Illinois zoo hit by tornado ready to open after repairs

BELVIDERE, Ill. (AP) - A northern Illinois zoo hit by a tornado is set to open for the season after a year of work to repair $200,000 in damage.

The April 2015 tornado killed an emu and a black swan and damaged a reindeer's antlers at the Summerfield Zoo in Belvidere.

Zoo volunteer Danielle Anderson tells the Rockford Register Star (http://bit.ly/1qOnc6k ) the loss was heartbreaking but it could have been worse.

She says if "the tornado tracked just 15 or 20 feet to the south, it would have been a very different story."

The zoo's opening weekend is April 23 and 24.

The Summerfield Zoo is home to exotic animals such as mountain lions, zebras, ring-tailed lemurs, alligators, giant tortoises and arctic wolves. Many of the animals are rescues.

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Information from: Rockford Register Star, http://www.rrstar.com