The big October snowstorm may have helped the Buffalo Zoo as it begins construction of the new South American Rain Forest exhibit.

The Oct. 12 storm closed the zoo for a week, but it also gave construction crews a chance to get a fast start on the $15.5 million project that is considered a centerpiece of the ongoing redevelopment effort. With no visitors milling about, crews were able to install construction fencing and do some preliminary demolition work. The three-story, 18,000-square-foot building is expected to open in mid-2008.

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