John Ball Zoo is kicking off its 131st anniversary with its “Time to Soar Public Capital Campaign”. Officials say the campaign will complete the most dramatic transformations in the Zoo’s history.
At the heart of the campaign is the construction of a new, Pygmy Hippo Habitat. A news release says the Zoo quietly started seeking donors back in 2018 for the “Time to Soar Campaign” to rebuild its aging infrastructure. Those early donors made it possible to complete all but the last two stages of the campaign. Those last two parts include the Clean Water project and the centerpiece Pygmy Hippo Complex. This was the largest fundraising campaign in the zoo’s history at 18 M 500,000 dollars. Today, only just over one million dollars is needed to meet that goal.
The Time to Soar campaign addresses the oldest part of the Zoo. There will be a new ADA-approved entrance, state of the art habitats and new animals including meerkats, African white cranes and the pygmy hippos.
The campaign also addresses stormwater management using cutting edge technology.
Officials say the two remaining projects are the largest and most complex components and the ones with the most significant impact. The Pygmy Hippo habitat will become the anchor exhibit at the entrance once completed.
You can learn more at jbzoocapitalcampaign.com
