Author: Sam Buisman

Henry Vilas Zoo will re-open its gates this Thursday.

According to the zoo's website, the zoo will open up at 9:30 A.M. on June 18 after being closed since March due to COVID-19. In order to maintain social distancing guidelines, the zoo will re-open with some additional rules, including a capacity limit and one-way walking trail.

In their announcement, the zoo thanked the Madison community for its vigilance throughout the pandemic.

“It is important for you to know how much your support has meant to everyone at the zoo,” says the announcement. “We have been working hard to make sure that our guests, the staff, and all of the animals at the zoo are safe and healthy.”

According to the website, zookeepers have upped their cleaning standards, installed sanitation stations around the zoo, and committed to wearing masks to strive for a safe re-opening.

While the zoo's website does not enumerate its capacity limit, it states that the zoo will stop accepting guests at 4:30 P.M.

This re-opening comes days after Dane County shifted into “Phase 2” of its “Forward Dane” coronavirus recovery plan, which permits outside gatherings of up to 100 socially-distanced people.