Zoo Boise's newest exhibit will  be modeled after a world famous park reserve in Africa, and it will expand the zoo's footprint by about an acre and a half.  This could be the zoo's biggest and most ambitious expansion project yet.  

The new Gorongosa National Park Exhibit is possible because of generous donations, and lots of 'em.  It will take $8.9 million to make it happen through the "Zoo with a New View" campaign.  Groundbreaking on the new project happened Friday, and construction is expected to wrap up in the summer of 2019.

Gorongosa National Park preserve is in Mozambique, and includes East African animals, like cheetahs, hyenas, baboons, wild hogs and dogs, monkeys, and crocodiles.  Zoo Boise has set a goal of becoming one of the leaders in conservation funding in the world, and they are well on their way to staking a claim to that with this new exhibit.

Zoo Boise says the new Gorongosa National Park Exhibit will generate $2 million toward efforts in Mozambique to protect wild elephants, lions, zebras and more.  There are other changes planned too, and the new construction will "remove and update" exhibits that no longer meet modern zoological standards, including the Primate House and aviaries, according to the zoo.

The zoo will remain open while all of the construction is going on, but we may notice some extra machinery while they're in the middle of the building process.  We'll pardon the dust of course.  See ya at the zoo!  The soon-to-be bigger zoo.

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