Joe Downtown: This weekend, downtown Las Vegas will be a zoo

Zappos, which has had parades in downtown Las Vegas led by a llama, will welcome more than 70 zoo animals to its downtown campus this weekend, Feb 15 and 16, 2014.

Hoping to raise enough money to help keep open the only zoo in Clark County, Zappos.com will host some 70-plus animals this weekend on its downtown campus.

Money collected from the sales of tickets to the two-day zoo will be matched by the online retail company, which hopes to raise as much as $100,000 for Roos-N-More Zoo, which houses roughly 400 animals.

Roos-N-More Zoo is in Moapa, about an hour’s ride north of Las Vegas, just off Interstate 15.

Clark County inspectors closed the zoo in early January. Operated on the 3-acre property of veterinarians Jay and Valerie Holt, the zoo violated various codes, including that it lacked a commercial-grade septic system and public bathrooms.

The Holts have estimated the cost to build that system around $100,000.

The county allowed the zoo to partially re-open last week for private tours.

Zappos’ downtown campus is the former City Hall, 400 E. Stewart Ave. A press release says animals such as “sloths, camels, kangaroos, otters, alpacas, monkeys, and lemurs” will be on exhibit from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

General admission tickets are $7 for children 12 and under; and $12 for adults. Interactive tickets are $25 for 12 and under; $35 for adults. Interactive tickets open access to enclosures for a camel, owl, baby kangaroo, zebra, armadillo, dwarf goat, alpaca, otter and other animals.

Tickets may be purchased via Ticketcake.com. Anyone wishing to make a donation can do so here.

Business

Share