BUFFALO, N.Y. — The past week at the Buffalo Zoo has been a zoo, as backlash over a new price increase has now made its way to the Erie County legislature.
On Monday, the Buffalo Zoo introduced new prices that increased the price of an adult ticket by about 45% to $25.95 in season and $21.95 out of season, making the in-season price more expensive than any other zoo in the region, from Toronto to Central Park.
The news came under an announcement whose headline read “Zoo for All program” and aimed to reduce admission rates for lowering income families — but later down in the release also revealed the new prices.
Erie County legislator Lindsey Lorigo said she believes those prices are actually pricing most families out.
“It's not access for all,” she said. “I represent a lot of middle class Western New Yorkers who would look at the prices that they're raising in bulk and say, ‘Well, that's the last time I'm ever going to the zoo.’ ”
The Republican legislator told 2 On Your Side the zoo is already receiving $2 million from Erie County taxpayers this year, prompting Lorigo and her Republican colleagues to send a letter to the zoo’s CEO, Lisa Smith, demanding she reconsider this price increase or risk not receiving the same kind of funding next year.
“We hope that that's not the case, of course, because we work very hard to serve our community in a variety of ways,” Smith said. “We'll work with them. We'll invite them out to come talk with us.”
Democrats in the Erie County legislature sent a response, however, backing the zoo and their decision to increase their prices.
“The increased admission costs will help offset the zoo’s operation and enable our zoo to continue to deliver state-of-the-art educational facilities for our residents and the animals,” chairwoman April Baskin wrote in the letter.
Smith spoke for the first time since the new prices went into place Thursday and said the increase was unavoidable due to increased costs. She said it will go toward the zoo’s general operations fund, which will help with feeding the animals, exhibit improvements, and facility maintenance.
She also shut the door on the zoo scaling back this price plan anytime soon.
2 On Your Side asked: “Do you have any intention at this point of repealing this price increase?”
Smith replied: “Not at this time. … We've done our best to cut expenses and to change our staffing model as best as we can, and this price adjustment is the way we're going to have to fill that gap.”
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