banner -Capital Campaign Photo, archway, walls of africa elephant exhibit, with punch, mickey in the background, hanging out

Watch Us Build

photo 2You have been amazingly patient with us as we continue to grow and build this summer. We do apologize that you were not able to see your lions, camels and zebras during some of this construction period. Pardon our mess, but we promise these small inconveniences will make way for some amazing new animal encounters. Check back here from time-to-time to read unique tidbits about the construction process.

Your sights and sounds of summer 2015 at the Zoo not only included animals and sunglasses, it included lots of hard hats around campus. With two separate construction sites on each end of the Zoo, the sounds of construction translate into good things happening at the Zoo.

CapitalCampaign_Blog_penguin 8-28-15The yellow hard hats, the heavy machinery and the digging sounds mean a new species awaits you at one end of the Zoo and a new and unique experience will take place at a familiar exhibit on the other end of the Zoo.

On the west side of the Zoo near the Islands exhibit, you are starting to see the formation of a beach! No sunscreen needed though. This beach mimics the terrain and coastal beaches of Australia and is specially designed for the cutest little inhabitants – Little Penguins. Yes, soon we will have two species of the adorable birds.

CapitalCampaign_Blog_elephant 5-14-15On the other side of the Zoo a familiar exhibit is getting a facelift and expansion. Our elephants, Mikki and Punch, will have new digs later this year. As you walk by and wave to Mikki and Punch, you may have noticed the bongo yard is…well, gone. It’s true. The bongos have a new home too, though. You can now enjoy bongos in the former Mohr gazelle yard just behind the giraffe yard and next to the addax yard. The elephant yard will now be twice the size, and you will begin to see new features popping up: you may have already seen a castle-like stone being erected on the front side of the exhibit. It will be a training wall which will allow for some pretty cool experiences for our guests. Those experiences may include a shower of water.

Next time, find out what why rubberized flooring is important in both new exhibits, what will replace the popular Bomassa Bus near elephant and what the cool water-related experience awaits you at the new elephant exhibit.

 

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