This summer, the Detroit Zoo is expanding its collection beyond its well-known lions, tigers, and bears to include dragons, griffins, and phoenixes.
This past weekend, the zoo unveiled Dragon Forest, a three-acre walkway featuring over thirty animatronic dragons and other fantastical animals. The trail is open until September 7 and costs $6 for people ages 2 and up.
A few of the dragons on display are 45 feet tall and have been featured in films and literature like “How to Train Your Dragon.” Zoo administrators also connected many of the legendary species to similar-looking real-life animals and reptiles throughout the display.
Aria Amolsch, a native of Livonia, is almost nine years old. Her mother, Kristen, and brother, Wyatt, seven, traveled to the zoo on Sunday especially to see the dragon exhibit. Aria Amolsch reads the fantasy novels “Dragon Masters” by Tracey West, which allow kids eight years old and up to be matched with dragons and use their special abilities.
According to Aria Amolsch, several of the dragons on exhibit at the zoo are ice and fire dragons that are mentioned in the literature. She stated that she would like to meet a crystal dragon if she could see one in person.
“She talks about dragons all the time,” mom Kristen Amolsch stated. “So we got to see all of the different things and got to take lots of pictures.”
On a walkway that once had Dinosauria, the dragon display is the newest addition. Every summer, the zoo switches up the offerings on the walkway, according to spokeswoman Sarah Culton.
Although Cole Kielpinski, assistant manager of guest relations, stated that there hasn’t been a noticeable decline in attendance due to construction, the path might help sustain interest in the zoo while its seven-acre Discovery Trails exhibit is still being built.
The $20 million Discovery Trails, a “immersive” attraction that will be located on 7 acres at the zoo and allow visitors to interact directly with some animals, was announced last October.
Children and adults can pet and brush animals, such as the zoo’s goat herd, in the farmyard section.
Additionally, there will be a pavilion where guests may interact with and feed bamboo sharks and stingrays.
In 2026, it is scheduled to open.
On the other hand, many visitors were captivated by the zoo’s Dragon Forest during the weekend. It includes a variety of well-known dragons from popular culture, such as the western dragon from “Game of Thrones” and the wyvern from “How to Train Your Dragon.”
Other creatures from books like the Harry Potter series are also on display, such as the snake-like basilisk and a three-headed dog creature called a cerberus.
Additionally, Dragon Forest links every monster to an actual animal.
The phoenix, for instance, is a bird of magic that “can be reborn from their ashes,” according to a forest sign.
According to Culton, the Great Lakes piping plover bird was also in danger of going extinct. According to an educational demonstration by the phoenix, “these birds rose from the ‘ashes’ and are increasing in numbers,” with assistance from the Detroit Zoo and experts at the University of Michigan.
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Other organisms, like the amphiptere, which combines snakes and birds, have a closer relationship with animals.
“The mythical creatures also pull from a lot of the traits that wildlife has currently,” Kielpinski stated. “Same with a lot of the dragons. You’ll see a lot of similarities between them and other reptiles.”
The phoenix, for instance, is a bird of magic that “can be reborn from their ashes,” according to a forest sign.
According to Culton, the Great Lakes piping plover bird was also in danger of going extinct. According to an educational demonstration by the phoenix, “these birds rose from the ‘ashes’ and are increasing in numbers,” with assistance from the Detroit Zoo and experts at the University of Michigan.
Other organisms, like the amphiptere, which combines snakes and birds, have a closer relationship with animals.
