The Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium received a $10 million donation Wednesday that will pay for new zoo facilities and programs.
The donors have decided to remain anonymous, according to a statement from the zoo.
“This tremendous gift really serves as a catalyst for other gifts and growth at the Zoo,” President and CEO Jeremy Goodman said in the prepared statement.
The money will go toward building a new giraffe barn with space to start a breeding program, Goodman said. It also will fund preliminary designs on a new exhibit: Exhibition Indonesia.
The exhibit will feature multiple species, including orangutans, siamangs and Malaysian tapirs. It will be a multi-level habitat at the highest point in the zoo, complete with waterfalls, pools and an animal facility that permits offseason viewing.
The giraffe barn and the exhibit are the first of many upgrades planned at the zoo. A new admissions and ticketing station currently is underway.
The expanded giraffe barn will host VIP and winter opportunities, including “walking along an elevated catwalk and feeding the giraffes eye-to-eye.”
Construction on the barn and design for the multi-species habitat are expected to begin later this year.
