Toronto Zoo, its collections have dramatically dropped from around 500 to just 270s within the last 10 years, and the CEO said they will continue cutting the species to 200. That means the zoo keeps quitting from the SSP of several species (like Matschie's Tree Kangaroo, Clouded Leopard, Indian Rhino etc). At that time the species concentration will be pretty low for a zoo with 287 hectares, I already see the complaints about walking for long distances but just seeing a few animals on social media, since it is not safari that allows you to drive vehicles to visit (although Toronto Zoo has zoomobile, that only allows you to see few animals)
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When talking about zoos in decline, there is in my mind no more striking an example than my home zoo, the Minnesota Zoo. I have been to the zoo nearly 90 times throughout my life, and the decline is most certainly noticeable.
As mentioned earlier, many of the zoo's rarest and most recognizable species have left in recent years. Musk Oxen, Goitered Gazelles, Dholes, Wild Boars, Red Pandas, Small-Clawed Otters, Transcaspian Urial, and Woodland Caribou, and Visayan Warty Pig are just some of the many species that have been phased out in recent years. many of these species would have been phased out anyways, as their North American populations as a whole completely collapsed (Dholes, Wild Boar, Goitered Gazelle), but the speed at which this has happened is absurd, with all the aforementioned species being phased out in just the last 4 years. There are plenty of other smaller species that have been lost as well, and the zoo's reptile collection in particular took a massive hit when the nocturnal trail closed around 2009. That said exhibit remains closed to this day, as does the former Small-Clawed Otter Exhibit, the former Wild Boar exhibit, the former Arctic Fox exhibit, and possibly the former Red Panda/Urial exhibit. All of this could ordinarily be at least somewhat understandable, if it weren't for the fact the zoo hasn't opened a single new exhibit in well over a decade, and has no plans to do so for the foreseeable future.
To add on to this, they haven't added any major new species since the Monk Seals in 2015, nearly a decade ago. The only major project the zoo has built in the last 10 years was the Treetops Trail, which converted the old monorail into a walking path. This was a welcome re-purposing of an underutilized structure, but ended up feeling incomplete with little to no signage and zero new exhibits. The outdoor section of the zoo has only 12 wild species in total, despite the zoo being one of the largest traditional zoos in the country, leaving the Northern Trail feeling quite empty and underutilized.
The zoo was hit very hard by the pandemic, which it probably suffered the worst from out of any major zoo in the world, even risking complete closure during 2020. Fortunately, the zoo has been able to recover, but is still not entirely financially stable. Overall, the decline of the zoo can be mainly chalked up to three main things:
1. The zoo is funded almost entirely my the state of Minnesota, one of only two zoos in the country to be so (the other being North Carolina), and since representatives from outside the Minneapolis-Saint Paul Metro Area often don't see the need to fund a zoo hundreds of miles away from them, funding has consistently been space for the zoo ever since it's inception.
2. The zoo has to compete with the smaller, free, and more accessible Como Zoo, which has much more charismatic megafauna and "ABC" species, for the roughly the same visitor base, which continues to be a struggle as the more generic Como has consistently been more popular that its more specialized neighbor to the south.
3. The current leadership has shown no initiative to build any animal-related exhibits and wants to focus solely on guest amenities like a ropes coarse, rock climbing, skiing, and glamping, while neglecting to reveal any details about the zoo's future plans
Although I still absolutely adore the Minnesota Zoo and would still rank it as a top 20 zoo in the country, it has declined quite considerably and has experienced one of the worst falls from grace in recent zoo history. I sincerely hope the zoo can get back on track soon, and the recent initiative to become less dependent on state funding, as well as the proposed upper plaza/Japanese Macaque exhibit renovations are good signs, it will take a lot of work to restore Minnesota to it's former glory.
As mentioned earlier, many of the zoo's rarest and most recognizable species have left in recent years. Musk Oxen, Goitered Gazelles, Dholes, Wild Boars, Red Pandas, Small-Clawed Otters, Transcaspian Urial, and Woodland Caribou, and Visayan Warty Pig are just some of the many species that have been phased out in recent years. many of these species would have been phased out anyways, as their North American populations as a whole completely collapsed (Dholes, Wild Boar, Goitered Gazelle), but the speed at which this has happened is absurd, with all the aforementioned species being phased out in just the last 4 years. There are plenty of other smaller species that have been lost as well, and the zoo's reptile collection in particular took a massive hit when the nocturnal trail closed around 2009. That said exhibit remains closed to this day, as does the former Small-Clawed Otter Exhibit, the former Wild Boar exhibit, the former Arctic Fox exhibit, and possibly the former Red Panda/Urial exhibit. All of this could ordinarily be at least somewhat understandable, if it weren't for the fact the zoo hasn't opened a single new exhibit in well over a decade, and has no plans to do so for the foreseeable future.
To add on to this, they haven't added any major new species since the Monk Seals in 2015, nearly a decade ago. The only major project the zoo has built in the last 10 years was the Treetops Trail, which converted the old monorail into a walking path. This was a welcome re-purposing of an underutilized structure, but ended up feeling incomplete with little to no signage and zero new exhibits. The outdoor section of the zoo has only 12 wild species in total, despite the zoo being one of the largest traditional zoos in the country, leaving the Northern Trail feeling quite empty and underutilized.
The zoo was hit very hard by the pandemic, which it probably suffered the worst from out of any major zoo in the world, even risking complete closure during 2020. Fortunately, the zoo has been able to recover, but is still not entirely financially stable. Overall, the decline of the zoo can be mainly chalked up to three main things:
1. The zoo is funded almost entirely my the state of Minnesota, one of only two zoos in the country to be so (the other being North Carolina), and since representatives from outside the Minneapolis-Saint Paul Metro Area often don't see the need to fund a zoo hundreds of miles away from them, funding has consistently been space for the zoo ever since it's inception.
2. The zoo has to compete with the smaller, free, and more accessible Como Zoo, which has much more charismatic megafauna and "ABC" species, for the roughly the same visitor base, which continues to be a struggle as the more generic Como has consistently been more popular that its more specialized neighbor to the south.
3. The current leadership has shown no initiative to build any animal-related exhibits and wants to focus solely on guest amenities like a ropes coarse, rock climbing, skiing, and glamping, while neglecting to reveal any details about the zoo's future plans
Although I still absolutely adore the Minnesota Zoo and would still rank it as a top 20 zoo in the country, it has declined quite considerably and has experienced one of the worst falls from grace in recent zoo history. I sincerely hope the zoo can get back on track soon, and the recent initiative to become less dependent on state funding, as well as the proposed upper plaza/Japanese Macaque exhibit renovations are good signs, it will take a lot of work to restore Minnesota to it's former glory.
That decline is astonishing! losing almost half of ones collection in just 10 years in unheard of, and such a low species count is baffling for a zoo of Toronto's size and importance. Even the Minnesota zoo has more species, as I counted roughly 350 species last time I took a list back in December of 2022 (although ZTL only lists 240 ATM). I wonder what spurred Toronto to so rapidly remove nearly half of their collection?
I think Minnesota, Detroit and Brookfield all follow a major similarity in pattern in that all three zoos are massive campuses that have come out feeling empty as megafauna have been phased out and some exhibits and spaces left empty for long periods, leaving guests walking large distances without seeing animals, and all have suffered major losses in the last decade and a half. The former two zoos remain extremely popular on zoochat because they have some of the most world-class exhibits in the country and I don't want to underrate that, but I think there's a common theme that a feeling of emptiness is something to avoid and having visited Whipsnade and Yorkshire, it's still possible to have massive exhibits and still feel fully stocked.
As someone who has been to all three of these zoos within the last few years, to me I feel like while I agree all are in a state of decline, Brookfield has been hit less hard than the other two, since it has the incredible collection of smaller fauna as a backup, which Detroit and Minnesota largely lack. Frankly, I don't understand why Detroit is still popular at all.
For starters, both the National Amphibian Conservation Center and Polk Penguin Conservation Center are absolutely incredible exhibit complexes, which can really help to boost Detroit's popularity. Beyond that, they have what is likely the greatest red panda exhibit in the United States, a very respectable reptile house (albeit not the largest), and an excellent wolverine exhibit. If it wasn't for how hard it can be to see the polar bears, Arctic Ring of Life would rank amongst the best too, and was at a minimum a really revolutionary exhibit that changed the way zoos thought about exhibiting polar bears. While yes, there are some layout issues and some wasted space, this is largely made up for by the fact the exhibits they have are by and large amongst the best of their kind- with only the great ape exhibits having serious flaws.
At the end of the day, I suspect the controversy on this site over Detroit Zoo is largely a debate over whether exhibit design or collection is the more important aspect of zoos- in the former category Detroit is amongst the best zoos in the country, in the latter category the zoo falls short (with the notable exception of amphibians).
Detroit has some nice stuff, of course. I love ACC and PPCC as much as the next guy. I'll give you the Wolverine exhibit, that's pretty cool. But frankly the exhibits in most of the zoo are just too big. It makes the animals difficult to find - that's not good exhibitry.
See, my experience wasn't that the animals were difficult to find. The lions, beavers, polar bears, and a few herps (unfortunately including giant salamanders) were the only no-shows for me. The aardvarks were off-exhibit too. While no-shows can be frustrating, I don't think I've ever been to a zoo without a single no-show, and I found the number of no-show animals to be reasonable compared to the size of the collection. Perhaps I just got lucky though. Plus, it was a real treat to be able to see some of the smaller species at Detroit in really expansive habitats that zoos seldom provide.
I completely concede you know more than me as my visit to Minnesota was cancelled/delayed and I've not done Detroit yet. Though I've heard many praise Brookfield's collection for smaller species, I feel like I've heard a lot more about Detroit's reptile and amphibian exhibits and collections than Brookfield's answer to either or our birds.
That's interesting to know about the birds, I'd noticed they weren't discussed much so wondered if that was my own ignorance or not. I assume Detroit's reptiles, like the rest of the zoo, are in fantastic exhibits to meet that it's a smaller collection, yeah?
I'm a Detroit Zoo member and get there once a month or so.
I should say that the grounds are very well maintained and pleasant to walk around and the only exhibit I thought really had to go was the Farm in the Zoo and they've done that with the new Kids Zone. If I had $24 million to spend on the zoo I'd have chosen something else--I think the zoo needs a small mammals house but no one has asked me.
But the collection has been reduced a lot and yes, I am fully aware that it's not a situation like a postage stamp collection where you try to jam in as many species as you can. Still, they've reduced the collection a lot and I sometimes hear people say that they'd rather go to Toledo because in Detroit there's just not as much to see.
We do have some very fine exhibits--people have mentioned the penguins and amphibians and I like the great apes although even there it's gorillas and chimpanzees and they used to have mandrills.
The reptile house opened in 1960 and they haven't done much to it since other than reducing the species stock there, too, although there is a new water monitor display. It's OK, not more.
I should say that the grounds are very well maintained and pleasant to walk around and the only exhibit I thought really had to go was the Farm in the Zoo and they've done that with the new Kids Zone. If I had $24 million to spend on the zoo I'd have chosen something else--I think the zoo needs a small mammals house but no one has asked me.
But the collection has been reduced a lot and yes, I am fully aware that it's not a situation like a postage stamp collection where you try to jam in as many species as you can. Still, they've reduced the collection a lot and I sometimes hear people say that they'd rather go to Toledo because in Detroit there's just not as much to see.
We do have some very fine exhibits--people have mentioned the penguins and amphibians and I like the great apes although even there it's gorillas and chimpanzees and they used to have mandrills.
The reptile house opened in 1960 and they haven't done much to it since other than reducing the species stock there, too, although there is a new water monitor display. It's OK, not more.
That's because it never was. Just a small piece that actually served rather as a vestibule to the night quarters behind the Bongo stables and has housed ibis. In fact I think it's one of Antwerp's great aviaries: it's spacious, has a lush vegetation, high-altitude nesting and sun bathing opportunities. Imo the zoo has done a great job here in converting the scarce space into a very attractive and much-needed large aviary for some larger bird species: cranes, marabous, Rüppels vulture, southern ground hornbill, etc.
Architecturally, this stylish aviary with its black steel round arches fits perfectly into this old city zoo.
And the half-empty aquarium mentioned is actually not in the Aquarium building, but in Vriesland (penguins) and was built specifically for sea otters. It temporarily housed seals. Now it houses sturgeons and diving ducks. Not the most interesting infill, agreed, but there is hardly any room for expansion and it can only house cold-weather species.
filovirus
Well-Known Member
I agree with the sentiments about the Minnesota Zoo. I will say that while the variety and "excitement" of animals on display feels a bit lacking, I'm routinely very pleased by the level of care and quality of exhibits the animals receive. Compare that to the Como Zoo, which has a more "exciting" animal variety (namely they have great apes; Minnesota Zoo does not) but is in my opinion much more severely outdated facility-wise.
I recall doing a project in the mid-2010's- maybe 2015ish?- where I presented to my class the MN zoo's "ten year plan". Here's an article on the topic (proxied via 12ft to bypass a paywall). It included...
Notably there are no animals included in their brief pamphlet, at least from what I can find. Which I find very very boring. I don't go to the zoo to enjoy the woods- I go to see animals! I cannot think of any notable exciting exhibits that've been added in the last decade (beyond a llama walk-through exhibit). And not to be grim, but a lot of their flagship animals- classic zoo species, impressive species- are... dying. The last of their red pandas recently passed away. One of the three grizzly bears recently passed; the other two are I believe similar in age, although to be fair the one died of cancer. The farm area to be blunt kinda sucks now- the entry to the dairy barn is roped off so you can just stare at cows in stalls from a distance. You can't go in and pet the goats, nor can you feed them anymore. The food in the farm area is only available on weekends (a very unpleasant fact we learned last week after hiking out there for ice cream).
I love the Minnesota Zoo. Their quality of care is awesome. And they have Malayan Tapirs, which is probably 80% of what I care about. But I find myself routinely... underwhelmed... when it comes to their variety of animals and new additions.
This paragraph is long enough- more than happy to answer any questions folks might have about the Minnesota Zoo as someone who was just there on the 1st of May. I'll be at Como in a few days, so I can provide better comparisons after that.
I recall doing a project in the mid-2010's- maybe 2015ish?- where I presented to my class the MN zoo's "ten year plan". Here's an article on the topic (proxied via 12ft to bypass a paywall). It included...
- An Africa-themed trail with lions, giraffes, hippos, cheetahs, and rhinos
- A domed orangutan forest (with connected events center)
- Snow monkey exhibit revamp
- Sting rays and other species added to Discovery Bay
- A giraffe feeding platform
- *Tented campgrounds* within the Africa trail
- Scuba diving
- A carousel
- An "adventure play" zone
Notably there are no animals included in their brief pamphlet, at least from what I can find. Which I find very very boring. I don't go to the zoo to enjoy the woods- I go to see animals! I cannot think of any notable exciting exhibits that've been added in the last decade (beyond a llama walk-through exhibit). And not to be grim, but a lot of their flagship animals- classic zoo species, impressive species- are... dying. The last of their red pandas recently passed away. One of the three grizzly bears recently passed; the other two are I believe similar in age, although to be fair the one died of cancer. The farm area to be blunt kinda sucks now- the entry to the dairy barn is roped off so you can just stare at cows in stalls from a distance. You can't go in and pet the goats, nor can you feed them anymore. The food in the farm area is only available on weekends (a very unpleasant fact we learned last week after hiking out there for ice cream).
I love the Minnesota Zoo. Their quality of care is awesome. And they have Malayan Tapirs, which is probably 80% of what I care about. But I find myself routinely... underwhelmed... when it comes to their variety of animals and new additions.
This paragraph is long enough- more than happy to answer any questions folks might have about the Minnesota Zoo as someone who was just there on the 1st of May. I'll be at Como in a few days, so I can provide better comparisons after that.
Kalaw
Well-Known Member
Thank you, that makes sense. I agree that the Hippo House Aviary is excellent. At the time of my visit, the Friesland pool did indeed hold Harbour Seals, and as fun as it was to see earless seals in an indoor pool (the water clarity was impressive), it did seem far too small for them. Would love to see the sturgeons and diving ducks upon a return visit, as they seem like a much more appropriate inhabitant and a mix of birds and fish (especially those as large as Beluga Sturgeon) could be rather interesting indeed.
Rensrobert
Well-Known Member
I also think that Rotterdam Zoo is a good shout for big name zoos in decline.
Like al other city zoos they are cutting their animal collection. Most zoos try to replace those species or they redefine themselves and keep developing themselves. Blijdorp stopped doing that in 2008. Most new developments are already to small and will be demolished or redeveloped in the coming years. Like the arctic area they build in 2008, the renovations of the western wing of the rivièrahal, the south American aviary, the renovations of the Asia house etc.
Also many old exhibits still lay empty, just got demolished or didn’t get new animals/redevelopments. The old bear theatre, the old lac alaotra bamboo lemur exhibit, the old sea otter exhibit, the old bat cave, the old Eurasian otter exhibit, Brazilian guinea pig, the old Asian golden cat exhibit, the old bird show terrain, the outside exhibit of the swift fox, old Asian small clawed otter exhibit, old demoiselle and red crowned crane exhibits, old Eurasian wolf exhibit changed into a bee valley, old cat roundabout change into a few rock formations, nothing done with the old red panda exhibit, the old reptile part of the rivièrahal became an inside playground a toilet black and the other part with a Komodo dragon exhibit is inaccessible.
Blijdorp lost a lot of species in the last 15 years
Addax, African penguin, Agile wallaby, Alaskan sea otter, Alligator snapping turtle, Asian small-clawed otter, Black and rufous sengi, Blue carne, Red crowned crane, Brazilian guinea pig, Bosmann’s potto, Lar gibbon, Cape porcupine, Chinese alligator, Chinese giant salamander, Asian golden cat, Keel-billed toucan, Northern warthog, Congo peafowl, Common rock squirrel, Eastern putty-nosed monkey, Egyptian fruit bat, Ethiopian klipspringer, Eurasian arctic hare, Burrowing owl, Eurasian great grey owl, Eurasian eagle-owl, Snowy owl, Eurasian wolf, Jaguarundi, Lac alaotra bamboo lemur, Lowland anoa, kirk’s dik-dik, Malayan civet, Maned wolf, New guinea ground cuscus, Mantled colobus, Ethiopian hedgehog, Gambian giant pouches rat, Red kangaroo, Round-eared elephant shrew, Mongolian gerbil, Thomson’s gazelle, Rhesus macaque, Sri Lankan rusty-spotted cat, Swift fox, Persian onager, Sika deer, Sichuan takin, Northern treeshrew, Steppe lemming, Short beaked echidna, White-lipped deer. With many reptile and bird species also leaving the collection.
the only new notable species are the eastern black rhino, northern dry zone slender loris and balabac chevrotain.
Also a few parts and buildings are closed like the long house, bat cave and Amazonica are all closed. With both Amazonica and the long house being inaccessible for the foreseeable future. I already mentioned it, but they closed the best reptile house in the Benelux because of heating costs. Amazonica only lasted 11 years before the building was eventually closed this year. The building was already problematic after it was build and was mediocre in terms of wat was expected.
With the financial crisis in 2008 it was to be expected. The local government cut funds with a few million les per year. Bad new exhibits that are already outdated. Constant financial problems keep being a problem for the zoo. With the zoo seeking for outside investments.
Then there is the new masterplan. The old masterplan changed Blijdorp into a zoo a with a continental layout. With a whole new part with north and south American species that was build around 20 years ago. The new plan is going to change everything. With the new layout north and south America is going to change into an African jungle. The problem is that I don’t think the African jungle is going to be developed until 2030 or later. Meaning that the African forest area is not an African forest. Would have been better if they would have done this earlier or change the continental areas in the new areas when they can actually start developments. The other big problem that I have with the zoos future is the future of the animal roster. The future is without polar bears and gorilla’s. With the departure of the gorilla’s came a lot of backlash for the zoo. With the gorilla’s being one of the most popular animals. More and more animals are leaving and Blijdorp keeps calling themselves the best zoo in the Netherlands which is just not true in terms of exhibits and animal roster. With big cuts expected in the future.
Then we have the rivèrahall. It is the biggest building in the zoo and has kept many animals. The new director wants to make the building animal free in the future with big expensive renovations planned. The bird section will be without birds, the ape section, pygmy hippo and rhino sections will probably be emptied within a few years. The old reptile sections will be redeveloped into sections that can be hired for lectures and other events. So it will be closed of from the public from time to time. The bird section will be a botanic section.
The rest of the future of the zoo is not known which makes the masterplan not a masterplan but a promotional plan. Only the new regions are known. No new species or exhibit plans have been announced.
Blijdorp in 2009 was one of the best zoos in Europe. Nowadays it is a good zoo, but nowhere near one of the best zoos in Europe.
Like al other city zoos they are cutting their animal collection. Most zoos try to replace those species or they redefine themselves and keep developing themselves. Blijdorp stopped doing that in 2008. Most new developments are already to small and will be demolished or redeveloped in the coming years. Like the arctic area they build in 2008, the renovations of the western wing of the rivièrahal, the south American aviary, the renovations of the Asia house etc.
Also many old exhibits still lay empty, just got demolished or didn’t get new animals/redevelopments. The old bear theatre, the old lac alaotra bamboo lemur exhibit, the old sea otter exhibit, the old bat cave, the old Eurasian otter exhibit, Brazilian guinea pig, the old Asian golden cat exhibit, the old bird show terrain, the outside exhibit of the swift fox, old Asian small clawed otter exhibit, old demoiselle and red crowned crane exhibits, old Eurasian wolf exhibit changed into a bee valley, old cat roundabout change into a few rock formations, nothing done with the old red panda exhibit, the old reptile part of the rivièrahal became an inside playground a toilet black and the other part with a Komodo dragon exhibit is inaccessible.
Blijdorp lost a lot of species in the last 15 years
Addax, African penguin, Agile wallaby, Alaskan sea otter, Alligator snapping turtle, Asian small-clawed otter, Black and rufous sengi, Blue carne, Red crowned crane, Brazilian guinea pig, Bosmann’s potto, Lar gibbon, Cape porcupine, Chinese alligator, Chinese giant salamander, Asian golden cat, Keel-billed toucan, Northern warthog, Congo peafowl, Common rock squirrel, Eastern putty-nosed monkey, Egyptian fruit bat, Ethiopian klipspringer, Eurasian arctic hare, Burrowing owl, Eurasian great grey owl, Eurasian eagle-owl, Snowy owl, Eurasian wolf, Jaguarundi, Lac alaotra bamboo lemur, Lowland anoa, kirk’s dik-dik, Malayan civet, Maned wolf, New guinea ground cuscus, Mantled colobus, Ethiopian hedgehog, Gambian giant pouches rat, Red kangaroo, Round-eared elephant shrew, Mongolian gerbil, Thomson’s gazelle, Rhesus macaque, Sri Lankan rusty-spotted cat, Swift fox, Persian onager, Sika deer, Sichuan takin, Northern treeshrew, Steppe lemming, Short beaked echidna, White-lipped deer. With many reptile and bird species also leaving the collection.
the only new notable species are the eastern black rhino, northern dry zone slender loris and balabac chevrotain.
Also a few parts and buildings are closed like the long house, bat cave and Amazonica are all closed. With both Amazonica and the long house being inaccessible for the foreseeable future. I already mentioned it, but they closed the best reptile house in the Benelux because of heating costs. Amazonica only lasted 11 years before the building was eventually closed this year. The building was already problematic after it was build and was mediocre in terms of wat was expected.
With the financial crisis in 2008 it was to be expected. The local government cut funds with a few million les per year. Bad new exhibits that are already outdated. Constant financial problems keep being a problem for the zoo. With the zoo seeking for outside investments.
Then there is the new masterplan. The old masterplan changed Blijdorp into a zoo a with a continental layout. With a whole new part with north and south American species that was build around 20 years ago. The new plan is going to change everything. With the new layout north and south America is going to change into an African jungle. The problem is that I don’t think the African jungle is going to be developed until 2030 or later. Meaning that the African forest area is not an African forest. Would have been better if they would have done this earlier or change the continental areas in the new areas when they can actually start developments. The other big problem that I have with the zoos future is the future of the animal roster. The future is without polar bears and gorilla’s. With the departure of the gorilla’s came a lot of backlash for the zoo. With the gorilla’s being one of the most popular animals. More and more animals are leaving and Blijdorp keeps calling themselves the best zoo in the Netherlands which is just not true in terms of exhibits and animal roster. With big cuts expected in the future.
Then we have the rivèrahall. It is the biggest building in the zoo and has kept many animals. The new director wants to make the building animal free in the future with big expensive renovations planned. The bird section will be without birds, the ape section, pygmy hippo and rhino sections will probably be emptied within a few years. The old reptile sections will be redeveloped into sections that can be hired for lectures and other events. So it will be closed of from the public from time to time. The bird section will be a botanic section.
The rest of the future of the zoo is not known which makes the masterplan not a masterplan but a promotional plan. Only the new regions are known. No new species or exhibit plans have been announced.
Blijdorp in 2009 was one of the best zoos in Europe. Nowadays it is a good zoo, but nowhere near one of the best zoos in Europe.
filovirus
Well-Known Member
Replying to my own post to add that the MN Zoo just introduced a new program: Walking hours on the treetop trail.
From June-October, you can show up to the zoo ahead of opening (7-8:30 from Jun-Sep, 7:30-8:30 in Oct) and walk *just* the treetop trail. I want to emphasize for those who haven't visited, the treetop trail is not a trail in the traditional zoo sense. It's an elevated path that *mostly* goes through undeveloped land on zoo property. It's more of a nature trail than a "zoo trail" if that makes sense.
I am WILDLY disappointed and confused by this.
For one, it is not included in membership costs. Anyone, member or nonmember, can pay $5 for a one-day pass; a season pass is $35 for nonmembers or $20 for members. We pay $200 annually for our membership- not a small price!- and while I'm happy to support my local zoo I am quite frankly disappointed that it's not included in memberships.
What is perhaps the most confusing thing though is the hours. The zoo opens *to the public* from 10-4. *Members* are able to enter at 9. It's a 1.25 mile trail. Do you... kick people out at 8:30 and tell them to come back in half an hour? Are people going to start carding me if I'm at the zoo in the morning to make sure I'm not galivanting around on my 5 dollar morning pass?
I don't know. This probably isn't the space for me to vent about this lol- it just feels so poorly thought-through. Like some investor just pointed to a thing and said "Easy money! Add this in!" without thinking about the logistics of it. This is just so weird to me.
I have half a mind to go in on a five dollar morning pass and see just how long I can spend at the zoo. A ticket is normally $22 for non-members...