San Diego
San Diego Zoo officials will hold a press conference today to announce receipt of a multimillion-dollar donation, the largest single amount ever given to the zoo.
A zoo spokesman on Wednesday refused to disclose the name of the donor or the amount of the gift, but said it would immediately finance the construction of exhibits that the zoo had planned to develop but had figured would take at least two years to fund.
The next three major projects in the zoo’s 20-year master plan include construction of an exhibit reflecting an African rock-and-grasslands habitat, the renovation of Cascade Canyon into a rain forest habitat, and the construction of new gorilla grottos.
Coincidentally on Wednesday, Frank Enders, a veterinarian with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, inspected lion and tiger exhibits at the zoo which a year ago he found to be structurally deficient.
Enders told zoo officials he was pleased by their progress in renovating the 55-year-old exhibits and that he would recommend the zoo be given a one-year extension to complete the work.
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