(Above) the new Education Center; (top right) Eddie, a Vietnamese elongated tortoise, survived the fi re; (bottom right) life is good now
What damage was done to the zoo?
The Education Center suffered more than US$500,000 (£306,000, 348,000) worth of damage. Initially we weren’t sure if we’d be able to raise the funds to rebuild the centre, but luckily an insurance policy was in place. We also received donations from businesses and private citizens, which helped pay for things not covered by insur- ance, such as supplies and food items. A school group raised money to buy two
ferrets and a chinchilla to replace those that died and they bought tons of sup- plies for them as well. It took a while for the insurance investigation and reimburse- ment, so we were dependent on donations until then. US Xpress, a trucking company, loaned us a truck to store all of the dona- tions in until the building was fi nished.
How were staff affected?
As the fi re occurred at night, no one was present. Staff were offered counselling and employees from two other zoos came to help out in the days following the fi re, which was great. Our graphic artist did a wonderful tribute in the newsletter that really helped. We also have a sign in the Education Center in memory of the ani- mals. Three years on we still talk about the fi re and miss the animals that we lost.
AM 2 2010 ©cybertrek 2010
How were visitors affected?
We only closed for two days. When we reo- pened there was a slight increase in visitor numbers because people were concerned for the zoo and the animals that they loved.
What do you feel you’ve learned from the incident?
We now have a much better relationship and training programme with our fi re department. We provide more detailed training for staff and make sure there are adequate power outlets to avoid extension cords and that heat can be provided in a safe manner. We’ve always run emergency drills that usually involve the escape of an animal, but also teach us to function as a team, which helped during the fi re. We now think more about sprinkler
systems and material choices – I love con- crete! We include a map on the outside of all buildings describing what animals are housed there, where fi refi ghter safe areas are and where chemicals are stored. We also have full-time security now.
What advice can you give operators?
Have frequent tours of your facility with the fi re department and have maps available on the outside of buildings, so they know which areas are safe to enter. ●
ABOUT CHATTANOOGA ZOO
T
he Chattanooga Zoo at Warner Park, formerly the Warner Park Zoo, is a 13-acre (53,000sq m)
zoo located in Downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee, US. The zoo was established in 1937 and houses the largest indoor red panda exhibit in the world in its Himalayan Passage area, which also includes snow leopards and hanuman langurs. The $2.1m Gombe Forest exhibit is
home to fi ve chimpanzees. The Donovan Interpretive Center features an indoor chimp viewing area. The Corcovado Jungle has animals from Latin America including jaguars, spider monkeys, macaws and capybaras. Walkin’ the Tracks holds the zoo’s North American animals while The Cougar Express has indoor viewing in a train car for two cou- gars, prairie dogs and whitetail deer. The zoo is undergoing a fi ve-phase,
$12m renovation, which includes the addition of new exhibits and the expan- sion of the animal collection to include African penguins, gibbons and komodo dragons. New species will also be added to the South American, African, Asian and North American zones.
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