Denver Zoo has released a sneak preview of the designs for its brand new tiger exhibit, The Edge.
The complex seeks to recreate the Amur tigers’ natural habitat while bringing visitors closer than ever before to these critically-endangered animals.
Funding for The Edge has come from $2.2 million Better Denver Bond Funds from the City and County of Denver and $300, 000 from the Zoo.
The new exhibit incorporates a number of special features including aerial runways where the tigers can walk above the visitors’ heads. Small holes positioned in the viewing area will allow guests to smell and even hear the tigers.
“Seeing tigers up close in this new setting will help inspire guests to love these amazing creatures, ” comments Denver Zoo President/ CEO Shannon Block.
The zoo has also announced that a travelling exhibit, Washed Ashore, Art to Save the Sea, makes its first visit to Denver in the autumn.
The attraction, developed by the non-profit group The Washed Ashore Project, is designed to highlight the growing amount of litter and plastic pollution in the world’s oceans. It will feature 15 giant sculptures of sea life made almost entirely from rubbish collected from beaches.
“Washed Ashore will help guests learn about the positive actions they can take to support our waterways that ultimately lead to the ocean, ” says Block. “I am thrilled to offer these two new features this year.”
It is hoped that The Edge will open in June 2016. Washed Ashore, Art to Save the Sea runs from September 24, 2016 until January 16, 2017.