New Sacramento Zoo exhibit brings back extinct animals
SACRAMENTO — The Sacramento Zoo is being forced to give away some of its animals due to the facility's small size, but now, they're opening a new exhibit with some virtual animals that haven't been seen in centuries.
Using digital lighting, projectors and sound effects, a new nighttime exhibit at the Sacramento Zoo called Unextinct. It highlights creatures that once roamed the planet, but are now critically endangered or extinct.
"As you're walking throughout this space, you're going to see animals next to you and they're going to feel like they are there," said Unextinct creator Morgan Lee Richardson.
Tigers, birds, and fish are among the 40 virtual animals on display.
"I am just so astonished at how they did all of the lights and the animals moving around," said zoo attendee Janice Shatz.
Part of the Sacramento Zoo's mission is to help protect endangered animals, and it participates in breeding programs to help boost the numbers.
It's currently in talks with the City of Elk Grove to build a new facility that will have larger spaces that can accommodate more threatened species.
"Actions of humans have a lot to do with why animals will go extinct, why their habitats are affected – from overhunting, overpoaching, habitat degradation," said Matt McKim with the Sacramento Zoo.
The show's creator said it helps teach an important animal conservation lesson, and he's hoping no other creatures will have to be added to the extinction list.
"People leave this experience hopefully optimistic, galvanized, empowered to make a change for wildlife, and they understand that this could easily happen to more animals in our lifetime, and that's a terrifying thought," Richardson said.
The Unextinct show is scheduled to run through March 8.
