Been muling some of these thoughts about the future of the zoo with the current happenings over for sometime now. Trying to understand what Milwaukee is envisioning for the future has been extremely difficult, even with the knowledge of their master plan.
I would agree, I am kinda concerned on how things are shaping up to be with these new improvements to the zoo. I am glad to see the hippos getting a new outdoor area where we can now see them while in the water but yet I have been having a hard time seeing it as a real improvement since it seems like the size is similar to what already exist. Yes, the outdoor exhibit is becoming 3x bigger but yet the original exhibit wasn't that big to begin with, so promoting it like they are seems more like a gimmick than true expansion.
I am trying to be hopeful of phase 3 in this build but there's a lot of work that needs to be down in order to tie everything together and I am not sure if the zoo has the confidence to do it, the right way. Phase 3 of this looks to be, if not the most intense overhaul to the area; The mallway (the area between the hippos and rhinos indoor exhibits) needs to be enclosed and renovated, and the outdoor rhino exhibits and other exhibits need to be renovated, just to name some of the larger projects. The zoo seems to be struggling to find donations for the first 2 phases, my hope is that they are going to do the final phase that wraps everything together well, although my hope for that is dwindling. Not to mention it looks like they are putting phase 3 off a year so it won't be done till 2022. Not sure if that is also due to events that are happening in Milwaukee next summer that might hamper the start of construction or not.
Now that phase 1 has had some time to settle in, I still feel like it's a meh to disappointing phase. Yes the elephants have more room to roam, however there is a lot left to be desired. There is nothing to "write home to mom" about with these exhibits. The Impala Plains and African Forest exhibits are just eh, and the elephants exhibit is very sterile looking as well. At least in the past there was some vegetation that made the exhibit look more natural of sorts. In the Impala yard, the one ostrich was/is overly stressed out by the exhibit that it over pruned its backside to where there was very little feathers left. Not to mention with the chain link fence that does nothing really for the exhibit I feel, sure you can get "closer" to the animals but at what costs? People can't even get clear photos of animals unless they have a really good lens that can shoot through the fence. That African Forest area as well, its been hard to see the animals and people can now only travel around half the exhibit. The overall area doesn't feel as welcoming as I was expecting, especially when you walk past the the elephant center and around to where the former dall sheep were. Its a lot of fencing in that area and makes me personally feel a bit claustrophobic and that's not something I deal with.
I really want to be optimistic about the changes that the zoo is making but they don't seem to making the changes that will positively impact and last years before they need to redo the exhibits. I keep hoping that something big and positive will happen that will change this trajectory but nothing is coming. Just looking at the master plan and seeing that by the time they finish Adventure Africa, the current timeline in the master plan would have been finishing up the first half of the master plan, Adventure African, Alaskan Gold Coast, renovation to the farm, and the main entrance area. I can't help look at other zoos, like the Omaha zoo, where in the same time frame that have rebuilt so much of their zoo and made exhibits that will last, that are both enriching to the animals and to the guest. Milwaukee just seems to be existing or trying to just meet the minimum requirements to retain their accreditation.
