OKLAHOMA CITY—Love’s Travel Stops has donated $1 million to the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden’s newest habitat expansion, Expedition Africa. Slated to open this June, Expedition Africa is the zoo’s most ambitious and immersive conservation habitat experience in its history.

“The generous donation from Love’s Travel Stops is an incredible investment in Expedition Africa and the fuel that will inspire the community to help us reach our campaign goal,” said Mandy Heaps, executive director of the Oklahoma Zoological Society. “The gift is bittersweet as it comes so close to the passing of Tom Love, but we can now add the Oklahoma City Zoo to the many places where his memory will be honored, and his family’s generosity will be celebrated for decades to come.”

An iconic feature of Expedition Africa is the zoo’s historic pachyderm building proudly sponsored by Love’s Travel Stops. Love’s Pachyderm at Expedition Africa, a registered location on the National Register of Historic Places, was constructed in the early 1960s to provide habitat space for the Zoo’s elephants, rhinoceroses and hippopotamuses.

“Visiting the OKC Zoo has always been an activity my family enjoys doing, so contributing to their capital campaign for the pachyderm building was an easy choice,” said Jenny Love Meyer, chief culture officer and executive vice president of Love’s. “Giving back to educational organizations is a core tenet of Love’s, and the Oklahoma Zoological Society is a world-class organization we’re happy to support.”