Santa Ana Zoo reopens at limited capacity after months-long closure

Those eagerly awaiting to see dozens of monkeys monkeying around at the Santa Ana Zoo will finally get their chance after it reopened this week after a months-long closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The zoo has implemented a number of safety protocols to keep visitors safe from the virus.

“It feels really nice to have the zoo open — it was a long process through the closure and reopening,” zoo manager Ethan Fisher said on Wednesday. “The people that came were really happy to be back at the zoo and have another option in the community to interact with nature and do it outdoors in a safer environment.”

Spirit the Bald Eagle squeals on his perch at the Santa Ana Zoo on Thursday. Spirit came to the zoo from Alaska after one of his wings was permanently damaged.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

All staff and guests ages 2 and older are required to wear masks, seating areas have been spaced out and spaces are regularly disinfected.

There are physical-distancing reminders, markers and barriers throughout the zoo, and the narrowest walkways will only allow one-way foot traffic.

The zoo closed its amusement rides, the playground, dung-beetle maze, bird aviary and the goat petting area. Indoor exhibit spaces, like the Exploration Outpost, are also closed.

The zoo will operate at limited capacity on a first-come, first-served basis. It will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday. It is closed on Monday and Tuesday.

The Moniz family watch a gibbon swing in his exhibit at the Santa Ana Zoo on Thursday.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

Many of the exhibits are still open. Fisher said the zoo is taking extra precaution with its primates, which can be more susceptible to catching illnesses from people due to their close genetic connection.

“We’re taking particular care to secure the primate areas and to make sure there’s no potential exposure between the guests and the primates,” Fisher said. “So you’ll see at the zoo there’s some areas where we put up plexiglass panels in front of some of the animal habitats, or increase the setback for where people stand.”

Fisher believes the animals are also happy to have visitors return to the zoo.

Since the zoo closed on March 16, Fisher said the staff focused on giving the animals a lot of attention and extra environmental enrichment to keep them busy. One of these enrichment tools was a puzzle feeder, where the animals solve a puzzle and get a treat.

“They actually seemed to miss the visitors,” Fisher said.

Scarlet ibis in a tropical tree and brush exhibit on display at the Santa Ana Zoo, which has reopened after months of closure.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

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