DETROIT (WWJ) -- A once-iconic attraction on Detroit's Belle Isle is getting the wrecking ball.
Demolition has begun on what remains of the long-vacant Belle Isle Zoo, which has sat empty for more than 20 years.
Meagan Elliott, president and CEO of the Belle Isle Conservancy said she realizes the nostalgia is strong, and that getting rid of the centuries-old zoo will be emotional for many — but the site has become quite dangerous.
"It's quite overgrown," WWJ's Luke Sloan reported live Wednesday morning, with the sounds of heavy equipment and the teardown loud in the background. "Really, all that remains are several elevated walkways here...There are also several animal exhibits and enclosures that are still here. They haven't been demolished yet, but they're overgrown. There's ivy and trees all around them."
"The zoo was a large area of land, so this demolition is gonna take a long time," Sloan said.
The zoo originally opened in 1895, with a few deer and bears.
By 1909 it boasted more than 150 animals.
Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick closed the zoo in 2004, but voters two years later approved a bond for its reopening.
But instead of reopening the old zoo, Kilpatrick used that money to build the Belle Isle Nature Zoo, now called the Belle Isle Nature Center, on the other side of the island.
As it stands now, Belle Isle Conservancy Chief of Staff Danielle Jackson said the site is a "gigantic hazard."
"The structures are deteriorated, and just not sound, and far beyond any feasible repair," she said. "You know, some folks think it's cool to trespass in there, which it's not, and the reality is if someone was to fall through the raised boardwalks or get stuck someplace, it would be nearly impossible to send a rescue effort to find them."
As for what will take the old zoo's place, plans were developed after a 2022 survey with park visitors. They include the restoration of ecological habitat — including expanded trails, additional points of access to the canal system, and 110 parking spaces.
Vista Ave will also be reconnected.
Jackson said those working on the demolition are working hard to protect the environment.
"It's important to note that the MDNR is leading this process, and in that process they are not only removing those deteriorated zoo structures, they are also removing invasive species throughout that site," Jackson said.
"It's also important to note that, you know, this is a park; it's a natural space. So, they have a team of ecologists and forresters who are working to ensure that, you know, that the mature trees are protected during the work, including some oaks believed to be over 100 years old."