Indy zoo to undergo renovation

INDIANAPOLIS -- Memorial Day weekend is an exciting time for Indianapolis -- not just for folks who watch racers zoom around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for 500 miles. The Indianapolis Zoo is also seeing action that will last long past Sunday afternoon. \nThe Zoo has a new rhino exhibit and is planning an ambitious $90-million expansion that could include a revamped dolphin pavilion and a spacious primate exhibit. \nMonday marks the official unveiling of the Zoo's newest attraction, southern white rhinos. The rhinos -- a male and two females -- arrived in Indy from the Fort Worth (Texas) Zoo in late April. They live in the Zoo's former African elephant exhibit, which was modified to fit their special needs. The rhinos spent 30 days in quarantine in their exhibit's indoor holding area and have spent the past few weeks getting accustomed to the outside area. They're now ready for the public.\nAs part of the debut, the Zoo will hand out rhino tattoos to its first 1,000 visitors Monday, said Sarah Hahn, the Zoo's special events and advertising manager. \n"We usually plan bigger things and lots of activities with grand openings, but this year we're just really focusing on the exhibit," Hahn said. "The exhibit is really cool."\nPart of this is due to a suspended rope bridge that leads visitors to an observation point in the middle of the rhino area, allowing guests to get closer to the animals than they would if they were standing behind a fence, Hahn said. \nAlso, to honor the nation's servicemen and women for Memorial Day, Zoo admission is free Monday for members of the U.S. military. Current, former and retired members of any branch of service, including the Coast Guard, will be admitted to the Zoo and the nearby White River Gardens, a 3-acre botanical park, said Curt Brantingham, public relations assistant. To waive the admissions cost, the person must present a military identification card at the admissions window.\nJudy Gagen, the Zoo's spokesperson, said she doesn't know if this free admission will increase attendance, but she said this isn't the Zoo's goal. She said it simply wants to honor the nation's military. \nBut the Zoo could use increased attendance and revenue for the weekend, Gagen said. It plans to undergo a $90-million expansion that could begin next year if the necessary funds arrive. Some of this money will cover odds and ends such as renovating, repairing and updating current facilities. \n"There's probably 100 little things that need to be done inside this plan," Gagen said. "They're not necessarily great big things, but all kinds of smaller things."\nBut the plan does have lofty proposals. A large portion of the money is slated to revamp the dolphin pavilion, which will include constructing an underwater observation tube through the dolphin pool. The current pavilion has windows through which guests can watch the dolphins, but the tube will let visitors observe the creatures undulate and play from all views. \n"It would be like one of those shark tubes you see, but much cooler," Gagen said.\nThe renovation also could include a large primate facility that would bring gorillas to the Zoo for the first time. There are no current plans as to where the exhibit would be built. \nThe renovations for the dolphin pavilion will begin next year, and everything else should be completed within the next ten years if the project runs on schedule, Gagen said. \nThe Zoo hopes not to increase admission costs, but there are too many variables to tell this early, she said.