Bronx Zoo ready for reopening
New Yorkers prepare for a new socially distant zoo experience this week
BY ALEX MITCHELL
As the Bronx Zoo prepares
for a public reopening this
Friday along with the Central
Park, Queens, and Prospect
Park zoos, Wildlife Conservation
Society members who
were given early access were
enthusiastic for a return to
the concrete jungle uptown.
But it’s a slightly different
environment than patrons
have been previously used
to: strictly outside exhibits
are viewable for the reduced
capacity of guests, zoo-goers
may only enter at 10 a.m.,
noon, or 2 p.m. in the Bronx,
tickets must be purchased
online for a specifi c date and
time slot as no walk-up or onsite
ones will be sold, face coverings
are required for all visitors
aged 3 and up, along with
social distancing and contactless
protocols that have but
put in effect throughout the
wilderness.
Starting next week, traditional
free Wednesdays will
also return but will require
advanced ticketing online
while day camps and education
programs will be remaining
digital at this time.
For in-person adventures,
the zoo implemented a plethora
of sanitizing stations
throughout its grounds, many
placed near no-touch admission
gates.
It’s those kind of precautions
that encouraged Brooklynite
Julia Kopelson to treat
her children to a sunny, and
hot, day at the zoo earlier this
afternoon.
“They’re doing a really
good job,” she said, mentioning
that the Bronx Zoo’s know
before you go webpage was incredibly
helpful for planning
what to anticipate upon arrival.
Kopelson, who is married
to an ER doctor, also expressed
a willingness to continue
seeing the city’s iconic
sights as they reopen in upcoming
weeks.
“I think if it’s open then
I feel pretty comfortable
to go see it,” she said while
overlooking giraffes and ostriches
BRONX TIMES R 2 EPORTER, JULY 24-30, 2020 BTR
with her family.
For a Long Island father
named Gabriel, he’s been
waiting four months to
bring his children back to
the Bronx Zoo.
He commented on how
clean the park has been kept
since its reopening on Monday,
adding how pleasant it
is to be able to return safely
with his children.
“This is a nice feeling, we
are happy that life coming
back to normal,” he said.
Pelhamite Jeanine Mcdermott
also praised the
zoo’s efforts for cleanliness
while overlooking a fl ock
a pink fl amingos with her
children Mia and Liam.
“We were so missing the
Bronx Zoo in the spring…
it’s a shame that some of
the things are not open but
we understand why,” she
added.
As for Manhattanites
Mark and Sally Riddles, they
fi nally escaped from their
“little apartment” for a day
in nature with their grandchildren,
Ruth and Eli.
“This is the fi rst activity
we’ve done,” Sally said surrounded
by a herd of American
bison, while Mark noted
his sense of security coming
from the statewide decrease
of coronavirus rates.
For Eli, trips to the zoo
are what he most looks forward
too during a less homebound
time.
Gabriel, a Long Island father with his family at the Bronx Zoo
Photo by Alex Mitchell