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Brandywine Zoo Plans Major Expansion

brandywine zoo website

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) - The Brandywine Zoo is planning a $9 million to $10 million expansion with a new rain forest center.

Officials also announced Thursday that they are adding red pandas to the state-owned zoo. Officials say panda sisters arrived this week and will be introduced this summer. Officials also unveiled a home for two bald eagles.

Director Gene Peacock says the rain forest will transform the zoo from an in-state favorite into a regional magnet. Fundraising for the project is in the planning stages.

While the commissary was rebuilt after a tree fell on it last summer, Peacock says the monkey house was too damaged by a downed tree to be saved. Monkeys are expected to return to exhibition this summer once a short-term habitat is complete.

Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.