Rent-A-Pet
Fresno Chaffee Zoo
At the end of every fiscal quarter, the non-profit Fresno Chaffee Zoo conducts a program whereby patrons and organizations are able to “Rent-A-Pet” based on availability, seasonal temperament of the animal they wish to attain, their ability to host said animal, and the Zoo’s own fiscal need at that time to offset costs and keep the zoo running in prime condition for the next quarter.
As the zoo was loosely formed circa 1908 as a sanctuary for unwanted pets, Eldon “Curly” Blocker suggested a form of this idea when he became the zoo’s first foreman during its expansion throughout the 50’s. At the time, the idea was to “adopt” a pet by donating funds in exchange for a plaque naming the animal of the attendee’s choice, as well as the chance to take part in the feeding of their adopted animal. This idea stuck and served the park well until about four years later, when 6-year-old Deborah Gannin was attacked by a female chimpanzee whom the establishment was forced to put down, thus garnering a lawsuit both by the family of the living but permanently maimed Gannin, as well as by the ASPCA for the unnecessary “murder” of Bobby the chimpanzee.
It took a decade to recover financially from the incident, and left the zoo in a sad state, until Paul S. Chaffee took over in 1965 and was able to procure enough donations to bring the establishment to a better state than it had ever been by offering to name various structures and sections of the park after the wealthy patrons donating (thus, The Charles Widmore Jungle Land, The Winston Federline Reptile House, The Richard Kiel Shark Shack).
Moving forward, the zoo overcame various transformations and exchanges of leadership until 2006, when ownership was transferred to what is now known as The Fresno Chaffee Zoo Corporation, who still runs it to this day. Upon becoming current CEO/Director in 2009, Scott Barton came up with the idea to fill in the gaps in erratic quarterly reports by allowing patrons to literally take a pet deemed safe home with them for a day (along with a caretaker from the zoo to monitor and report back to the legal team). Now staffed with some of the best lawyers in the Valley, and along with a daunting amount of paperwork, patrons are able to literally rent any (or all) of the animals from Dick Samson Petting Zoo, any (or all) of the Galapagos Tortoises, the smaller primates, the non-poisonous reptiles, the larger birds, and, on one occasion in 2011 during a time of desperate fiscal need, an alligator (which required two zookeepers, extra paperwork for liability, and an on-site lawyer throughout).
So far, the program has fulfilled its purpose with, I am happy to say, no harm done to either animal or patron or child of patron. With the upcoming Africa Expedition expansion that will nearly double the size of the zoo, it is reported that the corporation is opening up more slots this coming Summer and will begin to allow more dangerous pets as a challenge (along with extra precaution, of course) that will be streamed live via the internet in order to garnish the increasing amount of money needed to keep an ever-increasing zoo in business. No word yet on the lineup of animals offered, but rumors have begun circulating that Jersey the Bear may be in the mix.
The Existential Van 