Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Cleveland Metroparks Zoo News 2022

So today while at the zoo, it hit me how much land was left practically unused between Rhino Reserve and the dining pavillion by the entrance. It got me wondering in a Zoo Tycoon esque way about what could go there, and it hit me...Hippos!
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It'd fit in well with the rhinos next door, and the elephants down the road.
 

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CMZman said:
So today while at the zoo, it hit me how much land was left practically unused between Rhino Reserve and the dining pavillion by the entrance. It got me wondering in a Zoo Tycoon esque way about what could go there, and it hit me...Hippos!
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It'd fit in well with the rhinos next door, and the elephants down the road.
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Is that enough room for hippos or for a Hippo exhibit? The majority of space needed for a zoo to keep hippos is the life support systems, water filtration, etc. I typically agree with utilizing unused space, but aren't sure if a good Hippo exhibit is a possibility, or even a good choice. The last thing we need is more Hippo exhibits keeping too many hippos in too small an area.
 
Neil chace said:
Is that enough room for hippos or for a Hippo exhibit? The majority of space needed for a zoo to keep hippos is the life support systems, water filtration, etc. I typically agree with utilizing unused space, but aren't sure if a good Hippo exhibit is a possibility, or even a good choice. The last thing we need is more Hippo exhibits keeping too many hippos in too small an area.
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Sadly, although LSS requires some space, the majority of space required for a good hippo exhibit ought to be grass and water.
 
Neil chace said:
Is that enough room for hippos or for a Hippo exhibit? The majority of space needed for a zoo to keep hippos is the life support systems, water filtration, etc. I typically agree with utilizing unused space, but aren't sure if a good Hippo exhibit is a possibility, or even a good choice. The last thing we need is more Hippo exhibits keeping too many hippos in too small an area.
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My first thought was hippos because that's probably the animal I miss most that Cleveland used to have
 
CMZman said:
So today while at the zoo, it hit me how much land was left practically unused between Rhino Reserve and the dining pavillion by the entrance. It got me wondering in a Zoo Tycoon esque way about what could go there, and it hit me...Hippos!
View attachment 544219

It'd fit in well with the rhinos next door, and the elephants down the road.
Click to expand...
I totally think so that hippos would work right there! I think that Tucker of the Cincinnati Zoo could have Cleveland as a part-time home when Bibi and/or Fiona has a new calf born and that they don't want to force the baby hippos to either be introduced to dad or be crammed in the small indoor area 50% of the time for 2 whole years. I also think hippos would work, because only 20 of the top 80 zoos in the United States keep them and Cleveland bringing them back would be amazing.
 
Neil chace said:
Is that enough room for hippos or for a Hippo exhibit? The majority of space needed for a zoo to keep hippos is the life support systems, water filtration, etc. I typically agree with utilizing unused space, but aren't sure if a good Hippo exhibit is a possibility, or even a good choice. The last thing we need is more Hippo exhibits keeping too many hippos in too small an area.
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Yes, but only a maximum of 2 and no breeding. I think a single male hippo or a pair of females would work, but no more than that.
 
CMZman said:
Just left Cleveland Zoo after my first visit in 4-ish years. Here are my thoughts after 4 years:
African Elephant Crossing: Construction equipment was inside the building. Looked like they were doing floor work.
African Savannah: First time seeing the Rhino Yard expansion. I thought it was needed, seeing as the rhinos always seemed like they were outgrowing the exhibit. I didn't even miss Monkey Island. Both the building formerly home to the Colobus and the jaguar exhibit were empty, so maybe further development?
Northern Trek: This is how I'll be breaking up the old and new parts of Wilderness Trek, the older stuff will be northern, new stuff will be Wilderness. Wolf Lodge still holds up well, which can't be said for the rest of Northern Trek. I heard the middle bear grottos will be renovated this summer, which they desperately need. I could only see the Andean bear, I'm guessing the others were inside.
Wilderness Trek: Asian Highlands was incredible, as was Tiger Passage. I'll probably talk more about them later. Desperately hoping the rest of Northern Tier receives this level of upgrades.
Australian Adventure: Most of the non-walkabout area was closed, which was odd since it was the middle of May. Closed: Homestead, Mini Barn, Yagga Tree. Dingoes were off exhibit.
PCA: Aldabra tortoises were off exhibit, as were the Colobus Monkeys. Did get to see the baby gorilla, which was nice. Since the RainForest expansion was announced, to me PCA just looked ugly and dated.
RainForest: RainForest was pretty nice today. The top aviary seemed very empty. Aside from the birds the only other things I saw were the sloth, anteaters and capybara. Did they remove animals or am I just remembering wrong? Baby Orangutan was out and about today.
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This is a good summary. I agree Wolf Lodge holds up well and does not show its age. I do hope that the center grottos are renovated to being on the level of other exhibits there but I'm not holding my breath, I just am not sure there is a lot they can do with the existing structures. I wonder if the Australian Adventure areas being closed is still some carry over from the pandemic? Either not having enough staff to clean or not wanting to group people inside. The PCA is what it is, it houses animals that are either waiting for better areas or do not fit with other themes. A notable exception are the cheetahs, I would love to figure out a way to get them down to the African Savannah but I do not think there is enough space for them to have a good exhibit.
 
mwalle09 said:
A notable exception are the cheetahs, I would love to figure out a way to get them down to the African Savannah but I do not think there is enough space for them to have a good exhibit.
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They were supposed to build a Cheetah exhibit by the giraffes back in 2018 alongside Asian Highland but those plans fell through for whatever reason. I'm guessing Cheetahs might be fast-tracked due to RainForest being revamped, since it's speculated that would lead to the end of Pca
 
TigerValley98 said:
The plan is in the PDF above. I think it will open next year. The atrium for Tropical Forest (RainForest) will begin construction next year.
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Bear plans look really good. Like a nice blend between Tiger Pass and Asia Highland. All it would leave are the Grizzly exhibit (Which can probably still last a while longer) and the seals that need to be updated up top
 
CMZman said:
I read the PDF but couldn't tell what species are gonna be in the new exhibits. Is it still going to be Sun, Andean and Sloth bears?
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Just the latter two I presume. Sun bears in America have been on their way out for a while now with only elderly individuals left.
 
So two yards/grottos per species? Anything would be better than their current yards. Last week it looked like two were abandoned and overgrown
 
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