Irwin family’s ‘Australia Zoo’ may be on the brink of financial collapse
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Terri Erwin, American-Australian conservationist and wife of late Steve Irwin, disclosed earlier this year that Australia Zoo was under great financial stress due to being forced to temporarily shut down because of the pandemic.
Recent reports from a close source revealed that several vital staffers were made redundant in the past few weeks, and that Terri has been “exploring the option of selling” the once-popular tourist destination.
Photo from Animal Planet via USA Today."For us, this year was filled with both tremendous joy and heartbreaking loss.”
On New Year’s Eve last year, Bindi Irwin shared that the zoo was almost on the brink of collapse during the pandemic and recent Australian bushfires.
"Our Wildlife Hospital was the busiest it’s ever been due to the Australian bushfires that raged across the country. We worked hard to send support to the front lines of destruction,” she said.
"We have now treated over 100,000 patients since our Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital opened. This year marked Australia Zoo’s 50th birthday, and for the first time in our history, we had to close our gates to guests for 78 days due to the pandemic. Our animal food bills alone are about $80,000 per week, and we spent our days trying to keep our team and family of animals safe."
The 23-year-old zookeeper continued, "Every moment of every day, the question of when, or if we would recover burned in the back of our minds. However, we were reminded that there is always hope on the horizon. Things turned around in Australia, and we were able to open our doors once again to people needing a safe haven of gardens and wildlife. Our conservation work continued to go from strength to strength, supporting species protection around the world."
One source reported that the family zoo was “not out of the woods yet” in January.
"The zoo relies on international visitors, and with the borders closed, indeed some state borders closed, and even Aussies struggling to get home, that's a sizable chunk of their income gone," the source said.
In more positive news, the Irwin family, along with thousands of fans worldwide, celebrated Steve Irwin Day on Monday, November 15.
Bindi wrote a heartfelt tribute to her father on Twitter, which read, "Your legacy will live on forever. I love you for even longer."
Robert Irwin dedicated an Instagram post with a heartfelt message for his late father. He said, “I still look up to him every day, and while I miss him so much, it means the world to me and my family that each year we can have a day for the world to celebrate what he stood for.”
Do you think it’s important that Australia Zoo stays within the Irwin family? Let us know if you’ve visited in the comments below.
Recent reports from a close source revealed that several vital staffers were made redundant in the past few weeks, and that Terri has been “exploring the option of selling” the once-popular tourist destination.
Photo from Animal Planet via USA Today.
On New Year’s Eve last year, Bindi Irwin shared that the zoo was almost on the brink of collapse during the pandemic and recent Australian bushfires.
"Our Wildlife Hospital was the busiest it’s ever been due to the Australian bushfires that raged across the country. We worked hard to send support to the front lines of destruction,” she said.
"We have now treated over 100,000 patients since our Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital opened. This year marked Australia Zoo’s 50th birthday, and for the first time in our history, we had to close our gates to guests for 78 days due to the pandemic. Our animal food bills alone are about $80,000 per week, and we spent our days trying to keep our team and family of animals safe."
The 23-year-old zookeeper continued, "Every moment of every day, the question of when, or if we would recover burned in the back of our minds. However, we were reminded that there is always hope on the horizon. Things turned around in Australia, and we were able to open our doors once again to people needing a safe haven of gardens and wildlife. Our conservation work continued to go from strength to strength, supporting species protection around the world."
One source reported that the family zoo was “not out of the woods yet” in January.
"The zoo relies on international visitors, and with the borders closed, indeed some state borders closed, and even Aussies struggling to get home, that's a sizable chunk of their income gone," the source said.
In more positive news, the Irwin family, along with thousands of fans worldwide, celebrated Steve Irwin Day on Monday, November 15.
Bindi wrote a heartfelt tribute to her father on Twitter, which read, "Your legacy will live on forever. I love you for even longer."
Robert Irwin dedicated an Instagram post with a heartfelt message for his late father. He said, “I still look up to him every day, and while I miss him so much, it means the world to me and my family that each year we can have a day for the world to celebrate what he stood for.”
Do you think it’s important that Australia Zoo stays within the Irwin family? Let us know if you’ve visited in the comments below.
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