![The Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Welcome Pavilion at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. [Stephanie Jarvis / ideastream]](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/9212b6c/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1000x563+0+0/resize/840x472!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F5%2F19%2FMandelZoo.png)
Updated: 12:05 p.m., Wednesday, May 20, 2020
No fries will be available at this drive-thru. In fact, please don鈥檛 feed the animals.
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is reopening for drive-thru visits until the end of May.
The zoo has been closed to visitors since March 16, but employees have continued to care for and feed the animals. As a result, the zoo has lost around $1.5 million in revenue.
鈥淥ur animal care team has been coming in every day,鈥� said Executive Director Chris Kuhar. 鈥淲e need to continue to feed those animals and make sure they鈥檙e getting the proper care.鈥�
A limited program called Cruise the Zoo launches Wednesday, allowing visitors to drive along some of the zoo鈥檚 most popular exhibits and see the animals from inside their cars. The program will also bring in some much-needed funding, Kuhar said.
鈥淲e鈥檙e just trying to bridge that gap and get some revenue back in the system to help support the zoo,鈥� he said.
Ticket sales for the event were temporarily put on hold Tuesday due to high demand. The webpage and ticketing platform for the event were taken offline to address technical issues, and have since been restored.
鈥淚t was the most web traffic we鈥檝e ever experienced, so we鈥檙e really feeling the love,鈥� spokesperson Jacqueline Gerling said.
Reservations are still available for the event, Gerling said, and all tickets sold before the website went down remain valid.
The drive-thru concept is a safe way to bring people in while following social distancing guidelines, Kuhar said. The zoo is still waiting for state guidance on when and how it can fully reopen to the public, he said, and right now it isn鈥檛 clear if the property will resume regular business this summer.
Cruise the Zoo will run through May 31, but could extend into the summer.
鈥淒epending on what it looks like in terms of reopening, we may extend it,鈥� Kuhar said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e just going to have to see how things go and make a decision at that point.鈥�
The route will take visitors through a portion of the exhibits, he said, including the Asian Highlands and African Elephant Crossing. Indoor areas like the rainforest will remain closed.
鈥淵ou enter the zoo, you stay on the path, it鈥檚 almost as though you鈥檙e on a track,鈥� Kuhar said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an opportunity to be very safe and for us to reach out and provide folks with some entertainment.鈥�
The zoo will operate from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday through the end of May. Visitors will need to make online reservations for a one-hour time slot to participate at a cost of $40 per car for non-members and $20 per car for members.
