St. Louis Zoo says it won't begin charging admission

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Zoo will continue to be free to the public.

The board that runs the zoo says it doesn't plan to implement an admission charge and no member of the Zoo Museum District supports the idea.

Currently, St. Louis city and county property owners pay $70 million a year to support the zoo, Art Museum, the Science Center and Botanical Gardens. The Botanical Gardens is the only one that charges admission.

The former chairman of the zoo district, Ben Uchitelle, recently wrote an opinion column saying the zoo should be charging admission.

KMOX reported board members say fewer people would go to the zoo, and they would spend less inside the zoo if they had to pay admission.

Information from: KMOX-AM, http://www.kmox.com