A zoo for Albany

[tigris115]

So, seeing how Albany NY lacks a zoo, the first thing I did was look at Zillow to see if there was a good property that was both large enough to not feel too restrained and be decently close to the Albany metro area

I found this area that fits the bill to a T, being about 213 acres and being especially close to the University of Albany.

Btw, a lot of these notes (can share in DMs if asked) were written quite casually so the overall language reflects that.

PHASE 1: The appetizer

Science Museum

Since a good, family oriented science museum is also lacking in the Albany region, why not kill two birds with 1 stone and establish a science museum as an appendix to the zoo?

Ideally, the science center and the zoo would have separate admission once the latter part gets further off the ground.

The whole thing would be like a mix of the Ecotarium, the Liberty Science Center, and the Greensboro Science Center.

This would also be a good place to build on ehatll be the zoos reptile, amphibian, fish, and invertebrate collection

This is what's gonna be a big part of the zoo as it'll be a big source of money from both admission and more special events than you can shake a bone at.

Corporate get-togethers, galas, birthdays, bar mitzvahs, etc. That's what's gonna get money rolling in for future developments.

The heart and soul of this whole thing is going to be a RIGOROUS education program to not only provide field trips, but also provide material for schools and further entrench the establishment as a cornerstone of the Albany community. Make it feel like we're a part of the family so as to guarantee support.

Outdoor North America exhibits

This area is going to be a sample of what’s to come in terms of a larger zoo with slightly larger species. The idea of this is to showcase New York’s biodiversity and see what sort of appetite there is in Albany for a zoo.

Alongside species currently native to NY, there will also be species that were extirpated or native to nearby areas.

I haven't finalized the species list but good choices would be...
Black bear
Bobcat
Moose
White-tailed deer
Eastern wolves or red wolves
Cougars
North American river otters
North American beavers
Raptors like eagles and owls
Canadian lynx
Elk
Turkey
Bison


Idea:
So, for this first part of the zoo's history, the name of the game is to get money. So, one thing that could really be lucrative is a glamping setup near one of the herbivore yards, likely for the elk and bison yard.

I chose glamping because it makes people feel like they're in the woods but it's luxurious enough that people will pay money to spend a night or two there.

PHASE 2: The main course
Given the location of this zoo being quite far away from other parks, being quite the distance from other AZA zoos with large collections of all the expected “children’s book” species from alligators to zebras and everything in between.

 

[tigris115]

Ok I'm gonna act entitled and say that I'd deeply appreciate some actual feedback and discussion

I'd really like to talk to people about this idea

 

[MOG2012]

I have some ideas.

• For the beaver enclosure, it could be a netted aviary with native waterfowl
• Haven eastern bluebird in an aviary because it’s new York’s national bird
• Some possible species for the science museum could be common snapping turtle, wood frog, and brook trout. You can have sections talking about how pollution is affecting nature (like in the Hudson) or how animals adapt to urbanization
• You should have only 1-2 species of “pachyderm” for the “main course”, likely an elephant/giraffe/hippo and have Pygmy hippo/tapir/rhino
• Have an emphasis on SSP Species
• For the native America section, you can have an Appalachian mountains exhibit

 

[tigris115]

For the beaver enclosure, it could be a netted aviary with native waterfowl

Depending on how well beavers get along with things like ducks, that would be a perfect exhibit. Sort of a wetland aviary theme. Another option would be having beavers with underwater viewing that's also home to several river fish.

Haven eastern bluebird in an aviary because it’s new York’s national bird

Yeah a NY aviary would be perfect. Make it a decent size so that you can feel like you're in the woods rather than in a cage.

Some possible species for the science museum could be common snapping turtle, wood frog, and brook trout. You can have sections talking about how pollution is affecting nature (like in the Hudson) or how animals adapt to urbanization

Perfect.

You should have only 1-2 species of “pachyderm” for the “main course”, likely an elephant/giraffe/hippo and have Pygmy hippo/tapir/rhino

I was planning to have the main 3 big boys be African elephant (most NE zoos have Asian so that's a good point of difference), giraffe, and rhino (I'd like black but white rhinos play nicer in mixed savannahs). If I really want hippos, I'd rather have pygmy hippos as common hippos are very costly in terms of water upkeep.

Have an emphasis on SSP Species

What's a good resource to see what the AZA really wants to champion? As well, I also wanna focus on consortium species, one example being Cape buffalo.

For the native America section, you can have an Appalachian mountains exhibit

The main America section will mostly be dedicated to upstate NY itself. Maybe have some Appalachian theming but nothing too forward.