St. Louis Zoo WildCare Park plans to open to the public in 2027, but the 425-acre conservation area in north St. Louis County is already home to 38 animals, including one Grevy's zebra and three addaxes born at the park in 2024.
“The very first thing we look at is selecting which animals will thrive in Missouri's climate because we might have a really hot, humid day in the summer, or we might have 12 to 15 inches of snow,” said WildCare Park General Curator Martha Fischer. “After that, we look at which animals are the most endangered.”
Six species of ungulates (hooved mammals) now call the park home, including the endangered Grevy’s zebra and the addax, which faces an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild due to habitat loss from oil exploration. Participating with other zoos to ensure the survival of endangered species was one of the main goals of building the new St. Louis Zoo campus, according to St. Louis Zoo WildCare Park Director Sabarras George.
“Most of these animals live in vast grasslands where they need to move and migrate to find grass, and those large spaces are just not as available anymore,” Fischer said.
The next two years will be devoted to letting the animals get to know each other — building their own species herd and acclimating to other species — and getting used to human visitors.
“We started acquiring animals now because we need to give them time to become accustomed to vehicles driving through their safari with them,” Fischer said. “Our animals are incredibly adaptable, and they have a lot of space, so it should work out really well.”
That adaptability extends to the animals’ diets as well. On the campus, 260 acres of what was previously a golf course have been planted with native grasses. University of Missouri Extension helped Fischer identify plants that mimic what the ungulates would encounter in the wild. Those plants also nourish the native Missouri species of birds, pollinators, frogs, snakes and turtles.
“We did an in-depth biodiversity study as one of the first things we did when we moved into WildCare Park,” Fischer said. “It helped us identify spaces that we felt comfortable developing — and there are some spaces where we decided not to develop because of the wildlife that was living there.”
George expects the park to support the economic development of the region, in addition to supporting local flora and fauna. He estimates that the park will bring more than $660 million to north St. Louis County in its first 10 years.
“I would love to see hotel owners and pop-up hotels [in the area] because there's so many opportunities that will exist for entrepreneurs in entertainment, food trucks and amusement,” George said. “And this is probably the time to start building them because 2027 is right around the corner.”
Sabarras George and Martha Fischer joined St. Louis on the Air to discuss plans for the St. Louis Zoo WildCare Park. To learn more about the zoo’s goals and the attractions it will offer, listen to the conversation on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or click the play button below.
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Jada Jones is our production assistant. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
