City Council approves $28 million for massive Dallas Zoo Safari Trails project

The useful part

Council approved the first $28 million Wednesday for a $100 million renovation at the Dallas Zoo, clearing the way for the largest capital project in the zoo's history. Dallas Zoo CEO Lisa New said the investment will transform the zoo's African wildlife habitat and the visitor experience for years to come. The project, called Safari Trails, will be built in three phases over four years.

How it works

• The first phase, African Shorelines, will transform the area that has housed African penguins and cheetahs into an interactive, immersive habitat for penguins.
• Most of the zoo's African penguins will spend more than a year at a sister zoo in Waco during construction, while a few will remain in Dallas.
• Dallas City Councilmember Cara Mendelsohn expressed support for the project while also raising concerns about the extent of the city's financial support for the zoo as Dallas faces tighter budgets.
• "It is not sustainable for us to fund 36% of their budget,' Mendelsohn said.
• "We need to put folks on notice saying, this is not going to continue." New said the zoo understands the city is facing tighter budgets and will do everything it can to be a good partner.

What to take from it

"We've got a series of wonderful capital projects to keep our community wanting to come back again and again," New said. AI tools helped convert the story into a digital article, and an NBC DFW journalist edited it again before pu...

Details worth keeping

Dallas voters approved $30 million for Safari Trails two years ago. This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC DFW.