Zoos, Aquariums Face the Ax in NY, Elsewhere

Combined, New York's living museums had more than 12 million visitors in 2008, according to the Coalition of Living Museums. Calvelli said the Bronx Zoo and New York Aquarium generated more than $289 million in economic activity last year.

To rally its supporters, the Wildlife Conservation Society posted a video on YouTube depicting the zoo's director laying off a porcupine because of the proposed funding cuts; a toad waits outside the office, the next to go.

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If Paterson's proposal is carried out, zoo officials say they will have to cut staff, eliminate educational and outreach programs, cut back on free and reduced-admission hours and — in the most dire cases — close exhibits and ship collections to other facilities.

Jeffery Gordon, a spokesman for the state's budget division, said Paterson will focus the state's more than $200 million in environmental funding on "critical capital initiatives that provide ongoing environmental benefits" rather than annual operating support to organizations, which he said tend to have more options for raising money.

The Zoo, Botanical Garden and Aquarium Program helps defray operational costs for more than 75 zoos, aquariums, arboreta and nature centers in New York. Even before Paterson's proposal, the program failed to keep up with their rising costs, said Chuck Doyle, director of the Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse.

The zoo was set to receive $168,000 from the program this year, about 5 percent of its $3 million budget, Doyle said.

"To be honest, we've already spent it," he said.

Doyle said the zoo would likely cut back on some of its educational programs and reduce the number of part-time summer employees it hires.

"We will have to shift funds to take care of our animals," he said.

It has become increasingly difficult for zoos to raise private funds from foundations for basic operations and maintenance. Not only have their endowments shrunk because of Wall Street's financial meltdown, but foundations typically prefer to support specific programs or events, not general operating costs.