Denver Zoo recently announced that they will be closing for a day to give their staff a day to celebrate... well, making it through the last year is as good of a reason as anything else, I suppose. They're following in the footsteps of Reid Park Zoo, Florida Aquarium, and other facilities. Keepers and other staff will still be coming in on the 25th - animals need to be fed, after all - but there will be no visitors, and special activities and treats will be made available for the staff.
Earlier this week, I read another article about how the San Antonio Zoo, which was forced to cut salaries during closure last year, is paying back its staff members what they lost. Several keepers I know at other zoos have reported raises, bonuses, or, in some cases, both.
It really makes me happy to see that so many zoos and aquariums are starting to do a better job of appreciating their staff and working towards raising salaries and providing more positive work environments. This can be an incredibly tough job, even discounting the grinding poverty than many frontline staff have to deal with. I really hope that we're seeing the beginning of a new era of zoo staff of all levels being treated like professionals and compensated and celebrated accordingly.
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