The Tiger exhibit at Detroit Zoo will soon be three times bigger and give zoo visitors a much deeper and more immersive experience, thanks to a $1 million gift from the Richard C. Devereaux Foundation.
The zoo plans to expand and enhance its tiger habitat. Their new home will “feature naturalistic elements important to the species, ” including tiered vantage points, trees, a cave and a waterfall with a pool.
Set to start in 2017, the work will take around a year to complete.
Leslie Devereaux said, “The Detroit Zoo is one of my favorite places on Earth, and I think tigers are the most magnificent of all creatures. It brings me great pride to be able to support both an organization and a species that I hold so dear to my heart.”
Devereaux, of Bloomfield Hills, is a former member of the Detroit Zoological Society Board of Directors. She has previously contributed to the construction of the other zoo projects, including the Arctic Ring of Life and the Ruth Roby Glancy Animal Health Complex. She also helped fund the Berman Academy for Humane Education.
The Richard C. Devereaux Foundation, named after Leslie’s late father, is an independent foundation. It is concerned mainly with education, health organizations (particularly cancer research) and wildlife preservation.
The Amur Tiger
Ron Kagan, Detroit Zoological Society executive director and CEO said, “This generous gift will help us provide the tigers with a larger and more complex space in which to live.”
