The Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium is temporarily laying off one-third of its workforce because of the covid-19 pandemic, zoo officials announced Monday.
“This was an incredibly painful and challenging decision,” zoo President and CEO Barbara Baker said in a statement. “Every effort was made and avenue explored in an attempt to avoid this reduction. However, given the uncertainty of the current situation, we felt there was no other viable option.”
Veterinarians and staff will continue to care for the animals.
The temporary furloughs will affect about 46 of the zoo’s 140 employees, according to a news release.
Executive staff members will be working without pay, the zoo said.
