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Zoos turn to social media to delight, raise money amid virus

Zoos turn to social media to delight, raise money amid virus
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PHOENIX (AP) — The pandemic has jeopardized zoos worldwide that have been forced to close but rely on ticket sales.

The struggle has some zoos turning to social media to engage with people who can no longer visit and raise some much-needed cash.

At the Phoenix Zoo, a sloth is appearing in personalized video clips that have gotten so popular they're now going for $50 a pop.

Other zoos are starting online fundraising pages or selling subscriptions to behind-the-scenes videos of animals.

A smattering of zoos from Utah to Germany have started reopening with social distancing rules, but there's no telling when they'll reach their usual levels of visitors and revenue.