OkapiFan
Well-Known Member
Excuse me, what!?
This what not the news I was hoping for about the aviary
North Carolina Zoo North Carolina Zoo News 2022
- Thread starter Breckenridge
- Start date
This what not the news I was hoping for about the aviary
WOW. That is really terrible, now I wish that I had not skipped it when I went there last summer. Man, what is it NCZ and their buildings being closed permanently and then demolished? Maybe they can open a new aviary eventually, but I would not bet on it.
Needless to say, I felt my soul jump out of my body the moment I read that headline.
This is incredibly sad to hear. The Aviary was one of my favorite exhibits at the zoo; I could spend an hour or more in there each visit immersing myself and trying to find all the birds. I last visited the zoo in Oct 2019 and haven't gotten back back since, and so I missed the species they introduced in the interim. I was holding off on visiting again until the bird flu pandemic blew over, but I guess that's a moot point now.
I know the zoo had a perfectly valid reason for closing the aviary, that they will ensure that the birds get new homes, and that the NC Zoo has always been and will continue to be a quality-over-quantity collection, so I respect them a lot for that and I hope all the birds do get successfully rehomed, whether here or elsewhere.
That being said, I can't shake this feeling that the zoo has been in an apparent downward spiral for the past 15 years; this is the 2nd major exhibit that the zoo has removed in the last 15 years, the other being the African Pavilion (which, incidentally, was also closed due to climate-induced structural deterioration) and is just the latest in a line of examples of the zoo having to downsize and scale back its collections and operations. And with no plans replace the aviary either, per the zoos website, this is going to represent yet another major blow to the zoo's collection. The Africa region in particular is going to feel even more empty without the Pavilion AND now the Aviary.
I love the NC Zoo and have considered it my "home zoo" since my first visit in 2007. I will always support the zoo whenever I can. I just hope that the zoo can buck this downward trajectory it's been on and get itself turned around. Hopefully, the Asia exhibit can get the ball rolling and the state can up its support of the zoo. With that still being at least 2 years away, I really hope the zoo can at least keep some of the birds (preferably without removing any more animals from public viewing) and maybe even build an aviary or two in the Africa region to help spice it up. But one can only dream.
OkapiFan
Well-Known Member
Agree fully with the fact that the zoo has been going downhill lately, I just hope it doesn't keep going down. If it does the U.S will loose one of its best zoos. Once the Baboon habitat, Asia, and Australia open, my hope is that the zoo will keep rising and become much better than it ever was.
I mean both buildings reached the end of there functional lifespan. Does it suck? Yes, especially because it diminishes the bird collection but the zoo hasn’t really gotten massively worse.
The African Pavilion was a big loss but it wasn’t exactly a great exhibit space for many species. The aviary was still a great exhibit but unexpectedly reached the end of its lifespan. The zoo had already planned for Asia & Australia and got funding, I doubt it could change course wven if it wanted too. North Carolinas never been a strong zoo in regards to birds and I expect that too continue, but maybe once Asia & Australia are done they can re-prioritize resources towards either a new bird house, or a large bird exhibit inside the planned Amazon complex.
The African Pavilion was a big loss but it wasn’t exactly a great exhibit space for many species. The aviary was still a great exhibit but unexpectedly reached the end of its lifespan. The zoo had already planned for Asia & Australia and got funding, I doubt it could change course wven if it wanted too. North Carolinas never been a strong zoo in regards to birds and I expect that too continue, but maybe once Asia & Australia are done they can re-prioritize resources towards either a new bird house, or a large bird exhibit inside the planned Amazon complex.
I hope they at least salvage the rockwork *in* the aviary...
While I do agree that the closure of the aviary or the pavilion by themselves did not make the zoo considerably worse, it's the accumulation of all these removals over the years that has me worried. Sure, the zoo has seen some improvements and additions, but those have been few and far between, resulting in what appears to be a net negative progression of the zoo in the years since my first visit in 2007.
I also agree that the African Pavilion wasn't perfect and had some questionable exhibitry, but it wasn't all bad. It held plenty of interesting species and the way it was built next to the African Plains (now Watani Grasslands) was brilliant. It's a shame that the zoo couldn't salvage either building. Regardless, the zoo made the right call and the decisions were clearly rooted in the well-being of the animals.
The Asia exhibit can't get here soon enough! I really hope the zoo is able to go through with all those planned exhibits (first time hearing about Amazon, btw) without any significant cuts (assuming what they are planning is reasonable). Those would really turn the zoo around and get it on the right path if all goes well. Whatever happens, I would hate to see this zoo continue to lose exhibits without replacing them.
Some further details regarding the closure of the Aviary. In brief, the aviary had significant structural issues that included corrosion to mechanical systems and pipes, issues with the glass roof panels, and even erosion that could lead to a sinkhole! The aviary was not only beyond salvation, but it cannot be rebuilt in the same spot.
The zoo estimated that rebuilding the aviary would cost north of $50 million.
Rebuilding NC Zoo’s aviary would cost $50 million, zoo director says :: WRAL.com
Not even the Desert is 'safe"! An inspection in March revealed cracks in some of the exterior walls and support columns, corrosion to various mechanical parts, as well as an emergency generator that needs replacement. The report estimates these repairs could cost $1.6 million.
Thankfully, that seems much more feasible, and the report stated that the Desert is otherwise "in good condition" and just needs some repairs, hopefully indicating that it will not meet the same fate.
NC Zoo desert exhibit needs repairs, according to state report | wfmynews2.com
Needless to say, expect the Desert to close for repairs sometime in the future.
The zoo estimated that rebuilding the aviary would cost north of $50 million.
Rebuilding NC Zoo’s aviary would cost $50 million, zoo director says :: WRAL.com
Not even the Desert is 'safe"! An inspection in March revealed cracks in some of the exterior walls and support columns, corrosion to various mechanical parts, as well as an emergency generator that needs replacement. The report estimates these repairs could cost $1.6 million.
Thankfully, that seems much more feasible, and the report stated that the Desert is otherwise "in good condition" and just needs some repairs, hopefully indicating that it will not meet the same fate.
NC Zoo desert exhibit needs repairs, according to state report | wfmynews2.com
Needless to say, expect the Desert to close for repairs sometime in the future.
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The last entirely new exhibit to open at the zoo was Streamside in the mid 90s, so all of the zoo's buildings are beginning to get up in age and there's a backlog of renovations.
Nori, the 11-year old female chimpanzee, was euthanized on Monday due to declining health related to epilepsy.
Zoo press release
Zoo press release
Red wolf triplets born:
Adorable trio of red wolf pups unveiled at NC Zoo :: WRAL.com
Three brothers were born on April 20th to mom, Ayita, and dad, Denali. The pups are also joined by their sisters, Alli and Roan, who were both born last year.
Adorable trio of red wolf pups unveiled at NC Zoo :: WRAL.com
Three brothers were born on April 20th to mom, Ayita, and dad, Denali. The pups are also joined by their sisters, Alli and Roan, who were both born last year.
OkapiFan
Well-Known Member
The aviary seems like it's going to get rebuilt!
North Carolina Zoo Aviary: Gov. Roy Cooper's budget proposes funds to rebuild closing exhibit
North Carolina Zoo Aviary: Gov. Roy Cooper's budget proposes funds to rebuild closing exhibit
This is great news indeed, especially since it was implied before that no replacement was on the table. I have my fingers crossed that this goes through and the aviary lives on in some form or another, even if it doesn't come immediately (the zoo has other projects, most notably Asia, in the works).
However, I do have to wonder how they will actually go about this assuming the budget goes through. The zoo has previously stated (per the article I linked in my last post) that rebuilding the aviary could cost upwards of $50 million, and it would have to be build in a different location due to soil erosion and possible sinkholes. Repairing the current aviary or reusing the existing structure in any capacity has been deemed out of the question.
The article also stated this:
Seems too early to say the aviary will be rebuilt in any form at this point, and $5 million isn't a lot of money in relation to how much zoo exhibits tend to cost these days. It is interesting that the governor proposed funds for it, though; we shall see what the zoo decides to do with that information.
I think the $5 million might be with regards to the infrastructural portions of the aviary, however the zoo has stated that it would cost a greater deal - I'm not sure if that means completely replacing the aviary or replacing and fine-tuning the existing infrastructure.
Persephone
Well-Known Member
Could be that the zoo is expected to fundraiser the other 90% on their own. I don’t quite know how their budget works as a state institution, though. $45 million for an aviary is quite the ask.
Or maybe it’s $5,000,000 to build a smaller aviary in Asia or Australia. Or a series of smaller exhibits around the zoo for displaced birds.
Or maybe it’s $5,000,000 to build a smaller aviary in Asia or Australia. Or a series of smaller exhibits around the zoo for displaced birds.
So glad the zoo is able to keep some of the species around. Also, I had no idea they had Inca Jay, Worm-eating Warbler, and Blue-faced Honeyeater. When did they get those?
Also, does anyone know what is to become of their White-headed Buffalo Weavers? They were previously housed in the Desert, but I didn't see them mentioned above.
I haven’t been to the zoo since late 2020 but they had all three before that point. The worm-eating warbler is likely a rescue and I am shocked it is still alive, but then again it was real hard to find in the rainforest and was usually unsigned. Some of the desert birds are staying like the doves but the buffalo weavers I don’t know about tbh.
Is the plan to keep those birds around permanently? It'd be nice for North Carolina to not shuffle off all of their birds, but also some of those are pretty clearly not desert birds 