gulf shores: Little zoo on higher ground

Monday, July 10, 2006
AMONG THE flurry of donations flowing to the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo since Hurricane Ivan turned it into "The Little Zoo That Could," a recent one stands out.

It's the one Gulf Shores businessman Clyde Weir and his daughter, Andrea Weir Franklin, gave last week ? 25 acres so the zoo can move to higher ground.

The zoo, a financially struggling nonprofit that has been an attraction for schoolchildren and tourists since the late 1980s, gained national publicity two years ago when directors evacuated nearly all the animals -- 267 of them -- as Hurricane Ivan approached. It was the first full-scale evacuation of an American zoo.

The hurricane flooded the zoo grounds with a surge several feet deep, and winds ripped the buildings. The extensive damage closed the attraction for more than a year.

The national publicity, though, caught the attention of cable's Animal Planet, and the zoo got its own prime-time series. "The Little Zoo That Could" documented the Ivan evacuation and later evacuations for Hurricanes Dennis and Katrina. The show also followed zoo personnel as they rebuilt the zoo and brought home their tiger, the rare black-spotted leopard, a python with sinus trouble, and Umba, a baboon who loves ice cream, among other residents from the animal world. The show was a hit.

As a consequence, attendance more than doubled, fans sought zoo workers' autographs, and donations ? always the lifeblood of the zoo ? have been generous.

Ranging from a few dollars to a $25,000 cashier's check, the donations received so far have made it possible for the zoo to thrive. Now the animals can have a new, safer home, thanks to Mr. Weir and Mrs. Franklin.

The 25 acres in north Gulf Shores are worth several million dollars and sit far enough from the coastline that future evacuations may not be necessary. The new zoo grounds also will allow the governing board to expand exhibits and build hurricane-secure housing for the animals.

The zoo board still must raise funds to construct the new facility. That's where local residents can help. Donations can be mailed to the Zoo Reconstruction and Relocation Fund or can be made online at the zoo's Web site.

Indeed, with the help of their fans, the wonderfully exotic animals of Gulf Shores' little zoo that could can be part of south Baldwin County for many years to come.