WICHITA, Kan. (KAKE) - The coronavirus pandemic hit hard for the Sedgwick County Zoo. After being open only three weeks, it's canceling one of its biggest yearly events.
"It just brought back a lot of like good memories. And there's just like they've redone a lot of stuff since last time I was here and it's nicer," said Kael Danz, who spent the day at the zoo.
Danz brought his girlfriend Caleesa Wilson to the Sedgwick County Zoo for the first time since it reopened.
"I just really love elephants, so I was just excited to see the elephant exhibit again," said Wilson.
The zoo closed for eight weeks because of the coronavirus pandemic.
"We've estimated that we're going to have about a $1.5 million loss at the end of the year," said Jeff Ettling, CEO of Sedgwick County Zoo.
Tuesday, Ettling faced a difficult decision.
"We decided that the best thing for the safety of our community and our guests would be just to forgo having a traditional Zoobilee," said Ettling.