The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore announced yesterday the cancellation of plans to bring three African elephants from Philadelphia, citing a delay in the expansion of its elephant exhibit amid a dire financial situation.
The elephants were scheduled to arrive in late spring or early summer from the Philadelphia Zoo - a move that Maryland Zoo officials had hoped would accelerate its breeding program and deliver a much-needed boost in attendance at the zoo in Druid Hill Park, which has suffered financially in recent years from a decline in visitors.
Already dealing with a record budget deficit because of rising maintenance costs and slumping attendance, the zoo's board concluded it would be more prudent to concentrate on turning around budget shortfalls rather than taking on more costs, said Elizabeth "Billie" Grieb, the zoo's president and chief executive.
The Maryland Zoo, home to two African elephants, had planned an $11 million upgrade to its exhibit, adding 6 acres of space and a half-mile walking trail for the creatures, and a new barn - much-needed accommodations for the larger herd.
Construction had begun on renovation of the exhibit's existing barn, but further work has been delayed because the zoo has been unable to raise the money to fund the project. The state has pledged $5.5 million, leaving zoo officials to find the rest of the money through private donations.
"It didn't seem to be the best option to increase our operating costs and devote so much capital to this project right at this moment, when we really want to put the zoo on solid financial footing and really address the structural needs of our aging campus," Grieb said in a telephone interview yesterday.
"I hope what it says to visitors is that we are looking at the whole zoo and trying to make decisions about what's best for the whole visit," she added. "But I think right now, for the next year or two, we'll focus on things that are not as incredibly expensive as bringing in new elephants."
Although zoo officials publicized the elephants' arrival in an announcement celebrating a record number of attendees at the 131-year-old attraction's opening weekend this month, Grieb said the zoo's board and its executive committee had been in discussions for weeks over the future of the elephant exhibit because of the inability to raise capital funding for the project.
