Jaguar Cove — Fact Sheet
A warm, sandy shoreline. The harmonious sounds of birds and falling water. A lush, light-dappled forest. A freshwater pool for one of the feline world's most impressive swimmers. Woodland Park Zoo will transport visitors to the tropical world of the largest cat in the Western Hemisphere: the jaguar (Panthera onca).
The naturalistic exhibit will represent the lush, dense rain forests of Central and South America, the jaguar's natural habitat. As visitors pass below a fallen giant buttressed tree, they may observe the jaguar padding silently on the forest floor, balancing on the trunk of a downed tree, climbing a large rock or fishing. A nearby research tent will represent the work station of a multidisciplinary team of botanists, entomologists, cultural anthropologists, and researchers learning about jaguars and their habitat.
As visitors depart the shoreline of the jaguar's environment, they will continue through the award-winning, 2.5-acre Tropical Rain Forest, which opened in 1992. Home to the greatest concentration of plant and animal species at the zoo, nearly 70 animal and more than 680 plant species represent African, and Central and South American rain forests. From the forest floor to the understory to the canopy, visitors encounter ocelots, poison dart frogs, snakes and birds in a beautiful, indoor environment. The outdoor loop features lemurs, two African monkey species and two western lowland gorilla groups.
The new Jaguar Cove is a part of the zoo's Long-Range Plan (LRP), which generated world-renowned recognition for its revolutionary landscape exhibits. The zoo's capital improvement projects continue to fulfil the zoo's vision of replacing its remaining old-fashioned exhibits with enriched, naturalistic environments for animals such as the jaguar, tiger and Asian bear species.
Opening: June 28, 2003
Location: Entry to Woodland Park ZooÕs award-winning Tropical Rain Forest near the West Gate at N. 55th St. & Phinney Ave. N.
Size: 3,850 square feet
Project Cost: $4.3 million. Generous gifts from the Kreielsheimer Foundation (in honor of Greye M. Kreielsheimer), The Estate of Julia (Millie) Albee, D.V. & Ida McEachern Charitable Trust, Mylo and Marion Charlston, an anonymous gift, HomeStreet Bank and the Williams family (to honor Walter and Marie Williams), and Jeff Sanderson and Mich Mathews have helped make this exhibit possible.
Designer: The Portico Group (Seattle)
General Contractor: Synergy Construction Inc. (Woodinville, WA)
Project Manager: Linda J. Sullivan, Woodland Park Zoo