Lost Kingdom Exhibit Now Open at Tulsa Zoo
OPENING EVENT: Tulsa City Councilor Phil Lakin looks at the ribbon after it was cut to open the Lost Kingdom Exhibit. To Lakin’s left are Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum and Tulsa City Councilor David Patrick.
GTR Newspapers Photo
The Tulsa Zoo hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony at its newest exhibit, the Lost Kingdom, on May 31.
This $21 million exhibit replaces the existing over 50-year-old tiger and snow leopard facilities with updated, naturalistic homes. The new habitats include enrichment elements, demonstration areas and year-round viewing opportunities for some of Asia’s most endangered species.
The Lost Kingdom is an example of the benefits of the public-private partnership between the City of Tulsa, which owns the zoo, and Tulsa Zoo Management, Inc., the nonprofit organization that operates and raises funds for the facility. , through generous private donors, funded more than three-fourths of the cost of the new exhibit. To honor the partnership with the city, Mayor G.T. Bynum helped zoo officials cut the ribbon at this new exhibit.
The Lost Kingdom Exhibit highlights rare animals from Asia. Animals exhibiting include Malayan tigers, snow leopards and Komodo dragons. The Helmerich Foundation made the lead gift to fund the zoo’s new tiger exhibit. In honor of the gift, the Tulsa Zoo named the new facility Lost Kingdom: The Helmerich Tiger Exhibit, part of the Lost Kingdom complex. In addition to the Helmerich Foundation’s gift, the Hardesty Family Foundation also generously pledged a donation to the Lost Kingdom complex. The Hardesty Family Foundation made a contribution as the lead gift for the new snow leopard facility, Lost Kingdom: The Hardesty Snow Leopard Habitat. This new exhibit provides the zoo’s snow leopards a state-of-the-art enclosure, while allowing guests to see the highly endangered animals up close.
The Tulsa Zoo is grateful for the support of those who made this project possible: Helmerich Trust; City of Tulsa taxpayers through Improve Our Tulsa; George Kaiser Family Foundation; Hardesty Family Foundation; Lobeck Taylor Family Foundation; The Ann and Jack Graves Foundation; The Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation; H.A. and Mary K. Chapman Charitable Trust; Suzanne and Jim Kneale Family Foundation; Bank of Oklahoma; The Grace and Franklin Bernsen Foundation; Lynn and Barbara Owens; Hille Foundation; Founders of Doctors’ Hospital, Inc.; E.L. and Thelma Gaylord Foundation; Frank and Gayle Eby; Williams; Hannah and Joe Robson; Bailey Family; Great Plains Coca-Cola; Alma and Nick Robson Foundation; Stuart Family Foundation; Harold and Edna White Foundation; The Mervin Bovaird Foundation; and William S. Smith.
Updated 06-17-2017
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