Comparison of Organizational Activity and Economic Efficiency of Selected Municipal Zoological Gardens in the World
Comparison of Organizational Activity and Economic Efficiency of Selected Municipal Zoological Gardens in the World

Summary/Abstract: In 2009, the second stage of the Łódź zoo development strategy was to compare the organizational activity and the economic efficiency of the facility, which was divided into two parts due to the tools used and the area of analysis. The first analysis uses data obtained from the accounting note RB28 developed exclusively by Polish zoological gardens [Zubkowicz 2017]. The current research was based on a comparative analysis of data obtained from selected zoos in the world. Data was collected from completed questionnaires and from official financial reports posted on the website of the zoo or city. A comparison was made between 22 zoological gardens: 9 from Poland, 4 from Central Europe, 9 from Western Europe and the USA. The analysis showed that the Lodz zoo has a similar organizational and economic effectiveness as other Polish zoos, but in this classification it has lower positions. Lodz zoo compared with zoos in the Czech Republic and Slovakia falls far worse and in the case of zoos in Western Europe and the U.S. very badly. The mere self-maintenance in Polish zoo gardens is on average about 35% (Lodz zoo 25%), Central Europe (Czech Republic, Slovakia), 40–65%, and in Western Europe from 67% (Zurich) to 100% (Apeldoorn, Vienna, Paignton) and Toledo in the USA. Attendance in Polish zoos is low (up to about 700 thousand visitors in Warsaw), and the coefficient of attendance (visitors / number of residents within a radius of 40 km) makes this bad situation worse, with an average of 0.3. The zoos in Switzerland and Austria place themselves among the best with the attendance of more than 1.5 million visitors annually (Vienna up to 2.5 million) and the coefficient of attendance from 1.1 up to 2.3 (Basel). The second stage of the strategy depicted that the present cooperation between zoos, the questionnaire can only be an additional tool for research.

• Details
• Contents