February 2023Â
If you have purchased, visited the website in the past 18 months, interacted on social media or in person you may have noticed some new names and faces. The LZK Group, LLC in July 2021, purchased ZooKeeper. A chance encounter on a lionfish-hunting excursion set in motion a series of events that would see the company sold by its founder, Allie ElHage to the LZK Group, LLC. Â
The new ownership has continued to build and expand the product line. Firstly, some new colors for the Lionfish Containment Unit product. In addition to the traditional clear and white, slayers around the globe can purchase their ZooKeeper in white, black, pink and teal! These colors have been a hit with anyone that wants to personalize and ensure all their scuba gear, including their lionfish hunting equipment, is fully color coordinated. Also available, are wraps with custom designs and logos to promote your dive teams and dive centers. Â
Next, the new team tackled a couple integral parts of the Lionfish containment units. The original funnel is now injection molded and sturdier than ever. After a few iterations, the final design is not only rigid enough to pull off even the monstrous lionfish, but also flexible enough that it will not crack. Following this development, the team decided to include the add-on handle as a standard part to each lionfish containment unit. Turning to safety aspects, the team began to offer the spear holder attachment in length to fit each size containment unit. This keeps the tip in a safe place while on the dive boat and makes everything into a neat package.Â
Shortly thereafter, the team brought to market the spear design that had not quite made it off the drawing board. The standard spear comes in a 36-inch fiberglass rod, with either a three-pronged paralyzer or a four-pronged tip. This design is in development again. Stay tuned for the next design in 2023. Â
Not only did the team want to have the best equipment for hunting lionfish, but they also wanted to look stylish while doing it. Many of you might have noticed some new designs on your local dive boat. A full line of apparel is also available. Each ZooKeeper branded performance shirt is made of 100% moisture wicking material and offers UPF 40+ and SPF UV protection. Do not worry about the colors fading, these shirt designs are ink infused into the fibers so it always looks vibrant. Â
Lastly, the team wanted to develop more events to their calendar. These include lionfish derbies, educational courses, partnerships with local dive centers and non-profits, and most recently group travel to slay lionfish everywhere! Â
You can visit the new ZooKeeper website www.LionfishZK.com, follow the Team to stay up to date with happenings on social media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lionfish_ZooKeeper/ and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LionfishZooKeeper If you have any questions, would like to partner with or want help promoting an event please reach out to Patricia: patricia@LionfishZK.comÂ
