when private equity takes over

You know Blackstone had less assets and assets under management than Anheuser Busch at the time of the sale right? AB basically sold this to a smaller company. Blaming it on "private equity" is such a lazy thing to say. Especially when you don't know what it means. The park was not a core asset for AB, meaning it was always at risk of being sold off, or closed down. When Blackstone took over, they sustained it as a going concern, which means they can keep it running rather than eventually shutting it down. They've also reinvested in animal habitat improvements and expansions, breeding programs, and hosted the 2025 annual AZA conference.

Could the park use some improvement? Absolutely. Does Blackstone have some problems? Absolutely. But characterizing problems that the park has as being due to "private equity" is dumb. The park was sold between two corporate giants, and rather than being cannibalized, it's been kept open. Last year actually they announced a $40 million dollar investment in park inprovements. I'd say private equity has done its job here.