New at Zoo: Lions, Dinosaurs, Carousels - Oh My!

With dinosaurs, a carousel, exhibit expansions and advanced technology, the has plenty to spark the interests of area residents and visitors this coming season.

Ron Kagan, executive director of the Detroit Zoological Society, spoke recently at the to update attendees on upcoming events and changes at the zoo. 

This summer, tourists will be taken back in time to see one of the very first creatures to roam the earth: the dinosaur. A new Dinosauria exhibit will bring more than 30 life-size animatronic prehistoric creatures to the zoo. “It is the biggest dinosaur exhibition anyone has ever done,” Kagan said. “It is going to be absolutely huge.”

The zoo is also expanding the lions exhibit to allow more space for its six lions to roam and visitors to see them up close. The fencing that is around the lion’s lair will be converted to glass, making it possible for the lions to come as close as 2 1/2 inches to visitors. Work has begun on the exhibit and is planned to continue through the end of June, said Patricia Janeway, communications director for the Detroit Zoo. Kagan noted the lions exhibit will be two times its current size. 

“The lion habitat was one of the first animal exhibits featured at the opening of the Detroit Zoo back in 1928, so it’s due for an update,” Janeway said in an e-mail. “The glass viewing panels will allow visitors to get closer to the lions, and landscaping in the habitat will mirror that in the viewing plaza, making the experience more immersive.”

A treat for kids and families that’s in the works is the creation of a wooden carousel by Carousel Works, which is expected to make its debut in September near the Arctic Food Court. The carousel will feature a variety of wildlife creatures, including a butterfly, snake, seahorse, frog and eagle, among others. “It’s a very unique and different carousel and kids will absolutely love it,” Kagan said.

The zoo will also be upgrading its technology this season by bringing Science On a Sphere, developed by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), to the Wildlife Interpretive Gallery. This advanced system is essentially a globe that displays environmental activity as it would be viewed in 3-D from outer space,  Janeway said. There are not many of these 6-foot diameter devices used in the world, according to Kagan. Science On a Sphere can be used to observe ocean trends, changes in weather and migration paths of animals, Kagan said.

“The history of the zoo has been to be a forward-thinking organization and these plans are going to take them to the next level,” said Carole Schaffer, resident of Royal Oak, member of the Royal Oak Woman’s Club and volunteer at the Detroit Zoo.

As far as the future of the zoo goes, Kagan said it has been developing a 12-year plan that will modify the zoo in many ways. The majority of the details are not yet ready to be released, he said. However, Kagan did give insight to one of the eight major projects that will be undertaken and probably be completed in the next two to three years: the creation of a penguin and puffin conservatory that will be developed much like the zoo's Arctic Ring of Life exhibit. A bat conservatory will make its home in the building currently inhabited by the penguins and puffins.

Kagan was excited to note that the penguin conservatory will look like a giant glacier from the outside and said it would be "very Disneyesque." Inside, visitors will see that the penguins, as they are planning right now, will have 40 feet of water to dive into as opposed to the 8 feet of water they currently have.

“Penguins will literally be everywhere around us. It’s going to be absolutely unbelievable,” Kagan said. “We’re determined to stay in the role of being very innovative and making sure that this place is really special.”