50 YEARS: The Atlanta Zoo Needs to Charge an Admission Fee

ZSA Backs Charge - As President of the Zoological Society of Atlanta and speaking on behalf of our members, I am concerned that there appears to be some antagonism in the Press to the establishment of an entrance charge for the Atlanta Zoo.

Atlanta has about the poorest zoo in the United States, a situation which is unfair to the animals and deprives the citizens of Atlanta the opportunity of seeing animals in a happy and healthy state in a proper setting. It is cruelty to keep animals in small cages which many of them have to be kept in the Atlanta Zoo. There is an urgent need to extend and modernize so that it will be in keeping with the great and growing city which is Atlanta. 

This cannot be done without money. With all the demands the City has on its income, it is impossible for it to channel more funds into the Zoo. This is not a unique situation. Other cities have had the same problem. They have solved it by instituting an entrance charge. The really good zoos in the United States and elsewhere in the world are those which have such an entrance charge. The money which will come from this charge at the Atlanta Zoo will result directly in modernizing the Zoo and making it more habitable for the animals. The citizens of Atlanta will benefit from the charge by being provided with a fine, up-to-date zoo in which they can take pride. Furthermore, a very high proportion of the people who visit the Zoo are out of town, and particularly out of state. It is only right that they should contribute to its upkeep. Special arrangements can and will be made to ensure that under-privileged children are not deprived by the charge from contact with the animals.

The Zoological Society of Atlanta consists of a dedicated group of citizens who volunteer their time and money to help improve the Zoo, and the City is anxious to have their help. The Society feels that it is essential for the success of their endeavors that a charge be made. Without it, their efforts will fizzle out into helpless frustration.

We want Atlanta to have the best zoo in the U.S. We need the support of the Press and the News media to help us do it. Let’s have a zoo we can be proud of.

Geoffrey H. Bourne, President, Zoological Society of Atlanta