In the news ...Again

The Zoo has certainly been in the news of late. Unfortunately this has included some not so good news. The Zoo had applied for an 2009 operating grant from City Council for $175,000 ... that's around of one-third of annual cost of operating your Zoo and is very small compared to the Zoo budget given the Moncton Zoo at $1.5 million. Cherry Brook Zoo has received only $50,000 for 2009, a step up from the zero funding scene of 2003-2008 but so far short of what is needed ... and so far short of what the city agreed to provide the Zoo when it was invited to locate in Rockwood Park in the late '70's. The latest news is that the Zoo now will receive only $40,000 of the promised $50,000 as $10,000 is being held back by the City to go towards property tax, even though the Zoo neither owns nor has a lease on the property. The City of Saint John owns the Zoo land. The Zoo assets belong to the citizens of Saint John and are held in trust for the citizens by Cherry Brook Zoo of Saint John Inc., a charitable body that is administered by a volunteer Board of Trustees. The Zoo is in urgent need of continued public support.