Brookfield needs a knock-out exhibit as everything is either average or below with the exception of Wolf Woods which is not really anything to knock ones socks off. Anyways, that would be amazing if Brookfield's Polar Bear exhibit turned out like this one.
@BlackRhino: great point. Brookfield is a massive zoo that takes many hours to visit, and the collection is hugely impressive. But there are many exhibits that are only average (or even worse) and only Wolf Woods is fantastic. However, the future is bright as there are millions of dollars in new enclosures opening over the next decade or so. I'm sceptical on whether or not there is another Arctic Ring of Life waiting to be developed there...
The plans I've seen don't suggest they will approach Detroit, Seattle or Minnesota in terms of innovation. There will be three exhibits--each under 8,000 square feet--through which browns and polars will rotate. Each exhibit is surrounded by gunite walls, and athough there will be underwater viewing in one of the exhibits it looks otherwise rather ordinary:
@reduakari: the plans that you have posted, and the fact that the exhibits will only be about 8,000 sq. feet each, makes me think that Brookfield will not be even in the same ballpark as Detroit's brilliant Arctic Ring of Life. Brookfield is a huge zoo with an awesome collection, but the exhibitry there is definitely lacking.
Ultimate Zoo is like the holy grail for zoo enthusiasts, as the program is not readily available and yet is discussed with mythical reverence. I'm always amazed to see that no zoo has yet to build a better gorilla exhibit than the Bronx's decade-old Congo Gorilla Forest, or that it has been 8 years and counting and not a single AZA establishment has even come close to replicating the Arctic Ring of Life habitats. When is the next truly awesome, multi-acre zoo exhibit going to open? There are lots in the pipeline...
