Minnesota Zoo plans new visitor center; meerkats moving

The Minnesota Zoo’s renovation and expansion project will mean a new home for its meerkats.

The zoo said Monday it will remove the meerkat exhibit to make room for construction of a “Forest Adventure Playground.” The play area will feature sculptures, suspension bridges and other features. It’s expected to open next summer.

The meerkats won’t be going far. The zoo has also begun drafting plans for a visitor and learning center, set to open in 2012, that will feature a section for viewing “social animal species,” such as penguins and meerkats.

The meerkats will remain in their current exhibit through Sept. 28, before going on “extended vacation,” the zoo reported in a press statement.

The zoo didn’t say how much it would spend on the new facilities. Earlier this year, it raised $2.7 million in a fundraising push.

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