Save the Zoo!

Unfortunately, a bit of bad news today. But of course, along with bad news comes a way you can help!

As many of you may know, the New York State government is under a lot of financial stress (who isn't?). Sadly, they have decided to cut 55% of the funding for all "living museums" in the state for this year - that includes ALL zoos, aquariums, botanical gardens, etc. But that's not the end - in 2010, 100% of the funding will be cut. That means that all of the state funding will be gone next year.

Zoos are facing layoffs of staff and cuts to educational programming. We all understand that in difficult economic times, sacrifices must be made. But the value that zoos and aquariums bring to a community, as well as the educational services and tourism dollars that they bring in, make this cut particularly tough. The final decisions on these cuts will be made in early February, so we need to do all we can before then to try to prevent or ameliorate the severity of the cuts.

Below is a cute video from the Wildlife Conservation Society, which runs the Bronx Zoo, the New York Aquarium, and several other NYC zoos. This video has been featured on the websites for Time, Newsweek, Gothamist, New York Post, and many others.

Save the Bronx Zoo Video (YouTube)

Here is an e-mail petition form to send to NY Governor David Paterson as well as other government officials. Every little bit counts!

E-mail Petition