Turtle Back Zoo Plans To Build Giraffe Exhibit In Essex County

Starting in spring 2016, if all goes according to plan, the Turtle Back Zoo will have giraffes.

Essex county officials recently announced that the zoo has awarded contracts to construct a $7 million giraffe exhibit, including a 200 by 100 foot, climate-controlled barn, three-acres of land designed to mimic the African Savannah and multiple public viewing areas. Closed circuit cameras will also be installed in the barn so the giraffes can be viewed on a video screen in the Zoo Café.

Wall-based French & Parrello received a $375,000 contract to design the exhibit, and Terminal Construction of Wood Ridge was awarded a publicly bid contract for $7 million to build the exhibit.

The Essex County Department of Public Works will monitor the project. The exhibit is being funded through the Essex County Capital Budget and with a grant from the Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund.

The exhibit will be the largest attraction at the zoo, according to a release.

Two types of giraffe subspecies – Masai and Reticulated – will be relocated to Turtle Back Zoo when the exhibit is completed: one is in Kansas City and the other is in Springfield, Missouri.

The Masai giraffes will be included in a breeding program sponsored by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to help bolster the species numbers.

File photo via Wikimedia Commons