Watertown’s Bramble Park Zoo Attendance, Revenue Rise Through October 2026

Northeast Radio SD News – Watertown, SD - Year-to-date attendance and revenue at the Bramble Park Zoo are both tracking ahead of last year’s pace through mid-October, with the facility welcoming 50,521 visitors and generating $556,180 in total receipts through Oct. 19, 2026, according to the October 2026 Bramble Park Zoo Board Report and Status Report presented to the Watertown Parks, Recreation and Forestry Board on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026.

Through Oct. 19, 2026, total year-to-date attendance reached 50,521 visitors, up from 48,770 at the same point in 2025 and 50,217 through Oct. 19, 2023. Total full-year attendance was 53,438 for all of 2025, 60,343 in 2024, and 53,977 in 2023.

Year-to-date attendance through Oct. 19, 2026, breaks down across the following categories:

·         Adult Admissions: 14,448 (up from 13,870 YTD in 2025)

·         Lake Area Zoological Society (LAZS) Members: 12,760 (compared to 12,926 YTD in 2025)

·         Youth Admissions: 7,200 (up from 6,774 YTD in 2025)

·         Non-Paid Education: 5,873 (up from 5,532 YTD in 2025)

·         Children Under 2: 3,069 (up from 2,893 YTD in 2025)

·         Free Days: 2,282 (up from 1,586 YTD in 2025)

·         Tax-Exempt Youth: 2,107 (up from 1,955 YTD in 2025)

·         Free Passes: 1,038 (up from 971 YTD in 2025)

·         Reciprocity (Full, 50% and 15%): 892 combined adult and youth admissions

·         Tax-Exempt Adult: 477

·         Tax-Exempt Codington County Schools: 218

·         Codington County Schools: 157 (up from 100 YTD in 2025)

Revenue and Capital Improvement Donations

Total year-to-date receipts through Oct. 19, 2026, reached $556,180, up from $527,205 through the same date in 2025.

Daily receipts accounted for $447,776 of that total—up from $409,981 through Oct. 19, 2025—driven by $307,162 in gate admissions, $77,947 in gift shop sales, $35,121 in education programs, $26,437 in concessions and $1,122 in wagon and stroller rentals (less $14 in register over/short adjustments).

Additional receipts through Oct. 19, 2026, totaled $108,405, including $61,638 from LAZS individual, family, and group memberships; $33,493 in donations; $11,757 from coin-operated machines; $850 from the sale of generated fixed assets; and $667 in miscellaneous revenue. Separately, the Capital Improvement Fund has recorded $52,103 in donations designated specifically to Bramble Park Zoo through Oct. 19, 2026.

Raptor Rehabilitation, Animal Care and Veterinary Updates

In the animal care and veterinary report, zoo staff and consulting veterinarian Dr. Andrea Hennen provided an update on nine birds of prey cared for in the zoo’s raptor rehabilitation program:

·         Golden Eagles (3): Released back into the wild.

·         Bald Eagles (2): Recovering from possible West Nile virus.

·         Hawks (2): Building strength for release.

·         Long-Eared Owl (1): Underwent a wingtip removal and will be placed in a permanent home.

·         Peregrine Falcon (1): Listed in rehabilitation care.

Over the past month, the consulting veterinarian conducted weekly rounds, annual exams with vaccinations, and pre-shipment testing. Wolves and siamangs required regular treatment, while a camel underwent sedation to treat a chest condition. Staff also completed animal quality-of-life assessments for the colobus monkey, ring-tailed lemurs, De Brazza’s monkey, yak, degu, Amazon parrot, cockatoo and camel, and processed animal transactions involving De Brazza’s monkeys, colobus monkeys, magpies, bison, yak and kangaroos.

Facility Maintenance and Grounds Projects

As leaf raking and winter preparations get underway across the grounds, zoo maintenance staff completed several habitat and facility projects in October:

·         Refinished the indoor alligator pool and replaced the back wall in the camel shelter.

·         Repaired the aerator in the large pond and fixed protein skimmers and shift door cables.

·         Fabricated a hose holder for the wolf stock tank and welded hooks onto the wolf caging for doors.

·         Removed the Flintstone Car, moved tables from Kangaroo Kourt, re-perched cages, and held meetings regarding primate HVAC systems.

·         Florence High School students also created animal enrichment items for the zoo, and monthly volunteers logged 40 hours of service.

Education, Community Events and Upcoming Winter Dates

The zoo’s education department reached 200 people of all ages during outreach programs at a kindergarten-through-fifth-grade assembly in Roscoe, a nursing home in Lake Norden, and Enercept in Watertown. An additional 182 school children and staff visited the zoo for tours and classes covering animal companions, zoology, ecology,

and husbandry.

The Lake Area Zoological Society also received grant funding for the “Girls Rule” after-school program through the Watertown Area Community Foundation’s (WACF) Women & Giving initiative.

Community events at the zoo saw strong autumn participation:

·         Community Chili Cook-Off: Hosted Saturday, Oct. 3, drawing 16 teams with 31 types of chili and 554 visitors despite a rainy afternoon.

·         Zoo Boo 2026: Held Saturday, Oct. 24, featuring 23 treaty booths signed up to hand out candy.

Upcoming Events: The zoo will participate in South Dakota Day of Giving on Tuesday, Dec. 1, and host its annual Breakfast with Santa on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2026.