NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Zoo Ends Season with New Attendance Record

The Fort Wayne Children's Zoo ended the 2009 season with a record 610,949 visitors, breaking the previous record of 541,399 set in 1996 and outpacing 2008 season attendance by 28%.

The figure represents attendance during the zoo’s regular season of late April through mid-October plus attendance at the Great Zoo Halloween.

"This has been a very exciting year for everyone affiliated with the zoo," said Zoo Director Jim Anderson.  “We saw many first-time visitors, and welcomed our Zoo Members back week after week.”  The zoo’s new $9 million African Journey exhibit, which is the largest project in zoo history, opened in June and was a highlight of the 2009 season.

Zoo visitors came from at least 40 states in 2009, according to a survey conducted by the zoo this summer.  More than 62% of all zoo visitors came from outside Allen County, and one in six came from outside Indiana.  This data is gleaned from 3,693 license plates on vehicles in the zoo’s parking lots in June, July, and August of 2009.

"Previous surveys have told us that 89% of our visitors living outside Allen County came to Fort Wayne specifically to visit the zoo," said Anderson.

The Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo is self-supporting and receives no tax dollars for operation.

The Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo is one of the area’s major attractions and was recently named one of the country’s “Ten Best Zoos for Kids” by Parents magazine.

The zoo is currently closed for the season and will reopen on April 24, 2010.

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