Zoo Increases Parking Security

A new fence along the west-end of parking lot, closest to the lower Saluda River, will up security for visitors.

In the past year, the zoo broke its annual attendance record with more than 1,029,492 visitors. However, along with the increased number of zoo visitors comes a growth in non-zoo visitors, according to a zoo press release.

“The safety of Riverbanks’ guests and employees is our number one priority,” said Satch Krantz, president and CEO of Riverbanks Zoo and Garden. “Over the past four years, tens of thousands of people have been using the Zoo parking lot solely to access the Saluda River. The vast majority of these people are law abiding citizens but there is a certain element that creates almost daily problems for the Zoo’s public safety staff. ” 

Work on the new fence is scheduled to begin at the end of July. The fence will attach to the already-existing portion of a fence at the east-end of the parking lot.