At Wheaton’s Cosley Zoo, Attendance Down but Revenue Up

Wheaton’s Cosley Zoo (a part of the Wheaton Park District) has seen a 36 percent increase in admissions revenue in 2013 over 2012 despite a 6 percent drop in attendance, owing to the zoo’s $2 increase in admission fees in November, the Chicago Tribune reports. 

According to the paper, the zoo’s gross admission revenue has risen by $50,000, and although overall attendance is down—perhaps due in part to the winter chill that extended well into spring, in start contrast to the early warmth of 2012—participation in zoo programs is up more than 20 percent. 

“Our intent is not to raise admissions every year. We're just trying to cover expenses,” zoo director Sue Wahlgren told the paper. "The economy changed a lot of things for us. We need to be more sustainable.

"We're definitely on an upward trajectory with our numbers. We're trying to offer more programs… When the economy kind of struggled, we did see school programs go down, and they're rebounding a bit."

For more information on the Cosley Zoo, visit their official website.

Read the full story at the Chicago Tribune website.