AND
AND WELCOME BACK TO LIVE AT 5 AT 4. CONTINUING OUR COVERAGE NOW4@ OF
THE CORONOVIRUS PANDEMIC
ZOOKNOXVILLE HAS BEEN CLOSED
SINCE MARCH 16TH TO HELP
PREVENT THE SPREAD OF COVIC 194@
AND THE TIMING COULDN'T BE
WORSE.
IT'S TYPICALLY THE TIME THEY
WELCOME4@ A LOT OF FAMILIES ON
SPRING BREAK.
THE ZOO SAYS EACH DAY THEY'RE
CLOSED THEY'RE LOSING AN
AVERAGE OF TWENTY TWO THOUSAND
FIVE4@ HUNDRED DOLLARS THAT
DIRECTLY SUPPORT THE ANIMALS4@
AND THEY WERE APPEALING TO THE
PUBLIC TO HELP WITH THEIR
EMERGENCY ANIMAL RELIEF.
JOINING ME NOW IS PRESIDENT AND
CEO LISA4@.
LISA, WE APPRECIATE YOU BEING
WITH US.
YOU'RE ON OUR WEATHER PORCH AS
WE CONTINUE TO KEEP OUR SOCIAL
DISTANCE.
LET'S TALK ABOUT THOUGH THE
FACT YOU ALL DEPEND ON THE
COMMUNITY TO CARE FOR THE
ANIMALS.
GIVE US AN UPDATE.
HOW ARE THEY DOING AT THIS
POINT?
WELL, THEY'RE DOING GREAT.
WE MISS OUR GUESTS, OF COURSE
AND OUR ANIMALS DO TOO.
BUT THE ANIMALS ARE DOING FINE4@
.
WE HAVE WORKED VERY HARD TO
ENSURE THAT ANIMALS4@ WERE CARED
FOR AND THAT OUR STANDARD OF
CARE WAS NOT COMPROMISED DURING
ALL OF THIS.
BUT BUT IT IS A REALLY4@ HARD
TIME.
IT'S A HARD JUST AS IT IS FOR
SO MANY IN OUR COMMUNITY4@.
YOU ARE ACCURATE4@ ABOUT OUR
AVERAGE DAILY REVENUES THAT WE
LOSE WHEN OUR GUESTS DON'T COME@
.
YOU KNOW, WE ALWAYS SAY WHAT
CAN YOU DO TO HELP THE ZOO?
YOU CAN COME BECAUSE IT IS YOUR
SUPPORT THAT THAT GENERATES 75
PERCENT OF OUR REVENUES TO
SUPPORT OUR MISSION4@4@.
SO WHEN OUR GUESTS AREN'T
COMING IT IS CRITICAL4@ TIME.
AND YOU KNOW, THE COMMUNITY HAS
STEPPED UP IN A HUGE WAY TO
HELP THAT4@ THROUGH OUR RELIEFF
EFFORTS.
YOU KNOW, SOME SOME THINGS4@ THT
WE4@ ARE BEING ASKED THAT I CAN
TALK4@ ABOUT OUR4@ YOU KNOW, WE
YOU KNOW, SOME SOME THINGS4@ THT WE4@ ARE BEING ASKED THAT I CAN TALK4@ ABOUT OUR4@ YOU KNOW, WEE
HAVING AN OUTPOURING OF
COMMUNITY SUPPORT4@, VERY
TOUCHING.
PEOPLE ARE ASKING ABOUT
BRINGING FOOD AND I WANT TO
ASSURE THE COMMUNITY OUR
IMMEDIATE FOOD NEEDS ARE4@ MET.
WE HAVE ABOUT A THREE MONTH
SUPPLY OF FOOD4@.
WE HAVE ALL THE FRESH PRODU4@CE
THAT WE CAN PHYSICALLY STORE
AND HANDLE.
SO ALL THAT'S GOING4@ REALLY WEL
.
IT'S REALLY CASH RELIEFF THAT
WE NEED.
HOW CAN WE PROVIDE THAT TO YOU
IT'S REALLY CASH RELIEFF THAT WE NEED. HOW CAN WE PROVIDE THAT TO YOU4@
?
WELL, SO ON OUR WEB SITE AND
ALL OF OUR SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES
IS4@ DONATE DONATE BUTTON.
I WANT TO SAY THAT4@ IN THE 48
HOURS SINCE WE PUT OUT THIS
MESSAGE ABOUT 600 GUESTS HAVE
GIVEN THEIR 60 THOUSAND DOLLARS
SO4@ THAT JUST SHOWS OUR
VOLUNTEER SPIRIT AND THE GIVING
OF OUR4@ COMMUNITY.
WE'RE JUST SO HUMBLED BY THAT.
4@AND TO PUT THAT IN PERSPECTIVE
,YOU KNOW, THAT COVERS ABOUT A4@
HALF A WEEK OF OUR OVERALL
BASIC CORE FUNCTION.
SO WE ARE TOUCHED.
IT HELPS IN OTHER WAYS TO HELP
ON THE WEB SITE OR YOU KNOW, TO
AGAIN BUY TICKETS4@ WHEN WE OPEN
.
THEY'LL BE GOOD FOR A YEAR BY
ANNUAL PASS.
THEY WON'T BE VALID UNTIL THE
DAY WE OPEN AND SHARE OUR
CONTENT ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
YOU KNOW WE'RE TRYING TO BRING
THE ZOO TO YOU EVERY DAY AND
IT'S BEEN A GREAT SUPPORTER OF
THAT AND SHARING4@ ALL OF THE
DIFFERENT THINGS THAT WE HAVE
GOING ON AS AS TIME4@ CHANGES
DAILY IS WHAT'S REALLY HELPFUL
TO US.
AND SO YOU SAID YOU'VE RAISED
ABOUT SIXTY THOUSAND DOLLARS IN
48 HOURS.
DO YOU HAVE4@ TOTAL FUNDRAISING
GOAL YOU'D LIKE TO HIT?
WELL, YOU KNOW, 4@IT IS.
IT IS A MOVING TARGET.
WE WOULD LOVE TO TO BE ABLE TO
HIT AT LEAST A WEEK OF OUR
SUPPLIES4@ WHILE WE WORK ON OR A
WEEK OF OUR EXPENSES WHILE WE
WORK ON OTHER RELIEF EFFORTS.
SO THAT'S ABOUT ONE HUNDRED AND
EIGHTY THOUSAND DOLLARS.
HOPEFULLY THOSE DONATIONS WILL
CONTINUE TO COME IN IF YOU
WOULD LIKE TO CONTRIBUTE4@.
>> YOU CAN JUST VISIT THEIR WEB
SITE AND SUPPORT THE ZOO THAT
WAY MONETARY4@ RELIEFF. 4@
I DON'T WANT TO ASK ABOUT YOUR
STAFF.
YOU'VE GOT SOME INCREDIBLE
PEOPLE THAT WORK BEHIND THE
SCENES TO CARE FOR THESE
ANIMALS 24/74@.
HOW ARE THEY DOING?
YOU KNOW, IT'S IT IS HARD4@ JUST
LIKE A LOT OF OUR BUSINESSES
IT'S HARD TO BE CLOSED.
WE ARE DOWN TO A CRITICAL CARE
FUNCTION.
TEAMS4@ AND IT'S HARD WHEN YOU
KNOW SOME OF YOUR FRIENDS AND
YOUR ZOO TEAM HAVE HAD TO TAKE
TEMPORARY LEAVES DURING THIS TO
REDUCE EXPENSE.
4@4@THEY ARE FOCUSING ON TAKING
CARE OF EACH4@ OTHER AND BEING
SAFE, BEING SURE WE'RE AS SAFE
AS POSSIBLE.
NOW WE'VE ALSO HAD PEOPLE ASK
AND SAY WE'LL COME VOLUNTEER
AND HELP AND AGAIN THAT IS SO
TOUCHING4@.
BUT RIGHT NOW WE HAVE OUR STAFF
DIVIDED INTO TWO4@ ESSENTIALLY
QUARANTINED UNITS THAT DON'T
COME INTO CONTACT WITH4@ EACH
OTHER AND THAT'S TO MINIMIZE
OUR RISK OF GETTING4@ SICK AND
COMPROMISING OUR CARE TO OUR
ANIMALS.
SO AND OUR SUPPORT TEAMS ARE
DOING THE SAME.
SO ALL OF THAT IS SO APPRECIATE
.
IT MEANS SO MUCH THAT OUR
COMMUNITY LOVES US SO MUCH4@4@.
BOY, WE DO.
IT'S A TREMENDOUS RESOURCE.
ZOOKNOXVILLE TELL YOUR STAFF WE
WISH THEM ALL WELL.4@
LISA, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
JOINING SPENDING SOME TIME ON
THIS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND
AGAIN IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO
SUPPORT4@ ZOOKNOXVILLE YOU CAN
HELP THE EMERGENCY RELIEF 4@FUND
JUST VISIT THE WEB SIT4@E
ZOOKNOXVILLE XXXX.
LISA THANK YOU.
THANK YOU.
AND