Closed For The Year...

All photos by K. Gipple

Sylvan Heights will be closed until the end of the week while we assess the extent of the damage and begin repairs to the Park and the Breeding Center, which resulted from this past weekend's heavy snow storm.

While the majority of the damage occurred at the Breeding Center, all the staff from both the Park and the Center have been working throughout the daylight hours to save birds and salvage the aviaries which collapsed under the tremendous weight of snow. A few birds were injured by the collapsing pens and some were buried under the snow that ranged from 12 to over 15 inches in depth.

Thank you to all our friends who have quickly responded to our call for help. We are most grateful for your generosity. And we are also extremely appreciative to those zoos who have responded to our request by sending crews over to help rebuild pens and aviaries.

For the moment, birds have been relocated into unaffected aviaries and temporary pens have been built while repairs are being made. If you would like to help, the park could use live Christmas trees as cover and sight barriers to help these relocated birds adjust to their new surroundings and provide shelter. So rather than leave your trees by the curbside this year, please consider donating them to us. To donate your tree, please call 252-826-3186.