New, improved animal exhibits open at Great Plains Zoo

The black bears are back, and the bobcat has arrived.

The Great Plains Zoo & Delbridge Museum of Natural History has opened its new and expanded exhibits for the season.

The centerpiece is a newly expanded and renovated black bear exhibit, which modernizes a 1960s-era building into a more naturalized home for the zoo’s three black bears.

“It allows us to have more flexibility to manage the three we have, because Charlie, our older male, does not always get along well with the younger ladies. The younger ladies pick on him,” CEO Becky Dewitz said.

The new design separates Charlie from Jenny and Marshmallow and allows each indoor-outdoor access.

All three are rescues, meaning they likely got into situations in the wild that could have caused human conflict — think campgrounds or backyard issues.

The new exhibit also adds a glass viewing area so visitors have a better view of the bears, enhanced climbing structures for the animals and other upgrades.

Inside, “we did a full renovation of their holding areas, or bedroom spaces,” Dewitz added.

This project was designed with TSP for architecture and engineering services. Journey Construction was the general contractor. Additionally, Sioux Falls-based artist Zach DeBoer painted the woodland mural along the exhibit’s back wall.

A newly acquired bobcat also is out on display in his new home at the zoo.

Bobby the bobcat was being kept illegally as a pet when he came to the zoo as a rescue.

“We bonded really well, and we decided to keep him and build him an exhibit,” Dewitz said.

The bobcat takes the place of a former anteater exhibit.

Earlier this summer, the zoo opened a new Americas exhibit in the former Creepy Crawlers building not far from the Asian cat exhibit. It features animals from North, Central and South Americas, including an armadillo, bats, red-tailed boas, a black and white tegu, and a Gila monster.

Next up: lions.

The zoo is working through design and plans to be ready for bidding the project later this year, with construction next year and a 2024 opening.