New Wolf Exhibit Ready For Opening Day At Binder Park Zoo May 1st

There are three new wolves at the Binder Park Zoo, as a new Mexican gray wolf exhibit has been completed, with about a week to spare before the scheduled Opening Day (Saturday, May 1st) of the 2021 season at the zoo.

This Wolf Den, named for Dr. Edward Drew & Dr. Pamela Buitendorp-Drew, is across the footbridge over Barnum Creek on the eastern side of the zoo grounds. In a release, the Zoo says the exhibit will anchor an area of the zoo re-named North America dedicated to animal species native to this continent. "The wolves move from their longtime habitat near the Binda Conservation Carousel to join American black bears, Canada lynx, and a newly constructed aviary that will house the zoo’s bald eagles."

"Mexican gray wolves are the most endangered subspecies of gray wolf and one of the rarest animals in the world. Once common in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, Mexican wolves were nearly eliminated by ranchers who feared them as a threat to their cattle." - Binder Park Zoo

This Wolf Den is the second-largest animal exhibit at the zoo, behind only the 18-acre savanna in the Wild Africa exhibit.

Binder Park says the wolf den was "built to exceed standards of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums." And it features "a large and natural space for the animals, a breeding den and holding area as well as multiple viewing opportunities for guests to observe the wolves as they explore their new surroundings."

When you're at the exhibit, you'll see the main viewing area is a "rustic stone and timber structure designed with a central, freestanding stone fireplace. Tapping into the zoo’s fiber-optic network, the exhibit will also have video monitors programmed to display information about the wolves and their conservation story."

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