Asia Exhibits 2021-2023 (USA only)

Arizona Docent

Arizona Docent

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
The announcement on the Fresno Zoo thread of their Asia Exhibit groundbreaking sparked a discussion on other future Asia exhibits at Los Angeles and San Diego. Therefore I am starting a new thread to discuss all near-future Asia exhibits in the USA. Here is a preliminary list and we can add species (and other zoos I missed) in followup posts. Obviously projected dates are subject to change.

Reid Park Zoo (Arizona) – construction begins Spring 2021, opening Fall 2022
The Future of Your Zoo, Reid Park Zoo

Fresno Chaffee Zoo (California) – construction begins Fall 2020, opening 2021 (phase 1) and 2022 (phase 2)
Fresno Chaffee Zoo begins construction on 'Kingdoms of Asia' exhibit

Sunset Zoo (Kansas) – construction begins Fall/Winter 2020, opening Fall 2021
Sunset Zoo approved for Expedition Asia exhibit

North Carolina Zoo (North Carolina) – construction begins 2021?, opening Summer 2023
Habitats | North Carolina Zoo

Albuquerque Biopark Zoo (New Mexico) – construction begins 2021?, opening 2022?
New Asia exhibit coming to Albuquerque Zoo
 
Personally I find it quite sad how many zoos are building these type of exhibits now days. There’s so many other different habitats that zoos could be designing. However I will say I’m actually pretty excited about the Fresno Chaffee Zoos new Kingdoms of Asia exhibit. The Asian Small Clawed Otter/Sloth Bear exhibit I think it’s an awesome thing to try in my opinion. I’m REALLY excited about the False Gharial exhibit the most. And I’m also glad their keeping their orangutan/siamang exhibit and making it better for them to.
 
John Marchwick said:
Personally I find it quite sad how many zoos are building these type of exhibits now days. There’s so many other different habitats that zoos could be designing. However I will say I’m actually pretty excited about the Fresno Chaffee Zoos new Kingdoms of Asia exhibit. The Asian Small Clawed Otter/Sloth Bear exhibit I think it’s an awesome thing to try in my opinion. I’m REALLY excited about the False Gharial exhibit the most. And I’m also glad their keeping their orangutan/siamang exhibit and making it better for them to.
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There must be more to your post than what I am reading. Surely you don't find it sad that zoos are choosing to have animals from Asia?
 
Arizona Docent said:
There must be more to your post than what I am reading. Surely you don't find it sad that zoos are choosing to have animals from Asia?
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oh no it’s not that at all. However I think there’s just a lot of zoos building the same type of Asian themed exhibits that’s all. A lost temple themed environment taken over by animals just gets old as an exhibit theme
 
John Marchwick said:
oh no it’s not that at all. However I think there’s just a lot of zoos building the same type of Asian themed exhibits that’s all. A lost temple themed environment taken over by animals just gets old as an exhibit theme
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In that case I agree with you. I am not a fan of any human objects in exhibits and I too think the temple theme is overdone (not just for Asia but also for South America).
 
I think you are absolutely right that the temple theme is getting very repetitive, but I don't think we should remove all human objects from zoos. Human objects help remind us of the impact we have on nature. For example Glacier Run at the Louisville zoo is a unique way of displaying how animals interact with the environments people have created. The basic temple theme is the worst and zoos need to stop using them but some form of human architecture isn't always a bad thing
 
The more I think about it the more it makes sense. Not to me obviously but for zoos to use the temple theme. The temple theme is supposed to identify with average visitors, not with us. Sure they might add in some mixes or super rare animals to appeal to people who are knowledgeable in the animal world but it's easier to build general exhibits to identify with guests. Some of these temples really make no sense if you are an expert in zoos, like if they had komodo dragons and Amur tigers. We know that those two animals shouldn't be in the same area as each other, some of us wouldn't be happy to see that, but it makes sense to normal zoo guests so that's what the zoo will do. It's cheaper to make one general Asian exhibit than to make three different Asian areas for the jungles Islands and mountains. And the theme itself doesn't require much planning because it is so common. While I hate to see it this is just how some smaller zoos afford to operate, by making low budget, general exhibits that there are already plans for
 
I'm down with more Asian exhibits, I just wish they weren't all seemingly filled with the same animals. It's very predictable. Get some birds or lorikeets. Build a temple and a waterfall. Find requisite primate species, maybe orangs if you're fortunate, maybe not. Get some komodos, which are awesome, but fairly prevalent since zoos leaned how to breed them back in he 90s. Then, bam, big tiger exhibit and you're done.

Would be nice to see some hoofed stock like blackbuck or gaur, maybe nilgai. Also would be nice to see more muggers, or gharials if you want to go big. I realize tigers are in need of zoos to house them in this country, but I'd love to see a zoo use leopards as a main focus predator species. San Diego is about the only zoo I can recall with a really interesting exhibit for leopards.
 
groundskeeper24 said:
I'd love to see a zoo use leopards as a main focus predator species. San Diego is about the only zoo I can recall with a really interesting exhibit for leopards.
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Gonna take this one step further. Why don't zoos put a bigger emphasis on small Asian cats like fishing cats or clouded leopards? Imagine if zoos made like clouded leopard trails with a central clouded leopard exhibit.
 
Westcoastperson said:
Gonna take this one step further. Why don't zoos put a bigger emphasis on small Asian cats like fishing cats or clouded leopards? Imagine if zoos made like clouded leopard trails with a central clouded leopard exhibit.
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YES, YES, YES!!! Thankfully the upcoming Asia exhibit at my local Reid Park Zoo will have fishing cats (along with an improved tiger exhibit of course). They are also going to have a "pheasantry" so I think that is something different.
 
Westcoastperson said:
Gonna take this one step further. Why don't zoos put a bigger emphasis on small Asian cats like fishing cats or clouded leopards? Imagine if zoos made like clouded leopard trails with a central clouded leopard exhibit.
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well, most avrage people want to see the big and powerfull cats. Combiened with the faact that most small cats in captivity are not particular endangered makes them verry low priority for zoos. Unlike smaler dogs can cats be not even be easy mixed with other species
 
Arizona Docent said:
@GiratinaIsGod I am pretty sure the two small cats that have been specifically mentioned - clouded leopard and fishing cat - are endangered and are part of an SSP.
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Yes and just because they aren't currently popular doesn't mean they can't become popular. Dolphins used to be thought of as annoying sea dogs that nobody really liked them until aquariums popularized them
 
Westcoastperson said:
That's a great idea. It could be used to introduce more South Asian River Dolphins into captivity. I suggest you check out the Singapore river safari, they have a similar exhibit.
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I was more thinking of the flooded exhibit design, more than the species. I was mainly thinking about the flooded areas of India's wetlands, where unique exhibit foliage and water use can be demonstrated. For instance, Indian rhinos. A fairly common species in captivity, but in a large flooded forest exhibit? That would be a super cool unique Idea.
 
CheeseChameleon2007 said:
I would personally like to see an exhibit visualizing the flooded forests of India.
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The San Francisco Zoo actually had plans for such a zone, listed here:

San Francisco Zoo

sfz-indian-plan-final-copy1.jpg



Unfortunately this never came to be presumably due to budget cuts and the San Francisco Zoo going out of elephants. Grizzly Gulch ended up where the orangutan/siamang/hornbill exhibits would be.
 
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