Groundbreaking for new Virginia Zoo expansion [Video]

Executive Director Greg Bockheim hopes the new facilities will encourage community engagement with wildlife and conservation education.

NORFOLK, Va. — The Virginia Zoo celebrated the groundbreaking of a new expansion campaign dedicated to wildlife education and conservation.

“This is our largest fundraising effort in more than a decade and will completely reimagine several key areas of the Zoo,” said Virginia Zoo Executive Director Greg Bockheim.

The $16.2 million campaign aims to raise funds for five key projects, each aiming to reflect the local community while furthering the zoo’s educational impact.

Wednesday’s groundbreaking marked the first step toward the Macon and Joan Brock EdVenture & Exploration Campus, which will serve as a home base for professional educator staff and offer guests a unique behind-the-scenes experience while highlighting the work of zookeepers.

Five acres of unused space will be turned into The Perry Family Rhino Valley, a special habitat for the endangered greater one-horned rhinoceros.

The boardwalk in …