GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — John Ball Zoo is set to add another big exhibit — or, rather, a tall one. The zoo has plans to open a new “state-of-the-art” giraffe habitat.
The new exhibit, which is expected to open in 2028, will be the largest in the zoo and feature a “winding forested path” that will include a panoramic view of the simulated African savanna. It will also allow visitors to be able to feed giraffes, ostriches and other animals.
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John Ball Zoo says the exhibit is possible thanks to a $15 million gift from the Bill and Bea Idema Foundation.
“We are incredibly honored by this generous gift from the Bill and Bea Idema Foundation, which has been a longtime champion of conservation, education and community enrichment in West Michigan,” John Ball Zoo CEO Peter D’Arienzo said in a statement. “Thank you to the Foundation for its continued support of our commitment to save wildlife and wild places. This expansion will be a powerful symbol of conservation in action, and it will connect children and families with one of our most iconic species in unforgettable ways.”
It is not the organization’s first donation to the zoo, the Bill and Bea Idema Foundation also donated money to fund the funicular, the Idema Forest Realm and $5 million to ward the new North American River Otters Habitat…