Sacramento Zoo announces layoffs and furloughs for staff due to coronavirus shutdown

One of Sacramento’s most beloved attractions is beginning to feel the pain of ongoing closures due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Sacramento Zoo, which closed March 13, announced Tuesday it would begin layoffs, furloughs and reduced hours for the majority of its more than 100 employees.

Director Jason Jacobs said about 97 percent of the zoo’s revenue is generated by admission fees, special events and donations during this time of year where school field trips and families make up many of the 1,000 daily visitors who frequent the zoo’s Land Park venue. All of that has come to a screeching halt, he said.

“The challenging part of this shutdown is that it occurs in what would be the busiest time of the year for us,” he said in a phone interview with The Sacramento Bee. “...This time of year, it’s a million dollars a month that we lose.

“We had to make a very difficult decision to furlough and layoff employees, and now our main concern is taking care of the animals and maintaining the facilities.”

In all, 52 people were laid off, 17 were furloughed and 28 had their hours reduced, he said.

Veterinary staff are still on duty at the zoo, taking care of the 500 animals that live there, but they’ve had to adjust their work spaces to allow for better social distancing.

Jacobs said common spaces have been closed up and each employee has been designated an individual workspace so as not to potentially cross-contaminate. No one has called in sick so far.

“We want to keep the staff safe and they’re going to do everything we can for our animals,” Jacobs said.

Jacobs said zoo officials are preparing to remain closed through July, if needed, but conditions will allow them to open sooner.

“As soon as we can reopen, we will reopen,” he said. “And I hope the community — as they have for the last 93 years — will come out and support us.”