Television Show Helps Alabama Zoo's Attendance, Donations Swell - WSFA.com: News Weather and Sports for Montgomery, AL.

Television Show Helps Alabama Zoo's Attendance, Donations Swell

GULF SHORES, Ala. --  The Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo is living up to the title of its Animal Planet television show, "The Little Zoo That Could."

The nonprofit zoo has broken attendance records and seen a deluge of donations as the hit show tracks the zoo's struggle to reopen following its 2004 evacuation as Hurricane Ivan approached.

On March 22nd, the zoo had its best day in 16 years with 491 paying guests. Two days later, it the record with 692 visitors.

General Manager Kate Raymond said their spring T-shirt order, which usually keeps the zoo stocked with souvenir shirts through the summer, sold out in five days.

The 17-acre zoo became the subject of a television show as Hurricane Ivan approached in September 2004. It was the first full-scale evacuation of a U.S. zoo. The storm put the zoo under several feet of water.

Organic Entertainment, a production company, pitched the story to Animal Planet. The network agreed to run 13 one-hour episodes following the evacuation and reopening.

Now, "The Little Zoo That Could" sits in prime time two nights a week on the network. Each episode premieres at 8 p.m. Wednesdays while the series is rerun at 9 p.m. Thursdays.

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