Zoo developing a Seals & Sea Lions exhibit | ABC30 Fresno

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By ABC30

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Fresno, CA With a sunny day and smiles all around these little ones and their families are doing the zoo. And its new Zoo Director, Scott Barton is feeling good too.

Four months into this job he has set in place a plan for the first new permanent exhibit. On Friday he revealed the choice to Action News.

While the giraffe will have to wait at least a couple of years for their African savanna exhibit to open the Zoo will break ground on a new exhibit for seals and sea lions.

Scott Barton, Chaffee Zoo Director said: "This new exhibit will allow us to bring in a lot more sea lions and maybe more seals, bring in pelicans and really model the central California coast."

These mom's think that's a great idea!

Joey Cummins, Zoo visitor said: "Oh, wow. Oh, I just think that's awesome. We just stopped there and the kids were fascinated. But they were resting and there was just a couple and so it's a quick look."

It won't happen overnight. The design firm will start work this September on the new exhibit to be built in an area near the existing reptile house.

Scott Barton, Chaffee Zoo Director said: "It's going to have underwater viewing so people can see the magical movement of the seals and sea lions underwater. So we expect to open the new sea lion exhibit in the summer of two thousand eleven."

The pool will be eight times the size of this one. And Barton's confident the Zoo will be allowed to expand as planned in Roeding Park where the second new exhibit, the African savanna, will be located.

Scott Barton, Chaffee Zoo Director said: "It'll be giraffe, zebras but it will bring back rhinoceros and lions. And lions are one of the ones I hear most that people want to see back at the zoo."

And that's also welcome news to this mother of two.

Ellen Martinez, Zoo visitor said: " I like open spaces but thinking of the Zoo and what it's going to offer the children and the experiences it's going to offer I think it's a good loss of green area."

After five years 'what's new at the zoo?' appears to be on the horizon