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The Sacramento Zoo is leaving Sacramento permanently, marking the end of
nearly 100 years in the same spot in Land Park. The decision was approved
by the Elk Grove City Council Wednesday night. The new zoo is to be built
in Elk Grove, about a 16-mile drive down Highway 99.

�With this important vote of approval, the New Zoo will now officially
move into final design and construction,� the Sacramento Zoo posted on
social media.

The Sacramento Zoological Society has long sought a new home for the
creatures under its care. �The current zoo�s land-locked 14.7-acre
footprint, aged infrastructure, and outdated habitats have led to a
decrease in the number and variety of species,� the society wrote on a
website touting the new project. In the last three decades, the zoo has
lost the ability to house �tiger, hippopotamus, and bear,� the society
wrote in a FAQ on the site. �This decline will continue if the zoo stays
where it is.�

The new, larger space in Elk Grove will be located at Kammerer Road and
Lotz Parkway, and will be �triple� its size, according to the FAQ. The
society says it could drive 1 million visitors a year to Elk Grove, double
the amount the Sacramento Zoo currently sees annually. New restaurants are proposed for the space, like one overlooking an �African savannah for
giraffe, zebra, and antelope� and another �nestled into a hillside that is
home to a troop of gelada monkey,� a rare species that lives in the
Ethiopian highlands.

The society estimates total construction costs will be $302 million, 57%
of which would come from the city of Elk Grove.

When the William Land Park Zoo opened in June 1927, it was a small 4.2-
acre facility with mostly ordinary backyard animals like deer, birds and raccoons. What will become of the zoo space when the animals decamp to Elk Grove hasn�t been decided yet. The president of the Land Park Community Association told KCRA that the organization plans to survey neighbors for ideas, such as a community center or animal sanctuary. Proposals will eventually need to go to the Sacramento City Council for approval.

The Sacramento Zoological Society hopes the new zoo can open by 2029.
Financing and environmental review reports are coming later this year, the Sacramento Bee reports.

https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/sacramento-zoo-leaving-sacramento- 19448885.php

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