An artist's rendering of the new $4.8 million giraffe habitat is under construction at Potawatomi Zoo in South Bend. Tribune Photo/ROBERT FRANKLIN
Even with a mix of snow and mud covering the 2.5-acre construction site at the Potawatomi Zoo, Josh Sisk is able to paint a colorful picture of what a new giraffe exhibit will look like when it opens early in the fall.
There will be areas where visitors can hand-feed Romaine lettuce to the gentle giants, look them eye-to-eye or watch them interact with each other and other animals in the exhibit — appropriately called the Giraffe Feeding Adventure.
A 10,000-square-foot barn also is being built to house the giraffes, which can grow as tall as 18 feet, as well as zebras and ostriches that will share the space.
Sisk, the executive director of the zoo, said the new building will allow visitors to interact with the giraffes in inclement weather since the animals can’t tolerate temperatures below 45 and can be injured by slipping on ice or snow.
But eventually, the $4.8 million exhibit could be the start toward a goal of converting the zoo into a destination for all 12 months. Except for the holiday lights display and other special events, the zoo is closed in the winter.
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