Minot zoo to build new cat habitat

MINOT, N.D. (AP) - Minot’s zoo is getting a new cat habitat.

Officials recently broke ground on the new habitat at Roosevelt Park Zoo, the Minot Daily News reported. The habitat will include space for Amur tigers and African lions. The tigers will be located near the zoo’s visitor center and the lions will be on the east loop of the zoo where other African species are located.

“We’ve been talking about it for quite some time,” Becky Dewitz, zoo director, told the group gathered at recent the ground-breaking ceremony. “The zoo is the oldest zoo in North Dakota and these are dramatic changes to improve the quality of the zoo for our people.”

Dewitz said the tiger exhibit will be 21,000 square feet (1950 square meters) and the lion exhibit is expected to measure at 16,000 square feet (1486 square meters). The project will also include the renovation of the existing large cat habitat into a space that’ll encourage climbing for the Amur leopards and snow leopards.

“There’s not many zoos that have exhibits like what we are doing,” said Dewitz.

The zoo’s Centennial Capital Campaign for the habitat launched several months ago. The campaign’s goal is $6 million.

The three-phase project is expected to be completed by the zoo’s centennial year in 2021.

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Information from: Minot Daily News, http://www.minotdailynews.com