Construction has begun to convert the former Sea Lion Sound Exhibit at Turtle Back Zoo into a new island habitat for endangered lemurs.<\/p>\n
The $3.9 million project aims to create a \u201cdynamic centerpiece exhibit\u201d that will help protect one of the world\u2019s most endangered mammals, county officials said.<\/p>\n
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, lemurs face a critical threat, with up to 90% of all species potentially facing extinction in the wild within 20 to 25 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile we were disappointed to close the Sea Lion Sound, we do believe the lemurs will become the new dynamic centerpiece at Turtle Back Zoo,\u201d Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr. said in a statement. <\/p>\n
The existing pool will be transformed with rockwork and landscaping to resemble the rocky beach to forest landscape where lemurs are naturally found. <\/p>\n
A mesh enclosure will cover the exhibit and interior animal holding areas will be adapted for the exhibit\u2019s new residents. Viewing areas for the public will be expanded.<\/p>\n
Jillian Fazio, director of Essex County Turtle Back Zoo, emphasized the project\u2019s alignment with the zoo\u2019s conservation mission. <\/p>\n
\u201cAs an AZA accredited zoo, preserving the biodiversity of our natural world is one of our primary missions,\u201d she said in a statement. \u201cThis new habitat will provide an opportunity to highlight partnerships we have created over the past several years to support efforts to save these species.\u201d<\/p>\n
The project\u2019s funding comes from a $1 million allocation from the Essex County Capital Budget and a $2.7 million grant from the Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund Advisory Board. <\/p>\n
French and Parrello from Wall will design the exhibit for $199,500, while AB Contracting from Wharton will handle construction for $3,707,974.<\/p>\n
The zoo relocated its remaining sea lion to another Association of Zoos and Aquariums facility last summer after determining the existing habitat no longer met current standards for marine mammal care.<\/p>\n
Turtle Back Zoo is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Adult admission is $22, with reduced rates for seniors and children.<\/p>\n
* * *<\/p>\n
Submit Essex County community news to essex@njadvancemedia.com<\/a>. <\/p>\n Questions about this post may be directed to Linda O\u2019Brien at lobrien@njadvancemedia.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2014\u2014\u2014<\/p>\n Generative AI was used to produce an initial draft of this story, which was reviewed and edited by NJ Advance Media staff.<\/p>\n If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement<\/a> and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and\/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Construction has begun to convert the former Sea Lion Sound Exhibit at Turtle Back Zoo into a new…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":144650,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[192,79],"class_list":{"0":"post-144649","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-environment","8":"tag-environment","9":"tag-science"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144649","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=144649"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144649\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/144650"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=144649"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=144649"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=144649"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}