A little less than a year after the Pana‘ewa Rainforest Zoo and Gardens began charging admission fees, the county-owned and operated park has netted over half a million dollars in revenue.

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A little less than a year after the Pana‘ewa Rainforest Zoo and Gardens began charging admission fees, the county-owned and operated park has netted over half a million dollars in revenue.

The county approved plans last July to charge visitors for admission to the zoo, which had long been free. While the proposal faced some initial push back from residents, Pana‘ewa Recreational Complex Administrator Mindy Runnells said the reception has been mostly positive since the fees went into effect in September.

“Everybody’s been really supportive, they know it takes quite a lot to maintain and keep a zoo and keep it moving forward,” she said. “That’s one of our huge goals is just moving the zoo into the future.”

Under the new plan, admission is still free to keiki and kupuna who live in the county and $4 for all other residents, with the option to buy an annual pass for $25. For non-county residents, the cost is $13 for adults, $5 for children over the age of three and free for those two years or younger. Field trips are still free for students, teachers and chaperones.

As of June 30, the fees had garnered $568,410 from 84,526 paying guests out of a total of 87,155 visitors. Runnels said the zoo averages 300 people a day with close to twice as many tourists visiting than local residents.

Revenue from the admission fees goes into the county’s general fund, from which the zoo draws its budget. While the money is not specifically earmarked for the zoo, Runnells said she is hopeful it could lead to a bigger budget in the future. The zoo’s budget for this year is about $1.3 million, a large portion of which, she said, goes to payroll for the zoo’s 19 staff members.

“We’ve been using the general fund for 50 years, so I’m very happy to contribute to the general fund,” she said. “Our reasoning, hopefully, is that if we contribute, we can get some more back.”

However, she said she recognizes the need to balance the zoo’s goals with other priorities in the county and takes that into account when planning for the addition of new animals.

“There’s a lot of need in the community, so sometimes it’s hard to say we need something at the zoo when the roof is leaking on the elderly home, or we need a new fire department or new wastewater system,” she said. “So it’s kind of balancing those scales to what we can offer. We have to provide these animals with everything they need for a healthy life, so as we get more animals, it takes more to take care of them.”

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With that in mind, she said there are no current plans to bring pygmy hippos back to the zoo in the near future, something community members have been pushing for since the animals were last present at over 20 years ago.

“Even though we’ve had them in the past, the exhibit they lived in is different than it used to be and then that would probably require about maybe ten to $15,000 worth of hay a year,” Runnells said. “I’ve done a breakdown of new animals we’re considering, and that’s a huge part of it — looking at yes, certainly how much is it going to be to get the animal, bring it here, but then, depending on the species, it could be 20 to 70 years of providing for that animal.

However, there are several relatively new inhabitants at the zoo including a kookaburra named Kukui, a bird native to Australia known for its distinctive laugh-like call.

There are also two toucans currently in an extended quarantine at the zoo after testing positive for worms following their arrival in Hilo. Runnells said they have gone through a de-worming treatment and will be out soon, pending the status of ongoing work to upgrade the zoo’s aviaries where they will be placed.

In addition to improving the aviaries, Runnells said work is also underway to update signage throughout the park and make other changes as part of the zoo’s efforts to become accredited by the Zoological of Association of America.

Runnells said the zoo submitted its application and had an inspection last year which identified several areas for staff to work on before approval can be granted. This includes moving viewing areas further back from the animals and ensuring that rust and algae stay below certain levels.

Runnells said gaining the accreditation has been a goal of hers since she started as the zoo’s director four years ago. It is a move she believes will lend additional credibility and assurance to visitors that animals are being well cared for at Pana’ewa.

“It’s really important to let the public know, let other facilities know that you’re being held to these standards,” she said. “Animal well-being is a huge concern for the public, so, having that accreditation, they know you’re doing A, B, C through Z and on.”

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For more information about the zoo visit: https://tinyurl.com/3exz434u

Email Grace Inez Adams at [email protected].