So, yes, maybe you've heard by now: Things have been busy behind the scenes at the Dallas Zoo. Construction has been underway on that much-ballyhooed 11-acre attraction, $32-million Giants of the Savanna habitat, which Park and Rec director Paul Dyer talked to us about way back in August 2008, in the heat of the battle over Jenny the Elephant. The habitat, of course, will house elephants, giraffes, lions and cheetahs.
Zoo officials, who gave media a sneak peek yesterday, want zoo-goers to think of this as a wild-safari adventure in the shadow of downtown. More than that, though, it's intended as a tourist attraction: Officials like to tout the involvement of top horticulturists, wildlife specialists and zoologists.
None of that, of course, will endear the Dallas Zoo to the friends of Jenny; we've already received a handful of letters from elephant lovers complaining about the addition of two new elephants to what they claim is still a woefully inadequate space.
The exhibit is set to open Memorial Day weekend. See more photos from the advance tour here.
Support Us
Dallas' independent source of
local news and culture
- Welcome,
Insider - Login
- My Newsletters
- Contribute
- Contact Us
It's All Happening at the Zoo: Giants of Savanna Breaks out the Hard Hat
KEEP THE DALLAS OBSERVER FREE...
Since we started the Dallas Observer, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Dallas, and we'd like to keep it that way. With local media under siege, it's more important than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" program, allowing us to keep offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food and culture with no paywalls.
Insiders
Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our
terms of use,
our cookies policy, and our
privacy policy
The Dallas Observer may earn a portion of sales from products & services purchased through links on our site from our
affiliate partners.
©2022
Dallas Observer, LP. All rights reserved.
