ST. LOUIS — It's the last week to visit the Saint Louis Emerson Children's Zoo in Forest Park.
The zoo announced over the summer it would be closing for good at the end of October. It opened in 1969.
"It was a heart-wrenching decision to close the Children's Zoo, however, safety is our highest priority," said Dr. Bonner in August. "The Children's Zoo was designed for high-touch and interactive experiences, which is not conducive to a COVID or post-COVID environment."
Animals in the zoo will be relocated to other parts of the zoo or other facilities.
Before the coronavirus pandemic, visitors could brush goats and pet rabbits and guinea pigs, meet reptiles and amphibians, birds and more. Kids could explore on the playgrounds, which include an acrylic slide through the otter pool, climbing structures and a farm-play area.
Zoo officials said a temporary dinosaur exhibit will open in its place in the spring for the next couple of years. It'll feature a wide range of dinosaurs including a life-size rendition of a brontosaurus and 12-foot-tall tyrannosaurus.
"We had a similar exhibit like this back in 2008, but this time, we have much more space to include many more life-size animatronic dinosaurs in a one-of-a-kind walk-through experience," said Dr. Bonner. "Dinoroarus will give us a chance to talk about difficult topics like extinction and how some predecessors of dinosaurs, like turtles and crocodiles, are still with us, as well as how some descendants of dinosaurs, like birds, still grace our lives."