DETROIT (WWJ) – For more than 20 years, the Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak has been Metro Detroit’s only destination for those searching for animals. But for more than a century prior, there was also the Belle Isle Zoo.
From 1895 to the early 2000s, the Belle Isle Zoo was a main attraction in the city, creating memories for many. But since the zoo was shuttered more than two decades ago, the facilities have sat abandoned on the island.
That’s about to change, as the Michigan State House last week allocated $20 million for improvements on Belle Isle, including the removal of the zoo. On a new Daily J podcast, WWJ’s Zach Clark investigates what’s next for the area of the park where the zoo used to sit.
While exact plans are yet to be decided, many Detroiters are calling for a focus on nature, while paying tribute to the 100+ years of history the zoo had on Belle Isle, the city's "crown jewel."
Early stages of the project are expected to begin in the near future, but the bulk of the work is expected to pick up later this fall.
Drone footage from above the abandoned zoo captured in 2017 shows what decades of decay looks like -- graffiti, rotting structures and overgrown and dying weeds.
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