Lino, Zoo Operations
Rob, Zoo Operations Manager
Hello to everyone…
With all the news about flooding in Southeastern New England, I thought it was time to get up a post about how we fared. The answer is…so-so. Rest assured that all our animals are safe and dry (except the otter who choose to be wet). None of them were injured or were ever in any danger. We are grateful for that.
Exhibit-wise, there were a few problems. You see, the zoo’s pond is essentially the watershed for the zoo and Sweet Forest, which abuts the zoo along the north. The rain turned the forest into a swamp, and the water began to runoff into the pond. At its highest point, the pond breached its banks, nearly completely covered the round island and began to cover the square one. There were no animals on the islands at the time, but damage was done, mostly to the electrical system and landscaping – both of which can be fixed.
At one point, the dry well near the Kangaroo/Emu exhibit filled and began to spill over, which led to about 18 inches of water in the lowest points of the exhibit. We kept the ‘Roos inside, but the Emus actually had a great time playing in the puddles. Both species are fine and are enjoying being out in the yard today.
By far the most damage done was to storage areas of the zoo. A great deal of gift shop inventory was ruined, as were many supplies. Some special event materials were also wrecked by water, despite being carefully stored.
Luckily, we here at the zoo have a first class operations team. This team is composed of only two men who manage to keep the entire zoo clean, looking nice and well stocked. They plan and build new exhibits as well as maintain existing ones. They are charged with caring for old buildings that constantly need a great deal of TLC. It was these two men who planned and constructed the Splashpad Playspace last spring. Their names are Rob and Lino, and the zoo is VERY lucky to have them. During the worst of the storm, they spent the day soaking wet trying to save whatever they could. They spent the night checking on all the pumps that had to be watched round the clock. It is because of their tireless efforts that we did not suffer worse damage.
I would also like to mention that other departments in the city were incredibly helpful. Park and Forestry, Recreation, Highway, Water and Wastewater dropped everything to send us additional pumps and even personnel to help when things were at the worst. Thank goodness for their support.
All-in-all, things are ok here, and getting back to normal. Luckily a good stretch of warm, DRY weather is predicted, and as I said, thanks to Rob and Lino’s efforts, the zoo STILL looks good! During this long, Easter weekend, take a moment to swing by the zoo…and if you happen to see Lino or Rob, let them know how you appreciate their hard work!
Have a great weekend!
Melanie S, Curator of Education
