Plans for a half-mile safari walk at the Dallas Zoo.
The Dallas Zoo is petitioning for their slice of the 2024 Bond pie.
Zoo executives presented a plan for $30 Million in bond funding that would be used for a 15 acre safari expansion, additional parking and enhanced security measures at the City Council Park, Trails and Environment Committee on Feb. 5.
Dallas Zoo Chief Mission Officer Harrison Edell pointed to the 2006 Bond, in which the zoo received $25 million, as an example of the “transformational” impact funding has had on the facility. The 2006 Bond funds were used to build the Giants of the Savanna habitat, which doubled the Dallas Zoo’s yearly attendance and was the first exhibit in the United States that allowed elephants to share a habitat with other species.
Edell hopes a new walking safari exhibit could bring a similar positive impact to the Dallas Zoo.
Planned for 15 acres of land already owned by the zoo, Edell said the safari would house 24 species including rhinos, which have not been on display since 2012.
“Guests ask us all the time where they can meet (a rhino). We look forward to offering opportunities to meet these gentle giants again right here in Dallas,” Edell said. “Because we pride ourselves in trailblazing, your Dallas Zoo will be the only one in the country with rhinos and cheetahs living together in a mixed habitat.”
Dallas Zoo Chief Operating Officer Sean Greene said the half-mile trail is expected to add 45 minutes to the average family’s zoo visit. Families currently stay at the zoo for three and a half hours per visit on average, according to zoo reports, and Greene said adding to that length of time will feed back into the Dallas economy by encouraging visitors to seek out nearby dining options, or even visit Dallas overnight to fully “make a day” of the zoo trip.
“It’s not a question to me about whether we’ll get a return on investment with the Dallas Zoo,” said Adam Bazaldua.
Bazaldua commented that as a child, his family regularly trekked to the Fort Worth Zoo because it was “so much better” than Dallas’, and he has been pleased to see the Dallas Zoo’s reputation grow throughout the 2000s.
Edell also referenced $1.1 million that has been put into security upgrades since a string of break ins and an animal death plunged the zoo into national headlines in early 2023. He said the zoo also plans to use funding given from the bond for ongoing investments into security.
Greene said parking is an issue on “dozens” of the zoo’s most trafficked days, but a four-story parking garage is meant to remedy that. The garage is planned to have 580 spots that can be shared with the Southern Gateway Deck Park. The total garage is expected to cost $16 million, of which just over $13 million has been raised.
While Edell, Greene and Lisa New, the zoo’s new CEO, presented a $30 Million request, they each acknowledged the “tough” decisions that will be made by council members in the coming weeks regarding the finalized bond allocations.
