St. Louis Zoo To Bring 425-Acre WildCare Park To Missouri

The St. Louis Zoo announced a $230 million project that will bring more animals and education to the St. Louis area.

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Known as The Wildcare Park, this 425-acre piece of land will be the new home for animals that are endangered and are at risk of extinction in the wild. The target date of opening is 2027 with some animals starting to arrive as early as next year.

"Acquiring animals from other accredited facilities and building appropriate animal social groups takes time," said Martha Fischer, General Curator at WildCare Park. "We're planning to receive the first animals at WildCare Park next year and we'll gradually increase the number of animals and species over time. For the public opening, we're primarily focusing on endangered ungulates – hoofed mammals – as well as birds and other threatened species."

Guests can enjoy the two 30-minute safaris (Woodland Safari and Savanna Safari)from vehicles similar to the size of a school bus that seats 30-40 passengers. Guest will hear stories about the animals they are seeing and how they are cared for each day.

There will also be a walking safari experience where guests will have a chance to wander through the habit on a path with animals all around them. Plus, there will be a chance to feed giraffes, glamping on the property, eat at the new restaurants, and a new event center will also be built. This will only be a free park for those who live in St. Louis. Guests who live outside of St. Louis will have to pay and those prices will be announced at a later date. But with everything that the zoo is planning on doing, I think it will be a price well worth it.