.

Much of that money will go to caring for the zoo’s 2,500 animals, the Oregon Zoo said, including elephants, primates, big cats and birds, which a small staff of zoo employees still attend to.

At the end of March, the Oregon Zoo laid off 262 temporary and seasonal workers, while Metro announced it was cutting 40 percent of its staff.

Workers are still there to care for the animals, albeit with more precautions, including modified work areas and schedules to limit overlap between employees. The zoo had already required social distancing and N95 masks between people and primates, but extended the practice to all mammals following the reported COVID-19 infection of a tiger at the Bronx Zoo.

“Animal welfare remains our top priority, and we’re working around the clock to make sure the animals in our care have everything they need,” said Bob Lee, who oversees the zoo’s animal care programs. “We can get through this crisis, but only with the support of our community.”

--Jamie Hale; jhale@oregonian.com; 503-294-4077; @HaleJamesB

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