The Sacramento Zoo is no longer moving to Elk Grove due to high budget costs and a scaling down of the project size, the Sacramento Zoological Society announced Wednesday, April 30.
The zoo had planned to develop a 65-acre site in the southern area of Elk Grove that would accommodate 400 species, an increase of the 94 species currently housed at the 14-acre site in Sacramento’s Land Park neighborhood. But it became clear recently that those original plans were no longer feasible, according to a news release issued by the zoo last Wednesday.
Inflation in cost projections from the initial proposal was cited as the main reason for the project’s sudden cancellation.
“This scaled-down version of the new zoo would house fewer species than our Land Park location and would not be financially or operationally sustainable,” said Robert Churchill, interim executive director of the Sacramento Zoological Society, in the news release. “All indicators therefore confirmed that this project was no longer the right choice, and was not the best way to invest our resources or our donors’ hard-earned funds.”
Opened in 1927, the Sacramento Zoo has been a staple of the capital city and remains a renowned center for animal care and conservation, as it has been during its entire near century-long existence.
The project, a collaboration between the Sacramento Zoological Society and the City of Elk Grove, was first proposed in 2021, before getting full approval in 2024.
“We know this decision may be disappointing to some of our supporters,” Churchill said in the release. “Please know we considered that fact, and that this was not a decision taken lightly. However, we truly believe that ending the Elk Grove project is the most responsible choice for the long-term sustainability and success of the zoo.”
Amber Gonzalez, a visitor to the zoo on a recent weekend, said she thought a move somewhere could be beneficial. “I think it would be a good thing only if the animals have enough space to roam.”
The press release mentions plans to sort out a new future for the zoo, however, it is unclear if relocation is still the desired outcome.
