Several of Sweden’s zoos have a weak summer behind them.
Borås zoo, Kolmården and Furuvik all report lower visitor numbers and turnover.
– The biggest reason is that it rained a lot during July and August, says Jeanette Lindström, CEO at Borås Zoo
Summer is peak season for zoos as holidaymakers flock to see chimpanzees and zebras. But the summer was short and most of it rained away.
At Borås Djurpark, turnover decreased by SEK 9 million and CEO Jeanette Lindström says that it is largely the weather that is behind it.
– We have some indoor facilities, we have a fantastic big nice elephant house, a monkey house and some restaurants. But this is an outdoor park and an outdoor activity, she says.
Borås is not the only zoo that had a bad season. Kolmården and Furuvik also report reduced turnover and fewer visitors, and here perhaps it is not just rain that plays a role.
Furuvik has lost the most
At the end of 2022, there was an incident at Furuvik where four chimpanzees escaped and were then shot to death. Furuvik is also the park that lost the most in turnover and visitors, but Kolmården and Borås do not feel that the incident spread and affected them.
– No, I don’t think so when it comes to visitors, on the contrary, we saw a very strong trend this spring, until the rain came. Then it’s a terrible event, but I think most people who have visited a zoo see what nice relationships our keepers have with the animals, says Christine Karmfalk, CEO of Kolmården.
Borås Zoo still has the opportunity to improve turnover for the year because it is open over Halloween and Christmas. But the park still calculates a loss of SEK 25 million. The result does not worry CEO Jeanette Lindström, but she says at the same time that they are now reviewing how they can increase their income going forward.
– We have had the park here for over 60 years, we know that things go up and down. But of course it is a challenge and important above all to look at how we can increase our income. We don’t have any machines that can be turned off. These are animals that should feel good throughout the year, says Jeanette Lindström.