ZooTampa Announces Expansion That Will Incorporate Hillsborough River

TAMPA, FL — Taking advantage of its strategic location on the Hillsborough River in the Seminole Heights area, ZooTampa at Lowry Park unveiled plans Thursday for a multi-year transformation with new immersive wildlife experiences that will link the zoo to the river over the next 20 years.

Opened in 1930 on the ground of Plant Park at the University of Tampa, ZooTampa is Tampa Bay's oldest animal venue. Over the years, it's fostered a reputation as a recognized leader in wildlife conservation, including its renowned work rescuing and rehabilitating manatees and its efforts to prevent the extinction of the red wolf.

Now the nonprofit zoo is planning the next phase in its evolution.

President and CEO Joe Couceiro said the $125 million plan will be a boon for the area, providing public education programs while driving economic growth.

A new South America-themed habitat will include a nature and entertainment zone in Lowry Park that expands public access to the Hillsborough River. The riverfront connection emphasizes ZooTampa and the city of Tampa’s commitment to nature, wildlife and green spaces, Couceiro said.

The zoo has designed new habitats for other critters as well with the goal of providing the best in animal care while engaging visitors, he said.

Additionally, it will renovate its entrance area to provide more visibility for the more than 1.2 million guests that visit the zoo each year, while making parking easier and faster, Couceiro said.

“As our world-class Tampa Bay community continues to evolve, we will raise the bar on distinctive and interactive conservation experiences with the potential to engage and inspire future generations,” said Couceiro.

The zoo’s transformation began earlier this year with the opening of the Florida Wilds habitat, featuring expanded habitats for endangered and threatened native species.

As the home of the David A. Straz, Jr. Manatee Critical Care Center, the largest nonprofit and one of only four critical care centers in the world for the rescue, rehabilitation and release of Florida’s manatee, the zoo plans to open a new manatee rescue facility in January 2026.

Couceiro said this will be an innovative multi-dimensional environment that will immerse guests in the manatee’s world and educate visitors about the state’s fragile marine ecosystem from its rivers to the Gulf.

The area will include eye-level viewing with manatees and showcase the zoo's work saving manatees by expanding the David A. Straz Jr. Manatee Critical Care Center with the addition of acute care and nursery pools, scheduled to open in the fall of 2023.

The manatee rescue area will also feature a jellyfish habitat, a riverbank oasis for otters, and Stingray Shores, also scheduled to open in fall 2023, providing an interactive habitat that will give visitors a chance to touch and feed stingrays. For more adventurous visitors, there will be an opportunity to wade into the water for an up-close, personal encounter with these native animals.

In collaboration with the city of Tampa, the zoo is also developing plans to create a new realm on the Hillsborough River that will connect Tampa to its cultural roots in South America.

Visitors will encounter multiple South American species including sea lions, giant river otters, jaguars and a variety of other rarely-seen wildlife.

Other plans for the South America realm include themed entertainment and a retail, dining and nature district in Lowry Park that will renovate green spaces and add public access. This includes the addition of water taxis to access the zoo.

The reimagined Africa realm will feature expanded habitats that create a new experience for visitors while reinforcing the zoo's commitment to the care and protection of species in peril that the zoo shelters as an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums since 1989.

At ground level, guests will see red river hogs in their natural environment. A higher climb will bring visitors side by side with gorillas and, high in the treetops, visitors will experience face-to-face encounters with a variety of primates. The realm will also feature multiple-species habitats that bring together endangered African elephants, Masai giraffes and white rhinos.

The transformed Asia realm will feature overhead paths, bringing visitors closer to its wildlife including Bornean orangutans and Malayan tigers.

“Zoo Tampa is a community treasure, and we look forward to reviewing the parts of the proposed expansion that require city of Tampa approval,” said Nicole Travis, Tampa’s administrator for development and economic opportunity.

Couceiro said ZooTampa has been talking with its neighbors and members about the project, including inviting representatives from the zoo’s nearest neighbors to sit on focus groups and fill out community surveys.

So far, said Couceiro, feedback has been positive. Residents of Lowry Park Central and the Seminole Heights areas view the expansion as a chance to rejuvenate these historical areas of Tampa, provide economic development for small business owners, improve neighborhood safety and traffic flow, and beautify the neighborhoods, he said.

Further neighborhood meetings are planned, as well as opportunities for residents to share their thoughts on the project, which Courceiro said will enhance the riverfront and boost the zoo's direct economic impact on Hillsborough County by 42 percent, or up to $274 million, while bringing in nearly $1 million in additional tax dollars for the county annually.

“Our plans will energize the community, improving the quality of life for neighbors and area residents,” Couceiro said. “As ZooTampa embarks on an even more extraordinary future, we remain committed to transforming with the resilient Tampa Bay community, creating world-class zoological experiences, providing the highest standards in animal care, and inspiring action to be responsible stewards of the natural world.”

How ZooTampa Came To Be

The zoo, operated by the nonprofit Lowry Park Zoological Society, is an 11-time winner of the Trip Advisor Travelers' Choice Award (2010-2022).

The city of Tampa opened and operated the Tampa City Zoo at Plant Park in 1930, exhibiting primarily indigenous animals such as raccoons, alligators and exotic birds.

In 1957, then-Mayor Nick Nuccio moved the zoo to the then-24-acre city-owned Lowry Park at 1101 W Sligh Ave., where it was maintained by Tampa’s parks department and shared the park with the now-defunct Fairyland.

As the number of animals at the zoo continued to grow through the 1970s, the zoo upgraded the habitats, placing the animals in natural settings that mimicked their real-life habitats.

Then, in the early '80s, the Tampa Parks Department and Citizens Advisory Board called for further improvements and then-Mayor Bob Martinez launched a $20 million capital campaign with the city kicking in $8 million, with the zoo being renamed Lowry Park Zoo and maintained by a public-private partnership called the Lowry Park Zoo Asssociation.

Shortly after, in 1984, the zoo's board of directors developed a master plan for the 24-acre zoo.

In 1988, the zoo closed while elements of the master plan were completed and reopened on March 5, 1988, with a free-flight aviary, Asian Domain, Primate World and the Children's Village and Petting Zoo.

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A year later, the Lowry Park Zoo Association became the Lowry Park Zoological Society, a private, nonprofit organization.

During the early 1990s, the zoo focuses on conservation, opening the Florida Wildlife Center, now known as the Mason M. and Charles P. Lykes Florida Wildlife Center, in 1990, followed by the Manatee and Aquatic Center, now the David A. Straz Jr. Manatee Critical Care Center, in 1991.

In 1995, the zoo turned its attention to becoming more community-friendly, building a 10,000-square-foot pavilion for meetings and banquets and adding special exhibitions and educational programs.

The zoo's now-iconic Jungle Carousel, featuring 33 handcrafted, whimsical animal figures, opened in 1998 and the Florida Environmental Education Center, nicknamed Zoo School, opened on the former Fairyland site in 2000.

In 2002, the zoo expanded the property to its current 61 acres encompassing 56 acres of naturalistic animal exhibits, and added the Australian-themed Wallaroo Station and the first phase of Safari Africa.

The zoo's behind-the-scenes safari ride called Expedition Africa was introduced in 2006, followed by the opening of five new habitats — the Ituri Forest within Safari Africa, Penguin Beach featuring and colony of African penguins and a remodeled Asian Gardens.

In 2014, the 12,000-square-foot Catherine Lowry Straz Veterinary Hospital and 2,000-square-foot Animal Commissary were completed and ZooTampa became the only zoo hospital in the United States to be recognized by the American Animal Hospital Association.

Additionally, a two-year graduate clinical fellowship was established with the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine.

The following year, the zoo completed the renovation of the 4.5-acre Wallaroo Station including an interactive petting zoo, water play area and dining.

The water adventure ride, Roaring Springs!, opened in 2018 followed by the Sandy and Tom Callahan Center for Wildlife Conservation in 2019.

Last year, ZooTampa and Wendy's partnered on the first Frosty Cart in the country at the Wallaroo Station and the original Expedition Africa Tram Ride was reimagined and rebuilt as a custom-built safari tour vehicle.

Now renamed ZooTampa to capitalize on its presence in the quickly-growing Tampa area, the zoo cares for more than 1,000 animals, participates in nearly 100 of AZA’s Species Survival Plan programs for managing endangered and threatened species, and has won numerous awards for its animal conservation and management programs and is officially recognized by the state as a center for biodiversity and conservation.

Its work caring for animals at the Jacarlene Animal Care Campus featuring the Tiedemann-Cotton Animal Care Annex and the Catherine Lowry Straz Veterinary Hospital is recognized nationally. And more than 1.8 million children throughout Tampa Bay have participated in wildlife preservation programs.

ZooTampa is open seven days a week (except Thanksgiving and Christmas) from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Anyone wishing to donate to the capital campaign for the expansion can click here.