The big room still has Angolan colobus, Allen’s swamp monkey and Schmidt’s red-tailed guenon.
Brookfield Zoo Brookfield Zoo News 2020
- Thread starter MeiLover
- Start date
JOSEPH E KOSIEK
Member
I would love to see an enlarged cat and bear area. Can you imagine to cost to build new pens underground and out of sight not to mention the actual displays themselves. I am a member who donates some money and adopts animals to help the cost of zoo operations but they need a lot more people to help with the annual fund even If its only a small one time donation.
I braved the weather and spent a few hours at the zoo today. Nothing major but a few notes of interest...
Deserts Edge Updates: Blue spiny lizards have been added to the chuckwalla exhibit and are now in a mixed species environment. I did see the coati near the bottom of its exhibit mostly running around in the corner, however I did not see the ocelot though it seemingly is on exhibit. I hope to make a video on this exhibit for my youtube channel (Inside The Zoo) later this week, and I got some fantastic footage (see below).
Pachyderm Building: As mentioned in the first news update from this year, the building is finally open in its entirety for the first time in about 8 to 9 years. It was a blast from the past walking through the East end again. Mainly from seeing the old indoor elephant accommodation - which is now being used by black rhino Layla who was lying down in one of the stalls while recovering from her surgeries. They may be brutally small by modern day standards, but it filled me with nostalgia seeing them again. As previously mentioned the anteater, tapir and large tortoises can also be seen inside.
Miscellaneous Updates:
Even though it's the middle of the offseason, today I saw some of the most active animals I have ever seen at the zoo.
Deserts Edge Updates: Blue spiny lizards have been added to the chuckwalla exhibit and are now in a mixed species environment. I did see the coati near the bottom of its exhibit mostly running around in the corner, however I did not see the ocelot though it seemingly is on exhibit. I hope to make a video on this exhibit for my youtube channel (Inside The Zoo) later this week, and I got some fantastic footage (see below).
Pachyderm Building: As mentioned in the first news update from this year, the building is finally open in its entirety for the first time in about 8 to 9 years. It was a blast from the past walking through the East end again. Mainly from seeing the old indoor elephant accommodation - which is now being used by black rhino Layla who was lying down in one of the stalls while recovering from her surgeries. They may be brutally small by modern day standards, but it filled me with nostalgia seeing them again. As previously mentioned the anteater, tapir and large tortoises can also be seen inside.
Miscellaneous Updates:
- The empty lion grotto seems like it was having work done on it near the moat likely to avoid anymore incidents.
- I'm not sure how new this is, as I haven't been in this building in quite a while, but electronic signage has been added to Clouded Leopard Rainforest.
- The painted dogs were off exhibit, so I think its same to assume that the alpha female has given birth to her litter. We should get official confirmation from the zoo in a few days.
Even though it's the middle of the offseason, today I saw some of the most active animals I have ever seen at the zoo.
- In Deserts Edge, the porcupines came right up to the mesh, the bat-eared foxes were outside of their den for once and also came right up the fence, and the genet was running all over the exhibit, but slowed down just enough for me to get some footage of him. Brilliant Stuff!
- Whirl the amur tiger - who I have seen sleeping 90% of the time - was leaping from rock to rock in her exhibit before jumping an attacking her Christmas tree enrichment. The most active I have ever seen a tiger before.
- The sea lion family were playing with each other in the water, as well as vocalizing up a storm and chasing each other on land.
- I was sprayed by a lowland tapir in the pachyderm building. Luckily he just barely missed camera lens.
The Zoo just confirmed on social media that Ngala, the alpha painted dog female, gave birth to 7 puppies on January 14, so Chewbacca's lineage will continue.
7 African Painted Dogs Born At Brookfield Zoo
The zoos CEO, Stuart Strahl, is resigning. He will be remain as CEO until a replacement is found. By the time he leaves, it is revealed that the zoo is recasting its 2006 master plan that will see new developments for the next 15 years, so his successor won't have to worry about new exhibits. It also worth noting that attendance this past year was below 2 million and attendance has fallen over the years, as suspected.
Brookfield Zoo chief heads for the exits
Brookfield Zoo CEO announces he'll retire
Brookfield Zoo chief heads for the exits
Brookfield Zoo CEO announces he'll retire
Any indication(s) this might be a positive/ negative or neutral development?
Mostly neutral but I personally see this as positive development. Strahl has been CEO since 2003 and had some pretty ambitious plans for the zoo but got only a very small handful done (Great Bear Wilderness, Wild Encounters, Nature Plaza). Only three major developments - one that lacks any animal exhibits entirely - in 15 years is disappointing especially compared to the progress at Lincoln Park nearbye. I understand that Strahl wanted of course much more, but hopefully whoever they bring in next is better at getting things done. The zoo needs it, especially considering its current state.
It looks like new animal habitats aren't the only thing on the way. The zoo is now outsourcing food and gift shop operations with a focus on sustainability. Several of the zoos eateries - including Bison Prairie Grill, Castaway Grill and North Gate Snacks - will have menu changes. The zoo is also completely renovating and rebranding the historic "BZ Red Hots" into "Table 34." Food trucks will also be added around the zoo, and while these changes may seem minor the zoos food is, well, not that great, so any improvements are welcome.
Brookfield Zoo outsources food, retail operations
Brookfield Zoo outsources food, retail operations
SSA is a good company. They are RSPO compliant and the food has always been pretty good when I visit a zoo that uses them.
Brookfield Zoo also created a Birding checklist that I thought was rather fun and possibly helpful for those species checklist makers out there:
Chicago Zoological Society - Can You Find Every Bird in Brookfield Zoo?
Chicago Zoological Society - Can You Find Every Bird in Brookfield Zoo?
This is a very nice list that I'm sure bird watchers will find useful. However, I will note that not every species in the zoo is listed (red-billed hornbills in Habitat Africa: The Forest, kookaburras and emu in the Australia House, white storks on the nature trail etc.) though it definitely seems to be geared towards the larger aviaries where it may be hard to find every species.
It really depends what kind of deal has been struck with the catering? What income do these companies generate for the zoo??? Anyone have some valid and qualitative answers to this.
In my view, simply outsourcing is an ineffectual operations management answer to own goal visionless directions!
I do have some anecdotes if that is enough. To me it is more efficient for a zoo or zoological society to manage the animals, memberships, maintenance, etc as that is what most of the people are trained to do and to hire others to manage food and gift services which can be very different than normal zoo management. The zoo probably saves time, money and effort because they don’t have to hire or train staff in those aspects and the deal with SSA probably works out to about the same money spent and gained without the headaches of running the operation. From what I’ve seen with these third party companies as well is they will put money down to help upgrade and build new food service areas and shops so the zoo can focus on spending money elsewhere.
I certainly agree that saving money was certainly a core reason for this move. It's no secret that the zoo is being troubled by financial issues from an attendance drop, so there trying to save money in any way they can. This is also why prices have been raised for admission, parking and attractions like Wild Encounters and the Play Zoo. Outsourcing seems like nothing but a positive change, as they are able to revamp some of the none animal parts of the zoo for cheap and focus more money on animal exhibits in the near future.
Show me the evidence in plans for financing new exhibits, renovations et cetera! You all lament the lack of investment and new attractions! Management should be pro-active and raising admissions without new significant building work or new projects is a no-brainer and will do nothing to entice people to revisit the zoo or pay a visit at all. Stagnation here .... Just look up the road at Chicago LP how things can be done differently!
I feel like you're being unnecessarily aggressive here. You are right that raising admission without any public plans for new exhibits isn't a good look, but there are absolutely brighter days on the zoos horizon. The reason why so many complain about Brookfield's slow development cycle is while dozens of other major zoos across the country are renewing themselves, Brookfield is slowly falling behind, so of course we lament the lack of new exhibits. Are you saying you don't? Regarding evidence for such, here is an exact quote from the zoos CEO who will be resigning in the near future from one of the articles I linked in a previous post.
"I hope to leave here with a master plan that stretches out 15 years to our 100th anniversary, so the person coming in has a board focusing on new exhibits and doesn't have to worry about attendance drivers."
Alas, at the moment I am not seeing the concrete investment needed to turn the zoo around on the horizon. A simple presentation of a new Masterplan unless that funding is there inside the plan and pledged et cetera to me is an empty shell-body. And no, I am not being unnecessarily aggressive, I am just unconvinced that apples and pears are simply going to fall from the sky. It needs a driver and an engine.
How does ex CEO Strahl expect a new CEO to do the works if this is not in place? I am just really looking for the physical material here and wonder if there is any in evidence or substantial funding forthcoming or pledged? If you or anyone else can answer that one ..., I am happy.
How does ex CEO Strahl expect a new CEO to do the works if this is not in place? I am just really looking for the physical material here and wonder if there is any in evidence or substantial funding forthcoming or pledged? If you or anyone else can answer that one ..., I am happy.