Akron Zoo sets new attendance record

Credits pair of orphaned grizzly bears at new exhibit

10/3/2013

AKRON, Ohio — Akron Zoo officials credit a pair of orphaned grizzly bears from Wyoming with helping to draw a record number of guests to the northeast Ohio attraction this year.

The Akron Beacon Journal reports the park set a new annual attendance record late last month when it hit nearly 330,000 visitors, topping last year’s record.

The zoo’s president says about half of those guests visited after the 4-acre, $7.7 million Grizzly Ridge exhibit opened in July. It features a pair of 2-year-old grizzly bears, Jackson and Cheyenne, that weigh about 300 pounds apiece. Red wolves, river otters, bald eagles and other birds also are on display.

Grizzly Ridge is the largest exhibit in the zoo’s six decades of operations.