Want to feed a giraffe?

The Metro Richmond Zoo opened in 1995 and is home to more than 1,400 animals, including around 150 different species.  It has one of the largest primate collections in the United States with more than 200 specimens representing almost 30 different species. It is also home to many endangered animals.

"We found a lot of people enjoy this zoo because people are able to get up close and interact with many rare animals," said owner and director Jim Andelin. It is one of the few zoos in the country that allows visitors to feed the animals.

In June, the zoo welcomed a train with a bright-red engine to pull two cars painted with animal themes inside a chain-link fence for a safarilike ride through a new 8-acre animal enclosure.

Inside the enclosure, visitors will see about 28 specimens of eight species: Grant's gazelle, Addra gazelle, gemsbok, waterbuck, kudu, eland, nyala and ostrich. Except for the ostrich, all are varieties of antelope.

The new attraction is part of a $250,000 expansion at the zoo this year, Andelin said.

Also new this year are a coconut-climb variation on a climbing wall and a walk-in aviary that will hold 400 colorful budgerigars. The coconut trees are already attracting climbers, while construction continues on the aviary. When it's finished, the aviary will offer seed-coated Popsicle sticks that people can buy to attract the birds to perch and feed.

"Our whole focus has been on trying to get people to have close interactions with the animals," Andelin said. "We have an area where you can feed the giraffes. You can get close to the animals, but the animals can get away if they want to."

The safari area is the most ambitious of the three projects. Zoo workers dug two ponds inside the enclosure, ideally to contain pygmy hippopotamuses in the future, Andelin said. Islands within the ponds will likely be homes for primates.

Animals for the new exhibit were brought in from such places as the Wild Animal Park at San Diego, the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa, Fla., and the Miami Metrozoo.

A loop road has been graded and covered with gravel for the train, which runs on a car engine geared down to 15 mph. Tours are 15 to 20 minutes long and feature commentary from the engineer.

Metro Richmond Zoo, 8300 Beaver Bridge Road in Chesterfield. The zoo is home to more than 1,400 animals, including prairie dogs, kangaroos, giraffes, tortoises, tigers, rhinoceros, snakes, peacocks, monkeys and more. The zoo is generally divided into geographical areas: African, Asian, North American, South American. There is a 15-minute Skyride over the park and the train, which both cost an extra $3 per rider. Visitors can usually see everything in less than two hours. But if the kids come along or just feel like spending a nice day outdoors, one could easily spend several more hours at the zoo without becoming bored. As a whole, the zoo spans nearly 70 acres.

Hours: 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday (closed on Sunday). Animals are on exhibit until 4:30 p.m.

Admission: Adults (12-60) - $9.25; Senior (60+) - $8.25; Children (2-11) - $7.25; free for 2 and younger. Zoo passes, good for a calendar year, are available. Parking is free.

Info: Call (804) 739-5666 or metrorichmondzoo.com