Tribune/Debra Reid - Milk arrives for Zeus and Zana courtesy of volunteers Amber Grey and Monica Radtke at the Sierra Safari Zoo. The 4-month-old zebras were purchased from a breeding facility in the eastern United States.
Tribune/Debra Reid - A stuffed animal serves as his surrogate mother for Newt at the Sierra Safari Zoo. The Bolivian squirrel monkey's mother died when he was born two weeks ago.
Attendance is only about 60 percent of what it was last year, said Sara Miller, a zoo volunteer.
“The weekends, even on Sundays, we’re only getting 10 people when people are out of school,” Miller said.
The zoo depends on summer profits to help it survive during the winter. In the cold months, it takes about $120,000 to keep the heat and electricity going to provide warmth for the animals, plus costs for food.
This year, however, efforts to publicize have been nearly non-existent, she said, and fewer guests have visited the facility.
“We’re trying to do word of mouth (advertising),” she said. “It’s a great place to take your family for the day and an inexpensive way to do something fun.
The lack of promotion has been a struggle as volunteers are trying to market the zoo’s 20th anniversary with special activities.
Sierra Safari is home to numerous animals such as primates, marsupials, lion, tigers and exotic birds.
The newest arrivals in the zoo include a baby zebra and African sheep that kids or adults can feed. Feeding times are 9 a.m., 12 p.m. and 4 p.m.
Admission fees are $7 for guests 13 and older, $6 for children ages 3 to 12 and free for seniors and infants younger than 2. Season passes can be purchased for $100 for a family of six, $50 for an individual, $35 for a senior individual, $75 for a couple and $40 for a senior couple.
While attendance may be down, all is not lost. Miller is the grant writer and funding coordinator and has applied for grants to be given by foundations including Ben Snow, E.L. Cord, Walsh and Helen Close to pay for installation of two wind turbines and a new petting area. The zoo will be going green with the turbines, which cost about $24,000 apiece. A new petting area will cost $12,800.
Ticket prices and other donations aren’t the only contributions keeping Sierra Safari afloat. Volunteers are always needed to help feed the animals and clean up their areas.
The zoo is completely run by volunteers who pour their time and devotion into it.
“I’m doing this as a volunteer because the zoo’s such a great cause, but we don’t have funding available,” Miller said. “We just need to get the word out there and small businesses here don’t want to give money for it.”
The Sierra Safari Zoo was founded with the collection of exotic animals owned by Dale McDaniel, Jimmie Martin and Dave Dawson. They purchased property and opened the zoo in August 1990.
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