The entrance to the Erie Zoo. Photo by Pat Noble. CC BY-SA 3.0
Reaction grows to a letter sent from the solicitor of Erie Events to the City of Erie’s solicitor and members of City Council which says that unless a decision regarding the future of Erie Zoo is made by the City within the next month, the governing board of the Erie Zoological Society would “begin to take the steps necessary to effectuate the orderly winding down of the Zoo’s operations.”
In a conversation Friday with TalkErie’s Joel Natalie, Erie Events CEO Gus Pine emphasized that the Convention Center Authority is trying to bring attention to the urgency of the Erie Zoo’s financial crisis and get Council to make a decision on a plan that has been in discussion since October 2024, and is seeking a collaborative solution.
“Honestly, I view it as a partnership there, because I think what is going to happen to keep this asset for our community, a community that is challenged from a taxing standpoint, from a population standpoint, it’s going to take the collaboration of these organizations. And as an example of that, we would keep the Zoological Society in place. I mean, that that is a critical piece of this collaboration. We are not experts in the specifics to operating a zoo. They are. They’ve done a good job in the face of serious financial challenges,” Pine said.
Pine told Natalie that to his knowledge, no one from the City has indicated that city government was prepared to take on the estimated $500,000 to $1 Million needed in annual subsidies to maintain operation of the Erie Zoo, in addition to “many millions of dollars to address deferred maintenance and regain the Zoo’s accreditation” with the Association of Zoos & Aquariums.
Related Audio:
Gus Pine on The Joel Natalie Show, July 25, 2025