The Niabi Zoo will soon open a new exhibit for its sloth and tamarin. Zoo Director Marc Heinzman told us that on Thursday, July 3, 2014.
'Sal the Sloth' and the tamarin currently live in the aviary of the zoo, but soon their new home will be the Jungle Trek building. The Jungle Trek building is connected to the administration building.
Animals like the bi-colored poison dart frog are already in the Jungle Trek building. Heinzman says the tamarin and sloth live in rain forests just like the dart frog too.
"We want our guests to learn about the rain forests and jungles as they come into the zoo," Heinzman said. "They can take a walk through, and we have a small simulated rain forest here, and now we're bringing in some additional animals."
The jungle trek addition has been in the works for about a year. It will have a mesh netting, so visitors can see the animals easier. Currently, the animals are behind a glass in the aviary, which makes them harder to see.
The added exhibit should be complete by August. The project will cost about $100,000, but the zoo won a grant to pay for about $40,000 for the project.