The general public got to see the official opening of the state-of-the-art Manatee River at the Jacksonville Zoo and Botanical Gardens.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Friday marked a big day for Jacksonville Zoo and Botanical Gardens, as the state-of-the-art manatee habitat officially opened to the public.
The place was buzzing for the grand opening of the new “rezoovenation” project, with the public getting their first look of the manatees.
People from all over poured in to see the $70 million project finally complete.
The new manatee river habitat holds over 300,000 gallons of water—designed to rescue, rehabilitate, and release manatees. The habitat can also hold up to 20 manatees at a time; however, only three are in the water right now.
Members of the public and local leaders were in attendance to see the manatee river and zoo entrance, such as Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan.
“I just think they’re so adorable, but I was especially attracted to Cullen, he’s the one that constantly has lettuce in his mouth and the fact that this shines a light on the importance of conservation and education—It’s just really important,” Deegan said.
The Jacksonville Zoo opened at 9 a.m. on Friday morning; the first 10 people in line got a free behind-the-scenes look at the manatee facility, and the first 100 guests got free zoo merchandise.