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Abilene Zoo opens Caribbean Cove; director outlines 2026–27 Phase 1 Africa expansion
Summary
Zoo director presented completed accessibility upgrades to Caribbean Cove and outlined a multi-acre Africa expansion that would add paddocks, a two‑story cafe and accessible boardwalks, with construction targeted to break ground in early 2026 and openings in 2027.
Jesse Padabam, director of the Abilene Zoo, showed board members before-and-after photos of Caribbean Cove and described additional accessibility and exhibit upgrades planned at the zoo.
Padabam said Caribbean Cove, originally built about 12 years ago, received surface and circulation upgrades to improve ADA access. "We took up that cobblestone that does a lot of damage on strollers, and made a nice smooth concrete to allow people to easily access it," Padabam said. He described new concrete paths replacing caliche/granite surfaces, clearer viewing panels supplied by Corners Unlimited and an enlarged, shaded sandpit with an ADA ramp and an ADA-compliant digger for children.
Padabam said a grant from "the CFA" helped pay for features added before the zoo's recent Dream Night event. He also described changes to an older west-side building that now has HVAC and will be expanded to allow more year-round animal viewing, rather than animals being held off-exhibit during winter.
Looking beyond Caribbean Cove, Padabam presented a Phase 1 Africa expansion footprint that would add roughly 8–9 acres north of existing exhibits. Planned elements include three paddocks for eastern black rhinos, a multi-species hoofstock and giraffe yard with elevated boardwalks, a cheetah habitat, a hyena and meerkat pocket exhibit, and a two-story cafe with floor-to-ceiling glass overlooking the lion exhibit. Padabam said the cafe will include Braille signage, accessible restrooms, an elevator, a mother's room and at least one ADA-compliant point of sale.
Padabam said the rhino plan would focus on eastern black rhinos and that the zoo plans to work with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums community to acquire animals and manage breeding. He noted warm-holding spaces would triple in size so animals can be viewed year-round when outdoor exhibits are closed for extreme weather. He also described an ADA‑accessible meerkat viewing tunnel designed so some children could wheel a chair into a viewing bubble.
Padabam said private fundraising had paid for Caribbean Cove improvements and that the Africa expansion is proposed to be part of a bond (Abilene Zoo Phase 1 Africa). He said the project aimed to break ground in January or February 2026 with openings targeted for 2027.
Board members asked clarifying questions about which existing giraffe enclosure would remain (Padabam said the current giraffe area would stay) and about the cafe and concessions; Padabam described a mix of prepared and healthier options, multiple points of sale and indoor and covered outdoor seating. Padabam also noted the zoo's train will include an ADA-compliant caboose and said staff are exploring monitors with audio and video facts for exhibits.
Padabam closed by inviting the public to visit Caribbean Cove, which he said is already open.
