AR-News: (US FL) Lion Country gets back on its feet

[Animalara2003 at aol.com]

By _Mark  Schwed_ (mailto:mark_schwed at pbpost.com) 
Palm Beach Post Staff  Writer
Monday, July 05, 2004


 (http://www.palmbeachp
ost.com/news/content/local_news/epaper/061704_met_lion_country_5.html)  Allen Eyestone/Palm Beach  Post  _(enlarge photo)_ 
(http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/local_news/epaper/061704_met_lion_country_5.h
tml)   A South American tapir enjoys a  dip at Lion Country Safari. 
Attendance dropped 17 percent after  Sept. 11, but the park hopes to attract 500,000 
visitors this  year.
 
(http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/local_news/epaper/061704_met_lion_country_1.html)  
(http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/local_news/epaper/061704_met_lion_country_1.html) LOXAHATCHEE — Forget white rhinos, African 
elephants and addra gazelles. For  a while there, the most endangered species at 
Lion Country Safari was man  himself. 
Nearly 100,000 men, women and children a year simply stopped coming after the 
 Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, pushing the wild animal park to the endangered  
list. 
"It hurt us tremendously," said Harold Kramer, vice president and general  
manager of the 37-year-old attraction. "Our attendance dropped off by 17  
percent." 
Fortunately for Kramer — and his 135 full-time employees and the 1,000  
animals that call the preserve home — there has been a dramatic turnaround. The  
just-ended season saw a 13 percent jump over last year's attendance numbers,  
which, in turn, were up over the year before, Kramer says. 
And this year, attendance may hit 500,000 — erasing virtually all the damage  
done by the attacks. With a $6 million face-lift that will spruce up existing 
 exhibits and add new ones, Kramer is optimistic. "We have lots of faith in 
the  future," he said. "We want to remain Palm Beach County's top tourist  
attraction."
 
full  story:
_http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/auto/epaper/editions/monday/lo
cal_news_048eddc392d1f127001e.html_ 
(http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/auto/epaper/editions/monday/local_news_048eddc392d1f127001e.html)  



~~~*+*~~~*+*~~~*+*~~~*+*~~~*+*~~~*+*~~~*+*~~~*+*~~~*+*~~~
I am the voice of the  voiceless;
Through me the dumb shall speak,
Till the deaf world's ears be  made to hear
The wrongs of the wordless weak.
/\  /\ 
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