Riverbanks Zoo celebrates steady growth

Riverbanks Zoo and Garden is in the midst of the fourth expansion of exhibits in its 41 years.

A $36 million package of renovations, new features and extra parking will be finished by spring.

Zoo officials expect the changes will enhance the appeal of the 100-acre facility spanning the lower Saluda River off I-126.

Riverbanks today goes well beyond the vision that led to its opening in 1974.

A garden across the river from the zoo on the site of a Civil War camp was added in 1995.

Interactive features abound for visitors, such as feeding animals and birds as well as a zipline across the river for the adventurous.

The zoo, supported by taxpayers in Lexington and Richland counties, is a destination attracting a million visitors yearly to view more than 2,000 animals from 350 species and 4,300 plants.

Riverbanks is an economic force for the Columbia area, generating more than $60 million in sales annually and creating more than 700 jobs, zoo president Satch Krantz said.

It’s also a player in zoological and botanical conservation and education.

Riverbanks’ goals are to stay up to challenges and steadily adapt with the times, Krantz said.

This story was originally published December 5, 2015 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Riverbanks Zoo celebrates steady growth."