Upgrading the zoo

craig l. moran/viewAnimal Care Manager Jeannie Akins visits the pen for fossa pups while making her rounds at the Las Vegas Zoo, 1775 N. Rancho Drive, on Nov. 10. Craig l. moran/viewAn adult fossa watches visitors at the Las Vegas Zoo, Nov. 10. Native to the island of Madagascar off the coast of Africa, fossas measure 25 to 30 inches long and leap from tree to tree in the forest. craig l. moran/viewJeannie Akins, animal care manager at the Las Vegas Zoo, 1775 N. Rancho Drive, plays with fossa pups in their pen while making her rounds on Nov. 10. Advertisement

Sometimes change comes not by leaps and bounds, but in the form of baby steps.

"That's exactly what is happening for us," Las Vegas Zoo Director Pat Dingle said during a recent interview. "There are some big changes ahead for our property, but it will be a slow process."

Earlier this month, Dingle announced plans to create a new exhibit and housing area for the zoo's Barbary apes and a Mojave Wildlife Exhibit, which will feature 72 species of flora and fauna native to Southern Nevada.

"This is a unique opportunity to educate people about conservation and why those efforts are so important," Dingle said. "I think when people can see what we are trying to conserve, it makes all the difference in how they treat their environments."

The zoo features a lion exhibit and reptiles and is a designated breeding institution for the rare African fossa, an animal that wasn't photographed in the wild until 1999. The facility has been operating for the last 30 years at the same location, according to Dingle, with few changes made to the property.

"Because of the way that the city has grown and we are now a world-class city, I would say that what we are now operating with is substandard," he said. "It is time to expand. We aren't a rinky-dink property now, but we can do better."

According to Dingle, the world-renowned San Diego Zoo has served as a mentor to the Las Vegas property for more than 30 years and recently granted the zoo more than $15,000 of in-kind donations toward the completion of the half-built Barbary exhibit.

"I think it was a way to show people in our community that they believe in us, that this is needed," he said. "We won't be able to complete any of these projects without the support of the community. Donations is what will make this happen for us."

The new exhibit, which still requires landscaping and fence work, will be triple the size of the current stations where the family of apes, including the world's second-oldest Barbary ape, a 29-year-old female, reside.

Las Vegas resident DeDe Samhill said that she thinks it is a timely concern for zoo officials to seek expansion.

"The zoo has been the same for a long time," she said. "A lot of people don't even realize that it is here. And there is more space than you would think from looking at it from the outside. It looks like a lot of it is not used, though, so I can kind of get why they want to make some changes. Worthy cause, I think."

Dingle said that Joel Bergman, architect of projects such as Treasure Island and The Mirage, has donated his time and services in developing renderings for future habitats and the overall design of the property.

"We see this as an opportunity to not just expand and use all of the space we have, because there's more than 3 acres here, but to help people get the most out of their visit to what we believe has the potential to become a world-class zoo," Dingle said. "We are right up there now, or our counterparts would not be willing to work with us the way that they have. But we are optimistic about the changes ahead."

Contact North Las Vegas and Downtown View reporter Amanda Llewellyn at allewellyn@viewnews.com or 380-4535.