For Jason Pearson, news of the Federal Government's support package for zoos and aquariums in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis has come with an overwhelming sense of relief.
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The owner of the Hunter Valley Zoo told how tough it had been since he closed his doors to the public on April 25.
"We would get about 3000 people a week through the door, but then overnight it dried up to nothing," he explained.
"But zoos aren't like some shops that can just close the doors and lock up.
"We have to keep the animals fed and watered, clean out their areas. That means you have to have staff."
Mr Pearson originally was forced to stand down staff but hired them again as soon as he qualified for JobKeeper payments.
Now he has all 13 members of staff back on board, although on reduced hours.
This week's Federal Government announcement about support for businesses like his eases his mind.
"We can just knuckle down now and get on with the job."
The press release informing of the decision highlighted some of the feed costs going in to keeping a zoo running.
It says it costs $250 a week - about $13,000 a year - in red meat costs to feed a lion.
"That's about right, and I've got four lions," Mr Pearson said. "So you can do the maths on that.
"To feed my monkeys - I've got nine species here - all the fruit, and nuts and seeds ... that's about $1000 a week too.
"And these prices went through the roof during the drought. They tripled, maybe even quadrupled.
"They've started to settle down again now but the rpices will never go back to where they were.
"And then there are the fish eating birds ... jabirus, things like that. Some of these guys can eat their own weight in fish a day. It adds up pretty quickly."
Federal Member for Lyne, David Gillespie was full of praise for Mr Pearson.
"This will be a lifeline for Hunter Valley Zoo who have had many of their revenue streams dry up during this crisis," Dr Gillespie said.
"It's absolutely crucial our iconic zoos, like Hunter Valley can still operate on the other side and play a major role in helping our tourism industry to recover."
"Jason Pearson and his team have done a wonderful job over the last decade building and expanding the zoo to showcase a range of wildlife to visitors from across Australia and around the world," Dr Gillespie said.