Despite snow in the Midwest, Spring is here and zoos everywhere are starting to welcome back many visitors who haven’t been around in several months. Many zoos will have themed events to draw in visitors, such as Earth Day celebrations, Easter-themed events, or even a 5k run. Other zoos, however, can draw in crowds with brand new exhibits.
Around a dozen zoos that we have visited have publicized new or renovated exhibits opening up in 2019, and most of these will be opening this Spring. New exhibits are exciting because they usually mean that the zoo has brought in a new animal, their current animal had babies and they needed more space, or the zoo is making changes to adapt to new AZA-standards for the health and benefit of the animals.
The exhibit that we’re most excited to see open this Spring is the new elephant enclosure at the Milwaukee Zoo. The zoo closed down it’s moose, wolf, and Australia exhibits in order to make room for their new elephant barn and yard. The previous enclosure for elephants was very small, and they were instructed by the AZA (Association for Zoos and Aquariums) to expand their habitat in order to keep the elephants. According to the zoo’s press release, the new 20,000-square-foot Elephant Care Center features a recreation room with sand and padded floors, and five individual stalls for training, enrichment and medical procedures.The 1.6-acre outdoor habitat features a watering hole, feeding and enrichment walls and several shade structures. An Animals-In-Action pavilion with visitor seating allows an up-close look at the exceptional daily care keepers provide to these magnificent animals.
The new elephant exhibit will be officially open to the public on Saturday, May 4, with festivities happening from 10am-2pm. In addition to elephants, the new attraction will also include bongo, yellow-back duiker, Kenyan crested guinea fowl, zebra, impala, and African crowned cranes. The zoo will continue to renovate the hippo and rhino exhibits, with rollout beginning as soon as 2020.
Please see below for a list of other 2019 new exhibit openings!
| Zoo | State | Exhibit | Opening Date |
| Maryland Zoo | MD | Lion Exhibit | March 16, 2019 |
| Louisville Zoo | KY | Snow Leopard Pass | April 4, 2019 |
| Nashville Zoo | TN | Tiger Exhibit | April 12, 2019 |
| Milwaukee Zoo | WI | Elephant Exhibit | May 4, 2019 |
| Lincoln Children’s Zoo | NE | Giraffe Exhibit | May 10, 2019 |
| Lincoln Children’s Zoo | NE | White Rhino Exhibit | May 10, 2019 |
| Lincoln Children’s Zoo | NE | Spider Monkey Exhibit | May 10, 2019 |
| Houston Zoo | TX | Texas Wetlands Exhibit | May 24, 2019 |
| Indianapolis Zoo | IN | MISTery Park Exhibit | May 25, 2019 |
| Henry Doorly Zoo | NE | Phase 2 of Asian Highlands | May 2019 |
| Fort Wayne Zoo | IN | Monkey Island Exhibit | Spring 2019 |
| Mesker Park Zoo | IN | Budgie Aviary | Spring 2019 |
| Detroit Zoo | MI | Tiger Exhibit | Summer 2019 |
| Chattanooga Zoo | TN | Giraffe Exhibit | Fall 2019 |
| Potawatomi Zoo | IN | White Rhino Exhibit | Fall 2019 |
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