Starting Your Own Zoo

I am also working on starting my own zoo. What are the names of the zoos that you saw for sale. There was also one for sale in NC (Aloha Safari) but I think that they already sold it. Anyways good luck to you.
 
This is the species list for my dream zoo:
amur, bengal and sumartran tigers
asiatic, barbary, asiatic and white lions
cheetahs
jaguar
amur, snow and african leopards
pumas
cougar

small cats:
pallas cats
andean mountain cats
geoffroy's cat
jungle cat
pampus cats

large mammals:
reticulated, rothschild and massai giraffe
whie and black rhino
bongo
african and asian elephants
przewalski's horse
okapi
bison
common eland
grevy's and damara zebra
bactrian camel
pygmy and common hippo
malayan and brazilian tapir
thomson's gazelle
reigndeer
scottish highland cattle
nyala
timber, eurasion and alaska tundra wolf
moose
somali wild ass

small mammals:
giant anteaters
aardvarks
fennec fox
capybara
black-footed ferret
patagonian mara
southern pudu
red panda
fossa
meerkat
arctic fox

bears:
sun, andean, specticaled, polar, black, grizzly, brown bears
giant pandas
koala

sea animals:
patagonian and calafornian sealion
giant, northern river, asian-short clawed, smooth coated otters
bottle nosed dolphin
hawiian monk and harbour seal
walrus
west indian mantee

dogs:
brown, spotted, striped hyenas
african hunting dogs

fish:
clownfish
butterfly fish
small toothed sawfish
brown banded and sand tiger sharks
sea nettle jellyfish
piranha
sting rays

birds:
crowned cranes
ostrich
humbolt, emepror, gentoo penguin
emu
southern cassowary
barn, snowy, rock eagle owls
white backed and griffon's vulture
bald eagle
aplomado and new zealand falcon
parrots and macaws
purrin
hummingbird
peacock

monkeys and apes:
bornean and sumartran orangutans
gorillas
chimpanzee
mandrill
squirell, spider, patas, blue, colobus, ververt monkey
cotton-top, golden lion tamarin
rhesus, lion tailed, sulawesi crested macaque
white throated capachin
gelada and afican baboon
francois and javan langur
bonobo
lar gibbon

nocturnal:
hedghog
flying, egyption, rodrigues flying bat
southern two toed, hoffmanns two toed sloth
porqupine
kiwi

petting farm:
exmoor pony
mallard duck
pot bellied pig
llama
alpaca
angora goat
dall sheep
new hampshire red and polish chickens
nigerian dwarf goat
cashmer lop rabbit
miniture zebu
wild turkey
horse
guernsey cow
 
Reply to kbaker116

Dear kbaker116,
You certinally have not detered me at all. Thank you for complimenting me for have some neat ideas. I always have an open mind and know that I know I will do great anJusd am taking tour advice (make sure you always keep an open mind and remain positive and you will do great!)
I understand you. I know that I can’t do this entirley on my own.
1.Unpaid volunteers and other people with my similar ideas to help fund them are one way it is going to happen. However I can take on a fairly large role in making my succesful zoo dream a reality.
2.You have accepted your big dreams that you have bigger and rarer species just may never happen. Ex. Okapis, Elephants, Giant Pandas, Sumatran Rhino. However I propose that if I don't initially get what I want when I want it, eventually my zoo will develope and aquire more animals.
3.Zoning required to start a zoo can be incredibly hard to get (well at least in your area and probaly in my area as well).I havent realy looked into zoning however since you brought it to my knowledge I will look into it.
4.Zoos require money tons and tons of it. They sometimes breakeven but they don’t usually make a profit.I understand that zoos require tons of money and many have failed due to lack of funding.
I also wished to volunteer however at the time I was to young. Now I am old enough I still can volunteer but not as long as before and not as frequently because I am currently focused on my education and possibly employment in the near future so I may only be avalible to volunteer a few weekends a year compared to when I was ypounger and had loads of free time and could have volunteered for weeks and maybe even months at a time. But something is better than nothing.
I am also not calling myself an experienced zoo keeper. I agree with you that it is a little contradictory. I will leave it at that. If you want to talk more about this send me a private message. I have always been the working type and currrently have many methods of small income. My cousin and I fix up stuff like houses that need repair after a storm or that have not been kept up to code ect. We also cut grass, trim trees, and other various forms of outdoor work. We go knocking door to door offering our services and we always help out our family and they refer other people to us. Some friends of mine at school an I one day got an idea to sell snacks at school since alot of people were doing it and charging bogus over priced prices. We decided that we could attract more consumers but offerng cheaper prices, and better snacks that we can get wholesale and still make a reasonable profit. I own many pets and breed, sell, and trade them for a small profit and it is often difficult because my little brother and I easily get attached to our pets. I had alot of chickens and I had a diverse variety of breeds of all ages and got about 100 eggs a month. So then I was giving away free samples of eggs to first time coustomers and charging cheap prices of dozens of eggs. I had small, and large eggs in white, brown, red, blue, green, and tinted color shades. My local feed store had wholesale egg cartons available and I purchased many to benifit my buissness. However it would be alot better a couple months ago with all the recent egg contaminations going on but I no longer have my large stock of chickens. I do however have a small stock that provide enough eggs just for my family and friends. I also became very knowledgeable about different breeds and picked out a baby chick which I thought would be very beautiful an unique as an adult. Surley I was right. I purshased two small baby chickens from my local pet sore for a couple of dollars. When they mature I was confused because it wasn't a Phoenix, Old English, or American Bantam Game as I had expected it to be. Instead it turned out to be something even more valuable. It was a pure breed Indian Jungle Fowl containing genes of all four remaining species of jungle fowl which are on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It was valued at more than $20,000. I was so excited however when I entered it to auction someone broke into my yard when my family was on vacation and stole 2 of my most beautiful roosters, my food, and cage. I was so upset, angery, depressed, and shocked. For weeks I went around the city knocking on doors where I suspected people to have chickens. Worse yet I suspect tht whoever stole them may have used them for illegal cockfighting because they were aggresive twoards rivals. Back to my sources of income. I also get a small allowance from my parents and my grandparents and parents give me money depending on my grades in school. I also have alot of phoens and buy,trade, and sell them alot. I am als on looking into becomig employed so that will also provde some income. I have many more buisness you get the idea. I plan on partly depending on the government to give me anything. I will also look up Dave Ramsey.
Here are my replies to some of your other questions/advice.

Advice:I would recommend a different place rather than Phoenix. With the Phoenix Zoo nearby I think it would be best to choose another place to prevent competition. Any land near a city will not be cheap. If you want cheap you are going to have to go to the desert.

Reply:I was born and raised in Phoenix and will not have a buisness outside of Phoenix because I like to stay close to family and friends. I am not worried about the Phoenix Zoo, Wildlife World Zoo, or any other competition. I know any land near the city wll not be cheap. Arizona is nothing but dessert. I wish to be just outside the city so that it is close to coustomers and the land is cheap.

Advice: I’m not sure if you have looked into the exotic animal trade and ISIS, but Polar Bears aren’t exactly common. You are very correct about the Lions, Tigers, and alligators being common though. Zebras and Galapagos Tortoises are also quite readily available for zoos.

Reply:I have not looked deeply into the exotic animal trade and ISIS. I understand that certain animals aren’t exactly common while others are abundant.

Question:I’m not sure of any Orcas being contained in a lake, do you know of any places that have used this type of exhibit?

Reply: I am not sure of any Orcas being contained in a lake, nor do I know of any places that have used this type of exhibit. This is where I want to be uniqe. Just look at Orcas livespan in captivity and in the wild. There is a startling difference. The reason why is nowadays places like SeaWorld thanks to massmedia have made people think of orcas preforming tricks constantly is okay. The truth is that this puts huge amounts of stress on the animal. Orcas intelligence, playful spirit and athletic ability have caused it to be collected and displayed in small concrete pens for our amusement in in theme parks. Here is some more information about orcas from Orca Free
The physical limitations of putting an animal that can swim 100 miles in one day into a concrete pen for the rest of its life is inherently cruel.
This is why I want to provide as much space as possible for my orcas if I am lucky enough to aquire some for display in my zoo some day.
Sincearly Fernando Flores
Any one on zoo chat can also connect with me through Facebook
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F3rn, great ideas, and it sounds like you have a good chance of acheiving at least some of them!

I do think though that you need to take into account your locality though. You are in the middle of a huge dessert right? As such water is going to be a problem. Gardens, trees, large animals such as elephants are all going to need massive amounts. Storage of storm water might help, but I still think this is likely to be a problem. You might want to think about what animals would be easier to keep in your climate.

While I love your ideas for Orca, and agree that we can do better than keeping them in concrete bath tubs, I really don't think it's practical in Phoenix. Water is definitely an issue there! Besides just getting it, you'd need to flood a large area of dessert presumably (destroying an existing natural habitat rather contrasts with your eco-friendly plans...). It wouldn't just be the flooded area: you are going to end up raising the water table in a much wider area (lining a whole lake wouldn't be practical, and would surely fail even if you managed it). It would probably need to be fresh water to avoid poisoning the surrounding areas with salt, which might be an issue for the orca. Here in the uk we do have sealions kept in a fresh water lake (at Longleat). They are fed salt tablets to make up for it and do fine. I guess this might work for Orca too, on the other hand you might get horrendous skin problems and worse. I also wouldn't totally dismiss training. I feel a lack of anything else to do, and shouting crowds during training are more likely to be stressful than the training itself. Properly done training can be rewarding for an animal too, and also makes the animal easier to handle, meaning many vet procedures can be done without stress.

In the end, I feel anyone wanting to keep orca in a large enclosure would probably be better doing it in an enclosed bay at the coast.

For you I think you need to give your dreams a little reality check at times. Work towards something that does things that Phoenix zoo is not doing, and also works with the local enviroment rather than against it. I don't know the current zoo, but I'm thinking maybe something along more safari park lines, with drought adapted herbivores in large paddocks? Maybe lions? Maybe natives? And work towards feature exhibits for some of your dream animals!

Good luck!
 
Ever since I was pre-school I have dreamed of having my own zoo, and as a young child used to write the guidebook (in exercise books pilfered from the school stationery cupboard) for my dream zoo. I also drew maps on huge sheets of plywood of the kind of zoo I imagined I would have when I left school. That dream of having my own zoo has never left me. What I do lack is the courage (and of course the finance) to embark on such a risky venture, and the furtherest I ever got was many years ago when I appealed on the radio and in local newspapers for anyone who had got potentially suitable premises where I might set up a small zoo to get in touch. Nobody did. But I live in hope that one day I might emulate Gerald Durrell or George Mottershead or Herbert Whitley or any of my other zoo-owning heroes. I cannot imagine anything more perfect than having one's own zoo.
 
Hello,
It is so great to hear about all of your zoo plans. Everyone seems to have great ideas, ambitions and hopes, it is very inspiring.

I too would love to start a zoo, but in Ireland it is almost impossible. With a population of 4 million in the republic and two zoos (Dublin & FOTA) there isn't much room for any more. Dublin nearly takes 1 million people in in a year and both are under the same society, so no other zoo apart from The Zoological Society of Ireland exists. Belfast Zoo is also on the island, but this belongs to Britain. There re only the two, no samller parks or anything. Unlike the UK which has many private owned zoos, Ireland has none and the lack of education regarding wild animal management. I never thought too much about owning a zoo as it is such an unrealistic thing, but I always wanted to be a zookeeper and even that seems impossible now without travelling overseas. So I think I was born in the wrong place for a desire to own or even work in a zoo. Fingers crossed though!
 
Reply to Rowan Green's Post

Dear Rowan Green,
Thank you for wishing me luck, complimenting my great ideas, and saying it sounds like I have a good chance of achieving at least some of them!

I don’t think that I need to take into account my locality. I am in the middle of a huge dessert. Such water is going to be a somewhat of a problem but I think it is practical because another local zoo already operates an aquarium here in the metropolitan Phoenix area. Gardens, trees, large animals such as elephants are all going to need massive amounts of water and yes I know that. Storage of storm water might help, but I still think this is likely to be a problem but not a major problem. I might want to think about what animals would be easier to keep in my climate, however most zoos in my area have a lot of animals both tropical and native animals.

Water is definitely an issue there when it comes to my orca idea and I acknowledge that. Besides just getting it, I need to find a place to house them. Thank you for letting me know what you guys do in the UK (Here in the UK we do have sea lions kept in a fresh water lake at Longleat. They are fed salt tablets to make up for it and do fine. I guess this might work for Orca too, on the other hand you might get horrendous skin problems and worse.) I will definitely keep that in mind. I am not totally dismissing training. I will train my orcas to make them easier to handle during vet procedures and a few other scenarios. I’m talking about not training them to perform tricks though. But I agree with you that properly done training can be rewarding for an animal too, and also makes the animal easier to handle, meaning many vet procedures can be done without stress.

He is some comments/questions that you wrote and here are my replies to them.

Comment: Work towards something that does things that Phoenix zoo is not doing and also works with the local environment rather than against it.

Reply: There is not just the Phoenix Zoo there is also the Wild Life World Zoo, Heritage Park Zoological Sanctuary, Tucson Zoo, Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, Southwest Live Rattlesnake Exhibit, Douglas Wildlife Zoo, Reid Park Zoo, Grand Canyon Deer Farm, Navajo Nation Zoo & Botanical Park, and Out Of Africa Wildlife Park.

Question: I don't know the current zoo, but I'm thinking maybe something along more safari park lines, with drought adapted herbivores in large paddocks? Maybe lions? Maybe natives?

Reply: There is already a safari park up north in it is called Out Of Africa Wildlife Park and they have an African safari park type of exhibit.

Thank you again for replying to my post.
Talk to you later.
Bye Rowan Green and other Zoo Chat members.
 
Here's my dream zoo, which I hope to make happen on a smaller scale and then work up to this in the future. Kind of long though, so bear with me. :D
* = Notable Species Only

*Main Reptile Complex
- The Main Reptile Complex is the entrance and head quarters of the park. You enter through a cave with cave rat snakes and vampire bats, the you are greated by a huge termite mound with termites, sungazers, and naked mole rats. Next, a 3,000 Gallon pond holds young Nile crocodiles and koi. A huge all glass vivarium houses a Green Anaconda between the Expedition Room and Café. A huge stone serpents with snake vivariums built into it winds past the Komodo Dragon’s indoor room. Finally, 3 walls are line with exhibits.-
Cave Rat Snakes 1.1.0
Vampire Bats 2.6.0
Giant Sungazers 1.2.0
Naked Mole Rats 1.30.0
Nile Crocodiles -.-.- ( Off spring of African Journey’s crocs)
Green Anaconda 1.0.0
King Cobras 1.0.0
Komodo Dragons 1.1.0

Komodo Dragons
-The Dragon yards exhibit two South East Asian monitor lizards; one being the heaviest in the world, the other the longest. The Komodo dragons have a yard splitting off from the Main Complex. It is a grassy paddock with boulders and sparse trees and tall grasses. They also have a standard indoor holding room that guests can view them from, as well as individual bedrooms behind the scenes. The crocodile monitors have a wooden house themed exhibit on stilts, like the ones in the Komodo’s home territory. They share their home with Merten’s water monitors, and a pond is added near the front of the exhibit. -
Komodo Dragons 1.1.0
Crocodile Monitors 1.1.0/Merten’s Water Monitor 1.0.0

Giant Tortoise and South AmericaYards
- The Giant Tortoise yards are pretty much just dirt and grass paddocks with a pond, a shady area, mud wallow, and foliage such as hibiscus and a few ornamental grasses. The exhibits have indoor access from the rear of the exhibit and can be connected to merge herds. The enclosures are set back into the bamboo forests of the bamboo trail behind it. In the Galapagos enclosure, a perch is placed near the fence where two blue and gold macaws can rest. Other exhibits include three toed sloth, ocelot, giant anteater and capybara.-
Galapagos Giant Tortoise 1.3.0/Red Footed Tortoise 1.2
Aldabran Giant Tortoise 1.2.0
Blue and Gold Macaw 1.1.0
Green Iguana 1.0.0
Ocelot 1.1.0
Giant Anteater 0.1.0
Capybara 1.3.0
Three Toed Sloth 1.0.0

American Crocodile Ponds
-The American crocodile ponds are a Everglades themed part of the zoo. Every enclosure has a large pond, complete with cypress stumps, cattails, and other wetland plants. The Cuban crocodiles have a slightly more dense habitat, with elephant ear plants, papaya trees, and giant water lilies. The alligators have a Seminole “chickee” in their enclosure and the American crocodiles have a boat-
Cuban Crocodiles 1.2.0
American Alligator 1.3.0
American Crocodile 1.1.0

Bamboo Forest
-The bamboo forest, or Asian Trail, is named after its abundance of bamboo growing along its paths. After crossing a bridge over a creek, filled with red eared sliders and carp, you come to a mixed exhibit for red panda, pheasants, and muntjac deer. Next alongside the creek you find an exhibit for Asian small clawed otters, and another for Chinese alligators-
Asian Small Clawed Otter 1.2.0
Red Panda 1.1.0
Muntjac Deer 1.1.0
Chinese Alligator 1.1.0

African Wetlands/ Flamingo Gardens
- The African Wetlands exhibit is set in an oasis, teaming with life around every corner. Flamingos live in the shade of huge palms, while crocodiles bask on the banks and storks and cranes graze the grass for insects. The river hippopotamus exhibit has a barn and a behind the scenes grazing paddock where the parks gardeners plant adult apple trees. Also in the hippo enclosure are various waterfowl.-
Greater Flamingos 3.4.0
Lesser Flamingo 4.4.0
Marabou Stork 1.1.0
East African Crowned Crane 1.2.0
Nile Crocodiles 1.3.0
River Hippopotamus 0.1.0

*Madagascar
- Madagascar is one of the smallest areas of the park. It has an indoor exhibit for Madagascan reptiles and outdoors are enclosures for Ring Tailed Lemurs, Fossa, and Radiated Tortoise. Indoors, a variety of chameleons, geckos, lizards, and snakes can be found.-
Ring Tailed Lemurs 1.2.0
Fossa 1.1.0
Radiated Tortoise 1.0.0

*Expedition Room (In Main Complex)
-The Expedition Room is an extension to the main reptile complex, giving visitors a chance to get up close, and touch friendly wildlife. Inside the room is a Landrover 110 that you can get a photo in, as well as artifacts from around the world. From inside, you can view outside through the huge glass walls, and catch a glimpse of the parks hippopotamus or crocodiles in the parks African Wetlands. -
Kirk’s Dik-Dik 1.0.0
Rock Hyrax 1.2.0
Sulcata Tortoise 1.0.0
Leopard Tortoise 1.1.0
Love Birds 2.6.0
Guinea Fowl 1.2.0
Mali Uromastyx 1.2.0
Meller’s Chameleon 0.1.0

*Tropical Treats Café ( In Main Complex)
-Tropical Treats Café is the main eating establishment at the park. Pineapple, Kiwi , Papaya, and Coconut are served fresh as well as traditional Asian dishes. In the room are 3 large aquariums for Cichlids, South East Asian Fish, and Amazonian Fish-
Arapaima 1.1.0
 
f3rn4nd0f10r3s said:
I don’t think that I need to take into account my locality. I am in the middle of a huge dessert. Such water is going to be a somewhat of a problem but I think it is practical because another local zoo already operates an aquarium here in the metropolitan Phoenix area.

Reply: There is not just the Phoenix Zoo there is also the Wild Life World Zoo, Heritage Park Zoological Sanctuary, Tucson Zoo, Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, Southwest Live Rattlesnake Exhibit, Douglas Wildlife Zoo, Reid Park Zoo, Grand Canyon Deer Farm, Navajo Nation Zoo & Botanical Park, and Out Of Africa Wildlife Park.
Click to expand...

First some response to the above two sections (a small bit of criticism), then I will go on to more positive comments. Water on the scale you are talking is a problem. It is also incredibly irresponsible environmentally and goes against the whole philosophy of your zoo. The entire water of all tanks combined at Wildlife World's aquarium (and at Tempe's Sea Life Aquarium, which you did not mention), are still a small fraction of the amount you would need for a lake-sized orca tank. If you look at those aquarium buildings, the entire buildings could easily fit inside the tank you are describing, and remember most of those buildings are visitor hallways and not water. A sea lion or porpoise exhibit might be more practical and since there are none of these in Arizona might be a crowd draw.

As for your list of Arizona zoos, there is no Tucson Zoo separate from Reid Park Zoo - they are one and the same. (The actual name is Reid Park Zoo but our web address is tucsonzoo.org.) Also, Douglas Wildlife Zoo and Navajo Nation Zoo have long since gone out of business (thankfully). I am surprised someone as young as you had even heard of them. Here are two you did not mention: Keepers of the Wild (Valentine, AZ) and Bearizona (Williams, AZ).

Staying in Phoenix is both a good and bad idea. Good because it is a huge metroplex (something like 6 million people I think?). This creates a very large potential pool of customers. Bad because there are already two zoos that have many of the same animals. And now there are two aquariums. You would have to do something really different to attract visitors to your place. It can be done, I mean Out Of Africa used to be on the outskirts of Phoenix and they had a very loyal following because they were unique. You just have to give people a reason to go to your place in addition to the two zoos that are already there.

Polar bears you will never get unless you are AZA accredited (and this is really tough to do). Other bears can be easy, especially black bears. You can start with these and start by going for ZAA accreditation which is easier. Even for AZA zoos like Reid Park Zoo (which just lost a male polar bear), there are none to come by and we may not be able to replace him.

It sounds like you at least have some basic carpentry skills (fixing up houses) and this will be a huge benefit. If you can build things yourself, and it sounds like you can, you can do a lot of exhibit design and construction yourself. It takes hundreds of thousands if not millions to build large scale immersion exhibits, but it takes relatively little money to build basic natural habitats. Wildlife World and Out Of Africa are perfect examples of this.

You can actually become a personal member (without owning a zoo) of the ZAA (Zoological Association of America) and I would encourage you to do so. This will open up some important contacts. If you want cats, you can join the FCF (Feline Conservation Federation). They support both public and private zoos and private individual cat owners and they can help you get cats, even if you are just starting out.

As a fellow Arizonan, I certainly would love to see another good zoo here and I encourage you to follow your dreams. Some of the outlying cities like Chandler or Surprise are growing and might very much like to have their own zoo. I look forward to seeing what happens with your idea.

If and when you do decide to start building, you may need to do some volunteer work days to build the basic exhibits. I would be happy to drive up from Tucson to help out and I could probably bring a couple of the other docents from Reid Park Zoo to help.
 
Fernando, I have to ask why you think that a "lake" is consistent with your ethical views on orcas in captivity, but not a "concrete tank". Orcas are wide-ranging oceanic predators whose home ranges might stretch as much as 1,300km from end to end. No matter how big your "lake" is going to be, it's going to seem just as confined to an orca as the smallest Sea World pool does. It's perhaps the difference between a three-foot wide cell and a four-foot wide cell. You're mistaking a human sense of scale for an orca's.
 
Arizona Docent - actually Navajo Nation Zoological and Botanical Park is either still open, or reopened - they had an event in October that's listed on their website. I haven't been for several years, but I thought it was ok when I saw it. Didn't know anything about the Douglas Zoo - had anyone seen it? From my googling it seems to have been a zoo/pet store combo.
I didn't know about the reptile place in Apache Junction - I'll add it to my to do list, which embarassingly enough also includes the new aquariums, and Out of Africa. Almost got to Out of Africa before it moved, but got very ill that day and just haven't had another chance.
I'd also love to see another animal place in the Phoenix area, but I feel like for it to be a success it would have to somehow fill a different niche. And, it would probably have to do without any government funding. Phoenix Zoo is private -run by a zoological society, and Wildlife World Zoo started as rare bird breeding/selling and grew from there, so I'd be surprised if they get any tax money.
Fernando - have you looked at the zoo teen volunteer program at the Phoenix Zoo? I haven't been involved with it for some years, but I believe it's progressive - as you get more experience you can handle more animals, etc.
 
Reply to Arizona Docent's post

Dear Arizona Docent,
First of all let me say thank you for expressing your opinion, correcting some of my mistakes, and giving me some very helpful advice. One bit of advice that I will definitely look into is a sea lion or porpoise exhibit because it is more practical and there are none of these in Arizona and it would make my zoo unique and there might be a crowd draw. This gives me an edge compared to other zoos. I have not heard of these zoos you mention however I look forward to visiting them soon (Keepers of the Wild in Valentine, AZ and Bearizona in Williams, AZ. Staying in Phoenix is both a good and bad idea and I know that. Good because it is a huge metroplex. This creates a very large potential pool of customers. Bad because there are already two zoos that have many of the same animals. And that is one reason why I want t be unique. And now there are two aquariums. I would have to do something really different to attract visitors to your place and for the mean time I am still brainstorming some ideas for this purpose. I just have to give people a good reason to go to my zoo in addition to the two zoos that are already there. I did not know that I will never get polar bears unless I am AZA accredited. You make a good point that will be really tough to do. Other bears can be easy, especially black bears. I can start with these and start by going for ZAA accreditation which is easier. Even for AZA zoos like Reid Park Zoo (which just lost a male polar bear), there are none to come by and we may not be able to replace him.  That makes me really sad; I visited Reid Park Zoo last summer and saw the polar bear(send me a private message and please give me some details on how and why he passed). I do have some basic carpentry skills and am improving greatly and this will be a huge benefit. Since I can build things myself (and I can build most things myself, however if I cannot I can always learn how) and I can do a lot of exhibit design and construction myself. It takes hundreds of thousands if not millions to build large scale immersion exhibits, but it takes relatively little money to build basic natural habitats. So that is why I am learning from my mistakes and taking advice from elders in every aspect of life to better my chances in obtaining my goals in life. As a fellow Arizonan, I certainly would love to see another good zoo here as well and thank you for encouraging me to follow your dreams. Thank you for some helpful advice (of the outlying cities like Chandler or Surprise are growing and might very much like to have their own zoo). I look forward to seeing what happens with my dream zoo and I am making steps everyday to help me succeed in making my dream a reality. If and when I do decide to start building, I will definitely need to do some volunteer work days to build the basic exhibits. Thank you for offering to drive up from Tucson to help out and try to bring a couple of the other docents from Reid Park Zoo to help it would be greatly appreciated. Let me know if Reid Park Zoo needs any help because I will be glad to help out and build on my knowledge.
Sincerely, Fernando Elizandro Gomez Flores Junior
 
Dear Talli,
First of all let me say thank you for giving me some advice.
Question/Advise:
Fernando - have you looked at the zoo teen volunteer program at the Phoenix Zoo? I haven't been involved with it for some years, but I believe it's progressive - as you get more experience you can handle more animals, etc.
Reply:
I have looked into it but at the time I was too young and now that I am old enough I do not have a lot of spare time. However I do wish to volunteering there this summer and will try hard to make time to volunteer there and many other places.
Sincerely, Fernando Elizandro Gomez Flores Junior
 
Reply to all Zoo Chat members

Dear Zoo Chat Members,
First of all let me start off by saying thank you all Zoo Chat members for expressing their opinions on kbaker116’s post as well as mine. In my opinion I feel some Zoo Chat members have deferent opinions about my “lake” orca exhibit. No one has deterred me at all I just decided that it would be best if I do not construct this type of exhibit based on all the advice fellow Zoo Chat member have given me. At first I thought that I could make a “lake type” of orca exhibit but I now realize that this is just not possible. First of all it isn’t really practical in Phoenix. Water is definitely an issue. Besides just getting it I probably would end up destroying an existing natural habitat and this rather contrasts with my eco-friendly plans and it is also incredibly irresponsible environmentally and goes against the whole philosophy of my zoo. It wouldn't just be the flooded area; I am going to end up raising the water table in a much wider area. Lining a whole lake wouldn't be practical, and would surely fail even if you managed it (plus it would be very difficult to even attempt to manage it). It would need to be fresh water to avoid poisoning the surrounding areas with salt, which might be an issue for the orca. No matter how big my "lake" is going to be, it's going to seem just as confined to an orca as the smallest Sea World pool does. Orcas are wide-ranging oceanic predators whose home ranges might stretch as much as 1,300km from end to end. Just look at Orcas lifespan in captivity and compare it to their lifespan in the wild. There is a startling difference. The reason why is nowadays places like SeaWorld thanks to mass media have made people think of orcas performing tricks constantly is okay. The truth is that this puts huge amounts of stress on the animal. Orcas intelligence, playful spirit and athletic ability have caused it to be collected and displayed in small concrete pens for our amusement in theme parks. The physical limitations of putting an animal that can swim 100 miles in one day into a concrete pen for the rest of its life is inherently cruel. That is why I have decided not to have a “lake” type of exhibit in Arizona. However the only possible practical way to keep orca in a large “lake” type of enclosure would probably have the best chance of doing so in an enclosed bay in California.
Sincerely, Fernando Elizandro Gomez Flores Junior
:) :(
 
I would start off with a petting Zoo starting with the following species:
Dwarf Zebu
Highland Cattle
Slender Tailed Meerkat
Kune Kune Pig
Essex pig
African Pygmy Goat
Exmoor Pony
and more!
then over 10 years i would transform the park into a wildlife centre my first exotic animals to arrive would be:
a pair of Asian Lion's
a group of White Rhino's
5 Black Rhino's
a group of Asian Elephants
a pair of Siamang's
a couple of groups of Ring Tail Lemur's,Red Ruffed and Aloatran Gentle Lemur
3 Sumatran Tiger
a group of African Wild Dog
A Pair Of Giant Otters
5 Spectacled Bear's 2.3 a male with a female in one enclosure the same in another and an elderly female.
a group of Nile Hippo's and a pair of Pygmy Hippo's
2 Malayan Tiger
and maybe a pair of Sumatran Rhino.
I would create natural spaces for all and create enclosure's like Edge Of The Horn meaning Rhino's and Tiger Develpmont Centre for Malayan,Sumatran and Amur Tiger's.
 
jordan-12 said:
I would start off with a petting Zoo starting with the following species:
Dwarf Zebu
Highland Cattle
Slender Tailed Meerkat
Kune Kune Pig
Essex pig
African Pygmy Goat
Exmoor Pony
and more!
then over 10 years i would transform the park into a wildlife centre my first exotic animals to arrive would be:
a pair of Asian Lion's
a group of White Rhino's
5 Black Rhino's
a group of Asian Elephants
a pair of Siamang's
a couple of groups of Ring Tail Lemur's,Red Ruffed and Aloatran Gentle Lemur
3 Sumatran Tiger
a group of African Wild Dog
A Pair Of Giant Otters
5 Spectacled Bear's 2.3 a male with a female in one enclosure the same in another and an elderly female.
a group of Nile Hippo's and a pair of Pygmy Hippo's
2 Malayan Tiger
and maybe a pair of Sumatran Rhino.
I would create natural spaces for all and create enclosure's like Edge Of The Horn meaning Rhino's and Tiger Develpmont Centre for Malayan,Sumatran and Amur Tiger's.
Click to expand...

I think somebody has beat you to your ideas,as this pretty much sounds like how a place called South Lakes Wild Animal Park developed!!:p
 
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