After being closed 2 years, Riverview Park and Zoo will reopen on Nov 26

Key takeaways:

• After nearly 2 years of closure, the Riverview Park and Zoo in Peterborough, Ont, will reopen to the public on Nov. 26.
• The reopening isn’t the only interesting thing happening, according to Moloney. 

The Riverview Park and Zoo in Peterborough, Ont. will reopen to the public on Nov. 26 after being shuttered for nearly two years due to the COVID-19 outbreak, except for limited guided visits.

The zoo’s manager and curator, Jim Moloney, said the crew is looking forward to seeing visitors again.

Moloney added, “We are delighted to let everyone know that the zoo section has been granted the go-ahead to reopen to the visiting public.” “We’ve been missing the people like crazy, and we’ve gotten a lot of positive comments from people who are excited to see us again.”

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While on the zoo premises, Moloney added, the regular COVID-19 precautions will be in place, including physical distancing and wearing masks at all times. He also mentioned that they have some new fences in place to keep the animals safe.

“Some of our animals are sensitive to COVID, and we need to protect them as well,” Moloney explained. “We’re simply asking folks not to cross those boundaries and keep that extra distance.”

It is not necessary to show proof of immunisation to attend the zoo, he stressed.

And it appears that visitors aren’t the only ones who are missing out. According to Cathy Mitchell, the zoo’s programme coordinator, some animals were also aware of the public’s absence.

Mitchell stated, “Not all animals will miss having people around.” “However, seeing people and visitors is part of the enrichment for some species, such as our camels, lynx, otters, and meerkats.”

The reopening isn’t the only interesting thing happening, according to Moloney. The zoo’s famous miniature railway will undergo some changes as well.

“The train that so several of us have ridden on and taken our children or grandchildren on was purchased in 1974, and it was a used train when it was bought, so it has a lot of kilometres on it and a lot of hours,” Moloney explained.

“Over the years, almost two million visitors have ridden the train,” he added, “but we are now in a position where we need to make sure everything is reliable, and we need to replace the train.”

If you’re nostalgic, Moloney says you shouldn’t be concerned. The zoo intends to run the train during the 2022 season, subject to pandemic restrictions.

Moloney said they aren’t sure what will happen to the aged locomotive yet, but they are looking at trade-in options to help offset the expense of a newer model.

(However, when pressed, he did not rule out the possibility of the train remaining on zoo grounds.)

Moloney explained that they are gathering funds for a new train’s $650,000 price tag by selling commemorative puzzles.

Source: Global News

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