The exhibit of the Zoo you want to be replaced

GiratinaIsGod

GiratinaIsGod

Well-Known Member
5+ year member
Every zoo, fromm great to mediocore has "that" exhibit. Usually older, looks not nice, too smal, and often unintresting species, and despite its size still takes too much space. What are your examples. And what are better exhibits that could be in its place.
 
A good example would be the Chapman's zebras at the Naturzoo Rheine. A smal, exhibit, conpleate overgrased, so that it became a dustpit. While zebras one if not the most iconic zoo species. I still belive it would be better if their enclosure would be part of the situnga/crowned crane exhibit. A much larger (if yet not gigantic exhibit). If the would allow gras to grow on it it would be a huge inprovement for the exhibit in extra space. Maybe even a 3rd species for the exhibit like ground hornbills or helmeted guniafowls.
 
Another example would be the grey seals in the Allwetterzoo Münster. They are a realy rare species in captivity. But their pool is not only way to smal, but just looks awfull, in typical 70s zoo architecture. The area could just be used to enlarhe the african penguin exhibit, which itself is allready too smal.
 
I’ve always thought that the brown bear exhibit at the Indianapolis Zoo needed some sort of renovation or replacement. Every time I see it I think to myself “Why is this still here and why would the zoo leave it here for so long, without any sort of upgrade.” That’s why I think the zoo should tear down the exhibit build 2 separate exhibits with lots of lush vegetation and put some sort of climbing structure within one of them. Then have a transfer tunnel going over the main path, where the bears can walk from one side of the exhibit to the other. Kinda of like what Louisville does.
 
Grizzly Hound said:
I’ve always thought that the brown bear exhibit at the Indianapolis Zoo needed some sort of renovation or replacement. Every time I see it I think to myself “Why is this still here and why would the zoo leave it here for so long, without any sort of upgrade.” That’s why I think the zoo should tear down the exhibit build 2 separate exhibits with lots of lush vegetation and put some sort of climbing structure within one of them. Then have a transfer tunnel going over the main path, where the bears can walk from one side of the exhibit to the other. Kinda of like what Louisville does.
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Because they have other priorities to spend $10million on? (And that is a very low-end estimate!)
 
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GiratinaIsGod said:
A good example would be the Chapman's zebras at the Naturzoo Rheine. A smal, exhibit, conpleate overgrased, so that it became a dustpit. While zebras one if not the most iconic zoo species. I still belive it would be better if their enclosure would be part of the situnga/crowned crane exhibit. A much larger (if yet not gigantic exhibit). If the would allow gras to grow on it it would be a huge inprovement for the exhibit in extra space. Maybe even a 3rd species for the exhibit like ground hornbills or helmeted guniafowls.
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Actually "completely overgrazed" is good for zebras. They have very tough hoofs that need abrasions. If you don't have a huge savannah, keeping them on a dense sand/gravel it's better for their health. The usual grass species that grow in central Europe have too much starch and protein, which can leads to inflamed hoofs and Joints (Hufrehe in German). So, while it looks unpleasant, it's probably a benefit for the zebra's welfare.
 
The "kids exhibit" (that's what I'm going to call it, not sure what it's actually called) at Osaka Aquarium. Oh boy where to start with this one. First of all the theming is just hideous. All the tanks are just bare sand with marbles, beads, hideous fake plants and plastic toys as decoration. Secondly the tanks are entirely unsuitable for the species they hold, most tanks are far too small (several Pea Puffers in what is basically a fishbowl, Common Lobster which takes up half of the floor area in it's tank, and generally small tanks for active species like tangs) with zero hiding places for the fish, and picky grazing species like Mandarinfish and Moorish Idol have zero live rock on which to graze (the Mandarinfish was reduced to picking at a tiny spot of the tank bottom without sand that had encrusting algae growing on it). Porcupine Puffers looked gaunt and malnourished.

Also the Ringed Seal and Rockhopper Penguin exhibist, also at Osaka Aquarium, are both far too small, with not enough water to swim (About 2 metres by 3 metres by 1.5 metres I would say for the seals, and one seal is extremely overweight. Penguin pool is very shallow, the penguins can only just fully submerge, and is about a metre wide and 3 or 4 metres long. Both exhibits have low walls which allows visitors to easily reach in and touch the animals). Shark and ray touch pool is not much better, far too small for the larger rays, very crowded, animals have nowhere to escape the handling and to top it all off, the exhibit is completely unsupervised. Just a very disappointing end to an otherwise fantastic aquarium.
 
I have complained on ZooChat about the old Nissen hut aviary at Chester many many times. It was an eyesore when I first visited the zoo, more than 60 years ago: and in spite of bit of a fancy dress woodwork and glass windows, it is still an eyesore today.
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How to miss an opportunity . . .

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The 'Nissen Hut' aviary, Chester, 21st September 2019
This is not to say that it is unsuitable as an aviary for a medium-sized bird species, but it looks increasingly out of place close to the remodelled Oakfield House and the modern playgrounds and buildings on the sites of the old lion enclosure and the waterbus booth. Perhaps the best solution would be to restore it to its original ugliness and feature it as a piece of zoo history, because it may be the last visible example of Mr Mottershead's use of wartime materials to expand the zoo more than 70 years ago.
 
Sophie Brugmann said:
Actually "completely overgrazed" is good for zebras. They have very tough hoofs that need abrasions. If you don't have a huge savannah, keeping them on a dense sand/gravel it's better for their health. The usual grass species that grow in central Europe have too much starch and protein, which can leads to inflamed hoofs and Joints (Hufrehe in German). So, while it looks unpleasant, it's probably a benefit for the zebra's welfare.
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Well, it may be true that the ground is not a problem, it is still way to small
 
At my home zoo, the Franklin Park Zoo, I think the “Bird’s World” exhibit needs either a renovation, or a new exhibit in its place. The building is very old, and while I don’t think it should be demolished because of its “history” at Franklin Park Zoo, it needs to be renovated. The building needs to be fixed in certain places. I have heard rumors over zoo chat that the zoo would theme the area to an Asian themed exhibit with various Asian animals, but I do not know if this is true.
 
Buffalo Zoo: If I had a magic wand, I'd do away with the entire Main Animal Building complex including Vanishing Animals (at least the Elephant House could be refurbished to house bison or moose or something and be an extension of Arctic Edge) and make a nice complex for Asian wildlife including Indian rhinos and tigers. Given the building's historic status, however, it cannot be taken down, so I'll settle for just the gorilla habitat. A nice Madagascar exhibit with lemurs and radiated tortoises would work nicely. The smaller exhibits down the hall could hold tomato frogs, tenrecs, cockroaches, and Dumeril's tree boa.

Bronx Zoo: I'd replace the Aquatic Bird House with an Australia House. Little blue penguins and kiwis would stay, and wombats, koalas, maybe even Tasmanian devils could find a home here.
 
The great ape house at the smithsonian national zoo is rather ugly and would look much better if concrete floor was replaced with bioactive floor like many zoos in europe. the orangutans have no other outdoor climbing options then the o line and the fake trees are not very nice.
 
The Cool Seas (The Deep Hull, UK) I think they need to remove it and change it into what it used to be, which is the Twilight Zone, a display about the deep-sea added in 2006, became Cool Seas in 2011. This is mainly because it is easier keeping coastal species such as pollack, which used to be in a big tank with Sparus aurata and Scyliorhinus stellaris, Along with a few more north sea fish outside of the entrance to the exhibit, which The Deep tried cramming in another exhibit with pacu, catfish, and turtles, which felt very out of place for the design of the aquarium, since there is already a freshwater exhibit.
 
I think Omaha should replace their Butterfly and Insect Pavilion with a larger invertebrate house akin to Saint Louis' or Cincinnati's.
 
Barcelona, please just get rid of the Parrot Plaza, make a typical aviary for parrots instead, thank you.
 
Scovill Zoo’s gator exhibit, it is pretty small, and could be better utilized for a small triode species, perhaps.
 
West Midlands Safari Park’s sea lion arena. Their former exhibit was that which now belongs to the humbolt penguins - before it was expanded - and now they only have the concrete pool in the show arena and a much smaller behind-the-scenes pool, and considering they only keep bulls this just doesn’t seem adequate, especially since most of the footprint is taken up by ugly faux-rock seating that I believe was built in the 1970s (please correct me if I’m wrong with the dates). While they’re at it they could get rid of the ‘Ice Age’ animatronics trail, as it is not only an eyesore but horribly inaccurate and already in desperate need of repair.
 
Cincinnati’s Bear Hill is an eyesore and I am very surprised that they haven’t taken it down yet. The polar bear in the area already died and at this point the only animals in the area are an Andean bear, pelicans, and (unsure how many) arctic fox. My suggestion would to renovate the area would be to implement it into the nearby Jungle Trails. The previous polar bear water viewing could be altered into a habitat for giant otters. With the previous first bear grotto changed into the land portion. The rest of the area would be changed into habitats for rare tropical bears. Andean, Sun, and Sloth bears would all be in lush rotating habitats fit for bears with waterfalls, large pools, lots of climbing space, and lush flora. The Arctic fox would be changed into a small aviary for rare tropical birds such as bali myna.
 
I'm positive most people that visit the Detroit Zoo regularly will agree that the "Pampas" habitat is the worst exhibit in the entire zoo. The exhibit as of recently has turned into a hodgepodge of animals from everywhere but South America. Right now the exhibit has fallow deer, sandhill cranes, one or two pelican species (can't remember which species), and an African spurred tortoise. All the true South American species have either passed away or have been transferred to a different zoo.

The entirety of the South American area in the American Grasslands is also lacking true South American species. The only two still at the zoo are giant anteaters and a greater rhea.
 
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