The future of a taxidermy exhibit once displayed at the Delbridge Museum at the Great Plains Zoo is still in flux.
The Sioux Falls zoo closed the exhibit last August after learning some of the taxidermy animals contained Arsenic. The exhibit’s future in South Dakota has been uncertain ever since.
The zoo published an assessment estimating restoring the exhibit would cost over $800,000.
Rich Merkouris is the vice chair of the city council. When it comes to where the exhibit might be moved, he said nothing is off the table.
"I think there’s definitely an opportunity for it to remain local. The question is in regards to funding. We’ve seen an idea brought forth that would be about $7.2 million to keep in the current master plan of the zoo. I think the question is really around the funding of that, how we prioritize that. So, I would say this, it’s definitely an option but at the same time is we've got to explore other options as well,” Merkouris said.
A new state law went into effect July 1 allowing the city of Sioux Falls to donate the taxidermy animals to any nonprofit organization in the country.
