New $70 million manatee exhibit, entryway coming to Jacksonville Zoo. Here's a sneak peek.
The first thing 2025 visitors to the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens will see after walking through a new 50-foot-high entryway will be manatees. Maybe.
The zoo broke ground Friday morning on a new entryway and Manatee River exhibit that are scheduled to open in 2025.
J. Wayne and Delores Barr Weaver, former owners of the Jacksonville Jaguars, donated $3 million for the Manatee River exhibit, which will be one of the first things visitors see when they walk through the new entrance. It will expand upon the zoo's existing Manatee Critical Care Center and will allow the zoo to treat as many as 18 manatees at a time. Currently, the zoo can treat up to six manatees at a time. About 35 manatees have been treated since the center opened in 2017.
Manatee River will include fish, reptiles and birds native to Florida. What it won't necessarily have is manatees. Jeff Ettling, president of the zoo, explained that all manatees are considered wild animals and can only be kept in a zoo while undergoing treatment. So, theoretically, there might not be any injured manatees needing treatment, but Ettling said that sadly isn't the case. The manatee facility has been at capacity several times, he said.
Officially, the new entryway will be known as the VyStar SkyScape, thanks to a $2.25 million donation from VyStar Credit Union. It features an open-air roof that will reach 50 feet high and cover a 25,000-square-foot area. The entryway will house the ticket and guest relations offices and have room for retail and restaurant space. It will also include a stage, meeting space and a catering kitchen. Video "immersion screens" will show educational messages and information about the zoo.
The improvements are part of the zoo's Rezoovenation improvement plan, which includes redesigning the parking lots, building a new education campus, expanding the lion habitat, redesigning the elephant habitat and bringing in orangutans. Ettling said Friday morning that he had intended to announce that the zoo had raised about 90 percent of its fundraising goal, but prices have gone up and the $52 million project that was supposed to be completed in the spring of 2023 is now a $70 million project slated to open in fall of 2025. He said Covid and supply issues are responsible for much of the cost increase.
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The new entryway and manatee exhibit will be near the rear of the zoo parking lot, in the area where education buildings once stood. Ettling said they are using temporary education buildings so that camps and programs won't be interrupted. The education campus will eventually be relocated into the building that now houses the main entrance. A new lion exhibit with overlook will be placed where the River Valley Aviary is now located.
The groundbreaking took place on a perfect day, under a banner strung between two cranes to show how high the new entryway will be. Dueling manatee mascots — one representing the zoo, the other introduced as C. Cowford, the city's new mascot — danced as media and dignitaries waited for the ceremony to start.
The mayor said she has been coming to the zoo her entire life and is pleased to see how it has been transformed over the years. "The Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens is a magical place that brings our community together," she said.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville Zoo breaks ground on new entryway, manatee exhibit
