Taronga Zoo Guy Cooper Announces Plans For Retirement

T

thorney_devil

Well-Known Member
Guy Cooper Announces Plans For Retirement,
Taronga Zoo will soon be starting program to find his sucsessor...

After several huge developments:
- Backyard To Bush (Taronga)
- Wild Asia (Taronga/Western Plains)
- Great Southern Oceans (Taronga)
- Food Market (Taronga)
- Car Park Complex (Taronga)
- Upcoming Elephant Births (Taronga)
I think it's worth a round of applause...

Hopefully the new director will show the same passion and creativity to pull both Zoo's up to speed with today's technology & enclousure designs,
aswell as support our Countries native & exotic breeding programmes while maintaining genetic viability...

In future i hope for more developments:
- Gorilla Exhibit Expansion (Taronga)
- African Exhibit Refurbishments (Taronga/Western Plains)
- Australian Exhibit Refurbishments (Taronga/Western Plains)
- South American Exhibit Refubishments (Western Plains)
- Big Cat Exhibit Refurbishments (Western Plains)
 
I'd be happy with a CEO that has a zoological/biological background.

:)

Hix
 
i'd be happy with someone creative.

i would have to disagree that guy cooper was the visionary powerhouse that thorny devil suggests.

i think the developments are more a reflection of all the cash the zoo was given..
 
cash that his management team secured only after they formulated a blueprint for the zoos future.
personally i think Guy Cooper has done an amazing job.
 
glyn said:
cash that his management team secured only after they formulated a blueprint for the zoos future.
personally i think Guy Cooper has done an amazing job.
Click to expand...

I second that glyn. Guy Cooper certainly deserves quite a bit of credit - along with his management team colleagues - for the fact he made the Zoos attract sufficient funding and remain at the forefront of public eye vis a vis nvestment opportunities.
 
Mr Cooper was very business minded. which in some ways was good but I have been disappointed with the investment put into TWPZ.
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
I second that glyn. Guy Cooper certainly deserves quite a bit of credit - along with his management team colleagues - for the fact he made the Zoos attract sufficient funding and remain at the forefront of public eye vis a vis nvestment opportunities.
Click to expand...

That funding would have come anyway, the majority of funding came from the the state government.
 
it would have come anyway? Jarkari, under this masterplan the two zoos receive almost as much funding annually as they did in the decade before hand.
before this masterplan Taronga got exhibits, not precincts. and for someone who claims to think in a business minded sense than i find it ironic you would criticise a director for not throwing even more money into a zoo over 4 hours away from the nearest major metropolitan centre and in the face of other changing factors such as people moving from rural areas to the coast, changing transport habits, changing holiday patterns and other factors including drought.
im not saying TWPZ should be closed but i think that even early indications of a 35million investment into the dubbo campus may have been a little ambitious and represented less return in terms of dollars and that the more frugal budget TWPZ has is probably not such a bad thing
 
Glyn, a few items assigned to TWPZ were cut from the masterplan. TWPZ got Wild Asian Wetlands, A newplayground, Giraffe Platform and the new Entry Precinct, when the financial crisis started a number of items at TWPZ were cut.

There has actually been a considerabel increase in people moving west to areas like Orange, Bathurst, Molong, Parkes, Wellington etc and of the visitors that come to TWPZ a massive percentage are from much further away than Sydney.

Something like signage is relatively cheap and it's something that desperately needs upgrading. I believe TWPZ did miss out a bit. People keep flocking to Taronga as it is changing, people don't want to travel the long distances to see the same thing that they have seen every year for 30 years. The new ed centre is great but the only obviously new ish things are the enclosure for the Greater one Horned Rhino's, and the Playground, everything else looks the same. Don't you think a few upgrades (even if it is newwer, more interesting signage is worth it. When the Asian Elephants came over from Taronga two big statues were built. I walked past these last week and the kids were all over them having a blast and taking photos. These kinds of things make a big difference. and Taronga is always going to get the visitors, It's there they don't have to try as hard as TWPZ. I'm happy with what TWPZ has but a little more wouldn't hurt. The state government came to an agreement with Zoofriends and ZPB that they would match $2 or $3 for every $1 raised by the groups.
 
And sorry, I'm not saying he hasn't done a good job. He, and all of the staff at both zoos have done a hell of alot in the ten years he's been there. my personal opinion is that some things could have been done differently.. It's my personal opinion and it is a bit one sided as I have a soft spot for TWPZ.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top