87/ 100
HotTier 2Enriched
Cape May County Park & Zoo
A free-admission, county-owned zoological park in Cape May Court House, supported by a legally separate nonprofit zoological society.
Research snapshot2026-08-2126 cited sources · 6/6 modules complete Open PDF Report
ICP score87/1002026-08-21 · Independently recalibrated evidence-gated score
Entrance-improvement contract ceiling$1.74MAwarded 2025-09-23 · County capital award; not media budget
Instagram followers49,0112026-08-21 · Point-in-time official profile count
Cape May County visitors12.11M2024 · County market proxy; not zoo attendance
Visual evidence profile
What supports the opportunity
Source composition and verified operating momentum at a glance.
Evidence mix26 cited sources
Six-segment module readiness strip
No comparable numeric trend
This lead’s evidence is better represented through the module readiness and source composition views.
Visual intelligence map
Research coverage
Each branch maps directly to a required module in the plugin’s canonical report schema.
Why this lead fits CTM
The zoo is a large, free, event-active shore attraction with a $1.74 million entrance-improvement award, a live new-habitat campaign, active owned social and named county communication routes. The score is 87 because current zoo-only attendance, operating spend, media budget and paid-media authority are not public, while county procurement and free admission complicate attribution.
Fit reasons
Free admission, free parking, seven-day operation and a live event calendar create high visitor intent and multiple trackable planning actions.
The county awarded up to $1.74 million for Park & Zoo entrance improvements in September 2025.
The support society is fundraising for a new Humboldt penguin and Chilean flamingo habitat with education and veterinary components.
County Public Information and Tourism directories expose named communications and marketing routes, while the Zoo Director provides an operating sponsor path.
Risks and unknowns
The county budget line combines Park and Zoo and does not disclose zoo-only operations or media spend.
Society revenue and contributions belong to the support nonprofit and cannot be treated as county zoo operating or advertising budget.
Existing-customer status, exact New Jersey CTM inventory, public procurement path and campaign authority require human confirmation.
Evidence modules
Lead intelligence structure
Each module uses a view tailored to its canonical evidence type—reports, momentum, channels, leaders, roles, or demand.
01Analyzed reportsThe checked government budget, nonprofit filing data and contract minutes establish three separate financial scopes: combined county Park Department operations, Society fundraising and a county capital award. None is a zoo media budget.Complete
Reported Performance6 verified metrics
County Park Department salaries and wages$2.929M2026 adopted · Combined Park Department line; not zoo-only
County Park Department other expenses$204.2K2026 adopted · Combined Park Department line; not media budget
Society revenue$1.771MFY ending 2025-03 · Support society only
Society expenses$197.1KFY ending 2025-03 · Support society only
Society contributions$1.675MFY ending 2025-03 · 94.6% of revenue
Entrance improvement contract ceiling$1.74MAwarded 2025-09-23 · Capital award; not campaign budget
Reviewed Reports3 records
government adopted budget · Fiscal year 20262026 Cape May County Adopted Budget
Provides a combined Park Department operating line and dedicated Park & Zoo revenue labels, but no zoo-only operating or marketing budget.
nonprofit filing summary · Fiscal years ending March 2024 and March 2025Cape May County Zoological Society IRS-derived filings
Separates the support society's contribution-funded finances from county zoo operations.
government contract award · September 23, 2025County Commissioners Minutes - Resolution 540-25
Documents a live capital trigger for Park & Zoo entrance improvements.
The combined County Park Department budget shows $2,928,721 for salaries and wages and $204,200 for other expenses.
Dedicated revenue labels include Cape May County Park & Zoo donations and Park & Zoo improvements, without isolating a zoo-only amount on the cited schedule.
Maintain the public Park & Zoo platform while using dedicated donations and improvement funding where authorized.
Additional Evidence10 items
Additional Signals
The line combines park and zoo operations and must not be represented as the zoo's operating, campaign or media budget.
For the fiscal year ending March 2025, the Society reported $1,771,075 revenue, $197,147 expenses, $1,958,309 assets and $20,815 liabilities.
Contributions were $1,675,495, or 94.6% of FY2025 revenue; FY2024 revenue was $300,073 with $281,607, or 93.8%, from contributions.
Fundraising through annual giving, estate gifts, corporate sponsorships and events in support of the county zoo.
The FY2025 contribution increase is not assumed recurring and is not treated as zoo operating or advertising capacity.
Resolution 540-25 awarded Contract C5-145 to R. Maxwell Construction for Park Zoo Entrances Improvements, not to exceed $1,740,000.
Improve the Park & Zoo entrance experience as part of an ongoing county improvement program.
The award does not disclose completion status, visitor impact, marketing ownership or media funds.
Research Boundaries
No zoo-only audited operating statement, marketing plan, paid-media budget or campaign performance report was found.
County-wide and support-society funds are not assumed available to a zoo marketing buyer.
02Growth signalsTwo concrete growth triggers are live: county-funded entrance improvements and a Society-backed penguin/flamingo habitat campaign. A full seasonal event slate and a current animal-birth announcement provide nearer-term storytelling windows.Complete
The Society is fundraising for a world-class habitat for 20 Humboldt penguins and 30 Chilean flamingos, plus education and veterinary enhancements.
The August-November 2026 calendar includes Yoga in the Zoo, Star Wars Day, Boo at the Zoo and Princess/Pirate Day.
A July 27, 2026 county release announced a foal and renewed a public visit invitation.
Use the event calendar as the immediate campaign window; keep the new habitat as a staged awareness/fundraising story only after timing and approvals are confirmed.
Additional Evidence2 items
Additional Signals
The habitat page publishes no fundraising goal, opening date or construction completion date.
Research Boundaries
No comparable owned attendance or operating-revenue series establishes current zoo growth.
03Social activityThe verified official Instagram profile showed 49,011 followers and 3,079 posts. Five owned posts sampled across August 17-18, 2026 had visible likes from 34 to 411 with a median of 246 and covered events, animal stories, conservation and fundraising.Complete
Additional Evidence4 items
Additional Signals
Yoga in the Zoo supplies an immediate event call to action.
The new-habitat post connects owned reach to a support-society fundraising path.
The sample included the local AAZK conservation nonprofit and the Cape May County Zoological Society.
Research Boundaries
This is a point-in-time five-post sample; likes, comments and reposts are not reach, conversion, saves or paid-media performance, and no private analytics were available.
04C-suite activityThe current county directory names Dr. Hubert J. Paluch as Zoo Director and Edward Runyon as Parks Director. Denis Brown is the Public Information route; Diane Wieland and Deborah Bass lead county tourism and marketing. Commissioner Andrew Bulakowski is the Board liaison to Park & Zoo.Complete
Zoo DirectorDr. Hubert J. Paluch, DVM
Validate the visitor or conservation objective after Public Information identifies the campaign owner.
Public InformationDenis Brown
Ask who owns zoo visitor promotion and whether Tourism Marketing or the Society participates in event and habitat campaigns.
Marketing, Cape May County TourismDeborah Bass
Explore a seasonal shore-visitor test tied to an approved zoo event or visit-planning action.
Decision PathPublic buying signals
Zoo operations, animal care, public experience and institutional stewardship are plausible responsibilities from the official title; the directory does not define media authority.
Operating sponsor and subject-matter approver, not presumed media buyer.
The county directory establishes a Public Information remit but not paid-media budget ownership.
Additional Evidence5 items
Additional Signals
Recommended first route to resolve campaign ownership, approvals, public messaging and procurement coordination.
County visitor-market promotion is the credible co-op context; zoo campaign authority is not established by the directory.
Secondary route for visitor-market alignment and co-op distribution after zoo and Public Information ownership is confirmed.
Research Boundaries
Directory titles establish routing, not campaign authority, budget control or procurement approval.
Re-verify roles immediately before any contact.
05Hiring activityThe official employment page currently advertises a six-month seasonal zookeeper and education-position category. It also states park positions are filled for the season, while 2026 internships are closed and expected to reopen for 2027 applications in February.Complete
1Visible RolesPublic openings connected to this lead
Zoo operations and education · Cape May Court House, New JerseySix-Month Seasonal Zookeeper & Education Positions
The category supports frontline animal-care and education capacity; it does not establish marketing-team expansion.
Seasonal animal-care and public-education capacity.
No current zoo marketing, communications or visitor-acquisition opening was verified on the checked official pages.
Additional Evidence3 items
Research Boundaries
The page exposes a role category, not the number of individual vacancies.
A search result for an Events Coordinator led to a current 404 and was excluded as a live opening.
Refresh official employment pages within 14 days of outreach.
06Visitor activityA 2023 secondary report cited more than 620,000 annual zoo visitors, but it lacks a defined period and method and is not treated as current. The county's 12.11 million 2024 visitors and $8.1 billion tourism revenue are market context only.Complete
Demand & DistributionOwned metrics remain distinct from market proxies
Historical annual zoo visitors>620KReported 2023; underlying year not specified · Historical secondary reference; not a current owned count
Cape May County visitors12.11M2024 · County tourism-market proxy; not zoo footfall
The zoo is open daily except Christmas, currently 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; seasonal events run from August through November.
Yoga in the Zoo, Star Wars Day, Boo at the Zoo and Princess/Pirate Day create distinct campaign windows.
Cape May County reported 12.11 million visitors and $8.1 billion in tourism revenue for 2024; those figures describe the county market, not zoo audiences.
No current owned visitor-origin mix, hotel-share, day-trip mix or household geography was found for the zoo.
Additional Evidence5 items
Additional Signals
The visit page provides hours, free parking, directions, group and bus information, tours and donation paths.
CTM describes brochure and print-plus-digital distribution in hotels, attractions, visitor centers, airports and transportation corridors; exact South Jersey inventory requires confirmation.
Research Boundaries
The >620,000 figure is historical secondary evidence with no defined year or counting methodology; it is not a current owned attendance baseline.
County visitor volume is a market proxy, not zoo footfall or addressable conversion.
Free admission removes ticket sales as a default conversion metric.
A bounded South Jersey shore visitor-discovery pilot can promote one seasonal event, a free-visit planning page or an approved habitat story if county ownership, Society participation, local inventory and measurement access clear review.
Recommended solution
Evaluate route-specific brochure or visitor-information distribution with a unique QR landing page, supported by digital only where current inventory and reporting are confirmed.
Pilot hypothesis
Arrival-stage visibility may increase qualified event discovery, visit planning, donations, group inquiries or tour actions among visitors already in the county market.
Measurement plan
Use route-specific QR codes and UTMs to measure visit-page sessions, event-calendar clicks, donation-page visits, group/bus permit actions and tour inquiries.
Compare routes or periods with a holdout where practical; do not claim incremental zoo footfall without an agreed counterfactual or on-site counting method.
Keep county campaign metrics separate from Society donation metrics unless both entities explicitly approve a shared measurement plan.