I talked to the volunteers while I was there and they told me that the oldest red panda is taking care of her because the mother didn't know what to do.
I would love that! I've wanted to do one here since I've joined.
Yeah, I think that Detroit ought to get a small mammal house too, currently their collection of smaller mammals is pretty minimal.
Not going to lie, I want the golf course next to the zoo to close down and they decide to buy the land. It would open up so many new possibilities for exhibits and new animals (Small Mammals, Invertebrates, birds of prey, etc.). The zoo could also improve its education efforts by adding exhibits for areas or species being affected by climate change or people. That could display animals affected by pollution, deforestation, wildfires, or natural or human-made disasters.
No ill will towards the owners of the golf course, but for the sake of the Detroit Zoo gaining that land, I’m now kind of hoping that it goes out of business.
It will almost double the amount of land they can work with. It doesn't mean that the whole space will be new animal exhibits, because of staff buildings and probably more parking. Also, there needs to be food, restrooms, and gift shops for guests. But it still leaves the Detroit Zoo with probably 70-100 acres of land to build new habitats. An aquarium the size of the Georgia Aquarium could fit here because it only takes up about 8 acres of land, which is less than 5% of what's available. This would be great because the Detroit Zoo has been trying to get an aquarium for a little while (the location is the main problem right now, along with the mayor of Detroit not knowing if Downtown Detroit is a good place for one). Also, a lot of the regions could be expanded upon.
Sounds full of potential!
Of course the Georgia Aquarium also cost $290 million dollars to build
.
They have a lot of space, but it's really hard for them to build a new exhibit without tearing another one down. The only area that could fit a new exhibit is the area used for the dinosaur trail. Any other space where there is open land is either too small, a picnic site, or a lake.Of course the Georgia Aquarium also cost $290 million dollars to build
On a side note I don't really see space as a problem for Detroit considering the zoo is very large already (126 acres). I also think their small mammal collection is quite nice, a little small but with some very choice species.
The obvious space to build a new exhibit in my opinion is the far-too-large Camel exhibit. You could build a small but nice exhibit complex on that site. You could also build an animal house near the Reptile House if you need too.
I have absolute confidence Detroit has zero interest in getting whale sharks, dolphins or belugas and that Home Depot is not going to pay for Detroit's aquarium.
I'm just saying an aquarium that size could fit in that area perfectly fine with no issues. I agree, I highly doubt they want an aquarium that size with porpoises and the largest shark in the world. If and when they do build an aquarium, it would probably only be focused on the Great Lakes and the coral reefs.
An Aquarium that size could fit into just about every zoo
. Let's just say if a zoo someone finds the means to build a massive Aquarium with Whale Sharks, Dolphins and more, space will be found to accommodate it.