ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — While the mission of the Saint Louis Zoo's new WildCare Park is to expand the zoo's footprint to allow for further wildlife conservation efforts, a new report released Friday shows the project currently under construction in north St. Louis County will also have a monumental impact on the region's economy.
The new report projects that the future safari park and conservation center will generate over $660 million in economic activity across the region within the next 10 years. The park will bring a boost to regional employment, wages and tax revenue, and on- and off-site visitor spending is expected to have a significant impact on the local hospitality, retail, transportation and entertainment industries.
"We are creating a place where endangered and threatened species can thrive, but this report makes it clear WildCare Park will help the regional economy thrive too," Dana Brown President and CEO Dwight Scott said in a statement.
The report estimates that WildCare Park will generate:
- An average attendance of about 422,000 visitors each year after opening, with approximately 60% of guests coming from outside of St. Louis city and county.
- About $184 million in visitor spending at regional businesses outside of the park within the next decade.
- An annual average of 364 jobs, including at the park and across the region.
- A total of $97.3 million in governmental revenue, including $49.9 million in state and local taxes.
"WildCare Park will bring with it a major tourism boost for our region and an economic boost for north St. Louis County," County Executive Sam Page said in a statement. "The zoo is a favorite of locals as well as a national tourist destination, and WildCare Park will join the list of must-sees when in the St. Louis region."
Together, WildCare Park and the Saint Louis Zoo in Forest Park are expected to generate over $2.5 billion in regional economic impact over the next 10 years, according to the report.
Click here to read the full economic report.
WildCare Park is expected to open to the public in 2027.
Construction on WildCare Park began two years ago in Spanish Lake, and the process has included building demolition, fence installation and grading around the property, the conversion of 260 acres of golf course turf into native grasses, the removal of invasive plants, the construction of barns and a utility building as well as the renovation of the headquarters building.
The zoo has already begun the process of relocating animals there from its location in Forest Park. Currently, 12 critically endangered addax, three Grevy's zebras - including foal Roxie - and a critically endangered Somali wild ass reside in WildCare Park's Dana Brown Conservation Pasture.
Although the opening is still a few years away, the park is currently staffing up, with job openings posted on its website.
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