Denver Zoo to close early due to social media-inspired teenage 'takeover'

NBC News

2 days ago

The Denver Zoo will close early on Saturday due to a planned social-media inspired "takeover" of the zoo's surrounding park by a large group of teenagers.
A spokesperson for the zoo told NBC affiliate KUSA that it will open at 7:30 a.m. and close at 1 p.m. due to the gathering, which is being referred to as the "City Park Takeover" online.
A similar event took place in the city last weekend, with hundreds of teenagers descending at the Northfield Mall, causing some fights to break out that involved the response of law enforcement, KUSA reported.
It is unclear if there is a specific group organizing the events.
'We don't know the exact nature of the event but we know previous events organized in a similar fashion have led to some disruption to local businesses, damage, vandalism, things like that," zoo spokesperson Jake Kubie told KUSA.
Kubie said the early closure was a precaution for any disturbances.
"We don't believe we're a target of anything. We haven't received any information that suggests that there is gonna be any impact to us," he said. "We're always leaning towards caution over everything else."
No arrests were made and no property was damaged at the event last weekend, KUSA reported. However, there were incidents of vandalism.
The Denver Police Department said in a statement that it is aware of the "takeover" events in the city and "will plan accordingly to try to minimize the impact of these events."
Kubie told KUSA that the zoo is "prepared."
"Being a zoo — an 80-acre campus with 2,500 wild animals and almost 2 million guests coming in every year — it's our responsibility to be prepared for anything that can happen," he said. "Fortunately we haven't had any incidents along these lines but we're ready for whatever may happen."