The storms that mauled the Bay Area today triggered significant damage to the Oakland Zoo after a tree damaged an aviary and 6 birds got away, authorities said. One of the missing out on birds is a threatened hooded vulture.
The event is the latest obstacle for the zoo, which has actually lost countless dollars this year due to closures triggered by weather condition. The zoo relies mainly on admissions and subscriptions for its income.
“We’ve, of course, been hit financially and it’s been pretty significant,” said Nik Dehejia, the CEO of the zoo. “Unfortunately, we can’t control the weather. It’s a significant loss for us every day we’re closed.”
The latest storm made landfall Tuesday and triggered strong winds, rainstorms and damage around the Bay Area. In Oakland, 20 trees and branches fell under streets within an hour, and on Wednesday the city said it was responding to over 100 require tree emergency situations.
Trees likewise fell at the zoo, which was closed Wednesday to clean out particles from the storm. One fell on the brand-new aviary, which houses 20 birds and was integrated in 2021. The tree tore the aviary’s mesh covering, leading to 6 birds flying out, said Erin Dogan, the zoo’s vice president of marketing.
All 6 birds are of African types. The staying birds in the aviary were brought securely within, where they’re being held, Dogan said.
The African Hooded Vulture, a threatened types, got away from the Oakland Zoo’s brand-new aviary after a tree fell over and damaged the structure.
Courtesy Erin DoganAnimal teams waited over night in the rain with webs and dog crates to attempt to regain the gotten away birds.
The birds “are choosing to stay within zoo grounds and they’ve not left the zoo,” Dogan said, including that teams want to obtain the birds by Thursday.
“I do think it’s very promising, and we are very pleased the birds are choosing to stay very close by and not disappear,” she included.
In January, rains triggered a sinkhole in the car park, requiring the zoo to close down for 34 days. Financial losses from the closure topped $2 million and fixing the sinkhole cost more than $500,000, which authorities said they hope the federal government will repay.
In February and March, the zoo was closed for an overall of 13 days due to storms and lost about $30,000 daily, Dehejia said.
