Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium will close one hour early – at 5 p.m. – on Thursday, Aug. 14, to accommodate electrical work.

The closure is necessary to allow electrical cable rerouting on the site of the future Asia Forest Sanctuary exhibit. The massive exhibit is scheduled to open next summer.

A few areas of the Zoo will be without power during the day on Thursday. The Plaza Café, a satellite food service facility, and the Indian crested porcupine exhibit in the nearby special exhibits building will be affected by the outage. Telephone service also may be disrupted.

The rest of the Zoo will operate normally on Thursday.