FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Anthony Puglisi
November 4, 2009 973-621-2542
Lauren Shears
973-621-1590
ESSEX COUNTY EXECUTIVE DIVINCENZO ANNOUNCES NEW ATTENDANCE
AND REVENUE RECORDS ARE ESTABLISHED
AT ESSEX COUNTY TURTLE BACK ZOO
Fifth Consecutive Annual Attendance Record is Set with 420,277 Visitors
Sixth Consecutive Annual Revenue Record is Set with $2,386,706
Turtle Back Zoo is Self Sufficient for Second Consecutive Year
West Orange, NJ – Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. announced that a new annual attendance record of 420,277 was set at Essex County Turtle Back Zoo on Monday, November 2nd. This is the fifth consecutive year the annual attendance record has been broken and the sixth consecutive year revenue figures surpassed the amount collected during the previous year. In addition, it marks the second consecutive year that revenue collected exceeded operating costs, meaning Turtle Back Zoo operates as a self-sufficient facility.
“We have made tremendous improvements to Turtle Back Zoo and the large turnout of visitors and high revenue figures show how popular our Zoo has become. The natural habitat exhibits along with our Carousel and Train Ride attractions make coming to Turtle Back Zoo a fun, learning adventure for children and families,” DiVincenzo said. “We are proud that we were able to make the Zoo a self-sustaining facility. It is a tremendous educational and recreational resource for the community and now we are able to offer it without placing a burden on our budget,” he added.
On Monday, November 2nd, DiVincenzo congratulated Steve and Melissa Mitas of Denville, and their 2-year-old daughter Claire, for being the family that broke the attendance record. They entered the zoo at about 10:30 a.m. Mr. Mitas had taken the day off from work to spend with his wife and young daughter. The couple’s older daughter, 7-year-old Alicia, was in school.
“We really enjoy coming to Turtle Back Zoo. We had a birthday party for our older daughter and had a really great time,” Steve Mitas said. “We never expected this when we left the house this morning. Alicia will be upset she missed this but she’ll enjoy the prizes in the gift basket,” Melissa Mitas said.
The original attendance record of 211,044 was set in 1986 and is now the sixth-highest total. Attendance had fallen to an all-time low in 1995 when 119,995 people passed through the Zoo’s gates and was hovering around 165,000 people prior to DiVincenzo taking office in 2003.
Year / Attendance / Revenue2002 / 168,739 / $627,450
2003 / 169,505 / $617,243
2004 / 160,534 / $657,956
2005 / 211,449 / $755,608
2006
2007
2008
2009
Through Nov. 2 / 258,406
340,364
420,276
420,277 / $914,262
$1,263,469
$2,077,426
$2,481,184
As the attendance figures have risen over the last two years, so has the revenue. Through Monday, November 2nd, about $2.5 million in revenue was collected, which is the sixth consecutive year that revenue has increased. Before DiVincenzo took office, between $600,000 and $650,000 was collected on an annual basis. The Executive noted that admissions make up about 80 percent of the total Zoo revenue, whereas other zoos traditionally rely on admission revenue for about 30 percent of their funding. Over the past two years, the revenue collected has exceeded Turtle Back Zoo’s operation budget of about $1.8 million. This is the second time in Turtle Back Zoo history that revenue generated exceeded the operating budget.
The popularity of Turtle Back Zoo has been buoyed by the new exhibits opened over the last several years. This summer, the Tam-ring Gibbons Exhibit featuring the Gibbons Ape, Reeve’s Muntjac and White Naped Crane from Southeast Asia opened. The exhibit was designed to resemble an ancient ruin in Thailand that was undergoing an archeological dig. The apes have plenty of opportunities to display their agility and excite visitors by swinging from the artificial vines and climbing on scaffolding. Other recent natural habitat exhibits feature kangaroos, wallabies, exotic birds, wolves, black bears, alligators, bobcats and penguins.
The County Executive has also introduced new revenue-generating attractions, including the Carousel and walk-through aviary featuring 500 exotic birds. Each carousel ride costs $2 per person and bird feed sticks cost $2. Both attractions opened last year and have generated $206,599 from carousel rides and $97,618 from feed sticks sold in new revenue during 2009. Another $43,610 was collected from $2 admission charged for pony rides and $25,765 was collected for souvenir photos taken at the zoo. In addition, about $30,000 was raised through admission charged for the first-ever summer camp at the Zoo.
3rd Annual Essex County Holiday Lights Spectacular
Essex County Executive DiVincenzo also invites the public to spend part of their holiday season at the Third Annual Essex County-Prudential Financial Holiday Lights Spectacular at Essex County Turtle Back Zoo. The Holiday Lights Spectacular will be held as follows:
Dates: Friday, November 27, 2009 to Sunday, January 3, 2010
Times: 5 to 9 p.m. each night
Place: Essex County Turtle Back Zoo
560 Northfield Avenue
West Orange, NJ
The Holiday Lights Spectacular will be closed on November 30th
and December 1, 2, 24 & 25, 2009.
“Make this Essex County Holiday tradition your family tradition! Turtle Back Zoo will be turned into a Winter Wonderland, with extraordinary seasonal lighting exhibits, holiday music and entertainment. Stroll the landscaped paths of our Zoo and admire the illuminated images of everything from toy soldiers to dancing penguins,” DiVincenzo said.
Animal and holiday-themed figures will light up the winter night in Turtle Back Zoo and the surrounding Essex County South Mountain Recreation Complex. The regular zoo animals will be joined by illuminated figures of bears, tigers and elephants, along with holiday lights designed to look like wooden soldiers, stars and winter scenes.
The Essex County-Prudential Financial Holiday Lights Spectacular is sponsored by Prudential Financial, PSE&G and Verizon. Admission is $3 for children and $7 for adults.
On selected days, there will be musical entertainment, face painting and other activities for children. Hot chocolate and other refreshments will be available to purchase. For more information, please call Essex County Turtle Back Zoo at 973-731-5800.
Revitalizing Essex County Turtle Back Zoo
In September 2006, Essex County Turtle Back Zoo received accreditation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and is among only 217 facilities worldwide that are accredited. Earning accreditation is a clear indication that an institution is committed to the highest standards in animal care, ethics, conservation and education.
Since taking office in 2003, DiVincenzo has spearheaded over $20 million in upgrades to Essex County Turtle Back Zoo, which have included developing the Tam-ring Gibbons Reserve featuring Gibbons apes, Reeve’s Muntjac and White Naped Cranes; building the Carousel, which features 33 figures of endangered animals; opening the Australian Exhibit that features kangaroos, wallabies, emus and over 500 birds in the Aviary; Reptile and Education Center, open air dining pavilion and playground, Penguin Exhibit, Otter Exhibit, Wolf Exhibit, Alligator Exhibit, North American Animal Exhibit, Black Bear Exhibit, Animal Hospital, Essex Farm Petting Zoo and South American Animal Exhibit; renovating the Pepsi Pavilion for year-round use and making upgrades to the entrance as well as fencing and infrastructure to meet AZA requirements. Funding has been provided through Green Acres grants, existing capital improvement bonds, or donations from the Zoological Society, Essex County Parks Foundation, corporations or private foundations. Corporations that have provided support include Prudential Financial, Inc., Wachovia Bank, PNC Bank, PSE&G, Verizon, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, Pepsi Bottling Company, Capital One Bank, TD Bank North, Aramark, Covanta Energy and OxyMagic.
From November to March, regular operating hours for Essex County Turtle Back Zoo are seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Regular admission from November through March is $4 for children and senior citizens, $7 for adults and free for children under 2 years. For additional information, please call 973-731-5800.
The Essex County Park System was created in 1895 and is the first county park system in the United States. It has been expanded to include about 6,000 acres of land. There are 20 parks, four reservations, a zoo, ice skating rink, environmental center, roller skating rink, three public golf courses, golf driving range, miniature golf course, three off-leash dog facilities, a castle and the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens. Turtle Back Zoo is located in Essex County’s South Mountain Reservation and was opened to the public in 1963.