MOORPARK : Zoo for Endangered Animals Is Proposed
A stretch of rolling hills between Simi Valley and Moorpark could become a zoo for endangered species under a proposal from a Los Angeles-based group, county officials said.
The Zoological Society of Southern California is attempting to put together a deal to build the zoo on 115 acres at Oak Park, a county-owned park off Los Angeles Avenue, parks official Robert Amore said.
The group is asking the county for a guaranteed lease-option on the property for the next four years, while it attempts to secure financing and get approval for its plans from Ventura County, Amore said.
“The lease-option just reserves the site for them,” he said. “It will help them when they go out to look for investors.”
The park is used for overnight camping and day hiking.
The size and cost of the proposed zoo facility has yet to be determined, Amore said.
The group is scheduled to make a presentation with more specific information to the Moorpark City Council on Nov. 2 and to the county Parks and Harbor Commission on Nov. 16, Amore said.
The group will then take its proposal to the County Board of Supervisors for approval.
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