Children's Aquarium at Fair Park Plans To Permanently Close Due To Pandemic

Nearly 4,000 fish and animals will have to be rehomed after the Children's Aquarium at Fair Park announced last week that it will permanently close.

The 84-year-old aquarium is the latest causality of the coronavirus since it is closing because of financial losses caused by the pandemic.

“It was a really cool place, so it really is really heartbreaking to see it go,” Dallas mom Monica Valdez told NBC DFW.

The aquarium didn't give an exact date for when it will close since it has to find a place for all of its animals. Once the fish are gone, so will be the aquarium.

The aquarium is known as the first one to open in Texas in 1936. The Dallas Zoo took over operating the aquarium in 2009, and it has been operating at a loss for many years. The Dallas Observer reported the aquarium lost $150,000-$300,000 each year before the pandemic.

Like other zoos and museums across the country, the Children's Aquarium is experiencing a financial loss from since there are fewer daily visitors, including school field trips. This is usually the busiest time of the year for the aquarium because of the State Fair of Texas draws people to Fair Park, but without the state fair, the crowds are not coming.

An online petition and GoFundMe were created to show support the Children's Aquarium, but the decision to close comes down to finances.

“No one at the City or the Zoo questions the support for the Aquarium ... This comes down to a strategic, albeit difficult, decision based on the ongoing costs to operate the facility in the short-term and long-term," zoo president and CEO Gregg Hudson told the Dallas Morning News.

Photo: Getty Images