Royal Oak’s Detroit Zoo opened the Fred and Barbara Erb Discovery Trails on May 22, unveiling a seven-acre, $49 million attraction that zoo leaders described as a “new zoo within the zoo.” After nearly a decade of planning, visitors began moving through stingray and shark touch pools, a barnyard, a goat enclosure and play areas built to bring children closer to animals and nature.
Dr. Hayley Murphy said families would find “a fun and engaging place” and added, “We want everyone to come and enjoy this space.” The first day gave that promise a test in real time. At the stingray cove, visitors could pet two species of stingrays — southern and cownose — and two species of bamboo sharks, white-spotted and brown-banded, animals never before seen at the Detroit Zoo. There were 40 animals in the pool, and some guests paid extra to feed the stingrays sardines and shrimp.
In the barnyard, the zoo added chickens, miniature donkeys and alpacas, along with a Farmer’s market-style play area aimed at young children. Visitors could also pet and brush goats in a separate enclosure. Beyond the animal encounters, the new trail system includes a canopy trail, a treetop crossing and a Little Sprouts area for toddlers, giving the grounds a broader mix of climbing, exploring and learning spaces than the zoo has offered before.
The opening comes after planning that dates to 2017 and a pandemic delay that pushed the project back. The Erb Family Foundation donated $6 million toward the Discovery Trails, which were named for Fred and Barbara Erb, lifelong southeast Michigan residents, owners of Erb Lumber and philanthropists. Leslie Erb Liedtke said, “My parents would be so proud,” and added, “We wanted to do something that would have an impact in a thoughtful and meaningful way. This is a wonderful space.”
More animals are still to come. The zoo says burrowing owls, returning prairie dogs, anteaters and a family of five bush dogs will be added later, including two pups born on Mother’s Day that were not yet ready for the public. For now, the opening gives the Detroit Zoo a new centerpiece that is already doing what it was designed to do: pull visitors in close, and keep them there.
