New Attendance Milestone for Essex County Turtle Back Zoo

Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. announced that the annual attendance at Essex County Turtle Back Zoo reached 500,000 visitors at the end of August, which is the earliest that the half-million mark has been reached. In addition, a new monthly attendance record of 106,816 was set in August. The County Executive made the announcement at Turtle Back’s iconic entrance, which is undergoing a facelift. The two towers and entrance breezeway are being refaced with stone to match recent architectural additions to the facility.

“Thank you to the families, school groups and organizations that choose to make our Zoo their destination. It is amazing to watch the excitement on children’s faces as they see animals up close and humbling to see so many people become fans of Turtle Back,” DiVincenzo said. “We invite the public to observe our natural habitat-themed animal exhibits, climb on our Treetop Adventure Course, putt on our miniGOLF Safari, take a paddle boat ride, stroll around the Orange Reservoir and experience a wild adventure with us,” he added.

The half million milestone was reached on Friday, August 29th. It is the fifth consecutive year that attendance has exceeded 500,000. In 2013, when attendance reached its highest-ever total at 621,828, the half million mark was not reached until the end of September. Annual attendance at Turtle Back Zoo was at 168,739 in 2002, the year before DiVincenzo took office. Since then, a variety of new exhibits, attractions and upgrades have been made to modernize the facility and attendance has grown steadily. Half a million visitors were welcomed for the first time in 2010 with 511,655.

In addition, revenue collected at the Zoo has topped $4 million annually since 2012, enabling the Zoo to operate as a self-sustaining facility (with revenue collected exceeding operating expenses). Turtle Back earned its second five-year accreditation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums in 2011, a clear indication that an institution is committed to the highest standards in animal care, ethics, conservation and education. It also has been named the Best Zoo in New Jersey by NJ Monthly magazine in each of the last three years and received a Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor.com the last two years.

Current hours for the Zoo are Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Admission is $11 for adults, $8 for children and senior citizens, and free for children younger than 2 years. For more information, please call 973-731-5800 or visit www.essexcountynj.org.