Either way, I'm excited to be able to visit Lincoln Park again. It was one of the earliest zoos I visited in my adventures way back in 2015, but I have not had an opportunity to tour it again on full since. I have visited the zoo twice since my first visit, but on both occasions I was short on time had to prioritize what was new (I think the Macaque, Polar Bears and Penguins, in one instance and the lion house on another occasion). I have not been through most of the buildings since that original visit, which was before any of my trips were all that well documented photographically.
Hope you had a great trip and look forward to your thoughts and photos!
Sichuan takin seem to have left the collection. Both exhibits have been empty for weeks with signs up saying the species is temporarily off exhibit. They are still signed but the page on there website has been taken down. This leaves the South Loop with just the deer (3 yards), alpaca, red kangaroo (only saw 2), Grevy’s zebra (2 yards), and Chacoan peccary.
It’s pretty clear to me that this is a deliberate plan to empty out the South Loop. The Alpaca may be a new species but are likely just a domestic place filler for the meantime. If they do want to keep the alpaca I imagine they can put them in the farm area, but the rest of the species would definitely be a sad loss.
The loss of Sichuan Takin is significant as they are a winter-hardy species - so no reason to move them in a rush - and there was a good breeding record here. They really are one of the stars of the complex. I was suspicious when the camels left but this really adds up. The ostrich has also moved then, huh? I hope to African Journey's Kovler Savannah area. Signs are definitely pointing to a deliberate effort to empty the enclosure and area.
The zoos former CEO (who the current CEO was director under) expressed interest in redeveloping the south loop into an indoor/outdoor Asian exhibit to mirror African Journey. This may be what’s in the works given recent moves and while I’ll miss these species, it’s easily the least inspired part of the zoo and due to be replaced.
I definitely hope they stick to this plan, especially the indoor/outdoor component. It makes a lot of sense for the area and layout, especially as camels, takin and the deer are all Asian species already and viable to return, it's something distinct from what Brookfield and Milwaukee's future plans and can therefore make for a unique addition, and half of the loop is kind of a waste in the winter so the building would add a little more interest to the southern half of the zoo then.
I do have some nostalgia for the loop but it feels very uninspired and outdated, lacking in the species diversity or elegant sight lines that define the few similar exhibits remaining, the peccary and kangaroo feel like a poor fit for their spaces, and the deer and takin required multiple exhibits just to have enough space for themselves. I hope a reinvention does retain some of the character but it's due for change, especially as it's the oldest unchanged exhibit in the zoo at this point.
The thought of that is exciting to say the least. Given the rate of species leaving I wonder if this may be the last summer for the South Loop. The zoos been pretty quiet since the lion house reopened, and I’d imagine they have been privately fundraising as of recent. I did see a post from the Mayor recently talking about meeting with the zoo about it’s future plans, so something’s clearly in the works.
I could see the snow leopard and red panda moving to the area, with tigers being brought back. That lineup would be a great all weather lineup and I hope some additional species could be fit into the plans.
Very good point about meeting with the Mayor, that would imply something significant. I agree about using the return of tiger as the headliner for an Asian expansion, and moving over snow leopards and red pandas are excellent choices. I think the outdoor species choices could take some inspiration from Omaha's Asian Highlands, although that exhibit is double the size of the hoofstock loop, while the indoor area could focus on tropical species and possibly move some from the primate, small mammal and perhaps bird buildings while hopefully introducing something new. Rhinoceros Hornbill might be a great addition for a new bird species.
I included some ideas for an Asia complex
here in the speculation thread and while I think some of the details (species, space, etc.) have aged a bit poorly, I stick by the broad strokes of it.
Additionally I hope the zoo addresses the primate house soon as its really been disappointing as of recent and is unfit for housing larger primates.
Even though the Primate House is becoming pretty outdated as outdoor access for primates and larger enclosures become the norm, I admit I sort of dread whenever they decide to update it. The building is in a really bad spot for a potential renovation project. It's a historic building, located at the edge of the zoo's land area, adjacent to a grassy area used for events, picnics, and concerts and thus the scope of this building is really limited and you can't really build outward. A Canopy Trails type of expansion can be almost completely ruled out, and therefore it might not be holding primates or mammals in the future at all. In terms of biogeography, I would think an Australia building or neotropical building could be a good use of it, but the species choices would still be very limited to suit the building. The smaller neotropical primates could perhaps fit into a neotropical building concept, but I can't see any of the three African monkeys remaining.
okay hear me out: we take the old primate house and replace it with a biome themed area, something lincoln park doesn’t currently have, theme it to some pretty diverse ecosystem idk maybe a swamp? just spitballing. pretty sure this has never been done before.
Haha, this was clever.
