I feel as though the zoo hasn't been as lively as ...

I feel as though the zoo hasn't been as lively as people are hyping it up to be. They're supposed to be getting a penguin exhibit in the future, but I doubt it with the conditions I saw. Please note my visit was taken on a Tuesday in Mid-March, so take what I saw with a grain of salt.
When I was a child, I felt as though the zoo was more busy? Overall, it felt very empty. There were maybe 10-20 other attendants at the zoo besides myself. I saw at most 2 people on the tram and I believe I saw 2 trams running. I walked into the cafe up front to observe that a burger was $9.50. As I walked out, the attendant said he had 2 orders all day by around 1 pm. The cafe up in the front entrance (the gift shop was also doubling at the ticket booth) is the only place to eat in the zoo. There are multiple beverage vending machines around the zoo, but it costs $3 for a bottle of water.
The animal variety is also small as well compared to other places.
It became obvious as I made it to the area across from the Discovery Center that a lot of the zoo has been left abandoned for what appears to be years now. Old exhibits have been covered up, concrete pathways are covered in cracks, and it's clear in the middle of the sitatunga pen that at some point in the past, this used to be 2 exhibits because of the closed gates and the obvious pathway in the middle.
The age also shows around the park with worn signs and old penny machines that cost 51 cents and you got the penny back. Also the cotton candy vending machines in the Kley Building and the Discovery Center have been turned off.
I was also confused where/what happened to the botanical garden that was alongside the zoo. It wasn't specified on the map yet I vaguely remember it being there right around the rhino area.
That was another thing. A lot of the animal exhibits felt sprawled all over the zoo and not in specific areas. (I did some searching and they added a giant anteater which I don't recall seeing?)
Also I think that the animals are underfed and employees are not aware of the animals. I walked past the giraffe enclosure twice and saw them trying to eat the guardrails. The Siberian Tiger enclosure was also small for one tiger. It was sad.
For $8.50 for local residents ($9.50 if you live outside Vanderburgh County) it's worth maybe a trip on an annual basis, but it's not something I would go back and do anytime soon.
You get a better deal at the St. Louis Zoo (where admission is FREE.)