By Juan Montoya
To those of us who have heard the presentation by Dr. Patrick M. Burchfield, Director of the Gladys Porter Zo
o before the city commission and other governmental boards, are regaled with a short litany of the unique nature of the facility which – it is always pointed out – is the biggest "heads on beds" draw to Brownsville.
To those of us who have heard the presentation by Dr. Patrick M. Burchfield, Director of the Gladys Porter Zo
o before the city commission and other governmental boards, are regaled with a short litany of the unique nature of the facility which – it is always pointed out – is the biggest "heads on beds" draw to Brownsville.An average of 375,000 local people and tourists visit the Zoo annually, with an attendance exceeding 400,000 in the year 2001, the zoo's website states.
But to a local mom who took her four children in tow recently, the condition of the grounds, and its personnel, leaves much to be desired. The world-class facility, it seems, is looking a bit down in the mouth and presents an unkempt, disorganized appearance.
"I took my four kids and ended up paying about $40 just to get in the gate," she said. "Now, I know that the city contributes yearly to the operations of the zoo. Shouldn't we local taxpayers get a permanent discount. Forty dollars is a lot of money for local people. Many simply can't afford to go there at those prices."
The first thing that met the group as it entered the gates was a clutter of golf carts that workers use to travel around the 31-acre compound. Cluttered, as they were, around the entrance, she and her four children had to scamper around them to work their way to the exhibits.
"When we got to watch the gorillas in their glass enclosure, we saw we weren't the only ones watching the animals. The gorillas were being entertained by a half-dozen mice playing in their hay in the cage," she said. "It appears that there is a mice infestation there."
Granted that the temperatures in South Texas are hot so that only "mad dogs and Englishmen" would dare go out in the hot sun, but when she took the kids to see the lions, the kids couldn't see them because the grass – about five feet high – hadn't been cut.
"Maybe it's supposed to be just like the savanna," she said, "but really, if you don't cut the grass, you can't see the animals."
As the group passed by a service entrance between the tigers and the lions where the kids could get a drink of water, they couldn't stand the stench of sewage emanating from within and had to scurry away. Workers on their golf carts almost ran over one as they flew about smoking and chatting to themselves. And nowhere, she said, was there any security to be seen.
"The petting zoo was the worse," she said. "Someone should milk the mama goats. The poor things walk around dragging their stomachs on the ground. It's really bad."
Now, we don't know whether the summer doldrums have also affected the personnel at the zoo to drag butt, but as far as this mother and her kids were concerned, the "unique zoo experience" at Gladys Porter is something they will probably do without for some time to come.
We've tried to inquire how much Burchfield is getting to run that "unique experience" without success. If things are as bad as the mother of four describes, it may be too much.
9 comments:
Let's sort this all out: It cost five people, our mom and her four kids, a total of $40 to visit the Gladys Porter Zoo? The condition of the zoo leaves something to be desired? To my thinking, this suggests that the ticket prices might be insufficient to cover the cost of proper zoo maintenance. But that's not how our disgruntled mom-of-four sees things, for she immediately concludes that everyone should get a permanent zoo discount because "forty dollars is a lot of money for local people." THAT will surely solve the problems!
Pobrecitas! If the mom and her four kids want to visit a truly world-class zoo without all the smells and unkempt, disorganized appearance, they probably should head on over to San Diego. There, the mom will pay $40 for her own ticket, plus $30 for each of her four kids, a total of $160! But the grass has been cut, there aren't any mice playing around the gorillas, the golf carts are out of the way, and things smell better. My dear, you get what you pay for!
http://www.texastribune.org/library/data/government-employee-salaries/brownsville/
Perhaps we should fire Dr. Patrick Burchfeld (save the that he makes), and have one of his many assistants do the job.
I agree with local mom...I had a similar experience while visiting the zoo. It looked dirty and unkept. Weeds and tall grass all over the zoo. Some areas are in great need of a good coat of paint. And it does have a solution without having to raise entrance fees. It is called effective supervision from management. The zoo has the maintenance employees that can do the work-they just need to do it! And if they want volunteers from the community, there's many of us that will gladly do so. Let's bring pride back to our zoo!
400,000 visitors in 2001 ? What about 2010 ?
400,000 is very low, for a world class zoo. Truth is the Zoo has always been a small elite social club that doesn't want any pesky visitors, (customers). No one is held accountable there.
City funding should be dependant on how many visitors they attract, the only measurement of accountability.
Making it cheap or free will not solve the problems of poor management, low resources and visitors who don't appreciate how much an educational experience costs.
I must say that the mother could have purchased a family pass so she could actually save money by being able to visit more throughout the year. Oh wait! She was disappointed in the zoo so she wouldn't want to do that because of its condition. She suggested reduced prices for Brownsville citizens. I would like her to decide what should be cut from the zoo's budget - food for the animals? veterinary care? keepers?
If there were a lot of golf carts at the entrance, I would think there was probably a staff meeting that the workers left their jobs to attend. The carts are used to assist in taking care of the animals' enclosures, feeding and caring for the animals, and for moving around zoo grounds quickly.
As for the mice, I teach in a school where it is not unusual to see mice, rats, or even possums! Actually, WE invaded THEIR homes by building where they live... It's not a sign of filth or lack of care. I dare this woman to go to any farm that grows crops that eventually make their way to our table - she will find rats and mice. If she looks closely, she will find them in many of the restaurants she visits.
As for milking the mama goats.. that is the most absurd thing I've ever heard. This is a zoo - not a dairy farm, and I've NEVER see then goats "dragging their stomachs on the ground".
As far as the denigrating comment about the personnel dragging butt (made by Juan Montoya, it seems)... Wouldn't YOU drag butt after working in the heat all day? Do YOU realize that these men and women that work at the zoo get minimum wage? I know one worker who has worked hard for over 30 years to earn his way to supervisory position and brings home less than $1700 a month. Our zoo does not bring in enough money to pay these workers what they would get in any other zoo. Despite the low pay, these workers DO work hard and take great pride in what they do. They clean the enclosures and work in dangerous close proximity to the animals; they deal with and very often educate the public and very often take verbal abuse from the public or put up with belittling attitudes (like this complaining woman). They have to assist the maintenance department in repairs to their particular areas; and they are responsible for the yard maintenance in their areas and for picking up the trash that so many visitors leave laying around. There are always interruptions in their work day of one type or another, such as looking for lost children, lost items, removing items dropped (or tossed) into the enclosures, enforcing rules that visitors are supposed to comply with, stopping fights (yes, fights!), and trying to prevent animal loss. Yes, sadly, visitors try to STEAL some of the animals! These workers are most certainly underpaid, overworked, and unnecessarily blamed for many of the zoo's woes.
The expense of feeding and caring for, maintaining, and even insuring the collection animals is astronomical. I am amazed that the admission prices aren't DOUBLE what they are now! Honestly, I hope this rude, inconsiderate woman takes her 4 children to another zoo. Our zoo is really too good for her. Or perhaps she should get a dose of reality and VOLUNTEER at the zoo. Then she could help clean it up and bring it up to her expectations. If she doesn't want to do that, then she should stop complaining and be a little more grateful that we really do have a "gem" here in Brownsville.
Mom .... have you ever visited any other Zoo's in the United States? I may guess you havent because you only get what you pay for and just like at any other workplace or place that you may go and visit you will find many inperfections and have complaints as small as they may be. If you think that the entrence fee was somewhat high then you just dont meet the qualifications that is needed to visit the Zoo. Its a privilage and honor to have the zoo in our city and dont have to travel many miles to take our kids to some fun and educational entertainment. Instead of complaining and bad mouthing you should have enjoyed the quality time you where spending with your kids as a family .... that would have covered up all these bad sights you were seeing and made your day a memoral one.
It seems to me that this lady got a bargain for her money. She got to see more wildlife than she paid to see! Sounds like she was wanting to see the typical lions, tigers, and bears (oh my!) but got to see rodents and the working class for free! What was she complaining for?
I have been to over 20 zoos in the US, and Gladys Porter is by far one of the best. The enclosures actually offer FAR MORE visibility than many that over-landscape for the sake of being "pretty". Just because she popped out more kids than the average woman in the U.S. doesn't make her brilliant - or well informed. Also, does the twit want poison laid out...in a ZOO...to kill rodents? Is she that freaking stupid?
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