Magnetic Hill Zoo hopes to create multi-million dollar African safari-themed expansion
At Moncton’s Magnetic Hill Zoo, there’s no shortage of things to see. From omnivores to herbivores, the zoo draws in hundreds of thousands of people every year.
The director of the zoo, Jill Marvin, hopes to create an even bigger draw by adding an African safari-themed expansion.
"We'll have African black-footed penguins in a new exhibit, then they will go off into the large Africa area, we have new habitats going up for our meerkats, for our tortoise...so that's phase one," says Marvin.
Marvin says phase one is estimated at $7.6 million and the goal is to have it completed by 2024.
“Sixty per cent of that is providing suitable habitats for our animals,” said Marvin.
The zoo is looking to collaborate with the city, and the federal and provincial governments, on the project.
On Monday, Moncton city council directed staff to gather further information, including an economic impact study, preliminary design, and detailed cost estimates, to be brought back during the upcoming 2022 budget deliberations.
“They understand how this is a value to our region, it’s a value to tourism, to our social pillar, and a great opportunity for people to get outdoors,” says Marvin.
If approved, it would allow the zoo to expand and renovate current animal exhibits, while adding new exhibits for species like penguins and meerkats.
Over time, the project would include additional indoor habitats for animals that can’t be exposed to colder temperatures, which will also extend the number of months that the zoo can be open.
The second phase is estimated to cost $11.2 million and has several elements, including providing the flamingos and otters with new habitats. Marvin says they’d like to see that completed by 2027.
“It will give an opportunity for our visitors to go out into some of our enclosures with our herbivores.”
Marvin says the third phase will include a new events building and exhibits to house red river hogs and a giraffe.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.