@Toddy: there is definitely a fair amount of space around Tropic World. There is an area called the West Mall, which is basically a large green space with food refreshment stands, and at both ends of the building there could potentially be space for outdoor enclosures. Alongside the bottom of the building there is the ancient, 1930's guinea baboon enclosure that could easily be bulldozed or renovated if the zoo wanted to spend money in that direction, but all of this would cost millions and there is already a focus on different aspects of this aging zoo. The Brookfield Zoo is a couple of hundred acres in size, and it is a massive zoo that takes most of a day to see. The problem is that the collection is awesome but there are barely any spectacular exhibits...but in the next decade there will be a lot of changes in an attempt to modernize the establishment.
@BlackRhino: Would you mind terribly to start using some constructive arguments in your posts on this forum? Why do you not think that Tropic World is that bad? (I am not disagreeing, just asking).
I don't think it's that bad because all the primates except the two great apes have tons of opportunities for climbing and have lots of space. I wouldn't go to the extreme of saying iron bar cages are better because their not. It is not a god-awful terrible building like many on here make it out to be, but average at best.
geeze i've just scrolled through the images here of tropic world and i am shocked.
i'm totally shocked that in 2009 a zoo would dare to display something so revoltingly tacky and artificial. i mean, we are used to fake rocks and even trees but fake plants!!!!?
thats just sad. sad that nobody has realised that that this exhibit would probably be pretty good if the simply lifted up patches of concrete, threw down some real substrate and planted some vegetation - all that concrete could instead by covered in a lush sea of green.
there is really no excuse for something that ugly and leads me to the conclusion that the people of brookfield zoo have no taste whatsoever and are extremely lazy.
geeze i've just scrolled through the images here of tropic world and i am shocked.
i'm totally shocked that in 2009 a zoo would dare to display something so revoltingly tacky and artificial. i mean, we are used to fake rocks and even trees but fake plants!!!!?
thats just sad. sad that nobody has realised that that this exhibit would probably be pretty good if the simply lifted up patches of concrete, threw down some real substrate and planted some vegetation - all that concrete could instead by covered in a lush sea of green.
there is really no excuse for something that ugly and leads me to the conclusion that the people of brookfield zoo have no taste whatsoever and are extremely lazy.
Well, one thing to praise are the fantastic and numerous climbing opportunities for the many species of primate that call this massive and somewhat spectacular building home. However, it is all fake, fake and fake...thus the "Tragic World" moniker that has been bestowed upon this once impressive exhibit. Thirty years can really outdate many zoo enclosures.
This exhibit now has hay on the ground but I think that this is temporary because the zoo has baby white-cheeked gibbon. Also I think that all the climbing opportunities make these gibbons very active because when ever I see them the are always climbing.
If they could connect the orangutan island to this part of the exhibit and keep the hay or put woodchips on the ground I think this exhibit would be much more pleasing for the animals and visitors.
