Zoo offers first look at giraffe enhancement project, Delbridge update

Improvements to the giraffe habitat could be on the way to the Great Plains Zoo as soon as next year.

The zoo offered a first look at what CEO Becky Dewitz called a “high-level concept” to offer a larger space for the giraffes and an improved area for public feeding.

In addition to a more desirable habitat for the giraffes, the improved exhibition would generate more revenue for the zoo by allowing to expand feeding — which is an additional cost to visitor.

“My favorite thing about this would be that people would be able to see the giraffes when they’re at the splash pad, so it’s really bringing the giraffes to the heart of the zoo,” Dewitz said.

The zoo plans to request some funding through the city’s capital improvement program for 2027, she said.

The giraffe habitat has been identified as an area with “continued concerns” by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums “so we wanted to get ahead of that,” she said, adding that the project reflects part of the zoo’s larger master plan goal and helps the zoo continue to achieve accreditation.

The zoo is moving ahead on construction of the new Butterfly House on the zoo campus and is continuing to fundraiser in support of the new aquarium there. About $47 million has been raised and once $50 million is raised, the zoo can access a $10 million contribution from Denny Sanford. In all, there’s about $6.5 million left to fundraise before starting construction, hopefully in early 2027, Dewitz said.

That would allow the aquarium to open in 2029.

The buildout takes the place of space that used to hold the Delbridge Museum of Natural History. Fresh Produce is producing a documentary for the zoo about the collection, which was a condition of the Sioux Falls City Council’s vote to transfer most of the specimens to other facilities.

“They also did a lot of extensive research as it relates to the history of the collection and talking to people in the community,” Dewitz said.

The goal is for the documentary to be done in September.

The giant panda from the collection is currently at George Dante Studios in New Jersey. George Dante is a taxidermist, sculptor and naturalist who focuses on specialized museum services, blended with sculpture, painting, sewing, and storytelling.