Reading about Batto's newly opened establishment, and his very well written story of the process leading up to it, I've been inspired to share my plans for the future. I haven't come as far as Batto, but things are in motion and if these plans are never realized, then so be it. I'm sharing this to hear your comments, as there a quite a few people on this forum who's opinions I appreciate, and also just to spark discussion and to make a "start a zoo"-thread that isn't just a list of species.
I've worked in zoos for many years, in different countries and in different positions. I still do consultancy for a few places, but my day job isn't in the zoo industry. Every time I visit a zoo though, I see more things that I would like to do differently, then things I get inspired by. The idea to start my own zoo came many years ago, but for a long time I really felt that it couldn't be done. Or could it? Who am I, to think I could do something better then the more established parks, with their funds much higher then mine? Why would my zoo be nothing more then an other road side zoo? Well, we don't know yet, and maybe we never will, but I will share some of my ideas.
The vision is to have a zoo where everyone is satisfied. Every visitor and every animal. While I'm sure that vision is shared by every zoo on the planet, I really do feel that many places aren't even trying.
Let's start with the visitors; when you go somewhere, on your free time, and pay for it, you want to be pleasantly surprised. Who want the experience to be more then you expected. You want it to appeal to all senses and many emotions. I believe every detail is crucial. For instance, the toilets at the Botanical Garden in Medellín opens into panoramic windows with views into beautiful tropical plants planted on a slope going up from the windows. The plants and the slope make it impossible for people outside to see in (something most people appreciate while in the bathroom), but while you're in there you feel a sense of seeing something from a view no one else sees. The toilets themselves are of course also clean and smell good. Now, I don't want to linger too long on the subject of toilets, but I want to stress that if one detail fails, they whole experience fails. From gift shop to restaurant, from parking lot to animal exhibit, every place should be pleasant to the eye and appeal to at least one more sense. It's not hard to make a parking lot look nice. Some thought into paths and planting, low rustic fencing come a long way. It doesn't have to be expensive either. My place will be small, I'll go into more detail soon, so it will be about quality and not quantity, and making a small parking lot look nice is of course easier and cheaper, then it might be for a place that holds several hundreds of cars. So, the visitor has parked her car, she's entered the zoo and been to the bathroom. She's in awe over the tropical feel (even though she's not in a tropical country), the smell of flowers and the sounds of birds and cicadas. Now she wants to see animals, right? Well, probably she does, but in my experience, a really good looking enclosure is more important then the animal it self to the average visitor. Not so much that you could have enclosures without animals, but I'm talking about the over all experience (and I'm exaggerating a bit to make my point). My belief is that people today don't come home from the zoo talking about which species they've seen. I think they talk about what they've experienced. I plan to create these experiences using large walk-though enclosures that look good on their own. Enclosures that you will enjoy regardless of the animals in them. This is easier said then done, but I'm lucky enough to have land that already on it's own is quite pleasing to look at. So with some planting and through creating small streams and ponds I think it will be good enough for what I hope to convey.
The larger part of the zoo will only possible to see through guided tours which will run every half hour or so. There will be a café and a garden where you can wait for your tour to start. Here there will also be some petting zoo animals in enclosures larger then their usually held. A guinea pig enclosure of 300 square meters, with large rocks, logs, drift wood and pathways. The visitors will be able to feed the guinea pigs with fresh grass that they can pic on a meadow before they enter. There will also be domestic fowl in a separate enclosure, more jungle like, where you can feed the chickens grain. Attractive hand-wash stations are passed before you enter and leave the enclosures and signs tell you the necessity of cleaning your hands after touching animals and things inside the enclosures.
As your guided tour begins, you walk through a field with a large colony of domestic rabbits, all of the same breed and colour. I believe a large group of animals is often an experience many people remember, and having a group of about 20 rabbits come up to you and eat fresh grass out of your hands will be something both children and adults will appreciate.
After the rabbits, the tour will take you through a gate and into a forest. Here, among the trees, the visitors will walk along paths with only a small fence showing the way. They will not be allowed to step over the fence, as that area is the home of an endangered mammal species, which will need some privacy, even through they will be used to people walking on the paths. The concept is used at both Apenheul and La Vallee des Singes.
Other enclosures similar to this one will follow, some in the forest and some in more open areas, even desert like. All will be walk-throughs and by doing them as guided tours, I hope to be able to show some species in ways you are not used to seeing them.
There will be a strong link to a conservation project for all wild species held at the zoo, and visitors will be encouraged to help with gifts or funds for the projects, but they will also be told a few things of how they can easily change their life style in a way that is supportive of bio diversity and sustainable use of resources.
The concept of only doing guided tours will of course affect the number of visitors I can accommodate, but I don't think that's a problem. With careful planning to layout and landscaping, and by offering an experience quite different for the traditional zoo, I believe I will be able to charge a little more then you'd expect from a zoo with such a small number of species as I will have.
I live within 30 minutes from large city that attracts around 6 million tourist visits every year. There are no other zoos within an hour from the city or from my location. I will start with what I have described here, which means I will be able to do most of the duties myself, with only a few part time employes during the busier days. My life partner and our children are all willing to help, as are family and friends. I will only keep the zoo open during the summer, which will enable me to keep my job and run this as a side business.
I've applied for planning permission, and hope to be able to start actual construction this fall. Trees are being planted and landscaping is taking place. If all goes well I hope to open summer 2019.
I am not a native English speak, so please have patience with misplaced commas and bad grammar.
And bear in mind, this is only a very short description about the vision I have.
