Four-year-old James Dalgleish merrily trailed a blue peacock around the grounds of the Denver Zoo on Thursday, enthralled by the bird’s vivid color and its proximity.
“Look, it has eyes on its tail!” James cried out as he pointed at the circular markings.
James, his 4-year-old pal, Micah, and Susan Dalgleish, James’ mother, were among thousands who streamed into the zoo on the mild, springlike day.
Large crowds are becoming commonplace at the city’s zoo, which netted its second-best attendance ever in 2008.
While dismal numbers seem the norm during the economic downturn, the zoo is a bright spot. It attracted more than 1.9 million visitors last year and also set a new record with 64,000 member households in July, about 224,000 individuals.
Zoo officials point to several factors for the impressive attendance, including high gasoline prices last summer that resulted in Denverites and Front Range residents “looking for activities close to home,” president and chief executive Craig Piper said in a statement touting the achievement.
The official 2008 attendance at the zoo was 1,941,789. About two-thirds of the visitors were from metro Denver. In 2007, the zoo drew 1,775,433 visitors.
The record-setting year at the zoo was 1995, when 1,984,097 people visited, many to say farewell to a pair of polar bears — Klondike and Snow — who were born here and moved to Florida.
The Denver Zoo, which has been around for 113 years, is also off to a good start this year, officials said.
In January, 92,137 people enjoyed the zoo, compared with 53,507 in January 2008. Attendance for the month is the highest it’s been in 15 years, the zoo said.
On Thursday, 5,828 took advantage of an unseasonably warm day, strolling the grounds, many with children in tow.
Three-year-old Brooklyn Johnson climbed on the shoulders of her mom, Kim Johnson, to get a better look at animals.
When asked about her favorite animal, Brooklyn cried out: “Tiger!”
“We’ve really seen so many people this year, because of the good weather, that we usually don’t see at this time of year,” said Tiffany Barnhart, a zoo spokeswoman. “It’s going well. We are really fortunate.”
Liz Erickson, a zoo member, pushed her children, 2-year-old Hunter and 4-year-old Kennedy, in a plastic cart that looked like a safari jeep.
“We’re outdoors, we’re enjoying the surroundings and looking at the animals,” Erickson said. “There’s just something about the zoo that makes you feel good.”
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com
