Issue link: https://tmcpulse.uberflip.com/i/1099222
23 t m c » p u l s e | a p r i l 2 0 1 9 the conservation work we're doing with our bird collection. That will free up some space and allow us to build the signature project of the whole cam- paign, which will have a Galapagos Islands theme. As soon as you come in the front of the zoo, you'll see sea lions in an edge-of-the-ocean habitat, with lava cliffs and desert landscape down to the water. There will be wave action and loud, barking sea lions. Then you'll go into a series of exhibits that show different environments that are similar to the Galapagos Islands, featuring things like giant tortoises and iguanas, and underwater exhibits with sharks and rays. ➟ geology and water systems—it's easier and more compelling to show it a different way. Q | You have several projects in the works, and half the zoo is being redeveloped. What's on the horizon? A | We really want this zoo to embody the idea that a zoo is about saving animals in the wild. For our new exhibits, we've chosen places and animals that we're already committed to helping in the wild. In some cases, we're expanding our field conservation efforts to relate to the animals in the zoo. That becomes the storyline we're trying to convey to people. As part of our capital campaign we launched publicly about a year ago, the first project coming along is the Texas Wetlands. We're hoping for a public opening Memorial Day weekend. We picked three species to focus on that were, at one point or another, on their way out: the American alligator, the bald eagle and the whooping crane. All of them are in different stages of recovery. We're trying to inspire people and show them that when people care enough, good things can happen. Q | What else is on the way? A | The next exhibit is called South America's Pantanal. It's the world's largest inland wetland, located mostly in Brazil. It has jaguars, capybaras, tapirs, anacondas and hundreds of species of birds. We have a longstanding series of programs we've been supporting down there. We're expand- ing our support of that and using that as the storyline of the exhibit. That will open in 2020. A third project that's a little smaller is recon- figuring our bird exhibits to be more focused on