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

Summary/Abstract: In 2008, the Mayor of the City of Lodz appointed a committee to work out the development strategy of the zoological garden of Lodz. The strategy consisted of four main parts. The second stage of the development strategy for the Lodz zoo was the organizational activity and economic efficiency of the institution. Several types of tools were used to evaluate the data from 10 zoos in Poland. The main data used in the reports of municipal zoos in Poland were obtained from the accounting note Rb28 (statement of expenditure). The analysis showed that the Lodz Zoo has a similar organizational and economic effectiveness as other Polish zoos, but it has lower positions in this classification. The mere self-maintenance in Polish zoo gardens is on average about 35% (Lodz Zoo 25%). 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 zoological garden in Lodz has 233 thousand visitors per year (downward trend) with attendance coefficient of 0.2 Comparative analysis showed that the ticket price is not a deterrent factor for visitors and investing significantly improves attendance such as modernized Wroclaw Zoo with 560 thousand visitors per year that has the highest coefficient of attendance in Poland 0.7. The latest data from 2015 (1.88 million visitors to Wroclaw Zoo) confirms the need to invest and build modern exhibits.

• Details
• Contents