OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium announced on Friday it will be changing the last ticket admission time to 3 p.m. daily beginning July 28.
The zoo says while ticket admission will end at 3 p.m., buildings will remain open until 5 p.m. and the zoo grounds until 6 p.m. The schedule change aims to generate financial savings for the zoo, according to a press release.
“A closer look at our guests’ attendance patterns suggests that only approximately 5 percent arrive after 3 p.m.,” said Dennis Pate, president and CEO of Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium. “Given this information, we feel the earlier closing time is a way the Zoo can achieve some additional cost savings, while causing the least amount of disruption to our visitors.”
The timed ticket reservation process has been in place since the zoo reopened, with the goal of limiting contact, encouraging social distancing and adhering to capacity requirements at the zoo. Only 9,200 can be on the grounds, while buildings can only have 50% of occupancy rate.
Guests can make a reservation for a time to enter the zoo up to three days in advance of their visit at http://www.omahazoo.com/hours-and-admission.
Because of limited capacity and needing to close for awhile to adhere to restrictions, the Omaha Zoo Foundation has set up an emergency fund campaign to support the zoo.