KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Zoo will now be called the Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium, the zoo announced Wednesday ahead of the opening of the Sobela Ocean Aquarium on Sept. 1.
The zoo also unveiled its new logo, adding a variety of animals in different colors "to reflect the diversity of the many species" that call the zoo their home.
“With the aquarium adding so many animal residents at the Zoo, it was important for our name and logo to reflect both land and sea residents," Executive Director and CEO of the Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium Sean Putney said in a written statement.
With the launch of Sobela Ocean Aquarium, the zoo will go from housing around 1,700 animals to just under 10,000. It holds over five miles of pipes in a water filtration system to help keep the animals healthy.
“We have a wonderful history dating back to 1909 and we want to continue to build on that while we continue to make the Zoo & Aquarium even better for the Greater Kansas City community,” Putney stated.
Access to the 650,000-gallon aquarium is included with zoo admission, but guests will need to schedule a reservation to attend. The KC Zoo & Aquarium says reservations can be booked in a few weeks.
The project costs a total cost of $77 million, with $45 million coming from the Zoological District and $32 million from private donations. In May, the zoo announced an additional $10 million in private donations was being raised for an endowment to support the future of the aquarium.
