City’s Vision Of Zoo Still Not Liked By Everyone

Three different plans for the future of the Lake Superior Zoo have now been laid out.

But those plans have a lot of people divided about what they’d like to see happen with the zoo.

FOX 21’s Zach Richie has more on the reactions about the zoo’s new plans.

Zoo officials have prospective plans in place for a zoo that’s easier to walk around.
One big idea is to connect the zoo with the city’s hiking trails.

City leaders unveiled three different plans in a public meeting Monday night.

The proposed $15 million changes to the zoo would potentially shrink its footprint, but that’s an idea some are not wild about.

“I understand the need for connectivity between the trails and the city, but does it have to be cut the zoo in half in order to have a trail,” asked Louise Beyea, a contract veterinarian.

The zoo wants to stress to the public the ideas to revitalize the zoo are only in the planning stages and they will welcome more public input over the next few weeks.

“We want people to be impassioned about the zoo because if they’re impassioned about it, that means they will help us work with this new plan and make this work and make it a good thing for Duluth and its surrounding community,” said Diana Dodge, the president of the Zoological Society.

More public meetings are planned before the city makes the final decision in March.