Zoo Tampa at Lowry Park Lowry Park Zoo News 2009-2011

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Lowry Park Zoo opens the new Safari Lodge, finally filling the central hole in the Africa region of the zoo.

New Safari Events Lodge Opens At Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo
By Rachel Nelson

Tampa, FL - Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo is introducing its new 17,000 square-foot Bank of America Safari Lodge, a distinctive climate-controlled events facility designed to accommodate private parties and functions, special events, meeting space, sit-down dining and quick service food alternatives. The zoo is currently taking reservations for day or evening private events including holiday parties, weddings, corporate workshops or gatherings, social functions, Super Bowl parties and more. Daytime restaurant and food court operations will be available during peak visitation periods (which will including holidays, spring break and zoo events).

A $1 million gift from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation provided the momentum for the zoo to begin construction of the Safari Lodge earlier this year. The striking exterior features South African-inspired architecture, with an interior designed to “bring the outside in” by incorporating an African village into the décor.

“Opening the Safari Lodge represents a successful public-private partnership between the City of Tampa, Hillsborough County, and committed individuals and businesses,” said Craig Pugh, zoo deputy director. “This investment leverages public funds to maximum benefit, improves the zoo’s business capacity to be self-sustaining, and helps to stabilize annual operations. This facility is designed to enhance our capacity to run our business by allowing us to accommodate a much greater variety of events, previously turned away due to the lack of climate-controlled space.”

Constructed in the center of the zoo’s Safari Africa habitat area, the facility offers a serene setting with views of giraffes, zebras, elephants and other animals, while also offering the latest technology in audio/visual capabilities as well as wireless Internet. The zoo offers full catering services to complement events with an onsite executive chef who will prepare customized menus.

Within the Lodge, a “Great Hall” offers 11,000 square-feet of dining/meeting space to accommodate up to 1,000 guests depending on various set-up options. The ceiling, towering more than 23 feet at its tallest point, is adorned with vibrant African tapestries and energy-efficient lighting (LEDs) to offer 1,600 color combinations to suit any theme.

An elevated annex of approximately 3,000 square feet, known as Reilly’s Reserve, offers views of African animal exhibits. The Reserve is named after the Reilly family in Swaziland, Africa, who helped to establish three national parks for wildlife conservation. When utilized as a sit-down restaurant during peak visitation periods, the menu will offer a variety of seasonal and inspired dishes such as tequila-citrus pork shanks, passion fruit-mango shrimp and Serengeti beef. Adjacent to the Reserve, a small, private “green room” is designed to offer privacy for an event’s guest of honor, keynote speaker or bride.

The Lodge will also offer several quick-service and casual dining options under three concepts for tasty take-away food, including: Cheetah’s Chicken & Chow, carver style sandwiches/meals; Palotta Pasta, an Italian bistro; and Swazi Scoops, a gourmet ice creamery.

The new Safari Lodge is part of the zoo’s master plan for full development of the 11-acre Safari Africa habitat area. The Lodge complex includes the existing Swazi Plaza (2004), meerkat exhibit (2005) and public restrooms (2005). The architect for the Lodge is Elements Architects & Interior Designers, and the general contractor is Cutler Associates, Inc. For rental inquiries, please contact Marcela Galdames, Sales Manager, at Marcela.Galdames@LowryParkZoo.com or 813-935-8552 ext. 421.

Expansion of the Safari Africa habitat area, including the Safari Lodge complex, was made possible by CIT (Community Investment Tax) funds approved by the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners. The zoo also acknowledges with gratitude major sources of funding that made this project possible: Bank of America; State of Florida Division of Cultural Affairs, Cultural Facilities Program; The Ferman Community Partnership; Bill and Kellie Blanchard; Triad Foundation; Crowell and Joann Dawkins; John and Susan Touchton; and Jeld-Wen Foundation.
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Koalas will be this year's new big exhibit at the Lowry Park Zoo:

Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo will welcome another Australian favorite – the Queensland koala – to Wallaroo Station this summer! The new koala exhibit, currently under construction, will add Tampa to a select list of accredited zoos where visitors can see this amazing animal. Stay tuned to the Zoo’s Facebook and Twitter pages for opening dates and activities.
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Made a recent visit and took some notes:

*Female okapi pregnant and due to birth later this year.
*The Safari ride drives guest through some off-display paddocks (well then i guess they really arent off-display then) that house male giraffes, blesbok, waterbuck, sable, ostrich and crowned cranes.
*The zoo's last gerenuk died recently
*The zoo also recently lost its royal antelope breeding male. The newest calf was a male, leaving the zoo with 1.2
*Malayan Flying Fox have replaced the Rodriquez Fruit Bats in Wallaroo Station (since my last visit 2006)
*Mauritius Pink Pigeons are housed in the Fox Squirrel pen in the Florida area.
*Once the legal issues of the Striped Hyenas are settled and premenantly confiscated, the zoo will build a seperate enclosure for the species.
 
According to rumours on the german zoo forum, a Shoebill stork has hatched at Lowry somewhere over Christmas. I haven't been able to confirm this second recorded breeding in captivity in the world just yet, can anyone here?
 
Thanks for that Jwer, very interesting, will have to keep tabs on this one.
 
jwer said:
According to rumours on the german zoo forum, a Shoebill stork has hatched at Lowry somewhere over Christmas. I haven't been able to confirm this second recorded breeding in captivity in the world just yet, can anyone here?
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I went a few weeks ago and a keeper was out watching the the shoebills in the aviary and said he was on watch for the egg to hatch. It hadn't hatch before I left the zoo.
 
With Sdudla now in the mix, and the zoo looking for a new home for Tamani, I'm assuming they are going to breed Ellie, Martjeka, and Mbali? Hope so, these animals are all increasingly valuable to the population!
 
The zoo's wallaby joeys are doing fine. Jahi the baby male Indian Rhinoceros is now on exhibit. The zoo is now home to a Phillipine Crocodile in the Florida Wildlife Center exhibit.
 
I went to this zoo for the first time in February. I thought I could start a thread about news from Lowry Park.
On October 1st, the zoo is celebrating the debut of 2 clouded leopard cubs that arrived from Nashville Zoo. The celebration will include music from Radio Disney AM 1380, games, prizes, and more.
A juvenile male manatee that arrived at the zoo’s manatee hospital has been sent back to the Suwannee River.
The male Indian Rhino calf Jahi is doing well at over 2 months.
The zoo has started its annual Halloween event, ZooBoo, tonight.
The penguin chicks are doing fine.
That’s all I know. Feel free to post any information you know.
 
Home zoo!! <3 I went back in July,again. Finally, could see the cheetahs after something like 4 trips. The bridge over the key deer is finished and the cranes had been moved back to their original location with the addition to a micro pond that is only half a foot deep maybe. But they loved it in the Florida heat. If i remember right I think this form has individual zoo forms..... somewhere.

If you live in tampa, FL area then check this out to for the Florida aquarium! remember the south African penguin's for their discussion that never had a public exhibit? Looks like part of the expansion will be to give them their own area and this time... we get to view them. The Florida Aquarium - Tampa Bay

 
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According to ISIS there is only one Koala (on loan) left at Lowry Park Zoo. But on the new internet zoomap, Koalas are no longer listed/marked.
So does anybody know what it going on? Is the last specimen still on show, behind the scenes or is the loan period over and it is sent back where it came from?
Thanks in advance for your reply.
 
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