It is with great excitement and enthusiasm that the Henry Vilas Park Zoological Society commences its Zoo Century campaign. The Zoo Century fundraising campaign has a financial goal of $27 million over 10 years, all to support major renovations at the Henry Vilas Zoo. With Zoo Century, the Henry Vilas Zoo and the Zoological Society are embarking on an incredibly ambitious venture. "We are confident that our shared vision for the Henry Vilas Zoo, as it approaches its 100th Anniversary, is inspiring and worthy of this incredible community asset," said Keith Oleson, Board President of the Zoological Society. Mr. Olesen expressed the confidence of the Society in attaining its fundraising goal, "I want to pledge to all the generous donors, Society members, volunteers and families of Dane County that the Society is prepared to help shape a great future for the Zoo."

The first two major renovation projects identified in the Zoo Century campaign are a new Arctic Passage exhibit (polar bears/seals/reindeer/snow owl) and a completely redesigned Children's Zoo. The Arctic Passage will provide visitors a journey that will educate and entertain. Visitors will see free swimming harbor seals, a replica iceberg, a replica of a ship used to research in the arctic, a place to watch the reindeer, and incredible viewing of the polar bears on land, in the water and under water. Zoo Director Jim Hubing describes the new exhibit, "There's enough natural habitat to encourage natural behavior so that our visitors are going to see animals the way they live."

Another immediate priority is to build a new Children's Zoo. Led by a gift of $2 million from the Oscar Rennebohm Foundation, this complete renovation of the Children's Zoo will include a Conservation Carousel, year-round interactive exhibits, and new indoor and outdoor classrooms for the over 30,000 children who annually attend animal education programs at the Zoo. The Arctic Passage exhibit and renovated Children's Zoo are only the first phases of redevelopment. With the support of the community, the resulting redevelopment could very well become a model for zoo renovations around the world.

The Arctic Passage