According to a recent post at NorthJersey.com, a long-term county plan would transform the Bergen County Zoo over the next 15 years, nearly doubling its size.
The plan includes adding new animal species, upgrading habitats, and improving event and educational centers as well as parking. The zoo, which opened in 1960, hasn’t seen any major upgrades since 2006.
A Seattle-based architectural firm is developing the master plan for the park. First, the prairie dog and red wolf exhibits, then expanding the zoo around the edges, potentially adding 11 more acres, which would nearly double the zoo’s size to 23 acres. A meadowlands-specific habitat, a Rocky Mountain habitat and North and South American habitats with flora and fauna from those regions are slated as well.
There are about 230,000 people who visit the zoo each year, and the aim is to boost those numbers to 500,000 by the end of the project, which will take about 15 years to complete in various phases. A combination of public-private partnerships for restaurants and other amenities, donations, and Friends of the Bergen County Zoo will help pay for the expansion.
For animals that like to skate on ice and think ahead (i.e. you and your family) a Winter Wonderland section will feature an ice skating rink, which could be open as early as November.
