D E V E LO P M E N T
Celebration Garden
T he newest feature of the Zoo represents a vision that has
culminated in one of the most beautiful destinations within
our gates. On February 17, we opened the Cindy Oppenheimer
Bishop Celebration
The Garden centralizes,
Garden, made possible
by a generous gift from
within one location,
Dr. Larry and Cindy
recognition and gratitude
Bishop, two ardent
to our biggest donors
supporters of so many
things benefitting your community. Upon
and supporters.
entrance, guests are immediately captivated by
stunning bonsai trees (lovingly maintained by Bonsai Society of Brevard) and lush
landscaping that create a wonderful feeling of tranquility and serenity. The path
weaves its way past recognition “pods” and ends at a lovely water overlook with
spectacular koi gathering beneath. The Garden centralizes, within one location,
recognition and gratitude to our biggest donors and supporters. It will also be a place
where both memorial and celebratory recognition will be expressed through engraved
“leaves” on beautiful metal trees that will placed on either side of the path.
These elements will
come together over the
next few months as we
witness and rejoice in
the installation of each
new piece.
If you would like to be a part of our Celebration
Garden, contact individual giving manager
Tracy Steele at [email protected] or
321-254-9453, ext. 234.
La Selva
I f you’ve walked through La Selva lately, you may have
noticed some changes underway. The giant anteaters have
moved out (don’t worry, you can visit them in Lands of
Change: Australia and Beyond) and their old exhibit space
has become the basis of a dynamic new habitat for our
squirrel monkey troop! This enclosure is set to feature two
spacious living areas connected by a series of tunnels, or
“trails,” that will bring these playful primates closer to you
than ever before.
The existing squirrel monkey exhibit will be retrofitted to
serve as a third jaguar “node,” complementing the original
habitat and the first expansion built in 2016. This will allow
us to house more animals at one time, enhancing our
contribution to the survival of this imperiled big cat species.
The jaguars can walk to this space using a ground-level or
overhead trail, or stay where they are if they’d like.
These projects, thanks to a state grant and a generous
donor, are the first phase of what we hope will become
an extensive transformation of La Selva in the future.
As with all of our projects, we look to add to the guest
experience and also bring in some innovative animal
wellness elements. As you may have noticed, the core of
this concept is choice; we’d like to extend trail opportunities
to all animals in La Selva moving forward, allowing keepers
to give animals many choices as to where they are during
their day. By letting our animals choose where they spend
their time and with whom they spend it, we can provide
them with a living situation that more closely mirrors that
of their wild counterparts.
Stay tuned for continued announcements!
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