Miller Park Zoo announces $600,000 grant for new Monkey exhibit

Posted on January 6, 2020
Miller Park Zoo
Construction of the new DeBrazza Monkey exhibit will cost $600,000. (Photo courtesy: WJBC/File)

By Blake Haas

BLOOMINGTON – Thanks to a $600,000 grant from the state of Illinois, Miller Park Zoo is in the beginning stages of design for a new monkey exhibit.

Designed to be built between the Flamingos and the Carousel, Miller Park will welcome a male and female DeBrazza Monkey to the new exhibit.

With distinctive facial features and coloring to capture guest’s attention, Miller Park Zoo Superintendent Jay Tetzloff said this would bring a new feel to the Zoo.

“These are African Primates (that) live in family groups, and we will exhibit them with a pair of Red-flanked Duiker (small antelope),” said Miller Park Zoo Superintendent Jay Tetzloff. “This will be a new species at the Zoo to show off to people, the design work is started now, and we will complete it early next year.

The DeBrazza Monkey exhibit is expected to begin construction later this year. (Photo courtesy: Safari West/Facebook)

Miller Park Zoo applied for the grant in 2014 and was awarded $700,000, with $100,000 going towards the final stages of the parking lot project.

“It will give us a pair, a male and female DeBrazza’s Monkey, and they will usually have one to two kids at a time, one per year,” said Tetzloff. “We are looking forward to seeing construction this year, and will most likely open the exhibit in 2021.”

Tetzloff said he hopes that the new exhibit will attract a larger audience to Miller Park Zoo.

Blake Haas can be reached at [email protected].

 

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