An $18.1 million expansion and improvement project planned at Blank Park Zoo will include a new habitat for lions and other animals native to Africa as well as a new exhibit area called Wild Iowa that will include river otters, eagles and bobcats.

The project, the largest in the zoo’s history, will also include the addition of mechanical functions that will allow the zoo to make salt water for the sea lion and otter exhibit and others. The ability to make sea water will reduce the zoo’s water consumption by up to 30 million gallons a year, said Anne Shimerdla, the zoo’s president and CEO.

Design plans for the project were approved today by Des Moines’ Urban Design Review Board. Construction could begin yet this year, with all of the proposed improvements completed by the end of 2026, Shimerdla said.

Specifics of the planned improvements and expansion include:

• Relocating the lions from the zoo’s big cat exhibits to the Jaama Kwa area in the eastern part of the facility. An addition will be put on an existing building that currently houses ostriches. The new lion habitat will be about three times larger than the space they currently are in, Shimerdla said. The building expansion will also provide a larger housing area for the red river hogs and will include new facilities for zookeepers.
• Adding an interactive viewing experience of the lions that includes a recycled airplane. The plane will be split in half. The front end, including its wings, will serve as a climbing feature for the lions. The other half of the plane will be a climbing feature for the zoo’s young visitors. Protective glass will serve as a barrier between the lions and guests.
• Constructing two viewing platforms for guests to have elevated views of the lion habitat.
• Constructing a life safety systems building in the middle part of the zoo that will house mechanical functions including the production of salt water.
• Replacing the existing building that houses the seals and sea lions. A new building will include housing for the seals and sea lions as well as eagles and other birds. The building will include administrative offices for zookeepers. Also planned is an outdoor bird enclosure for a larger eagle habitat and viewing area.
• Adding a Discovery Cabin that will be part of a new Wild Iowa exhibit area. The area will include bobcat nesting and enhanced indoor viewing for both bobcats and river otters.
• Making improvements to the butterfly sensory garden.

Blank Park Zoo is located on nearly 50 acres at 7401 S.W. Ninth St. in Des Moines. The facility opened in 1966 as a small children’s zoo. The zoo closed at the end of the 1982 season, reopening in 1986 with naturally landscaped themed areas and a wider variety of exhibits. The zoo now has 104 different animal species, according to its website.

The addition of the life safety building is a key part of the zoo’s improvement project, Shimerdla said. Currently, the zoo uses about 150,000 gallons of water a week in the seals and sea lions’ pool. Each week, the water is drained, the pool is cleaned and new water is added.

“The new life support system will allow us to filter the water versus dumping and refilling the tank,” Shimerdla said. After the reclaimed water is filtered, salt will be added before returning it to the pool.

The salt water “will be much better for the welfare of the animals, especially their skin and eyes,” Shimerdla said.

After the lions move to their new space, the tiger exhibit will be enlarged and the viewing area expanded, Shimerdla said.

The zoo has been raising money to pay for the expansion and improvement project. About 70% of the funds — about $12.6 million — has been raised. The zoo foundation, which oversees the facility’s operations, plans to launch a public fundraising campaign for the project in the coming weeks, Shimerdla said.