Cancelled zoological exhibits projects?

Tamandua56

Tamandua56

Well-Known Member
Are you aware of any animal exhibits that have been canceled or simply never took place in existing zoos? I am aware of several conversion projects for zoos that are no longer operating (Living Coasts, Bristol Zoo) or extensions of existing zoos (Maubeuge Zoo, Frankfurt Zoo), but does anyone know of more specific exhibits or animal enclosure complexes within existing zoos, particularly in Europe?
 
One of my favourite projects I've seen is unfortunately a cancelled one. Blijdorp's Island Hopping area, consisting of three greenhouses for Madagascar, Komodo and the Galapagos, adding onto the already existing Caribbean and Falkland halls. You can probably see by the date why it ended up cancelled

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Mr Gharial said:
One of my favourite projects I've seen is unfortunately a cancelled one. Blijdorp's Island Hopping area, consisting of three greenhouses for Madagascar, Komodo and the Galapagos, adding onto the already existing Caribbean and Falkland halls. You can probably see by the date why it ended up cancelled

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That really sucks it got cancelled because it looked like such an awesome concept :(
 
HumanLandfill said:
That really sucks it got cancelled because it looked like such an awesome concept :(
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It really is! Some of the species mentioned are Madagascar iguanas, Narrow-striped mongoose, Ploughshare tortoise, Sailfin lizards, and of course Galapagos tortoises, Komodo dragons and Ring-tailed lemurs.

Especially the Galapagos area with Lava flow rocks and small boardwalks looks amazing, but the open-topped Komodo dragon enclosures and the Water banana swamp with a mongoose beach enclosure are just such cool ideas. It's especially a shame since Blijdorp's most recent and upcoming projects are not nearly as exciting
 
Marwell's Wetlands development was another victim of the covid pandemic. It would have featured new enclosures for the zoo's pygmy hippos, capyabaras and flamingos as well as possible new species that were hinted at but never confirmed.

The zoo did have signs up advertising the development stating it was due to be built in 2020.
 
Mary said:
Seaworld's Blue World project being canceled still haunts me to this day. Oh, what could have been... :(
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This project would've set remarkable standards for Cetacean care...such a shame. Looking back on it, I am still floored by how amazing these plans were.
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Chester Zoo recently opened Heart of Africa (focused on the savanna) but has a previous unrelated Heart of Africa exhibit (focused on the rainforest) plan that was scrapped, and during preparations for the new exhibit a lot of people would get confused stumbling upon the older plan by the same name. This is fairly well-known of course but the reuse of the name has really added to its notoriety.

I also know several more from the United States.
 
NMM said:
Marwell's Wetlands development was another victim of the covid pandemic. It would have featured new enclosures for the zoo's pygmy hippos, capyabaras and flamingos as well as possible new species that were hinted at but never confirmed.

The zoo did have signs up advertising the development stating it was due to be built in 2020.
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They were also going to make much of their then recently acquired Bearded Reedlings, which I’m pretty sure have since left the collection
 
Australia Zoo planned to open a complex called Gorilla and Orangutan Island in 2005. It got to the early stages of construction, but no great apes ever arrived and it was revamped as ‘Bindi’s Island.’

Auckland Zoo planned to build a precinct in the 1990’s called the Predator Gorge, centred around the historic lion pit. Adjacent exhibits include Jaguar and Puma; and it was planned to extend into an exhibit that housed various hoofstock throughout the 20th century, eventually winding up as a macropod walkthrough.

Auckland Zoo also planned to build a flamingo aviary to house the region’s only flock of Greater flamingo. This was canned for reasons unknown and the existing exhibit upgraded.
 
The project itself hasn't been cancelled so much as seemingly scaled back, but Riverbanks Zoo reversing course on orangutans in their upcoming Bridge to the Wild expansion is always going to sting. Their mockups looked like they had the potential to be incredible:

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They still have them posted to their page about the project but as of the last big press update on the project, orangs are no longer on the table. Instead the complex will center around species that will command less impressive exhibits including red pandas, giant anteaters, and spider monkeys... all of which are already (or were recently) present in the other AZA collection about an hour up the road.
 
The Omaha Zoo's Alaskan-themed areas (e.g. the excellent Sea Lion Shores) were intended to include new exhibits for polar bears, Alaskan brown bears, sea otters and lynx under the old director Dennis Pate. Unfortunately, it looks like those plans have been put on hold indefinitely under the new director and there have been no updates since he took over.

https://www.newschannelnebraska.com...e-never-before-in-new-exhibit-opening-in-2020
 
Toledo Zoo drafts decade-long US$94.25m masterplan | attractionsmanagement.com news
Toledo Zoo plan minimizes impact of weather
Toledo Zoo has big plans if levy passes
In 2015, the Toledo Zoo and Aquarium unveiled an ambitious new master plan. Key new features added to the zoo would be:
  • The enhancement of Africa! with the addition of a ropes course and zipline above the large savanna enclosure as well as a feeding deck for giraffes and a new pavilion/event space.
  • A new tiger exhibit on the site of what was then the Cheetah Valley, which would have potentially been all indoors if they decided to replace their Amur tigers with a tropical subspecies. There would also have been a new restaurant that guests would be able to watch the tigers from.
  • A North American grasslands exhibit replacing Tiger Terrace home to bison, pronghorn, and coyotes.
  • A “river exhibit” that would include a new, all-indoor hippo enclosure and an outdoor enclosure for brown bears, with concept art even showing the latter being viewable in glass pop-up domes children could enter. (Side note: the zoo acquiring brown bears and then putting them in what was traditionally a African-themed area definitely makes more sense when you realize the plan was originally to move them to the opposite side of the zoo). An issue of the zoo’s quarterly magazine also mentioned giant otters as a potential new species that would be included in this complex.
  • A new “Age of Exploration” themed exhibit that would’ve held Galapagos giant tortoises and other animals from Latin America as well as Australia.
  • A revamp of the historic science museum.
  • The re-opening of the tunnel under the road connecting the north and south sides of the zoo, with the addition of exhibits for nocturnal animals like bats even suggested.
  • The Carnivore Cafe would be converted into a Komodo dragon habitat.
However, fellow Toledo Zoo visitors will recognize that of these projects, only the additions to Africa!, the renovation of the museum, and the re-opening of the under-road tunnel actually came to be. One of the new species described in the plans, the Komodo dragon, was also added to the zoo, but in the new museum rather than in the former Carnivore Cafe. Speaking of, the opening of the new Museum of Natural History, ended up occurring considerably earlier than the master plan originally called for; the third link above says it was set to begin construction in 2023 and open in 2025, but in fact construction actually ended up beginning in 2017 with the museum opening in 2019. This may be due to other projects that were supposed to happen earlier (like the Age of Exploration exhibit, the North American grasslands, and the new tiger exhibit) getting cancelled (or perhaps delayed and subsequently cancelled).

A new master plan was unveiled in 2021. While most of its vision is different from the 2015 one, it does also include a new tiger exhibit (albeit on the north side of the zoo as opposed to replacing Cheetah Valley, which now is being used as a site to grow wild prairie plants instead of for an exhibit) as well as a new space for brown bears (sort of… an expansion of their former holding, with new theming, at any rate).
 
Granted, I'm not too sure if anything has been officially cancelled yet, but in 2015, my local zoo, the Denver Zoo, revealed a brand new master plan, and 10 years later, so far, only a new hospital has been built. I also may be misremembering this, but I believe they also announced plans recently to demolish the old Felines building, but I can't find any post from them about that.
 
By the miracle of the Wayback Machine, I was able to scrounge up the Minnesota Zoo's 2012 master plan PDF. I have fond memories of doing a presentation on the content for a class in 7th grade. It was a really lofty plan containing the following:
  • A new "Prairie's Edge" exhibit near a new east entrance, including bison, pronghorn, and prairie dogs. In other articles I've seen suggestions that the hope was to add a meerkat exhibit to the entry area to complement the Japanese macaques and the penguins.
  • Updates to the Japanese macaque exhibit, including major vertical expansion and the addition of netting, underwater viewing of a hot spring, and a raised ground level so the monkeys are more eye-level with guests
  • Removal of the estuary pool in Discovery Bay, addition of new exhibits (including potentially moray eel, jellyfish, and/or octopus). Conversion of the dolphin tank into one of the following: A sea lion encounter; a walrus ice floe exhibit; an Amazon flooded forest exhibit with giant river otters; or a tropical atoll with scuba opportunities for guests
  • The conversion of the Northern Trail into an Asia Trail, including potentially Stellar's sea eagle, snowy owls, arctic foxes, Eurasian lynx, musk deer, and Mongolian pika; updated enclosure for Asian wild horses; Persian gazelle, markhor, tragopans, and red pandas.
  • Updates to the Family Farm including an expanded horse barn with a variety of breeds, pony rides and other contact experiences, and overnight educational experiences
  • The addition of a seasonal Africa Trail, including zebras, giraffes, rhinos, antelope, ostriches, hyrax, secretary birds; a tented camp experience for overnight accommodations; premium "backstage viewing" opportunities during winter months; potential for mandrills, red river hogs, bongos, duikers, swamp monkeys, otters, hippos, and sitatungas; a meerkat colony; cheetahs, African wild dogs, lions, gerenuk
  • An "adventure park" area with ziplining, a ropes course, a "Chutes and Ladders course", snowshoeing trails
  • A butterfly pavilion
  • Updates to the tropics trail, including coatimundis and capybara; spider monkeys; an update to the old nocturnal exhibit hallway showcasing South American reptiles/amphibians/fish/invertebrates; the addition of an orangutan exhibit; siamangs and flying foxes
So far exceptionally little of this plan has been achieved. The dolphin tank was originally converted to a Hawaiian monk seal enclosure but that program was a pretty colossal flop and it now houses a few sea lions, which do have a show but it hardly matches the colorful description in the master plan. The big touch tank is still there. The dhole habitat has been converted into an enclosure with red pandas, cranes, and tufted deer.

But I think that's genuinely all that has happened from this plan in the last 13 years. At least that I can remember/that I'm aware of. It's hugely disappointing. More recent plans from the zoo seem to emphasize their new "Tree Top Trail", which unlike other trails contains no new/specific animal enclosures and is instead an elevated 1.25 mile walking trail that does offer aerial looks into some existing habitats, but again, nothing new. And the addition of some food trucks and a new playground, I guess.

Makes me sad.
 
I remember back in the early 2000's Edinburgh Zoo announced a massive master plan to re-develop the entire site and separate the zoo into four biome themed zones (rainforests, temperate forests, savannah and aquatic if I remember correctly), but it ultimately never happened.
Also, Edinburgh's current giraffe house that opened in 2021 was initially planned to be the first of five large scale projects each themed around a different conservation issue, with the giraffe house's theme being habitat loss, but this was announced a long time ago, before Covid, so it's not clear yet whether or not the other four projects (re-developed penguin, rhino and sun bear enclosures, and a walkthrough tropical house) will ever see the light of day.
 
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