The Potawatomi Zoo is expanding to include a habitat for some endangered big cats, drawing officials to a groundbreaking ceremony today.
The zoo is calling its latest capital project Big Cat Tracks, an enclosure housing rare Amur leopards and tigers from Asia on two acres of former park land on the zoo’s southeast corner.
The zoo already has a female Amur tiger. The expansion will let it add a male for breeding, and to create an immersive experience, it will also bring other Eurasian species to the zoo, like Sika deer, tufted deer, and white-naped cranes.
It will cost about $5.5 million. The zoo has raised $3.5 million in private donations, they expect another $1 million in a state grant, and they’ll continue fund-raising for the final million dollars over the next year and a half.
“We’ve been blown away by the support of our donors and the community partners," says Zoo Development Director Margie Anella. "The city has been a phenomenal partner with us in trying to work on parking lot issues, and recognizing that traffic flow and parking is part of growth.”
Anella says the tigers should be able to move into the facility in fall 2026 and the zoo likely will have a grand opening in March 2027.
