Personally, I think that RWPZ’s decision regarding their elephants carries some weight because of how people may react to a phase-out. RWPZ is still haunted by their never-constructed Polar Bear complex, and I could easily see the decision to phase elephants out haunting them in a similar manner. Maybe if polar bears returned, the public would be more accepting of elephants leaving. Of course, even if RWPZ kept elephants, there would still be other problems to deal with. The expansion may of course necessitate phasing out many other species to make space as you acknowledged, Neil. Then there’s also the consideration that an expanded elephant area could stretch all the way from the current barn to the zoo entrance. This might be problematic because in the winter the massive complex would be empty and, right after entering, guests would have to walk over half the length of the entire zoo before seeing a single animal.
In a situation where elephants were phased out of RWPZ, I do like PSO’s idea of acquiring Eastern Black Rhinos. In my opinion Eastern Black’s would be a more unique choice than Southern White Rhinos or a Savannah. It also seems like there are ample opportunities for strong savannah exhibits at Franklin Park depending on how Serengeti Crossing and Giraffe Savannah continue to develop, so I don’t see this as an exhibit type that will necessarily be rare in the region for the long term. Another pachyderm (besides rhinos and elephants) that I would love to see in New England are Nile Hippos. This wouldn’t be a simple acquisition for RWPZ in lieu of elephants since it would require new holding areas with indoor pools, but I believe the nearest Nile Hippos are in Philadelphia and it would be exciting to see some zoo in the region build a new modern habitat for them.
You make a valid point I haven't thought of before, with an elephant expansion taking up the entire "entrance" portion of zoo, making it a long walk to anything cold tolerant. Looking at the zoo through google maps, I suppose there actually is an alternate, equally possible option for an elephant expansion that hasn't been mentioned on here- overtaking North America with an elephant complex. If the current yard, giraffe yard, and barn are connected via a Denver Zoo style elephant bridge to this area, it would allow a very unique and interesting elephant complex of around 4 acres- including the current red wolf/pronghorn/bison exhibits. Doing so would require some re-routing of pathways, but overall would be another option for elephants that doesn't require it to stretch to the entrance. This option would leave the current zebra and cheetah exhibits still available for other species, either keeping the current line-up or developing this space for something else (there's an acre and a half here, possibly more depending on how much of aoudad becomes ed center/event's pavilion so theoretically enough space for a larger giraffe exhibit than what the zoo currently has.
As for black rhinos, that option doesn't personally excite me, and from what I've seen at other zoos, they don't appear to be a particularly active species, which makes me skeptical of their ability to be a big draw for crowds. I wouldn't be upset, per say, if this is the route the zoo takes, I just think there are better options out there. Furthermore, it's worth considering that depending on how much effort/funding the zoo would like to invest, a replacement for this area may not be a re-purposing of the exhibit, but instead something completely new. If the zoo wanted to, for instance, demolish the elephant exhibit in its entirety, the zoo could build an exhibit similar to the African Journey at Lincoln Park Zoo that includes a number of smaller African species along with a more modern giraffe holding. If the zoo is willing to drop the African theming, a new exhibit could focus on any number of other themes and incorporate any combination of fascinating smaller species. This may truthfully be the ideal option, if the zoo could afford it, as perhaps the best way to compensate for the loss of one large, popular species is with a number of smaller, engaging species- which in turn would lead to visitors spending more time in this area, especially if the exhibitry itself is unique or innovative.
id love for RWPZ to get large primates, like mandrills or gorillas, maybe chimps, but i would love to see orangutans in new england
I definitely agree I'd like to see some more primates at RWPZ. Not necessarily just larger ones, but any primates would be appreciated, as currently it's just the gibbons and four neotropical species. There used to be the Madagascar complex with lemurs- it'd be great to see this space have a permanent exhibit complex again, and some sort of primates (possibly exhibits similar to the new Saint Louis complex) would be a great use of this space. Primates are a group of animals that could be much better represented in New England- specifically, Langurs and Japanese Macaques are two types of primates that I'd love to see make an appearance in a New England zoo, and space-wise would be much more reasonable than orangs as you suggested. As great apes go, another species that'd be a cool choice for a New England Zoo, and would have a slightly smaller space requirement than orangutans would be Bonobos, and that SSP is desperately in need of more holders.
I'm willing to bet we can all agree that North America is the weakest section of RWPZ right now (not bad, just weaker than the other sections, I don't think RWPZ has any bad exhibits at the moment), and if a large primate, or any other "significant" acquisition (grizzly or polar bears, rhinos, more African megafauna, etc.) was to occur at RWPZ, I feel the ideal placement for this expansion would be to completely redevelop this section of the zoo into something completely new. If orangutans, bonobos, or other great apes were to make an appearance, this would be the location for a new complex that sacrifices the least as far as current exhibits go.
