Brookfield Zoo Brookfield Zoo News 2023
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A little more info can be found here...
Chicago Zoological Society - Brookfield Zoo & The Chicago Zoological Society
Chicago Zoological Society - Brookfield Zoo & The Chicago Zoological Society
I'll post some more detailed thoughts in a little bit, but for now let me point out two big details from this release.
"Once complete, there will be opportunities in the future to make changes inside the current building that will feature new guest experiences."
"The official groundbreaking ceremony will take place later this fall. The project is the first of many exciting new changes coming to Brookfield Zoo that will be revealed this fall when the Chicago Zoological Society announces its Next Century Campaign as the Zoo looks forward to its centennial celebration in 2034."
The prospect of outdoor Tropic World habitats has been in the works for years and after so much waiting, seeing these renderings feels unreal. I first saw the blueprints for the expansion a few months ago so I knew what the layout was going to look like, but now my excitement is through the roof. This looks fantastic and if enough care is gone into the rockwork and artificial trees, this is going to be superb. I've mentioned this before, but I love that all of the exhibits are facing away from Tropic World so visitors won't see the building in the background and instead continue to see lush vegetation. It's that kind of attention to detail separates the good exhibits from the truly great.
The gorilla habitats have potential to be excellent. Like I said, those fake trees will make or break the exhibit and if they look good it’s going to be amazing. The most interesting thing I notice about the orangutan exhibit is the bamboo sway poles. San Diego has similar structures in their orangutan exhibit and they work very well at encouraging the apes to get off of the ground. I hope some more climbing structures are included alongside them, but I think this could be among one of the nicest orangutan exhibits in North America.
I sincerely hope the zoo gives enough time for the vegetation to settle in before introducing the animals. Woodland Park left their famous gorilla exhibit empty for a year to allow the plants to grow in and while I don't expect them to do the same here, giving the furnishings extra time to grow would be smart. Considering the zoo is attempting to turn what's currently an open grassy field into rainforest, it's going to take a few years for the vegetation to really take over.
I do wish we received some renderings of the new gorilla center, as I am very interested in seeing how that is going to look on the inside. With that said, the exterior looks great: sleek, modern and professional. I am very interested in that elevated observation deck protruding out from the second floor where the classrooms will be, and I'm wondering if that's going to connect to the existing building in some way. I am also over the moon that the interior of Tropic World will be getting some renovations as well. I was honestly not expecting any significant changes to the existing exhibits beyond the current gorilla enclosure, so that is genuinely wonderful to hear.
After the last decade of stagnation and decay, the tide is finally beginning to change. The next several months leading up to the reveal of the 'Next Century Campaign' are going to be incredibly exciting. From what I've been hearing through the grapevine, the zoo is really going all out in ensuring this master plan is a success and has recognized that many see Lincoln Park as the superior Chicago zoo now. It's been a long time coming, but this really seems like the start of a brilliant new era for Brookfield and if every project has this level of ambition, it's going to be a fun ride.
The gorilla habitats have potential to be excellent. Like I said, those fake trees will make or break the exhibit and if they look good it’s going to be amazing. The most interesting thing I notice about the orangutan exhibit is the bamboo sway poles. San Diego has similar structures in their orangutan exhibit and they work very well at encouraging the apes to get off of the ground. I hope some more climbing structures are included alongside them, but I think this could be among one of the nicest orangutan exhibits in North America.
I sincerely hope the zoo gives enough time for the vegetation to settle in before introducing the animals. Woodland Park left their famous gorilla exhibit empty for a year to allow the plants to grow in and while I don't expect them to do the same here, giving the furnishings extra time to grow would be smart. Considering the zoo is attempting to turn what's currently an open grassy field into rainforest, it's going to take a few years for the vegetation to really take over.
I do wish we received some renderings of the new gorilla center, as I am very interested in seeing how that is going to look on the inside. With that said, the exterior looks great: sleek, modern and professional. I am very interested in that elevated observation deck protruding out from the second floor where the classrooms will be, and I'm wondering if that's going to connect to the existing building in some way. I am also over the moon that the interior of Tropic World will be getting some renovations as well. I was honestly not expecting any significant changes to the existing exhibits beyond the current gorilla enclosure, so that is genuinely wonderful to hear.
After the last decade of stagnation and decay, the tide is finally beginning to change. The next several months leading up to the reveal of the 'Next Century Campaign' are going to be incredibly exciting. From what I've been hearing through the grapevine, the zoo is really going all out in ensuring this master plan is a success and has recognized that many see Lincoln Park as the superior Chicago zoo now. It's been a long time coming, but this really seems like the start of a brilliant new era for Brookfield and if every project has this level of ambition, it's going to be a fun ride.
Joseph G
Well-Known Member
Wow. Just wow.
Trying to remind myself these are just renderings, but, I had admittedly become a little pessimistic about this project in the last few months. I knew they’d have a chance to match and even improve upon what Lincoln Park had done, but I never expected anything close to these renderings. I’ll be over the moon if it ends up half as good as what these are showing.
This is an incredible way to kick off the ten years leading up to the zoo’s centennial. Can’t wait to see what else they have in store!
Trying to remind myself these are just renderings, but, I had admittedly become a little pessimistic about this project in the last few months. I knew they’d have a chance to match and even improve upon what Lincoln Park had done, but I never expected anything close to these renderings. I’ll be over the moon if it ends up half as good as what these are showing.
This is an incredible way to kick off the ten years leading up to the zoo’s centennial. Can’t wait to see what else they have in store!
Pachyderm Pro, as often, has taken the words out of my mouth for me!
"Once complete, there will be opportunities in the future to make changes inside the current building that will feature new guest experiences."
I am over the moon to hear this. I really sincerely hope they take advantage of the time to renovate the interior when the new outdoor habitats are complete. The outdoor habitats looks phenomenal but the existing building has already suffered from feeling empty already when it has held apes indoors in inferior accommodation. There are so many possibilities for this structure, some of which might not even require drastic changes.
In general, I am overwhelmed by the sheer beauty of this proposal. Eventually reality will set in again but for the moment, I am seeing potential I wasn't sure was still possible.
"Once complete, there will be opportunities in the future to make changes inside the current building that will feature new guest experiences."
I am over the moon to hear this. I really sincerely hope they take advantage of the time to renovate the interior when the new outdoor habitats are complete. The outdoor habitats looks phenomenal but the existing building has already suffered from feeling empty already when it has held apes indoors in inferior accommodation. There are so many possibilities for this structure, some of which might not even require drastic changes.
In general, I am overwhelmed by the sheer beauty of this proposal. Eventually reality will set in again but for the moment, I am seeing potential I wasn't sure was still possible.
In April the zoo will be adding 12 bronze sculptures around Roosevelt Fountain.
https://lovethelast.com/pages/face-of-the-wild
Faces of the Wild
https://lovethelast.com/pages/face-of-the-wild
Faces of the Wild
Corangurilla
Well-Known Member
Aw rats, right after I get back from Chicago…
Craig Billington
Well-Known Member
I'm new to this forum. The renderings of the new outdoor primate exhibit look very promising. It really looks like there are great things coming in the near future for Brookfield Zoo after a relatively quiet decade.
GibbonGuy95
Well-Known Member
Is Malaya gone?
No, she is still at the zoo.
A cotton-top tamarin and squirrel monkey were born recently.
Brookfield Zoo welcomes new baby monkeys
Brookfield Zoo welcomes new baby monkeys
That headline is quite misleading. Only a squirrel monkey was born, and a mating pair of cotton-top tamarins made their public debut.
Unfortunately, it appears gerenuk have left the collection. All signage has been removed and considering the zoo has held just one individual for a while now, it wouldn’t surprise me if he was moved elsewhere.
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