MIDLAND, Texas — The last time Midland had a zoo was 1977, the year Star Wars came out.
Now for all the Midlanders who want a zoo, there’s a new hope.
"We think it'll be something that all of Midland can be proud of and enjoy for years to come," President of Zoo Midland Jeff Beard said.
Now, almost 50 years after its closure, the Tall City looks to introduce some new furry friends.
Along with the Preserve at Midland project, in that same area will be Zoo Midland.
"The idea of a zoo was [thought of in] about 2017 or 2018 is kind of the origin of thinking about doing a zoo," Beard said. "The whole idea was to create a family-friendly kind of marquee thing for Midland. And the zoo kind of creates a lot of opportunity for education, it creates opportunity to have moments with family or friends, where you can learn about something that you didn't know before and we felt like it was a really great way to bring family and friends together."
Beard also wanted to address something that many Midlanders have said over the years.
"And you don't have to talk to very many people that have been here very long and they'll say, 'but there's nothing to do'," Beard said. "So we want to really change that idea."
And let’s just say a zoo would definitely change that.
Along with the rest of The Preserve.
Of the 220 acres that was the Nueva Vista Golf Club, the zoo will be herding 51 of those acres.
Despite it being a quarter of the land, the zoo will definitely be a star of the show.
"The two groups kind of view it as a potential area where people could come in the morning and kind of stay all day and have you know, educational experience at the zoo and then they can go out and hang out in the parks or in the walking trails or in the shops and in the restaurants," Beard said.
With Midland growing so much, the group wanted something that stood out not just in West Texas, but the country.
"Having something where you don't have to drive to Dallas or San Antonio or insert whatever big city you'd like to," Beard said. "To be able to do something like this, I mean, one of the things you hear a lot, I grew up in Midland, I've been here a long time and you go to these different places and it's like, 'Man, why can't Midland have this?' So hopefully this is one of those things where people come here and go, 'Man, why can't my town have this?'”
So what makes this zoo stand out from the others?
"One of the things that Jason Green our zoologist is helping us with is, and he coined the term years ago when we met him, was bring the back to the front," Beard said. "So things that typically [are] maybe behind the scenes, you can actually as a customer see firsthand."
So what new friends would you be able to see behind the scenes? Well, the West Texas sun definitely plays a part in that decision.
"If we look at other zoos that have similar climates, some examples of those could be, Abilene has a zoo, Fort Worth, San Antonio, Tucson Phoenix, you go look at some of those zoos and what species they have. We would have a very similar species list," Beard said. "So in other words, having a big or having several polar bears or something like that is not something we would do. That would not be good for them. We'll have indoor/outdoor space for every animal. And so if it's extra hot or it's extra cold that animal will have the ability to go inside."
And as we’ve learned, Midlanders who experienced it go bananas for their Cole Park Zoo, so bringing in a new generation of animals brings a new generation of memories.
"To be able to bring to the community," Beard said. "And then to have some fond memories of an old one, I think can be really fun for those folks that remember Cole Park fondly. Now ours is not the same. It's in a totally different location. But nonetheless, I think it'll bring back a little bit of that nostalgia for some long-term residents, which I think will be really neat."
That nostalgia from the land of Cole Park has lingered for 50 years.
"I think if they [Midland] have an opportunity to do that [build a new zoo] they shouldn't miss it at all," former Cole Park Zoo resident Adrian Beam James said when we asked her a few months ago if Midland should get a zoo. "I think a zoo is an important edition to any city."
And if Zoo Midland plays their cards right, the nostalgia that will take place in the 51 acres, will linger too.
"Anytime we could get back to West Texas, it would be the first thing I'd wanna do is go to the new Midland Zoo," James said when we asked her about her thoughts on the new zoo.
The plan is for the zoo to be open by mid-2027, a full 50 years after the original zoo closed down.
NewsWest 9 will continue to update you as we learn more about the zoo and the animals that will roam around it.