WHEELING — While non-essential businesses are closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the animals at the Oglebay Good Zoo still must be cared for, even if the facility isn’t open to the public.

In order to adjust financially, the zoo has closed guest services, admissions, the train, concession stands and retail for the current time. But as far as taking care of the animals, not much has changed.

“As far as animal care goes, it’s pretty much exactly the same. The biggest challenge is we just reduced staffing strictly to essential team members,” zoo director Joe Greathouse said. “So, typically, this time of year, we’d have a lot of volunteers, interns and students that are here from the West Liberty University zoo science major. They would assist with things like observation, creating enrichment and spending time with the animals and interacting with them.”

The Oglebay Good Zoo right now has one keeper in each of the four sections per day and another individual who manages the diets for the animals.

Greathouse is also on site just about every day trying to help all of the different departments as they go between activities.

It costs around $1,200 a week to feed the animals according to Greathouse. They are also trying to only spend as much as they can until there’s a clear idea what’s going to happen with the pandemic.

“Some of that we tried to cut back on and it’s currently just direct animal care. Veterinarian care, taking care of the animals each day, taking care of their enclosures, feeding, doing the basic training and basic enrichments as opposed to doing the extra stuff we do.”

Greathouse also stated, that the zoo does not generate any revenue when it is closed and is encouraging folks to buy memberships. Other than memberships and philanthropy, that’s the only revenue the zoo gets.

“When we don’t have our Easter events, that’s a big hit for us,” Greathouse said. “We don’t have school groups coming in. Those are our big revenue generators in May. Unlike (zoos in) Akron, Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, that all get tax levies to help them operate. Everything we operate on at Oglebay is self-sustaining. When we’re closed for business, we experience no revenue at all.”

Back during the first week of March, the zoo started to take extra precautions with the primates. After a tiger tested positive recently at the Bronx Zoo in New York City, the team members were told to wear a mask when they were around a mammal to play it safe.

“Even when we were still open, we removed toys and interactive play items to all exhibit areas and disinfected those to ensure there was no chance of transfer,” Greathouse said. “We increased janitorial shifts to ensure we were cleaning the facility more frequently.”

Greathouse, though, said that the zoo is still planning on having their summer season. The zoo has also has several new exhibits that are ready to be showcased, too.

“As of right now, we’re still open to be rolling for the summer season,” Greathouse said. “That has progressed and we still anticipate that we’ll be able to go full blast in the summer season and bring our team back as soon as we are able to.”