Since 2015, the Pueblo Zoo has brought the community together for a day of wildlife, local brews and live entertainment through its annual Brew at the Zoo, which is one of the zoo’s largest single-day fundraisers.

“I wanted to reach a different demographic and show that zoos aren’t just for kids — adults can enjoy them, too,” said Abbigail “Abbie” Krause, executive director of the Pueblo Zoo. “Events like this help people who may not see the zoo as a place for them to discover it and, hopefully, continue to support us.”

Approximately seven food trucks and 15 local craft beer and distilleries will be present. They include Walter’s Beer, Brues Alehouse, Apple Valley Cider of Penrose, and more. There also will  be live performances from local artists Matt Fuson, Mark’s Midnight Carnival Show, and Christian Jaquez. These will take place at various locations across the zoo, including near the lion, bison, and penguin exhibits. Additionally, local brewery vendors, referred to as “pourers,” will be positioned at those same locations.

“Some people come because they really love the beer and they like our connoisseurs and tasting new stuff and our pourers like to showcase some of their new flavors,” Krause said. “Other people just like the casual atmosphere of being able to wander around and look at the animals while they are enjoying a beverage.”

For this year’s event, general admission tickets sold out three days before the event, which is earlier than previous years, leaving only VIP tickets available at a higher price. The Pueblo Zoo made VIP tickets available for the first time last year to ensure a smooth check-in process and to adjust with any other additional issues that might come up. 

With 1,000 general admission tickets sold and 250 VIP tickets available, the Pueblo Zoo expects around 1,250 guests. 

“We’ve hit the sweet spot in terms of capacity, and attendance, which is doubling every year,” said Krause. “the total of 1,250 is the mark because we want to make sure that people have a good experience.”

Not only is this event huge for the organization in terms of visibility, it also is deemed vital for the financial side of things at the zoo. 

Under Mayor Heather Graham’s administration, the city of Pueblo had to make some harsh decisions in this year’s budget, including the cut of hundreds of thousands of dollars to 15 local nonprofits, one of those being the Pueblo Zoo. 

The zoo released a statement addressing reports about a potential closure due to budget cuts. 

“While we are facing financial constraints due to reduced funding, our doors will remain open,” the statement on Facebook read. 

Krause provided additional context to the situation and the current status of the zoo in a recent interview conducted by a Today reporter.

“The potential closure was a misleading headline,” said Krause. “Really what it is, is a financial challenge.”

Krause said that the Pueblo Zoo is experiencing a $200,000 budget gap, which has been a challenge to adjust to on short notice. “The closure was a bit overblown, but I will say that we are always looking for ways to be more financially secure,” said Krause.

A recent study with Michael Wakefield from CSU Pueblo’s Hasan School of Business indicated that the Pueblo Zoo generates $20 million of impact for the city of Pueblo on a $3 million budget. 

Through all of this positive impact, there is a lot of work that takes place behind the scenes among the volunteers, staff and board members.

“We close to the public only three days a year,” Krause said. “But we still have to feed, care for and clean up after the animals every single day, all 365 days a year.”

One of the staff members, Kayla Hardesty, is a lead zookeeper in the red station, which oversees the red pandas, otters, palace cats, small carnivores and some native species, including penguins, many of the animals in the rainforest, and many of the animals in the world of color reptile building. Hardesty has been working with the Pueblo Zoo for more than four years, as she started out as an intern with the zoo.

Hardesty’s day usually starts with “life checks,” which is when she makes sure all the animals are fed, have plenty of water, get their meds if needed, and look healthy and clean.

“We make sure their exhibits are healthy, happy and safe,” Hardesty said. “We give them enrichment to try and make their exhibit as natural and interesting as possible.”

After taking care of the animals, Hardesty moves along her day and completes other maintenance projects at the zoo.

“Cleaning the penguin exhibit was my extra today, and that takes a couple hours because their poop is like concrete,” Hardesty said jokingly.

One of Hardesty’s favorite parts of the job is building a close working relationship with the animals and gaining their trust over time. 

“Training is very important to their welfare because you want to teach them behaviors that will help them with veterinarian checks,” Hardesty said. 

Beyond the impact that the zoo has with the staff members, it has a mutual impact on the volunteers. Carol Rickman, a 1983 University of Southern Colorado (Colorado State University Pueblo) alumna, has been with the Pueblo Zoo for 33 years. 

Rickman began her docent training in 1991, the same year she started working evenings at the Pueblo St. Mary-Corwin Hospital  Laboratory. Throughout those years, she has held almost every volunteer position at the Pueblo Zoo, providing education in zoology, animals and conservation through presentations to children of all ages and adults, too. Rickman serves on many boards including the zoo’s board of directors, where she has had the role of president, vice president, and secretary. 

“I love the people who are involved with the zoo,” Rickman said. “They all share a similar passion as I do for animals and wild places.” 

Rickman said the most important part of her work at the zoo is engaging with visitors and helping them learn.

“It’s important that they learn about wildlife so they may understand how important conservation of habitat and ecosystems are to a healthy balance of nature,” Rickman said.

Brew at the Zoo is another initiative that continues to support the mission of the Pueblo Zoo, continuing to inform the public about the work the Pueblo Zoo is doing toward conservation and sustainability. Besides using reusable tasting glasses, the event also will  feature a vendor that will provide more information about the brewers and clean water, which will continue the conversation on conservation. 

Despite these financial challenges that the zoo is facing, officials still have high hopes for more years to come. 

“This is a setback with the budget cuts, but we are doing everything we can,” Krause said. “We are working with the city, donors, and sponsors to do the best we can to make up for that money.”

There are many things the community can do to continue their support for the zoo. Anything from attending the zoo, buying from the gift shop, or even becoming a member or sponsor of the foundation.

Updates about upcoming events, zoo hours of operation and more information about ways to become a volunteer or member are available on their website: www.pueblozoo.org.