Blank Park Zoo broke ground on Tuesday, May 20, 2025 on a facility that will more than triple its space for African lions and let it house up to eight of them.
The Marjorie A. Foster Lion Conservation Center is going into the Jamaa Kwa Africa section of the Des Moines zoo, between the Holmes Foster Event Center and the giraffe yard. It is named for longtime supporter Marjorie Foster, whose gift made the project possible.
Why capacity matters
Blank Park Zoo is a member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and takes part in the Species Survival Plan, the program that coordinates breeding across accredited zoos to keep lion populations healthy and genetically diverse. Room for eight lions gives it a bigger part in that work.
“Lion populations in the wild have plummeted by more than 40% in just three decades,” said Anne Shimerdla, president and CEO of Blank Park Zoo. “From advancing breeding efforts to helping our guests build deeper connections with these animals and the challenges they face, this new facility will link Iowa to a global mission to save African lions.”
An airplane in the lion yard
The center is set to open in summer 2026 with two connected outdoor habitats and several viewing experiences. The design runs on an airplane hangar theme, and it includes a real airplane that both guests and lions can interact with.
It is the first major new habitat built under the zoo’s Expand the Impact capital campaign, and the largest project Blank Park Zoo has taken on in 40 years.
