The early 70’s were not the prime time for the New Orleans Zoo. In fact, the federal government was threatening to shut it down because it was so rundown and dirty. New Orleans voters came to the rescue, approving a property tax bill that would give $5 million to the renovation of the zoo.
Under the leadership of Ron Forman, who was picked to lead the Audubon Zoo during the renovation, is now retiring after 51 years with the zoo. He helped turn the zoo around for the city into one of its largest attractions.
“Audubon is the single-largest draw for out-of-state tourists. It is our single biggest attraction,” said Stephen Perry, who headed the New Orleans Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, now New Orleans & Co., from 2002 until last year. “I can’t think of anything that means more to the community.”
The renovation and expansion did have its opponents. Uptown residents who lived close to Audubon Park did not want it to expand. They did not want traffic and crowds to come to their neighborhood. This did not hinder as the zoon renovation took on and opened in phases. Today Audubon Park is located on over 50 acres and has over 30,000 members along with over a million tourists a year.
“In those years, there were people who wanted to give up on New Orleans and go to Houston and Atlanta, and Ron, with his unconditional love for New Orleans, was like, ‘This city is too important,'” Landrieu said. “And he was persistent in his soft inimitable but tenacious way.”
“It was important to give people something to do,” Forman said. “To give people hope and to let the world know that New Orleans was not giving up and was open for business.”
