Cherry Brook Zoo pitches ecotourism in new strategic plan

The Cherry Brook Zoo is sharing its vision for the next five years through a strategic plan that includes expanding the zoo population, relocating food services, and building safari cabins to appeal to the ecotourism market.

The zoo presented a letter to Common Council on Tuesday night that outlined its 2016 request for funding.

Instead of seeking a grant, it pitched a five year service contract with the city and asked for an annual investment of $60,000.

The matter was referred to Saint John's city grants committee.

Lynda Collrin, volunteer director of zoo development, says that kind of stable funding would help pull the zoo out of survival mode.

"If you know what your salary is you know how much you can do. You know what groceries you can buy, what bills you have," Collrin said Wednesday on Information Morning Saint John.

"We need some stability to be able to go ahead and build what we need to build."

Collrin says the zoo wants to break into the ecotourism market with an ambitious plan to add overnight safari cabins and offer nighttime safari tours.

"It would probably be two-bedroom cabins that would include entrance to the zoo, possibly a night safari, which would be open to the public," she said.

"You could listen to the sounds of the zoo at night … We're working at bringing African lions back to the zoo and they're very noisy all night so it's a unique ecotourism [idea]."

The zoo also wants to build on its partnership with Tír na nÓg Forest School, revamp its discovery centre, and add a reptile display.

Cherry Brook Zoo faced a financial crisis earlier this year and sought $60,000 in emergency funding from the city.

It got a funding reprieve, thanks to the neighbouring Kennebecasis Valley communities.

Cherry Brook Zoo opened in 1978 on a 14.1-hectare parcel of land in Rockwood Park.