Monday morning at Como Park Zoo: It was 37 degrees with a biting wind and one more notable condition. A full parking lot.
Como may not get the respect it deserves from political cheap shot artists. But it gets the public -- by the millions.
Como often is a scapegoat for cheapskate grandstanders, despite an agreement with the state, made when the Minnesota Zoo was funded, to maintain Como as a free, user-friendly city zoo where children can actually see zoo animals. Despite the frequent attacks, Como has thrived and survived to become one of the most-loved family amenities in Minnesota, and the most-visited one.
An estimated 1.7 million people a year visit the zoo and conservatory, which are open 365 days a year and free to the public (donations of $2 per adult and $1 per child are suggested).
The zoo provides what director Mike Hahm calls "a nose-to-nose experience" with wildlife. Nine of the 10 most popular zoo species are found at Como (only elephants are missing) and if you have kids, or ever were a kid, you know that Como is a family tradition for thousands of Minnesotans.
Not just in St. Paul: Eighty-four percent of visitors come from elsewhere, including Kim Frantz of Prior Lake, who was visiting the zebras on Monday with her children, Ravlin, 2, and Nissa, 1.
"We like Como because we read books to the kids about animals at the zoo, and they are all here," she said. "If you go to the Minnesota Zoo, you might see three kinds of buffaloes, and that rings the bell too, sometimes. But here, you're going to see zebras and giraffes."
"This is the people's zoo," said Lisa McGinnity, of St. Anthony, who was visiting the primates with her daughter Riley, 9, and Riley's "most fantabulous" friend, Kaylee. "We come to Como at least once a month, and I've been coming since I was a kid.
