The day has finally come — when the new Adventure Cove opens as well as Jack Hanna’s Animal Encounters Village exhibit at the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium. The exhibits opened Friday, July 10.
The zoo’s first new region since 2014, construction began in 2017. More details were announced last fall, however the coronavirus pandemic slowed construction down in the last several months.
Now that both the zoo and the Pacific Northwest region are open, guests can catch California sea lions and harbor seals, as well as lemurs, porcupines, cheetahs, tortoises and other animals from regions across the zoo.
The area is front and center upon entering the zoo, and will allow guests a space to stop at the beginning and end of their visit. The Animal Encounters Village, in particular, will allow guests to get up close a personal with trainers and “see unbelievable animals from all around the world,” said Columbus Zoo President & CEO Tom Stalf. Adventure Cove, additionally, will let guests observe training, demonstrations and presentations with the sea lions.
For more information, visit columbuszoo.org/adventure-cove.
All photos by Taijuan Moorman