Less than a month after a fire destroyed part of the Little Ponderosa Zoo and killed more than 40 animals, the zoo is ready to reopen.
"The community has really, really, shown us support. East Tennessee has come together," said James Cox, the Founder and President of the Little Ponderosa Zoo and Rescue. "We would have been dead in our tracks had the public not stepped up. I guess I didn't realize that they would, but it's pretty obvious they did."
The zoo will hold a memorial service for the animals who lost their lives on Saturday at noon and open its gates for the first time to the public. The admission is free, but the zoo asks that people make a donation to help the recovery.
People have already donated more than $160,000 since the fire, but the need is still great.
"The day of the fire, my thoughts were we're done, we're finished," Cox said. "My boys just said we can't do this dad, we've got to go on, and that's exactly what we're doing. We're going forward."
More than 40 animals died in the fire on December 4. Since the fire, the remaining animals have been living in a makeshift tent.