The Detroit Zoo opened the Fred and Barbara Erb Discovery Trails in Royal Oak on May 22, unveiling a seven-acre, $49 million expansion that zoo leaders are calling a new zoo within the zoo.
Visitors who arrived for the opening could pet two species of stingrays, southern and cownose, and two species of bamboo sharks, white-spotted and brown-banded, at a stingray cove that had 40 animals in the pool. Some guests fed the stingrays sardines and shrimp for an extra fee, while children rushed between the barnyard’s chickens, miniature donkeys and alpacas and a Farmer's market play area built for young children. The new space also includes a separate goat enclosure where visitors can pet and brush the goats, along with a canopy trail, a treetop crossing with slides, platforms and climbing nets, and a Little Sprouts area for toddlers.
Detroit Zoological Society Executive Director and CEO Dr. Hayley Murphy said the project is meant to feel like a “new zoo within the zoo,” adding that families would find “a fun and engaging place” and that “we want everyone to come and enjoy this space.” The opening gives the zoo several exhibits that had not previously been part of its grounds, including burrowing owls, returning prairie dogs, anteaters and a family of five bush dogs.
The bush dogs drew particular attention, even if the public could not meet all of them yet. Two pups were born on Mother’s Day and were not ready to be introduced to visitors, leaving the family group split between what is on display now and what will come later.
Planning for the Erb Discovery Trails dates back to 2017, but the project was delayed by the pandemic before it finally opened Thursday. The attraction is named for Fred and Barbara Erb, lifelong southeast Michigan residents who owned Erb Lumber and were known as philanthropists, and it was supported by a $6 million donation from the Erb Family Foundation. Leslie Erb Liedtke said, “My parents would be so proud,” and added that the family wanted to do something “thoughtful and meaningful” that would have an impact. For visitors like Heather England, who came with her young son Bennett, the value was immediate: “It’s a place where Bennett can run around, and he will grow with it,” she said, calling it a safe outdoor spot where he could meet other children and come back often.
That is the bet behind the new complex: not just that the Detroit Zoo can add more animals, but that it can give families a place to stay longer, play more and return as children grow. With the opening now complete, the next test is whether the mix of animal encounters and play spaces can turn the new trail system into one of the zoo’s main draws.
