Following storm damage Little Rock Zoo reopens

Little Rock, Arkansas – The Little Rock Zoo was opened on Friday following the strong winds and storms that moved through the area on Wednesday.

There’s still quite a bit left to be done, even though staff and volunteers have worked several hours cleaning up debris and fixing damages.

On Wednesday afternoon, Little Rock Zoo Director Susan Altrui was there when strong, straight-line winds swept through the park. “It was a little bit scary. I was here in the administration building and doors behind me just flew open,” said Altrui.

The winds knocked trees over and damaged several structures, including the amphitheater’s canopies, a stone bathroom, the reptile house, and some fencing.

According to Altrui, the damages cost several hundred thousand dollars.

On Thursday, the zoo closed to clean up debris and to make sure that the park was safe for guests to come back.

On Friday, the zoo was full of guests as the weather cleared out, but the impact of the past storm still remained. “I think the thing that we are most grateful for is that no one was hurt. We had no animals hurt, no human life hurt, no one was injured and that’s really a testament to the training of our staff,” said Altrui.