After a month of this being out, I think I've finally figured out how to form my thoughts on the master plan. There are areas without any renderings or details that I simply have no input on. There are also some things left out of the master plan that I do have thoughts on!
PACIFIC COASTS OF THE AMERICAS
Quoted my full thoughts on this below, but just want to reiterate how important it is to have charismatic species immediately upon entry.
Lot’s of skepticism on relocating penguins to the front. Denver just did this and it’s incredibly smart, especially for what the zoo is going for - “Connect. Care. Conserve.”
In most job interviews for keeper positions, they’ll ask, “if you were to start a zoo tomorrow, what three animals would you start with?” Penguins should always be on that list.
Incredibly charismatic and something almost every guest is going to look out for on their visit. Putting them by the gate starts the visit off on the right foot with a positive experience and connection. Outdoor penguin exhibits at the entrance have been becoming more of the norm (already mentioned Denver plus Akron and Cheyenne). That’s your “connect.”
Building a new exhibit also gives the zoo the opportunity to create a better encounter space. You have a better chance of filling that encounter space if it’s the first thing people are upsold at the start of the day, and more of the morning slots will be full when the afternoons are already sold out from people who pre-booked. That’s your “care.”
Finally, penguins have some of the easiest conservation messaging. What can people do right now to help? Shop sustainable fish. Donate. SANCCOB (for African penguins of course) or whatever organization the zoo supports/donates. Brookfield also does plenty of their own field work with Humboldt’s that they can reference. That’s your “conserve.”
I love The Living Coast. I remember its opening year and its true glory days with the water wall and moon jellies in the first large tank. It’s not getting back to that. I’m glad there’s an emphasis on giving animals outdoor access and that should include the penguins. The Living Coast will be a tough loss for my nostalgia, but it’s a no-brainer for a zoo that only has a carousel and a gift shop at the entrance.
WILDLIFE DISCOVERY (NORTH)
Our Rivers to the Gulf has the potential to be one of the best exhibits of the century. It’s reminiscent of SeaWorld San Diego’s “Blue World” project. Obviously not to the same scale, but the intent is there. What really has the potential to set this apart is if it can connect to Seven Seas. Looking at the map, it appears there is a separate building connected to the dome, but I don’t see any connection to the Seven Seas show building. I’m hopeful there is a solution to this, as they should all have access to both areas in the name of welfare. This could single-handedly change what cetaceans look like in captivity and maybe even some opinions on the practice.
What disappoints me about this area is the amphitheater's proximity to Fragile Desert/Clouded Leopard Rain Forest. I was very hopeful to see the clouded leopards get something out of this master plan, and it appears their current exhibit and the potential for any outdoor space has been completely left out. While I personally feel like it’s the best indoor clouded leopard exhibit, at least on this side of the Mississippi, it stinks to see them left out.
In general, I understand the need for the amphitheater and the desire to keep the historical core in tact immediately to the south of it. I do think there are better locations for it, but in the name of ingress/egress and a central location, it makes sense.
WILDLIFE DISCOVERY (SOUTH)
Seems to be some skepticism around using the bear grottos, but I am interpreting it as
only using the current rockwork as a backdrop. From the renderings, it appears as though the guest paths will be where the moats are currently with the entirety of the exhibits gutted. I believe there used to be five total grottos (two sets of connected exhibits and one solo), and this would be reducing that number to four.
I am disappointed there is still nothing in the southeast corner of the zoo. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it seems like a wasted opportunity. The renderings show a new path, so maybe some sort of additional green space? Regardless, we could still be ten years away from this area of the zoo feeling any sort of new life which is a bummer.
SOUTHWEST AUSTRALIAN PROVINCES (Going exhibit by exhibit now instead of paragraphing all of the Immersive Ecoregions)
This sounds great from the description. As much as I was hoping they could find a way to put Australia in the southeast corner of the zoo, I’ll echo my previous sentiments that it is very important to have charismatic species near the entrance. Koalas and kangaroos check that box. It is very surprising to me that we have no exhibit renderings when this is slated for Phase II. The map doesn’t suggest much, so I’m very curious to see what comes of this.
SOUTH AFRICAN FORESTS
Back before we had any inkling, I remember sizing up the Pachyderm House plot and comparing the square footage to Elephant Passage at Denver Zoo. Little did I know, they’d take that concept and put it on steroids. The renderings are very exciting and it’s encouraging to see the zoo be this ambitious. However, I’m so curious how this will be pulled off and what population of each species we’ll see when, if taking the map to scale, it seems like there isn’t enough off-exhibit space to hold what the outdoor spaces are capable of. It’s also concerning to see how much of this will not be available to view in the winter. If anything, Very curious to see this plays out in Phase II.
EAST AFRICAN FORESTS
Quoting some previous thoughts below on hippo/Nile crocodile exhibits. These will be great. I think a lot of people are overestimating what it takes to make a great hippo exhibit when the bar has been so low in recent years.
The outdoor exhibit space on the south side of the Pachyderm House as it's currently set up from the actual building to the edge of the walkway is around 71,000 square feet. On the new map, they show these exhibits taking up less of that space.
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Comparing the new map to the current setup (not a perfect overlay by any means), Nile crocodile would get the former elephant exhibit, while the hippos would get the remaining two enclosures to the left. Knowing that, the 71,000 square feet is divided up with 40,000 square feet to hippos and 31,000 square feet to Nile crocodile. Now if I measure according to the new map and the new exhibit boundaries, it's around 21,5000 square feet for hippos and 14,500 square feet for Nile crocodile.
I was hopeful that the remaining strip of the West Mall might be included in this space, but it appears from the new map, along with with the Tropical Forest and hippo/Nile crocodile renderings that this is not the case.
My most generous estimate has Cincinnati's hippo exhibit is at 9,000 square feet of outdoor space. Not going to account for their indoor space because I can't account for Brookfield's indoor plans. I'd certainly hope there'd be something other than the current indoor stalls.
PACHYDERM BUILDING/AFRICAN SAVANNAH
I don’t know the intricacies of shifting ungulates, so I won’t pretend to have any knowledge on the topic. All I can really say is I appreciate that the zoo is trying to use as much existing infrastructure as they can with the Pachyderm House and current Habitat Africa! Savannah building. While I know it’s probably going to be a pretty penny to redo the Pachyderm House, it’s great to see them simply expanding and/or repurposing a lot of this when it could have just been bulldozed completely. If they can pull off what sounds to be a difficult shifting process, it will be very neat to see these animals in such a wide variety of spaces, making for a different experience every single zoo visit. Also great to see cheetah in the mix.
HIMALAYAN AND CENTRAL ASIAN STEPPE
This seems like an upscale version of what Cleveland did in 2018. It should be absolutely stunning with with the Forest Preserve as a backdrop, I appreciate the new space for the snow leopards, but again, I wish the clouded and Amur leopards were included in this as well.
ODDS AND ENDS
- I think the addition of North American Prairie gives the zoo a second chance Great Bear Wilderness with Tundra-Taiga. I can’t track down an original set of plans for that, but I know it really didn’t come close to what we were all hoping for.
- I wish there was even the smallest peak at some renderings for the South American exhibits. Not even a suggestion on the map for the Atlantic Forest & Pantanal.
- Conservation Campus is much needed to keep up with other zoos. Denver and Nashville come to mind with some recent award-winning additions simply allowing guests to see behind the curtain. It goes a long way in showing the general public how important these institutions are.
- Reiterating my disappointment that Australia was the only Phase II project without any renderings.
- Also wish there was consistency among the Phase III details. I know we can’t know everything right now, but I’d just like a clearer picture.
CONCLUSION
This is bold. I have my doubts but I am at least very excited they are being bold. If even 50% of this comes to fruition, that is a huge win for the zoo and will put it back on the map. I think it’s the additional 50% where I truly have my doubts.
We should have a clearer picture after Tropical Forests is complete. If it’s relatively true to form and they deliver on that first promise, we should all be able to confidently expect a good majority of what they are dreaming to become reality.
Less likely to break a neck or leg, sure, but rhinos have very poor eyesight, and as such are very wary and easily spooked. Yes, they’re large and powerful animals, but they are still quite nervous. Having them in such a contained space for an extended period of time is still increasing the chance of injury. They’re also not going to be as motivated to move such distances as elephants are going to be.
