The Woodland Park Zoo has announced the groundbreaking of the new Forest Trailhead exhibit. In 2016 a fire significantly damaged the former Day and Night Exhibits. Since then, the Zoo has been designing a new experience to address wildlife conservation and climate change.
The zoo wants to hear from our community, and you are invited to participate in an online survey for the zoo’s new exhibit that will shine hope for the future of forests and the animals and people who depend on them.
The immersive, best-in-class exhibit will be home to Matschie’s tree kangaroos, red pandas, keas and forest reptiles. The opening of the exhibit in three years will mark the first time that visitors will have an opportunity to get up close and personal with tree kangaroos in a decade.
The exhibit is scheduled to open in 2026. The new exhibit experience will be located in the heart of the zoo’s 92-acre urban forest at the site of the former Day and Night Exhibits. The initial groundbreaking phase of work is anticipated to be completed by September 2023. Design and site development are underway, and construction for the new exhibit is expected to begin in 2024.
Exploring among the treetops and along the forest floor, zoo-goers will have up-close encounters with endangered Matschie’s tree kangaroos and red pandas, keas (alpine parrots native to New Zealand) and forest reptiles. Visitors will also learn about communities protecting forests around the world, including the community-led work supported by Woodland Park Zoo’s Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program in Papua New Guinea. Importantly, visitors will emerge with simple ways to engage with conservation issues and actions around forest-friendly consumer choices, climate change, empathy for wildlife and sustainability; and will be inspired to join the zoo’s global movement to save wildlife.
