Officially opened to public on 22 June, the eight acre area took 18 months to build and three years to plan and will be home to 14 African species of mammals, birds and reptiles. Overall, 50 new animals will be added, including lions, wild dogs and hyena.

Visitors to the Predator Ridge will be able to observe lions and multiple species habitats from a path that winds through rock outcroppings and landscaping, designed to mimic east Africa.

The $27.5m Predator Ridge is part of the zoo’s $125m Millennium Masterplan, which was secured after voters approved a bond initiative of $62.5m back in 1999.

President, Clayton Freihet, said: “This project is only possible through the support of our community. Thanks to this support, our lions will have a much more spacious habitat and our visitors will have an enhanced viewing and learning experience.”

Playing a part in the learning progress is the interactive discovery centre, Pahali Ya Simba.

Visitors to the centre will be able to view scenes of animals from within the Samburu Game Reserve in Kenya on plasma television screens.

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