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Zoos: They’re not just about exotic animals. At least, that’s what the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley is trying to impart as it rebrands to focus more broadly on nature. On the wish list are changes that staff hope will bring more zoo-goers into the fold.

Michelle Benson, the zoo’s senior director of marketing and communications, says the goal is to “be more than just a zoo.”

“We sit on 500 acres,” Benson told MPR News host Cathy Wurzer. “We only use a third of that, and so we’re looking to branch into what we’re calling the North 40 to be able to provide some things such as hiking trails, or ziplines, or cabins where you can stay overnight.”

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Zoos: They’re not just about exotic animals.

Zoos: They're not just about exotic animals.

How the Minnesota Zoo aims to become 'more than just a zoo'

A rendered image showing a proposed Treetop Trail at the Minnesota Zoo.

How the Minnesota Zoo aims to become ‘more than just a zoo’

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