Reid Park Zoo: Reid Park Zoo Project Update

Press release from the Reid Park Zoo:

by
Reid Park Zoo

February 23, 2022

At the same time as dinosaurs are captivating guests, good progress is being made on some major projects at Reid Park Zoo.

Within the new design and location, a key point of discussion was parking options. Taking into account input from the community, including Zoo guests, Patrons of the Adaptive Recreation Center (PARC), and other comments, accessibility arose as a key point of consideration. Several designs were reviewed by the design team, PARC, FriendZ of Reid Park Zoo, and others. The architect also toured the Edith Ball Adaptive Recreation Center (ARC) to understand flow for their guests in this state-of-the-art therapeutic aquatic facility.

Through these discussions, a consensus was reached with the option below preferred by all parties.

One important aspect for park users to know is that the ambassador building to house our ambassador animals is being shifted to Asia, so there will be no changes to Lakeshore Lane. The parking lot behind the Conservation Learning Center will be fenced in during construction with staging of equipment located there. A permanent fence and gate will be added within the current curb of that parking lot.

Last month, we talked about the Antarctic play area and today I will highlight the next stop on the path in the World of Play: the journey to a tropical rainforest in South America. A replica of a capuchin monkey will greet you as you enter a treetop research hut. Whether you climb up or reach the hut on the accessible pathway, you will be able to play a game to learn who lives in the different areas of the rainforest – with the Hercules beetle that lives on the forest floor, the jaguar that lives in the understory, the two-toed sloth that lives in the canopy and the capuchin monkey that lives in the top layer. You can spin the rainstick to hear the sound of the rainforest then slide down the spiral slide to reach the musical instrument area.

We will continue our tour next month with a focus on the sequoia forest portion of World of Play, stay tuned!

This press release was produced by the Reid Park Zoo. The views expressed here are the author’s own.