The Akron Zoo has unveiled plans to build a new $12 million animal hospital by 2026.
Construction is set to begin in 2025, according to a press release from the zoo. The hospital will be located behind the Pride of Africa exhibit along Diagonal Road.
The zoo is getting $1.75 million for the new hospital through the state's capital budget signed June 28 by Gov. Mike DeWine.
“The funds from the State of Ohio allow us to build the kind of medical facility that can best meet the needs of our animals as the zoo continues to grow,” said Doug Piekarz in the release, president and CEO at the Akron Zoo.
The additional funding will come from a capital campaign put on by the Zoo and from the zoo’s budget, said Elena Bell, a spokesperson for the zoo.
There are more than 2,000 animals at the Akron Zoo, which have in-house care on a daily basis including regular check-ups, disease management, surgeries and end-of-life care, according to the release.
The nearly 12,000 square-foot hospital will include a surgery suite, intensive care unit and specialized spaces for different species including birds, primates and large carnivores, the release states.
The zoo's current facility, the Robert J. Sherman Center for Animal Care, opened in 1995 when about 100 animals resided at the Akron Zoo, Bell said.
“As our animal collections continue to grow, so does our need for great veterinary care,” Bell said. “And as our animals become more specialized species, we have a need for more specialized space.”
The new hospital will include a recovery space where any animal at the zoo can be placed for recovery after undergoing a procedure, Bell said.
Currently, the veterinarians travel throughout the zoo to provide bedside care for specialized species such as white-cheeked gibbons, an ape species that was brought to the zoo in 2021.
“Providing the animals we all care so deeply about with exceptional medical care is one of our top priorities,” Piekarz said in the release.
The Akron Zoo’s new hospital will only treat animals who reside at the zoo. The staff at the current facility includes five employees, two of whom are full-time veterinarians, Bell said. There are no immediate plans to hire additional staff for the new facility.
