BALTIMORE — The Maryland Zoo on Thursday announced the temporary layoff of approximately 60 employees.
“This was the most difficult decision I have had to make in my twelve years at the Zoo. I know all of the employees personally, they are loyal and hardworking,” stated Don Hutchinson, president and CEO of The Maryland Zoo. “Like many other zoos, we rely on ticket sales, special events, memberships, concessions and gift shop revenue to operate the Zoo. Without this income, unfortunately, and through no fault of their own, we must temporarily layoff some of our staff. Once we are able to reopen, we hope to bring back as many of the staff as we can.”
The announcement comes the same day the Zoo said it would be closed indefinitely amid COVID-19.
Animal care and veterinary teams, continue working at the Zoo to provide vital care to the animals and infrastructure.
The Zoo will extend current and new memberships to match the closure period, and members are receiving exclusive weekly emails with educational content and activities.
For those of you wishing to visit the zoo and check out the animals online, each day at 11 a.m. the zoo will add new videos to their Facebook page, along with links to live animal cams.
