WELLFORD, S.C. (AP) - A troubled Upstate animal park is closed this year, and maybe for good.
Local media outlets report the board of directors of Hollywild Animal Park in Spartanburg County announced Thursday the park would remain closed this year. Board chair Tim Todd says it’s unlikely Hollywild will ever reopen.
The park in Wellford is low on money, and only a handful of staff remain following layoffs necessitated when a fundraising campaign fell short. Todd says volunteers will help staff care for the more than 300 animals.
The attraction took a financial hit after a 2015 barn fire killed 27 animals. Park officials blamed a decrease in park visitors on the fire, along with unrelated U.S. Agriculture Department violations.
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