Buffalo Zoo defends decision to raise admission prices: 'raising prices is hard and unavoidable'

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Officials at the Buffalo Zoo defended their decision to raise admission prices for the zoo, citing rising costs of operation as well as the amount of discounts that they offer.

It comes after the zoo announced plans to raise admission prices by 44%, while also announcing discounts for low-income families, called the "Zoo For All" program.

After the announcement, Erie County Republicans began to fight back on the prices, saying that the zoo would risk losing some public funding if they did not lower the prices back down.

This year, the Erie County Legislature provided the zoo with $2 million in taxpayer funds, according to a letter sent to Buffalo Zoo CEO Lisa Smith on Wednesday.

"Raising prices is hard unavoidable," Smith said at a Thursday news conference. "The zoo has operated with a fiscal responsibility, keeping it top of mind, and managed to stay within our means to the best of our ability. But inflation and costs of goods and services keep going up."

She also noted that 80% of the zoo's revenue is self-generated, which includes admissions, rides, parking and donors.

The new in-season prices, which run May 25-Sep. 1, are $25.95 for adults, $19.95 for children and $22.95 for seniors. In the off-season, those prices are $21.95 for adults, $15.95 for children and $18.95 for seniors. The low-income rate is $5.

The old year-round rates were $17.95 for adults, $13.95 for children and $15.95 for seniors. Smith said that 80% of last year's visitors used discounts, events, memberships or programs to access the zoo. One of those is a library card discount, which takes $5 off admission if visitors bring their library card.

Erie County Republicans called the new rate "outrageous" in the letter and said the new prices "eliminates the affordability of a day trip to the zoo for most middle-class families."

"For a family like mine, I'm a family of six, for us to go to the zoo is just shy of $200, and that's before I buy a single concession or gift shop item," Republican legislator Chris Greene (Clarence) said Thursday. "For me, it's something that I would really have to budget for."

County Republicans wouldn't have the power to pull public funding for the zoo without help from across the aisle, however.

Erie County Democrats are commending the zoo's decision to introduce the low-income pricing, adding that the price will help them keep operating.

"The Buffalo Zoo is a cultural and educational institution in our community," Erie County Legislature April Baskin said in a statement Thursday morning. "The increased admission costs will help offset the zoo's operation and enable our zoo to continue to deliver state-of-the-art educational facilities for our residents and the animals."

Smith said that the zoo does not have plans to change the price increase but hopes that the county does not pull funding.

"We hope that that's not the case, of course," Smith said. "We work very hard to serve our community in a variety of ways. We'll work with them, we'll invite them out to come talk with us."

News 4's Dillon Morello spoke to residents about the zoo's price hike.

“It's not something that I really stress or anything like that, but I'm surprised,” said Buffalo resident Amairanis Martinez.

“We all kind of have the right to be able to go to the zoo. It's a great asset to the community. And once we start raising prices like this, it starts pricing people out and I just don't think that's fair,” added Laura Fajardo.

To view Smith's press conference as well as Greene's response, see the video players above.