By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY
Salina Post
Work weighed heavy at Rolling Hills Zoo this morning. Multiple tons heavy, in fact.
As construction continued on the new Pride of the Prairie lion exhibit, a crane could be seen rising above a new viewing space within the exhibit. The crane was there to lift two giant rocks into the viewing space before placing the concrete roof atop the structure. Lions, it seems, like to be above ground level, and the two giant rocks would provide a bit of height for them. In fact, another part of the exhibit will provide the lions with a view of the surrounding prairie from 15 feet above the ground.
The rocks were quarried in Lincoln County and transported to the zoo, where a Ferco crane hoisted them into place, said Linda Henderson, director of development and marketing for the zoo. And it wasn't just a matter of dropping the rocks inside the viewing structure. Zoo personnel, Hutton Construction workers, and Ferco employees all took their time and worked together to place the rocks just so.
Once the rocks were in place, attention moved to topping the structure with the concrete roof.
Work began on the Pride of the Prairie exhibit in November, which will more than double the space available for the zoo's lion pride, said Ryan VanZant, Rolling Hills Zoo executive director. If construction stays on schedule, the zoo hopes to open the new exhibit at the end of May.
Zoo personnel also hope to add a male lion to the pride at approximately the same time, however, VanZant acknowledged the zoo didn't have total control over that aspect of the project. Currently, the zoo has two female lions in its pride, sisters, in fact. Because the zoo participates in Species Survival Plan breeding with its animals, the determination of the perfect male to breed with the sisters is currently underway. Once a male is selected, he will have to be in quarantine for 30 days once he arrives at Rolling Hills Zoo, Henderson said. Only then can he be introduced to the pride.
Henderson said the viewing space that was being worked on today could be used so that visitors could see the male lion while he is separated from the rest of the pride, or for the females while the male is out in the yard. Should cubs come along at some point, the space can be used as a nursery, and visitors will get to see the mother lion and her cubs
"You know, when the tiger cubs happened, they were off-site for two months. Nobody got to enjoy seeing them then," Henderson said. "Well, this way, they can actually watch the mom and cubs. So it will be a very neat way for the public to be able to see, kind of, the off-site stuff without it being completely off-site."