The Sedgwick County Zoo, the state’s top attraction, has taken a triple hit from the coronavirus pandemic. “It’s taken a very drastic hit,” said executive director Jeff Ettling. The zoo’s operating budget is down $1.5 million; it had to halt the final phase of its renovation fundraising campaign with $1.7 million still to go; and now it’s canceling its signature fundraiser, the popular Zoobilee event, which raises more than $1 million each September. Yet Ettling is optimistic. Part of it is his nature, he said, and part of it is the way his staff is rallying with ideas. “There’s nothing crazy,” Ettling said he’s told his employees while brainstorming. One result: Zoobilee To Go, a virtual fundraiser instead of the traditional one at the zoo, which usually has more than 3,000 people standing shoulder-to-shoulder while in line for food or dancing at various music stages.
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