Australia Zoo 'on brink of ruin'--Animal Planet Alumni

Australia Zoo says it regrets have to sack 22 staff members amid “challenging” times for the business formerly run by Steve Irwin.

Former Australia Zoo staff, sacked in the wake of the Queensland floods last month, say the zoo appears to be on the brink of financial ruin.

The former staffers took aim at the Sunshine Coast tourist attraction's management, saying the zoo has been crippled by poor planning and debt.

Twenty-two staff were sacked last month and dozens more had forced to take unpaid leave and job share, the former workers told New Idea magazine.

In a statement issued this afternoon, Australia Zoo said the volatile weather in Queensland had made life difficult for many businesses.

The resulting tourism downturn had seen the number of zoo visitors plummet, and savings had to be made, it said.

“Australia Zoo has taken all measures to retain members of the Australia Zoo team; however, regretfully the difficult decision to make 22 positions redundant across the business was made,” the company said.

“The current economic climate remains challenging [but] in no way will these changes impact the quality customer experience or the efficient operation of Australia Zoo.”

But former Australia Zoo receptionist Amy-Lee Hines told New Idea “a lot of people are scared to tell the truth but the truth needs to be told.

“If things don’t turn around, [Australia Zoo] will go down,” she is quoted as saying.

The zoo’s former curator Bruce Murdock told the magazine the management team was struggling with their ‘‘one-man brand’’.

‘‘It’s terrible,’’ he is quoted as saying.

‘‘They have blown millions on poor planning and poor execution.

‘‘They have dreams, but they don’t know how to put a structure in place to make it happen. There is no funding allocation, no budgeting for the long-term.

‘‘Steve had a lot of dreams. But they were massive dreams that only he could fund. After Steve died, they said they were still doing everything he wanted.

‘‘They are trying to do it on the back of Bindi and Terri, but I don’t think they can support it.’’

Australia Zoo said it was still receiving “exceptional” feedback from customers.

The company vowed to continue to pursue Steve Irwin’s dreams, including establishing a presence in Las Vegas to promote Australia and the zoo to the world.

Courtesy of Mark Rosenthal

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"There you go. That's the answer to your problems. Move to Las Vegas and build a Secret Garden and Crocodile Habitat. You should do well with the hypocrisy":

This is not a zoo but rather an education and research-based facility, so there are no choreographed shows or performances. In the pool area, visitors may see animal care staff members interact with the dolphins through organized play activities or during feeding time, but don’t expect any fancy acts or tricks. These animals are cared for and respected as living beings, not as entertainment acts.