Brandywine Zoo unveils $13 million master plan to win back visitors

A new Brandywine Zoo "master plan" would expand the current facility with 17 new exhibits, including ones for otters and eagles, as well as add a new animal hospital, a quarantine facility and a new entrance.

It would include touches such as a children's slide through the otter exhibit and an area where children can feed flamingos.

"That's a visceral experience you won't get in a book," said Zoo Director Brint Spencer.

If funded, the project could take a decade and cost between $10 and $13 million, but the master plan was the first step toward asking for money from donors and sponsors, Spencer said.

The zoo's goal is to differentiate itself within a competitive region and to stem the loss of visitors, who have declined 28 percent in two years. 

The Brandywine Zoo competes with the Philadelphia Zoo, which is almost four times the size, Baltimore's National Aquarium and Camden, New Jersey's Adventure Aquarium, which are all within 75 miles of the Wilmington facility.

The zoo's attendance plunged from 75,474 in 2012 to 54,319 in 2016 after the loss of two major exhibits. In 2013, a tree fell on the monkey house and in 2017 the zoo's tiger was relocated to the Bronx Zoo. Admission numbers were not available for 2017.

"We have a lot of competition," Spencer said. "We want to do things that are going to be unique."

The public can see the plans and comment on them Thursday, June 14 at the Brandywine Zoo Education Center, 1001 North Park Drive, when the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control holds an open house from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The zoo is part of Brandywine State Park and sits near the Brandywine River in Wilmington.

The first phase of the plan, which is estimated to cost $3 million, will be 50 percent funded through a federal grant, and 50 percent through state bond bill rehabilitation funds. The Delaware Zoological Society, the fundraising arm of the Brandywine Zoo, is now conducting a study to determine whether there is philanthropic support for the second phase.

If so, the group will seek private donors to fund the second phase, which is estimated to cost $7 million to $10 million.

"We are really excited that there is this type of support from the state," said Mike Allen, the executive director of the Delaware Zoological Society.

Allen noted that many city and county operated zoos are moving toward a model in which half of their funding comes from the government and the other half comes through private donations.

The expansion would make use of open land between the zoo and West 18th Street, as well as demolish existing exhibits.

If the master plan is approved, a new eagle exhibit eventually would replace the existing "Eagle Ridge," and zoo organizers have proposed adding hyenas.

Construction of the animal hospital and a quarantine facility would allow the zoo to support its increased population of animals by separating and expanding the two facilities.

Right now, new animals take space in the hospital while being evaluated for safety concerns before being added to the collection. 

While many zoos are moving toward open habitats for animals, the Brandywine Zoo's display capabilities are limited by its size and hilly terrain. Exhibits in the master plan are larger than those that exist now, but instead of wide vistas, the Brandywine Zoo will try to focus on more intimate experiences. 

"Animal welfare is a primary concern," Spencer said. "We had to pick animals that fit our topography. We are not going to have African exotic animals."

Even if the master plan isn't fully funded, the zoo is adding a goat feeding area, starting at the end of 2018. It will take the place of the current otter exhibit.

The last significant project came 17 years ago, when a condor exhibit, gift shop, commissary, restrooms and an education pavilion were constructed. Then, construction costs reached about $1 million.

The zoo, which opened in 1905, hasn't constructed a new exhibit since the tamarin exhibit was introduced three years ago. Prior to that no exhibits had been constructed for 15 years.

In 2014 after the Monkey House was crushed, the zoo announced a $9 million to $10 million expansion plan, headlined by a jaguar exhibit and focus on rainforests. That project was tabled due to a lack of funding.

Phase one of the proposed new master plan, which would include the goat petting area, the quarantine facility, a new exhibit and play zone and other small upgrades, is slated to begin the design process in 2018. Construction for that section is scheduled to be completed in 2020.

All other announced projects, which make up phase two, have staggered target opening dates between 2021 and 2026, although Spencer said construction could take longer. The zoo also has plans to expand guest walkways, build service roads and develop new exhibits beyond the time frame of the master plan. 

To learn more

WHAT: DNREC open house about Brandywine Zoo master plan

WHEN: 4 p.m.-7 p.m. Thursday, June 14

WHERE: Brandywine Zoo Education Center, 1001 North Park Drive, Wilmington

IF YOU GO

WHAT: The Brandywine Zoo

WHERE: 1001 North Park Drive, Wilmington

WHEN: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. daily

ADMISSION: $7, adults; $5, ages 3-17 years and seniors

What's in the master plan?

Phase One

Goat area, to be finished 2019

Quarantine facility, to be finished 2020

New exhibit and play zone, to be finished 2020

Phase Two

New animal hospital, to be finished 2021

Entry exhibit and upgraded entry, to be finished 2022

New otter and eagle exhibits, to be finished 2023

Lower level animal exhibits, to be finished 2024

Herpetarium, to be finished 2026

BRANDYWINE ZOO

Kids get a surprise meeting with a giant bunny, porcupine at the zoo

Brandywine Zoo will lose Zhanna the tiger

Contact Brandon Holveck at bholveck@delawareonline.com.