Watertown zoo gets new name, logo

WATERTOWN, N.Y. (WWNY) - Watertown’s zoo has a new name: Zoo New York.

The name - and accompanying logo - was unveiled Thursday morning at the zoo in Thompson Park.

“We really want begin a transition into a new zoo, a new image,” said Larry Sorell, executive director.

“We are really looking forward to the next hundred years being as exciting as the first hundred years.”

The renaming of the zoo comes just ahead of its 100th anniversary in 2021, and just as the zoo weathers a rough period financially.

Sorrell said the zoo’s finances are in ok shape for the moment - it’s getting $50,000 from the city. The zoo is trying for 45,000 visitors this year, and in the first few days it was open, it got between 400 and 500, more than Sorell expected.

The zoo’s new logo features the images of an eagle and a wolf - the zoo plans to concentrate on New York state animals.

Next up: doing a master plan for the zoo in 2021, with a goal of attracting more people who stay longer.

“So that it’s just not come and look at the animals and leave,” Sorell said. “We want people to have a good time while they are here and come away learning something.”

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