TWO RED PANDAS born at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo this year will be about a year old when they move to their new home next summer. The pandas are just about the cutest things you have ever seen, with round heads, dark eyes and reddish-brown and black fur. They look almost like a cuddlier version of a raccoon. Red pandas live in the wild in the Himalayas and Burma and think bamboo is just about the best breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The cubs will join other red pandas, a rare Amur leopard, snow leopards and a takin (sort of a goat-antelope) in the zoo’s new $4.5 million exhibit, Asian Highlands. All the animals are endangered. Four connected habitat areas, elevated platforms, tunnels and climbing poles will provide an enriching environment in almost an acre of space.
“The Cleveland Zoological Society will provide up to $3.8 million to Asian Highlands,” says Executive Director Elizabeth Fowler. “We are actively engaged with potential donors and are now hyper-focused on this project.”
The society was created in 1957 and is the zoo’s nonprofit advocate and partner. It shares a mission with the zoo (founded in 1882) to connect people to wildlife through exposure, education and conservation. Since 1998, when computerized records were established, the zoo society has provided $70 million in zoo support. In 2015, $5.85 million in cash distributions was given to the zoo, along with $450,000 in funding to support international wildlife conservation efforts.
“The zoo would exist without the zoo society. But it is the public/private partnership we enjoy that ensures a first-tier zoo for our community,” says Fowler, noting both the contributions of Metroparks tax levies supported by residents and private donations secured by the society. “No one funding source could take care of the zoo’s needs.”
The zoo society provides about $2 million per year (about 10 percent of the zoo’s budget) in operating cost support to the zoo. That can be used for many things, including“animal care, education and zookeepers’ salaries,” according to Fowler. Capital support is earmarked for the more visible projects. The society raised $12.8 million toward the very popular African Elephant Crossing that opened in 2011. That amount was three times larger than any previous campaign and involved 3,800 contributors. Yes, everyone loves elephants.
The state-of-the-art elephant exhibit was a game-changer for both the pachyderms and the Metroparks Zoo. It was four times the size of the old elephant house and gold-certified through the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green build program.
“That project turned the corner on how the Metroparks Zoo evaluates the impact of its major projects,” says Fowler. “It made a huge impact on the elephants that are in the care of the zoo, but it was also an overtly expressive commitment to putting animal care needs over the design process. From that flowed a fantastic visitor experience as well.”
The African Elephant Crossings major takeaways from the project informed subsequent projects, says Fowler.
The Ben Gogolick Giraffe Encounter, which opened in 2016, allows visitors an almost eyeball-to-eyeball encounter with the giant mammals. The large wooden observation deck overlooks a herd of Masai giraffe. The project was made possible by a gift from Cleveland businessman Larry Gogolick, donations to the Circle of Wildlife Campaign and the zoo society’s board of trustees. (Be on the lookout for the zoo’s newest giraffe, a baby boy born Aug. 6, weighing about 160 pounds and teetering over 6 feet tall.)
Another $2.5 million raised by the zoo society was presented to the zoo toward the $4.1 million cost of the Rosebrough Tiger Passage in 2016. In addition, Fowler says the society intends to help support future capital projects, including new cheetah and primate habitats.
“We are excited to share strategic plans. Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Executive Director Christopher Kuhar is in charge with driving plans and going to the Cleveland Metroparks and asking (Chief Executive Officer) Brian Zimmerman and the commissioners to endorse his plan. We are an effective, efficient charity totally engaged with our partners at the zoo to fulfill our mission.”
The zoo is the most popular year-round cultural destination in Northeast Ohio, attracting more than 1 million visitors each year and generating $100 million annually in regional economic impact. Fowler urges membership in the Cleveland Zoological Society and supporting its major fundraisers, including ZipptyZooDoo (June 8) and Twilight at the Zoo (Aug. 3). Zoo Clues and Brews and ZOOvies are other events that encourage involvement and support. The society welcomes donations of any amount. Fowler suggests those be made to the general fund, a habitat funding that is under way or an established conservation program.
“There are high-priority projects that really deserve great support. That can be a little more important than donating to the care of a specific animal that is already really well cared for,” suggests Fowler.
As if not to offend any animals within earshot of her zoo office, Fowler claims her favorite projects to support are always the most current ones.
“But I have always loved tigers. And the fact that there are big cats involved in Asian Highlands is really exciting,” Fowler confesses. “I just love cats.”
(For more information about the Cleveland Zoological Society or to make a donation, visit clevelandzoosociety.org, or call 216-661-6500 or the development office at 216-635-3343.)