The zoo's homepage basically defends the fact that it is a small zoo and asks for visitors to give it a chance.
Cities in need of zoos
- Thread starter elefante
- Start date
The zoo's homepage basically defends the fact that it is a small zoo and asks for visitors to give it a chance.
wyldjaguar
Well-Known Member
My vote goes to Las Vegas - I went to the Southern Nevada Zoo in Vegas once. I know it wasn't an AZA-accredited park, etc, but was horrified at what I saw. Mice everywhere, chickens running rampant, it was a scene from "Outbreak III." After talking to a few people, I have no doubt the staff and volunteers love their animals, but conditions were deplorable.
For being a tourism-destination city trying to build their own population, you think the city's residents deserve better. I remember hearing the late Steve Irwin talking to Larry King that he was supposedly working with someone (Steve Wynn, I thought) about laying the groundwork for such a park. I guess that idea passed on with Irwin...
For being a tourism-destination city trying to build their own population, you think the city's residents deserve better. I remember hearing the late Steve Irwin talking to Larry King that he was supposedly working with someone (Steve Wynn, I thought) about laying the groundwork for such a park. I guess that idea passed on with Irwin...
The Las Vegas idea still seemed to be kicking around as of 2009, but I haven't found concrete reports that the thing will actually get built: Australia Zoo - About Us - Zoo News - Crikey Las Vegas!
Australia Zoo in talks over Las Vegas crocodile oasis | News.com.au
The second story says that the Australia Zoo in Las Vegas would have platypuses. That zoo would definitely get some traffic from Zoochatters.
Blackduiker
Well-Known Member
Having attended college in Huntsville, Alabama in Northern Alabama, I believe it to be a great candidate for a zoo. Some 90 miles north of Birmingham, the other options for zoos in this good sized populated area of the Tennessee Valley would be, Memphis and Chattanooga, in Tennessee. Maybe some of our other ZooChatters know of other facilities in the general area as well.
Memphis does have a zoo and it's one of the few in the US that has giant pandas.
I'm surprised Vegas never built a zoo of any kind when they were booming. Is the economy still bad there? It seems to me that this would be a good tourist attraction there as an alternative to casinos and for residents who live there. I think Vegas could support a night zoo like Singapore has with its 24 hour culture.
For some reason the civic leaders of Vegas have never wanted a proper zoo. The boom times brought several animal attractions like the Mirage dolphins and Sigfreid and Roy's zoo where they kept all of their show animals (lions, tigers, leopards, and an Asian elephant [now deceased]), a flamingo and waterfowl complex at the Flamingo (also used to have African penguins, now at Dallas Zoo), a lion "habitat" at the MGM (just closed), and a very good AZA-accredited aquarium called Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay. These are/were all private, for-profit attractions.
The Las Vegas Zoo seems to be universally loathed and gets scathing media coverage every few months. Somehow they keep sputtering along. Maybe when they finally implode and the Las Vegas economy returns then Las Vegans will want a real zoo, but history shows that even in their best economy and over multiple decades that hasn't happened. Shark Reef is an excellent aquarium, so at least they have that.
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Part of the reason Las Vegas cannot get support for attractions for locals (not tourists), is that there is a HUGE turnover of residents, meaning people are moving out as fast as they move in. I read a report about the schools having problems because teachers cannot count on kids staying the entire school year. (I am one of those statistics - lived there for only four months).
ANyhuis
Well-Known Member
If we go by the list of Top USA Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs),
[ame=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_of_United_States_Metropolitan_Statistical_Areas]Table of United States Metropolitan Statistical Areas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame],
here's what I find:
#12 - Riverside/San Bernardino/Ontario, CA 4.30 million
I think all they have is The Living Desert, and I'm not sure it's in this MSA
#30 - Las Vegas/Paradise, NV 1.97 million
Southern Nevada Zoological-Biological Park -- I've not heard much good about it
#31 - San Jose/Sunnyvale/Santa Clara, CA 1.87 million
Has Happy Hollow Zoo -- not much for a big city
#33 - Charlotte/Gastonia/Rock Hill, NC/SC 1.80 million
#34 - Austin/Round Rock/San Marcos, TX 1.78 million
Has the Austin Zoo, not even AZA accreditted
#44 - Richmond, VA 1.27 million
Anyone know anything about the Metro Richmond Zoo?
#45 - Hartford, CT 1.21 million
Beardsley Zoo (in Bridgeport) is in another MSA
#47 - Raleigh/Cary, NC 1.16 million
#51 - Rochester, NY 1.06 million
Seneca Park Zoo -- I've never seen it, is it any good?
#59 - Albany/Schenectady/Troy, NY 0.87 million
It's been discussed here: http://www.zoochat.com/22/why-doesnt-albany-ny-area-have-225818/
#60 - New Haven/Milford, CT 0.86 million
See Hartford above
#61 - Bakersfield/Delano, CA 0.85 million
California Living Museum -- is this good enough?
#62 - Dayton, OH 0.85 million
not that far from the great and famous Cincinnati Zoo
#64 - Allentown/Bethlehem/Easton, PA 0.82 million
Lehigh Valley Zoo?
#67 - Worcester, MA 0.80 million
Southwick's Zoo?
#73 - Sarasota/Bradenton/North Port, FL 0.70 million
Sarasota Jungle Gardens?
I'll stop there, at the Top 75, and all MSAs over 0.7 million.
[ame=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_of_United_States_Metropolitan_Statistical_Areas]Table of United States Metropolitan Statistical Areas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame],
here's what I find:
#12 - Riverside/San Bernardino/Ontario, CA 4.30 million
I think all they have is The Living Desert, and I'm not sure it's in this MSA
#30 - Las Vegas/Paradise, NV 1.97 million
Southern Nevada Zoological-Biological Park -- I've not heard much good about it
#31 - San Jose/Sunnyvale/Santa Clara, CA 1.87 million
Has Happy Hollow Zoo -- not much for a big city
#33 - Charlotte/Gastonia/Rock Hill, NC/SC 1.80 million
#34 - Austin/Round Rock/San Marcos, TX 1.78 million
Has the Austin Zoo, not even AZA accreditted
#44 - Richmond, VA 1.27 million
Anyone know anything about the Metro Richmond Zoo?
#45 - Hartford, CT 1.21 million
Beardsley Zoo (in Bridgeport) is in another MSA
#47 - Raleigh/Cary, NC 1.16 million
#51 - Rochester, NY 1.06 million
Seneca Park Zoo -- I've never seen it, is it any good?
#59 - Albany/Schenectady/Troy, NY 0.87 million
It's been discussed here: http://www.zoochat.com/22/why-doesnt-albany-ny-area-have-225818/
#60 - New Haven/Milford, CT 0.86 million
See Hartford above
#61 - Bakersfield/Delano, CA 0.85 million
California Living Museum -- is this good enough?
#62 - Dayton, OH 0.85 million
not that far from the great and famous Cincinnati Zoo
#64 - Allentown/Bethlehem/Easton, PA 0.82 million
Lehigh Valley Zoo?
#67 - Worcester, MA 0.80 million
Southwick's Zoo?
#73 - Sarasota/Bradenton/North Port, FL 0.70 million
Sarasota Jungle Gardens?
I'll stop there, at the Top 75, and all MSAs over 0.7 million.
Add two more to your list:
http://naturesanctuarygilcrease.org/masterplan/masterplan.pdf
Las Vegas Natural History Museum
ANyhuis
Well-Known Member
Yes, I've been to Sigfried & Roy's attractive animal park, which includes dolphin pools. Also been to Shark Reef, which I agree is very good. But both are very expensive!
I would imagine one problem for Vegas setting up a nice, complete zoo is the weather. It's tough to display many animals in constant 100F+ heat. But Phoenix does it, and I've even seen it done well at the Al Ain Zoo in the Persian Gulf nation of UAE.
I would imagine one problem for Vegas setting up a nice, complete zoo is the weather. It's tough to display many animals in constant 100F+ heat. But Phoenix does it, and I've even seen it done well at the Al Ain Zoo in the Persian Gulf nation of UAE.
Looking at this list there seems to be quite the shortage of zoos in the USA.
Blackduiker
Well-Known Member
Blackduiker
Yes, Memphis does have a tremendous zoo, but the distance is a bit far for Huntsville residents to make it truly a "local' zoo.
Yes, Memphis does have a tremendous zoo, but the distance is a bit far for Huntsville residents to make it truly a "local' zoo.
I think a good theme for a zoo in Vegas would be to have large enclosures with animals that are found in desert areas of the US, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Australia and just stick with that. The zoo may not have a huge collection but could have big enclosures for these animals.
For those of you who were talking about Spokane, since they have had troubles, what about Coer D'Alene? (Sorry if I butchered the spelling).
I'm also sorry for so shamelessly bumping this thread.
ANyhuis
Well-Known Member
The reason that Coeur d'Alene, Idaho doesn't fit this thread is because it's NOT a major city or major metropolitan area. It's population is a mere 44,137, with a metro area population of 131,507. I agree it's a beautiful place, but not heavily populated -- probably not enough to (on its own) support a major zoo.
Why does it have to be a major zoo?
It isn't a major city but with Spokane close by it could be a destination for residents of that city as well as draw people from various parts of Montana and Idaho. With Silverwood in town and the lake it is a tourist attraction and already a rather family friendly one. It would never be as big as San Diego but I don't see why it couldn't be about the same size as Point Defiance.
Dubbo is a city of 38,000 people, the next closest city is orange, 2 hours away with 40,000 people. the nearest city with more than 40,000 people is Sydney, 5 hours away, yet it recieves 200,000 visitors a year.
Yes, but you do have to discount the fact that Dubbo is heavily Government subsidised, and also effectively receives cross-subsidies from Taronga.
Yes good point. But with 15 rhino, 4 elephants, 5 cheetah, 20 odd Devils and 15 ish giraffe, 12 ish ring tailed lemurs 4 hippo and various other largeish herds of hoofstock its operationalcosts are high. You could have a decent collection of animals just in lower numbers and the town would be able to support a zoo. not a major one but a reasonable one. however i dont know the city in question and dubbo is also on the main road from brisbane to melbourne or for queenslanders heading to the NSW snow.