Toledo Zoo Annual Report 2023 by The Toledo Zoo & Aquarium

At a glance

2023 RECAP

In 2023, we continued to fulfill our mission to Enjoy. Inspire. Educate. Act., which started with a new website launch, brand refresh and the grand opening of Kodiak Ridge. We continued the momentum with new events and offerings, with plenty of new additions to our animal collection.

In March, guests had the opportunity to experience the new Komminsk Family Kodiak Ridge, home to our three Brown bears. This exciting, inclusive exhibit allows visitors to see and interact with our bears at distances closer than ever before, also giving the opportunity for a unique behind the scenes encounter.

We welcomed many new animals to our Zoo family and conducted numerous procedures to maintain the animals’ health and well-being. The animal care team was excited to discover our African elephant Renee was pregnant, when conducting an ultrasound. Alongside this announcement, the Zoo celebrated many births, such as a baby alpaca, bearded dragons, Amur tigers and a Giraffe calf. The aquarium introduced baby moon jellies, dwarf seahorses and a cownose stingray.

Unique events were hosted all year long, including some well-attended new additions. Tequila & Tapas,

SUMMER COMMERCIAL

2023 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Michael Bell

Clifford Brown

Elaine Canning

Jeffrey Cole

Deb Flores

Jennifer Hildebrand

Callie Jacoby, CFP

John C. Jones

Janet Lanterman

Joseph E. McNeely

a Cinco de Mayo-themed night, served specialty cocktails and delicious small plates. U at the Zoo college night was another new event for local college students to experience all the Zoo has to offer. In addition to special events, the Zoo increased its daytime attendance by 166,930 people.

The Project PRAIRIE program, which focuses on prairie habitat installation for the purpose of encouraging native species to thrive and to educate the community about environmental conservation, made a huge impact. By the end of this year, 41 schools in the area had prairies installed on their campuses.

The Toledo Zoo’s conservation efforts in 2023 took community and environmental involvement to a new level. With efforts in Nepal, the Pacific Islands, the Philippines, Samoa, and Tasmania, conservative actions are involving the Zoo in all corners of the world. Much of this is made possible by grants the Zoo earned, which fund additions, renovations, new programs and the conservation projects.

2023 was truly another unforgettable year – and you’ll see even more exciting updates in this year’s report!

Doni Miller

Walter Norris

Bonnie R. Rankin, Esq.

Gunner Smith

Lisa Sobecki

TOLEDO ZOO MISSION: ENJOY. INSPIRE. EDUCATE. ACT.

Sara Swisher

Jennifer Vancil

Jeremy Zeisloft

Toledo Zoo is committed to inspire our guests to join us in being advocates for wildlife and conserving the natural world by providing fun, awe-inspiring, and educational experiences. By joining us, others help build a movement that cares for animals and creates a shared space for wildlife in this world. As part of that mission, The Toledo Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), a leader in global wildlife conservation. AZA member institutions are dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for visitors and a better future for all living things.

Year in Review

NEW EVENTS, ANIMAL BIRTHS, EXHIBIT OPENINGS AND MORE!

2023

NEW ZOO WEBSITE AND BRAND REFRESH LAUNCHED

The Toledo Zoo revealed an accessibility-friendly website and refreshed logo and branding package.

KODIAK RIDGE GRAND OPENING

Brown bears Dodge, Montana and Cody were introduced to their new 14,000 sq. ft. home in Tiger Terrace. Image: President/CEO Jeff Sailer speaking during exhibit opening.

TZ BIRD CLUB LAUNCH

A new club for wildlife enthusiasts where members can receive exclusive birding opportunities with Toledo Zoo's expert Ornithologist.

BROADWAY ENTRANCE GATE REOPENING AND WILD WELLNESS WALKER PROGRAM LAUNCH

After closing during a period of time due to COVID-19, the Broadway entrance reopened along with a free new morning walking program for local residents.

TEQUILA & TAPAS New event

A new twist on a celebration of Cinco de Mayo! This event had attendees strolling through Zoo grounds to enjoy tequila-based cocktails and plated bites.

TIGER CUBS EMBER & ASH BORN

Twin Amur tigers cubs were born to mom, Talya, and dad, Titan.

GIRAFFE CALF BORN

Franklin the Giraffe calf made his exhibit debut at the end of Sept. 2023.

ELEPHANT AJANI MOVE TO TOLEDO ZOO ANNOUNCEMENT

23-year-old Ajani joined the herd from Sedgwick County Zoo.

U AT THE ZOO New event

Toledo Zoo's first ever night exclusively for college students where they could enjoy activites and meet Keepers.

Ember & Ash, Tiger cubs

Franklin, Giraffe calf

MORE ROOM TO ROAM

Our three Brown bears arrived to the Zoo as rescues from Yellowstone National Park and Kodiak Island. They are representatives of the challenges wildlife face in sharing a world with humans. This new, expanded exhibit, opened March 16, 2023 and includes 14,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space and can be viewed from both Tembo Trail and Tiger Terrace.

Featuring a 5,000-gallon pool for the bears to enjoy, this exhibit includes a 130 square-foot cave for them to nap in, complete with a viewing window for the public. Also built into

MEET OUR BEARS

Born in January 2015 at Yellowstone National Park, Cody and Montana are Grizzly bear sisters who came to live at the Toledo Zoo at just six months old as orphaned cubs. Grizzly bears are the subspecies of Brown bear that inhabits North America.

Although they are sisters, Cody and Montana share just as many differences as they do similarities. Cody is the smaller sister with a rounder face and lighter coloring. She weighs 575 lbs. compared to Montana’s 615 lbs., and Cody sports darker nails than her sister, whose nails appear nearly white.

Dodge (Kodiak bear)

Ursus arctos middendorffi

the exhibit is a sensory log, which allows visitors to crawl inside and see the bears like they’ve never seen them before. It’s an exciting encounter that’s so close, they’ll be breathing the same air as the bears themselves!

A dedicated dig area for the bears is mirrored with a public sand box on the opposite side of the exhibit, providing the perfect opportunity for the bears and kids to dig and play “together.”

Rounding out our bear trio is Dodge, a Kodiak Brown bear, born on Kodiak Island in Alaska. Kodiak bears are the largest subspecies of Brown bear and can weigh upwards of 1,500 lbs. Dodge’s current weight tips the scales at 1,147 lbs.

Each bear has his or her own unique personality. While Dodge loves to play and chase the girls, they would often rather sleep or play on their own. One thing they can all agree on though, is that the pool is the place to be - it’s their favorite activity in the exhibit!

Montana (Grizzly bear)

Ursus arctos

Cody (Grizzly bear)

Ursus arctos

Entrance to Kodiak Ridge from Tiger Terrace exhibit.

KODIAK RIDGE VIDEO WATCH NOW

LuAnne Cooke (of Lt. Governor Jon Husted's office), Jeff Sailer (President/CEO of Toledo Zoo) and Mike Rowe (Partner/Architect at Buehrer Group) introduce Kodiak Ridge exhibit at ribbon cutting ceremony. Visitors gathered at exhibit debut.

EXHIBIT OPENING: MARCH 16, 2023

Thanks to the Komminsk family’s generous support of the Toledo Zoo, we celebrated the opening of Kodiak Ridge on March 16.A huge crowd joined us to enjoy special enrichment, Keeper talks, bear-themed activities and musical entertainment. Our three brown bears are thriving in this natural, spacious habitat. In the upcoming years, the exhibit will continue to give visitors an incredible experience with demonstrations, cool enrichment and fun interactions.

By the numbers

ATTENDANCE

Actual daytime attendance

After-hours attendance

Wild Wellness Walkers attendance

Total Zoo attendance for 2023

TICKET SALES

DAYTIME VISITATION BY STATE & COUNTY

ATTENDANCE HIGHLIGHTS

EVENT

Orchid Show

Animal Egg Hunt

Opening Weekend (Memorial Day weekend)

Kidsapalooza

Music Under the Stars

Christmas in July

Busiest single day - July 22 (14,509 visitors)

Wild About Art

Senior Discovery Days

Day of Honor

Enrichment Day

Harvest Fest

Little Boo & Pumpkin Path

Pumpkin Stomp & Chomp

Lights Before Christmas

Busiest December since 1998

Busiest week: Dec. 25-Dec. 31

Noon Year's Eve

RIDES & ATTRACTIONS

RIDE

Carousel

Train / Safari Railway

Ice Slide

Nancy L. & Martin Davidson Barnyard

Tower Ridge Giraffe Deck Aerial

VISITORS 17,040 6,385 15,708 4,240 4,720 31,810 12,748 11,018 4,065 4,815 71,973 20,164 4,511 228,879 185,233 48,682 2,432 VISITORS 135,170 204,064 41,476 195,509 302,113 142,888 3,511 2,337 571 603

2023 Membership Revenue

Toledo Zoo Fund

Conservation Today

Corporate Sponsorship

Companies for Kids

Development Event Sponsorship

Additional Support

Zoo PAL

Legacy Program

Hot chocolate

Fountain soda

Bottled water

French fries

4-piece chicken tenders

Pretzel with cheese

Box of popcorn

Hot dog with fries

Chicken tenders

Large Zoovenir cups

Number of member households

Experience package members

Members who downloaded digital cards

Community partner members distributed in 2023 GROUP SALES

Box lunches

Hospitality Holiday

Polaris Polar Bear

Destination Red Panda

Hippo Miyoni

TZ Barrel Coffee Mugs

TZ Lights Tree Wand

TZ C Animal Magnet HATS

Zoo Keeper Bucket Hats

Art of Ecuador Animal Hats

TZ Adult Bear Paw cap

Breakfast with the Bunny

Tequila and Tapas

Mother's Day and Father's Day

Sip Sip Wine Fest

Brewdolph Bash

Animal breakfast series

Christmas with the Claus

Total

Social media

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Instagram

Follower growth: 33.1%

Impressions increased by 156.1%

Website statistics

2023 PAGE RANKINGS

PAGE Homepage /tickets /membership /events/lights /visit /calendar /map /membership/member-info /events /attractions /animals

2021 2022 2023 Mobile Desktop Tablet Organic search Direct Organic social Unassigned Referral Paid search Display Clicks Users

1,168,534 1,187,049 (1.58% increase over previous year) 1,525,862 (28.54% increase over previous year)

1,185,118 users (78.2%) 301,348 users (19.9%) 29,939 users (2%) 789,732 458,295 104,145 104,109 44,240 41,729 44,942 19,052 8,127

PAGE toledozoo.org toledozoo.org/events/lights toledozoo.org/tickets toledozoo.org/membership toledozoo.org/visit connect.toledozoo.org/lbc toledozoo.org/concerts toledozoo.org/events toledozoo.org/map

Brand refresh

The Toledo Zoo introduced a refreshed logo and branded identity in March 2023, alongside the website launch. The refresh focused on an accessibility-friendly color palette and fonts for both digital and print use. Registered trademarking for the new logo was finalized in fall 2023.

PRIMARY LOGO - HORIZONTAL & VERTICAL

PAGE toledo zoo toledo zoo lights toledo zoo membership toledo zoo tickets toledo zoo hours toledo zoo map toledo zoo lights before christmas toledo zoo concerts the toledo zoo

Animal care

For the year 2023 the veterinary department performed duties as follows:

Clinical notes written - 5,229

Prescriptions written - 2,900

Anesthesias - 224

Biological samples submitted - 4456

Internal Laboratory tests - 29,965

Blood work - 24,932

Cytology - 139

Parasitology - 4,901

External laboratory tests - 2,024

Pathology (biopsies and necropsies) - 395

Vet staff conducting an ultrasound session with African elephant Renee.

ANIMAL BIRTHS - MAMMALS

Panthera tigris altaica

Giraffa camelopardalis

Vicugna pacos huacaya

Tragelaphus angasii

Saguinus bicolor

Gazella leptoceros

Amur Tiger

Giraffe

Alpaca

Nyala

Pied Tamarin

Slender-horned gazelle

ANIMAL HATCHINGS - BIRDS

Spheniscus demersus

Fulica americana

Phoenicopterus ruber

Ptilinopus melanospilus

Loriculus galgulus

Entomyzon cyanotis

Neopsephotus bourkii

Melopsittacus undulatus

Catreus wallichii

Gallinula galeata

Struthio camelus

Ocyphaps lophotes

Rollulus rouloul

Geopelia cuneata

Stagonopleura guttata

Laprotornis iris

African penguin

American coot

American flamingo

Black-naped fruit dove

Blue-crowned parrot

Blue-faced honeyeater

Bourke's parrot

Budgerigar

Cheer pheasant

Common gallinule

Common ostrich

Crested pigeon

Crested wood partridge

Diamond dove

Diamond firetail finch

Emerald starling

Gallus gallus domestic faverolles Faverolles chicken

Lamprotornis regius

Psitteuteles goldiei

Laphophorus impejanus

Ramphiculus jambu

Padda oryzivora

Golden-breasted starling

Goldie's lorikeet

Himalyan monal

Jambu fruit dove

Javan sparrow

Dacelo novaeguineae Laughing kookaburra

Ptilinopus perousii

Caloenas nicobarica

Polyplectron napoleonis

Ptilinopus porphyreus

Urocissa erythrorhyncha

Syrmaticus reevesii

Platalea ajaja

Lophura diardi

Eurypyga helias

Many-coloured fruit dove

Nicobar pigeon

Palawan peacock pheasant

Pink-necked fruit dove

Red-billed blue magpie

Reeve's pheasant

Roseate spoonbill

Siamese crested fireback

Sunbittern

Bearded dragon

Marty the Alpaca

Oxyura leucocephala White-headed duck

Alopecoenas xanthonurus White-throated ground-dove

ANIMAL BIRTHS - AQUARIUM

Hippocampus zosterae Dwarf Seahorse

Hippocampus abdominalis Pot-Bellied Seahorse

Aurelia aurita Moon Jelly

Rhinoptera bonasus Cownose Stingray

Haplochromis piceatus Lake Victorian Cichlid

Moenkhausia pittieri Diamond Tetra

Hyphessobrycon amandae Ember Tetra

Xiphophorus maculatus Green Platy

Xiphophorus hellerii Red Swordtail

Cichlidae Lake Malawi Cichlids

ANIMAL BIRTHS - REPTILES

Trimeresurus insularis White Lipped Viper

Pogona vitticeps Inland Bearded Dragon

Aspidoscelis uniparens Desert Grassland Whiptails

Trioceros jacksonii Jackson’s Chameleon

Basiliscus plumifrons Green Crested Basilisk

Phelsuma klemmeri Neon-headed Day Gecko

Uroplatus henkeli Hankel’s Leaf Tailed Gecko

Varanus glauerti Kimberly Rock Monitor

Boiga blandingi Blanding’s Tree Snake

Aspidelaps lubricus Cape Coral Cobra

Crotalus d. unicolor Aruba Island Rattlesnake

Atheris squamigera African Bush Viper

Cerastes cerastes Desert Horned Viper

Nectophrynoides asperginis Kihansi Spray Toad

Dendrobates tinctorius Dying Poison Frog

Epipedobates anthonyi Anthony’s Poison Arrow Frog

Phyllobates terribilis Golden Poison Dart Frog

Phyllobates vittatus Golfodulcean Poison Dart Frog

Oophaga pumilio Strawberry Dart Frog

Ranitomeya imitator Mimic Poison Frog

Ranitomeya reticulata Red-backed Poison Frog

Ranitomeya variabilis Splash-back Poison Frog

Ranitomeya summersi Summer’s Poison Frog

Ranitomeya uakarii Poison Dart Frog

Education

BEHIND-THE-SCENES TOURS

587 sessions 2,978 engagements

Exclusive encounters with a select group of ambassador animals and the keepers that care for them.

CAMPS & FAMILY PROGRAMS

518 sessions 11,964 engagements

Includes summer camp, year-round camps. Stroller Safari, Animal Tales, Shake, Rattle and Roll and one-time family offerings.

COMMUNITY PRESCHOOL

307 sessions 4,460 engagements

Free preschool programming for established public and private preschool program. Program runs September through May and features a unique monthly theme, live animal encounters, exhibit visits and age appropriate activities.

EVENTS

128 sessions 25,647 engagements

Includes Party for the Planet, Teddy Bear Care Fair, Bug Fest, external requests (e.g, weddings and corporate events) and internal requests (e.g., membership events).

OVERNIGHT AND SCOUT PROGRAMS 204 sessions 7,059 engagements

Includes standard, deluxe and Safari overnight, school overnight, family and adult overnight, scout badge programs and twilight treks.

TOLEDO ZOO PROJECT PRAIRIE 583 sessions 19,942 engagements

Includes teacher professional development and school programming focused on prairie habitat installed on school property by the Zoo’s Conservation Department. By the end of 2022, nearly 30 schools in NW Ohio either have prairies or prairies in the process of installation.

SCHOOL PROGRAMS

1,573 sessions 45,592 engagements

Includes virtual programs, outreach and on-grounds programs (homeschool, Wild Walks, Critter Encounters, Classroom Adventures)

There are currently 41 schools in NW Ohio and SE Michigan with prairies installed on their campuses as of the end of 2023.

GRANTS

Improving Interdisciplinary Collaboration through the Model of Community-based Conservation Marketing (ICCM) – Institute of Museum and Library Services National Leadership Grant - $7,991

The Brown Bear Encounter experience had 742 participants in 2023. This program ran primarily from Memorial Day through Labor Day (there were a few additional dates).

The experience took place inside the Carson Family Education Center at Kodiak Ridge. The program highlighted conservation messaging, messaging focused on mitigation of brown bear/human conflict through audience participation activities and a bear training session conducted by keeper staff.

NEW IN 2023: BROWN BEAR ENCOUNTERS AT KODIAK RIDGE

BROWN BEAR ENCOUNTER PROMO WATCH NOW

TOLEDO ZOO AND GREAT LAKES PIPING PLOVER RECOVERY PROGRAM

WATCH NOW

Michigan

Rescue-rearing and releasing Piping Plovers from abandoned nests at Sleeping Bear Dunes State Park where the endangered birds congregate prior to migration.

KEEPER FEATURE WITH HELLBENDER SALAMANDERS

WATCH NOW

10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF WILD TOLEDO AND PLANTING PRAIRIES

WATCH NOW

Mexico & Ohio

Assisting threatened Monarch butterﬂy populations by creating summer habitats in our native prairies and rearing and releasing approximately 1,000 butterﬂies for their annual migration to over-wintering areas in Mexico.

Ohio

Rearing more than 500 Hellbender salamanders in conjunction with Penta Career Center for release into portions of their former range in eastern and southern Ohio.

Installing more than 40+ acres of native prairies on Zoo grounds and at partner organizations throughout northwest Ohio.

Reintroducing Lake sturgeon to the Maumee River with the help of partner organizations.

Researching Ohio’s imperiled turtle species, including Blanding’s turtles, for 12+ years.

Researching Ohio’s rare snake species, including Kirtland’s snakes.

Quantifying insect diversity and the e ect of mosquito mitigation e orts on local insect diversity in the prairies.

BLUE-EYED GROUND DOVE CONSERVATION PROGRAM

WATCH NOW

KEEPER FEATURE WITH PIED TAMARINS

WATCH NOW

Brazil

The pair of Blue-eyed Ground Doves hatched in 2023 continue to do well at Parque das Aves. They have now been joined by another male, reared by PdA sta using the protocol developed by Toledo Zoo. A recent survey of the wild population recorded 14 birds (down from 15 in 2023).

Our support has so far enabled the installation of ﬁve canopy bridges across roads in Manaus for Pied Tamarin populations and the growing and planting of thousands of tree seedlings.

Conservation TOLEDO ZOO

in Action

Paciﬁc Islands

SOLOMON ISLANDS

Signed a landmark agreement with Sime Darby, the world’s largest supplier of certiﬁed sustainable palm oil, which guarantees a long-term future for this project. A new phase of construction work at the Santa Cruz Ground Dove conservation breeding facility is beginning.

PHILIPPINES

Two of the captive-bred Negros Bleeding-hearts released in 2023 are still being monitored, resulting in the collection of a great deal of valuable data relating to their behavior in the wild. Work is now underway in preparation for the release of a cohort of twelve birds.

The Nepalese Ornithological Union are using automatic sound recorders to assess the status and distribution of Cheer Pheasants in and around the Dhorpatan Valley. This data has been used to create a computer model which accurately predicted the presence of this species in an area outside their previously known range. NOU are also engaged in an extensive program of community engagement. This includes partnerships with schools, a radio program, and the distribution of posters and booklets.

SAMOA

After months of searching, the team ﬁnally obtained a conﬁrmed sighting of a Tooth-billed Pigeon on the 5th of March. This, combined with mounting evidence of regarding the impact of invasive cats and rats, has prompted a redoubling of e orts to locate the founders of a captive insurance population.

NEGROS BLEEDING-HEART DOVES CONSERVATION WATCH NOW

Tasmania

Partnering with Save the Tasmanian Devil Program to support species recovery from Devil Facial Tumour Disease.

Financials REVENUES

PARK OPERATIONS*

MEMBERSHIP

LUCAS COUNTY OPERATING TAX LEVY

CONTRIBUTIONS, EDUCATION, SPECIAL EVENTS**

EDUCATION

MISCELLANEOUS***

*Park Operations revenue includes: admissions, concessions, gifts, catering, parking & rides revenue

**Development revenue includes: Zoo PAL, Companies for Kids, ZOOtoDO, Corporate Sponsorship, Special Gifts and support from the Toledo Zoo Foundation. Some of the funds included in this line are reported differently in our audited financial statements due to being either board-designated or donor restricted.

***Miscellaneous revenue includes: Investment income, public grants and other revenues.

ANIMAL CARE AND EXHIBITIONS, CONSERVATION & EDUCATION PARK

Note: Consistent with prior years, depreciation expense is not included in the amounts shown here. ****Cost of goods sold is included in Park Operations expenses.

Grants

GRANTS

Elsie & Harry Baumker Charitable Foundation to support the creation of Sensory Audio Guided Tours

The Arts Commission (American Rescue Plan Act Funding) to support LBC Technicians and Utilities and Inclusion Coordinator

Landman Goldman Foundation to support the Community Preschool Transportation Fund

Lott-Conlon Foundation to support the InfiniTeach Application

John Henry Eldred, Jr. Foundation in support of the Community Partner Membership Program

Waite-Brand Foundation in support of Reptile House renovation

France Stone Foundation in support of Reptile House renovation

Clement O. Miniger Memorial Foundation in support of Reptile House renovation

Walter E. Terhune Memorial Fund in support of Reptile House renovation

Dana Charitable Foundation in support of the Kodiak Ridge Exhibit