By: Deborah Johnson Wood
The John Ball Zoo went out on a limb.
The result is a $4 million African Lion habitat where the lions can also go out on a limb. Literally.
Lake Manyara, a small national park in Tanzania, is one of the few places in the world where lions climb trees to stay cool. The new Bissell Lake Manyara exhibit features an 18-foot-high manmade tree with geothermal heating and cooling tubes inside to warm or cool the giant cats who laze around nearly 22 hours a day.
The exhibit opens June 14 and the main attraction is the pride of three African Lions—Docha (male), Akari and Abena (females).
Two African bomas—traditional dwellings with thatched roofs—featuring cultural artifacts, interactive displays, and African art have 14-foot by 17-foot windows for viewing the lions and plant life. One large boulder that appears to break through the glass allows children an opportunity to sit next to a lion while remaining safely behind the protective window.
“This exhibit is like no other lion exhibit I’ve ever seen at any other zoo in the country,” says Bert Vescolani, zoo director. “It is absolutely gorgeous. We’re about connecting people with nature so they can discover why it’s so critical to keep these animals alive in the wild. We built this exhibit to look at a part of the world that is small but very scenic.”
A 24-foot-high viewing platform gives visitors a bird’s eye view of both the Lake Manyara exhibit and the Grand Rapids skyline. The holding building has a green roof and skylights for energy conservation.
A portion of the exhibit’s funding came from donations from Bissell, Inc. and the Peter C. Cook family.
Source: Bert Vescolani, John Ball Zoo and John Ball Park; Daniel Schoonmaker, Alexander Marketing
Courtesy photo
Deborah Johnson Wood is the development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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