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Storm damage from Ophelia forces Prospect Park Zoo to close indefinitely
By
Sophia Chang
Published Oct 13, 2023
Modified Oct 13, 2023
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Scott Heins for Gothamist
By
Sophia Chang
Published Oct 13, 2023
Modified Oct 13, 2023
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The Prospect Park Zoo is closed indefinitely after its basement power and heating systems were destroyed by about 25 feet of floodwater from the remnants of Tropical Storm Ophelia two weeks ago.
The Brooklyn zoo’s baboons, red pandas and other animals are doing fine and their habitats were not damaged, said Craig Piper, the Wildlife Conservation Society's director of city zoos.
But critical boilers and electrical equipment in basements below two buildings were wrecked.
“The animals are in great shape, but the infrastructure is where the impact was. And so that's going to take us a long time to be able to get that fully repaired and restored,” Piper said.
Prospect Park Zoo cleanup and repair crews set up equipment in the Animal Lifestyles building, in front of animal exhibits. The zoo’s boilers are in the basement
Scott Heins for Gothamist
The full extent of the damage is still being assessed, making it difficult to gauge costs or a timeline for reopening, Piper said. But he acknowledged rebuilding will likely cost “many” millions of dollars. He said it will be months before the zoo can reopen.
Gothamist toured the shuttered zoo on Friday. Staff had turned a room with exhibits featuring an iguana, golden lion tamarin monkeys and sand cats into a staging ground filled with repair equipment.
Other workers were cutting a gate toward Prospect Park to make room for a truck hauling emergency boilers. Backup generators were able to maintain the habitats and aquariums in the immediate aftermath of the Sept. 29 storm that dumped 7.4 inches of water on nearby Park Slope.
Piper estimated that 9 inches of water drenched the zoo in three hours. The zoo’s location, which is below street-level of nearby Flatbush Avenue and close to Prospect Park Lake, contributed to extensive runoff that inundated its basement facilities with 25 feet of water. A photo provided by the zoo showed a basement entrance, which goes down two flights of stairs, completely submerged in water.
A Prospect Park Zoo stairway, which goes down two flights of stairs to a basement, was completely flooded during the storm.
Courtesy of Prospect Park Zoo
The Wildlife Conservation Society delivered the emergency generators on the morning of the storm, preventing a much more dangerous scenario for the zoo’s 750 animals.
The storm was only the latest example of city zoos facing catastrophic flooding in extreme weather. Flooding from Hurricane Sandy caused extensive damage to the New York Aquarium in Coney Island in 2012, killing some 150 koi carp.
“We prepare for events like this,” Piper said.
During the storm, most outdoor animals had access to indoor shelter, but some preferred staying outside, Piper said. The six free-roaming peacocks roosted in trees where they typically sleep.
The sea lions seemed unfazed by the rainfall and stayed put in their exhibit, unlike at the Central Park Zoo, where one sea lion briefly went for a swim outside of her habitat.
During Gothamist’s visit, the sea lions poked their heads from their aquatic exhibit and peacocks strutted around empty outdoor café tables.
A sign alerting visitors the Prospect Park Zoo is closed.
Scott Heins for Gothamist
“The animals are still here, and they're just fine and healthy,” Piper said. “And they're wondering where the people are, quite frankly.”
The Wildlife Conservation Society is working with the city's parks department to seek federal and state funding for new heating and electrical systems, as well as redesigning the zoo to be more resilient in extreme weather. The Wildlife Conservation Society, which runs the city’s zoos, depends on government funding, private donations, grants and foundation support.
“We don't want to just replace things where they were and face a repeat event like this,” Piper said. “We want to make sure that we rebuild in a way that we're providing resilience and protection from future storm events, so we don't have repeat incidents of this.”
This story has been updated to clarify that the animals can remain in their habitats while repairs are completed.
Tagged
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Sophia Chang
Sophia Chang is a former WNYC and Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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