WildCare Park — St. Louis Zoo North County Expansion

About This Project

The St. Louis Zoo's most ambitious expansion in a generation, WildCare Park transforms the former Norwood Hills Country Club's 425-acre property in north St. Louis County into a world-class wildlife conservation park. The zoo-owned property — acquired after the golf club listed the land for sale — is being developed to house large-habitat African and other exotic species in naturalistic environments far exceeding what the Forest Park facility can provide. The open-landscape design allows for vast roaming areas for hoofed animals, replicating savanna conditions that standard zoo enclosures cannot achieve. A drive-through experience component has been discussed in early planning documents, which would make WildCare Park the first major American zoo facility to incorporate a safari-style viewing format at this scale. The project represents a landmark investment in north St. Louis County — a region that has historically been underserved by major civic amenities — and is expected to generate significant construction employment and long-term economic activity. The St. Louis Zoo is one of the few free world-class zoos in the United States, funded through a special tax district. WildCare Park extends that public mission to a new geography and a new conservation model.