The Dallas Zoo is preparing for its biggest transformation yet, with plans to bring massive penguin colonies, flamingo encounters and eventually rhinos and cheetahs to a sprawling new safari-style experience.
The first phase of the zoo’s large-scale redevelopment effort, known as Wild Horizons, is expected to break ground later this year, a Dallas Zoo spokesperson confirmed to Chron on Wednesday.
“The Zoo’s current Wild Horizons capital campaign is the most ambitious undertaking in its history-a $119 million, multi-phased effort that will transform the Zoo into a leading destination for conservation, education, and community connection,” Kari Streiber, vice president of marketing and communications for the Dallas Zoo, said.
At the heart of the effort is the Safari Trail-a ten-acre immersive setting that officials say reimagines underutilized land on campus with dynamic habitats and hands-on learning environments.
A $26 million project will launch the first phase of the safari-esque experience, according to a recent filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. The development includes construction of five unique buildings totaling 13,217 square feet, featuring a 5,160-square-foot cafe, a 1,762-square-foot covered canopy, a 3,046-square-foot space for penguins, a 2,721-square-foot space for flamingos and a 528-square-foot viewing shelter.
“Guests will encounter African penguins and lesser flamingos in thoughtfully designed, immersive settings,” Streiber said. “The all-new penguin habitat will feature one of the largest flocks in the nation and offer multiple opportunities for close observation.”
Nearby, the full-flight lesser flamingo habitat will be designed to feel like a natural estuary, giving visitors an up-close look at the birds in an open setting. The new cafe and event space will be the centerpiece of a new plaza between the two habitats, with another encounter area allowing groups to engage in hands-on learning and conservation led by zoologists and interpretive staff.
Construction is expected to kick off this October and last through March 2028, according to the filing.
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A rendering of the African Shorelines penguin underwater viewing exhibit proposed for the Dallas Zoo. (Dallas Zoo)
A broader multimillion-dollar expansion
In December 2025, the Dallas City Council approved a development agreement pushing the Dallas Zoo’s Safari Habitat Trail project forward, backed by $30 million in voter-approved 2024 bond funds. The Dallas Zoo agreed to raise at least $70 million in remaining funds through private sources for design, development and construction costs, according to the resolution.
“I’m very excited, personally, as a family that goes to the zoo regularly,” Councilmember Chad West said at the meeting. “The Safari Trail is a major new attraction that’s going to be funded through this and will activate several additional acres of campus that are currently underutilized.”
The exterior of the Dallas Zoo’s new guest parking garage located at 725 S. Ewing Ave in Dallas. The parking garage officially opened to the public in March, 2026. (The Dallas Morning News/Hearst N/The Dallas Morning News via Gett)
Reactivating 15 acres
The project is intended to reactivate 15 acres of city parkland in a half-mile, safari-like experience, according to the zoo website. In addition to the recent filing, the broader project will ultimately feature a return of the rhinos, create a new home for cheetahs, an event space and an Elephant Great Room, which will provide a temperature-controlled, enclosed space for the facility’s growing herd.
Plans for the multimillion-dollar overhaul date back at least several years. In February 2024, Dallas City Council members expressed strong support for the project as a means of increasing zoo attendance, stature and competition with the Fort Worth Zoo, according to NBC DFW.
The Safari Trails exhibit would reportedly be a new home for 24 species and include the only rhino and cheetah mixed species habitat in the U.S., according to WFAA. The funding will also support the creation of a full-time, nature-based pre-school known as Wild Earth Discovery Center and ongoing security upgrades.
A new 580-space parking garage, a five-story structure included in the project funding, officially opened in March, according to The Dallas Morning News.
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This article originally published at Massive safari-esque attraction to break ground at Dallas Zoo.