tigertiger
Well-Known Member
Zoo plans Amur Leopard exhibit! Also, red panda exhibit!
Staten Island Zoo Amur Leopard Exhibit Planned
- Thread starter tigertiger
- Start date
-
- Tags
- leopard
The zoo actually has a Amur Leopard exhibit but it may be the smallest big cat enclosure at any accredited facility. Also last time I visited they had red pandas in Balen cages.
Zooplantman
Well-Known Member
Here is the description of the complete project posted by the Zoo last year:
Project Name: Staten Island Zoo Entry, Farmstead, and Leopard Exhibit
Address: 614 Broadway, Staten Island
Approximate Construction Budget: $5,000,000
The Staten Island Zoo would like to create a new entrance and ticketing area, enlarge and
reorganize its Children’s Center, and create a new Amur leopard exhibit.
The Zoo is located on eight acres of land, three acres of which are a buffer of forested parkland.
Built in the 1936, it is a small, menagerie style zoo. It is the first zoo in the United States to dedicate
itself to the educational mission of disseminating the knowledge of zoology and the appreciation of
animal life. In 1970 the Children’s Center was created behind the main exhibition building. It is
designed as a farmyard with activities for small children, and remains one of the Zoo’s biggest
draws.
Recent improvements to the Zoo include the new reptile wing, which houses the Zoo’s world class
reptile collection, the otter exhibit, which has received zoological acclaim, and the Clydesdale barn.
The Zoo recently completed a masterplan, which provides a framework for capital improvements.
The first project to be identified addresses drainage and site utility issues, and is currently in the
design phase. While the scope of the Drainage and Site Utilities project focuses on the
northwestern edge of the site, there will be some overlap with the Entry, Farmstead and Leopard
Exhibit project, and collaboration will be necessary.
Site analysis has shown that many people approach the Zoo from the rear of the site, where the
Children’s Center is located. A new entry at this location will address this movement pattern, and
provide a direct route to the Children’s Center. The new entry area will be approximately 5000
square feet, and will include a ticketing shop, bookstore, gift shop and restrooms. The Zoo would
like to install a new carousel adjacent to this area, which will require thoughtful sound attenuation
measures to respect the neighboring residences.
The current Children’s Center, which will be renamed the Farmstead, has grown informally over the
years and suffers from the lack of overall organization. There are blind spots where staff cannot
monitor the feeding of animals, the circulation routes are disorienting, and the larger animals do not
have access to the exercise areas that they need. This project seeks to improve circulation and
create a clear hierarchy of spaces, thus ameliorating these problems. The otter exhibit and the
Clydesdale barn are to remain; the barn which houses much of the livestock will be replaced.
The outdoor leopard exhibit will occupy approximately one third of an acre adjacent to the existing
animal hospital. The exhibit, which will also function as a breeding facility, will be at grade, and will
allow for appropriate viewing areas that will not impede circulation past the exhibit. The project
scope includes holding areas for the leopards within the existing animal hospital. It is expected that
this exhibit will comply with AZA requirements and meet current zoological industry standards.
This project requires Art Commission approval, and shall meet the requirements of LL86, including
LEED Silver rating. The Consultant is required to retain a landscape architect, civil engineer, animal
exhibit designer, lighting designer, LEED specialist, and graphic designer as Subconsultants, unless
the Consultant can demonstrate in-house capability.
Project Name: Staten Island Zoo Entry, Farmstead, and Leopard Exhibit
Address: 614 Broadway, Staten Island
Approximate Construction Budget: $5,000,000
The Staten Island Zoo would like to create a new entrance and ticketing area, enlarge and
reorganize its Children’s Center, and create a new Amur leopard exhibit.
The Zoo is located on eight acres of land, three acres of which are a buffer of forested parkland.
Built in the 1936, it is a small, menagerie style zoo. It is the first zoo in the United States to dedicate
itself to the educational mission of disseminating the knowledge of zoology and the appreciation of
animal life. In 1970 the Children’s Center was created behind the main exhibition building. It is
designed as a farmyard with activities for small children, and remains one of the Zoo’s biggest
draws.
Recent improvements to the Zoo include the new reptile wing, which houses the Zoo’s world class
reptile collection, the otter exhibit, which has received zoological acclaim, and the Clydesdale barn.
The Zoo recently completed a masterplan, which provides a framework for capital improvements.
The first project to be identified addresses drainage and site utility issues, and is currently in the
design phase. While the scope of the Drainage and Site Utilities project focuses on the
northwestern edge of the site, there will be some overlap with the Entry, Farmstead and Leopard
Exhibit project, and collaboration will be necessary.
Site analysis has shown that many people approach the Zoo from the rear of the site, where the
Children’s Center is located. A new entry at this location will address this movement pattern, and
provide a direct route to the Children’s Center. The new entry area will be approximately 5000
square feet, and will include a ticketing shop, bookstore, gift shop and restrooms. The Zoo would
like to install a new carousel adjacent to this area, which will require thoughtful sound attenuation
measures to respect the neighboring residences.
The current Children’s Center, which will be renamed the Farmstead, has grown informally over the
years and suffers from the lack of overall organization. There are blind spots where staff cannot
monitor the feeding of animals, the circulation routes are disorienting, and the larger animals do not
have access to the exercise areas that they need. This project seeks to improve circulation and
create a clear hierarchy of spaces, thus ameliorating these problems. The otter exhibit and the
Clydesdale barn are to remain; the barn which houses much of the livestock will be replaced.
The outdoor leopard exhibit will occupy approximately one third of an acre adjacent to the existing
animal hospital. The exhibit, which will also function as a breeding facility, will be at grade, and will
allow for appropriate viewing areas that will not impede circulation past the exhibit. The project
scope includes holding areas for the leopards within the existing animal hospital. It is expected that
this exhibit will comply with AZA requirements and meet current zoological industry standards.
This project requires Art Commission approval, and shall meet the requirements of LL86, including
LEED Silver rating. The Consultant is required to retain a landscape architect, civil engineer, animal
exhibit designer, lighting designer, LEED specialist, and graphic designer as Subconsultants, unless
the Consultant can demonstrate in-house capability.
Groundbreaking took place this summer (2012) with an anticipated opening date of fall 2013. Alleged to be one of the biggest leopard exhibits in the country (of course that is not hard to achieve - leopard exhibits are nowhere near as nice as tiger exhibits in this country). Still, it looks really promising...
New Amur Leopard Exhibit
Staten Island Zoo Breaks Ground on Two New Exhibits, 7/27
New Amur Leopard Exhibit
Staten Island Zoo Breaks Ground on Two New Exhibits, 7/27
So that makes two Amur Leopard exhibits that will open in the Northeast soon. This looks really nice, and I might be able to visit Staten Island once it opens.
And the other one is...?
Beardsley Zoo is working on an Amur Leopard exhibit right now. They plan to open it sometime from late fall to next spring. There are also Amur Leopard exhibits in the Northeast in Franklin Park, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Erie Zoo, and there might be more.
I wish Beardsley could make an Amur Leopard exhibit as great as SIZ's is suppose to be.
@Arizona Docent- The exhibit is being build in a very small area of land that used to occupy an Andean Bear cage barely large enough for the poor animal. Thankfully, the bear is at Good Zoo now and the exhibit as been destroyed and a new exhibit for the leopard is being built.
MJMcB
Well-Known Member
There is also one at Bergen County Zoo in NJ
correction: the Turtleback zoo in NJ has one
It looks like quite a large exhibit that would be nice for Servals but I don't think it'll happen because they might be hard to see. Perhaps hyenas?
~Thylo
It looks like quite a large exhibit that would be nice for Servals but I don't think it'll happen because they might be hard to see. Perhaps hyenas?
~Thylo
The current leopard exhibit doesn't look suitable for hyenas of any kind at all. Servals are the most likely animal, but it seems undecided at the moment.
http://www.zoochat.com/871/staten-island-zoo-2010-amur-leopard-192389/
http://www.zoochat.com/871/staten-island-zoo-2010-amur-leopard-192388/
Your right, I thought there was more open space. Servals are probably the best fit.
~Thylo
It was supposed to open Fall 2013. It is now the end of October 2013 and as far as I can tell it is nowhere near opening. Neither the zoo website nor a Google search provide any details at all.
I saw the Amur Leopards at Edinburgh Zoo the other day and according to the signage there are only 35 left in the wild?! I had no idea there were so few?!
Yes, the number that has been thrown around for over a decade is 30-40 in the wild. Definitely the most endangered big cat, if you go down to the subspecies level. That is why the AZA is focusing their leopard collection exclusively on amurs and why the EAZA is also making a major commitment to them.
Is there a decent map of leopard subspecies distribution? The only one I can seem to find online is this one:
Figure 1 from The Race FAQ by John Goodrum | Amerika: New Right, Conservationist, Traditionalist, Deep Ecology and Conservative Thought
Figure 1 from The Race FAQ by John Goodrum | Amerika: New Right, Conservationist, Traditionalist, Deep Ecology and Conservative Thought
Here is the website of what could be considered the official conservation group for this cat. I have not dug into it, but I would imagine there is a map there somewhere.
ALTA Conservation | Amur Leopard and Tiger AllianceAmur leopard and Tiger Alliance | ALTA Conservation | ALTA Conservation
ALTA Conservation | Amur Leopard and Tiger AllianceAmur leopard and Tiger Alliance | ALTA Conservation | ALTA Conservation
Ok, I thought you meant just amur leopard. Panthera (a great organization) has a current range map, but the individual subspecies are not labelled. The map is small on the right side of the page, but if you click on it you get a bigger view.
Panthera | Leopards
Panthera | Leopards