For the next two years, Potter Park Zoo visitors will get a treat from down under in the form of the “Wings Down Under” exhibit.
The $200,000 exhibit, covering 1,080 square feet, is home to 500 parakeets, cockatiels and rosellas.
“It’s a color explosion,” says Willis Bennett, director of parks for Ingham County.
When the county took over the zoo two years ago, it decided to try to include more interactive exhibits. For several years, the zoo researched interactive exhibits around the country. However, the city’s cold winter climate limits a lot of interactive exhibits that are feasible in other states, such as California.
“Because it’s an exposed exhibit, we needed to have something that’s seasonal,” Bennett says. “This was an exhibit that really allowed everybody of every age to enjoy it form the smallest children to the oldest visitor.”
Staff from Living Exhibits, a California-based company that manages living exhibits, oversees “Wings Down Under.” Visitors can walk through the exhibit and actually interact with the birds.
“This is an education experience as well as a fun experience,” he says. “There’s an opportunity for interacting with the knowledgeable staff and visitors can actually touch the birds.”
Source: Deb Bavery, Ingham County Parks
Ivy Hughes is the managing editor of Capital Gains and can be reached here.
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