Brookfield Zoo To Reopen After Floods Begin Receding
BROOKFIELD, Ill. (CBS) -- After being closed for two days due to flooding and street closures in the area, the Brookfield Zoo will reopen on Saturday, although it will close an hour earlier than normal.
The zoo was closed Thursday and Friday -- only the third time the zoo has closed in its history -- due to flooding inside and around the zoo.
It will reopen Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., according to the Chicago Zoological Society. Officials hope to open the zoo for its normal 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. hours on Sunday.
Most animal exhibits will be open, but some will remain closed due to flood damage, so general admission will be free on Saturday. Visitors who drive to the zoo must still pay a parking fee.
Zoo officials said the animals are doing fine, and staff have been on site to care for the animals while the zoo has been closed.
The "Party for the Planet" celebration and electronic recycling event for Earth Day also will take place as scheduled on Sunday.
Some roads near the zoo might be closed due to the flooding, so visitors should check local traffic reports before heading to the zoo.
The other two occasions Brookfield Zoo closed were a snow storm on Feb. 2, 2011 and on Sept. 14, 2008, because of damage from a weekend rainstorm.
