Taccachantrieri
Well-Known Member
Years ago I was obsessed with zoological design (that probably has not changed much 
), and enamored with the Canadian Wilds at my local Calgary Zoo. The Canadian Wilds were to be completed in 5 stages with one being an Arctic Shores area. At the time the Calgary Zoo had no definitive plans for an arctic exhibit, so I thought it would be a great opportunity to send in an e-mail with my own suggestions before plans or designs were drawn up. So I sent in a 3 page detailed account of my ideal Arctic Shores exhibit. Obviously I can't remember all the details because I don't have the e-mail, and it was quite a few years ago, but I'll do my best nonetheless.
I wanted the exhibit to discuss the indigenous people of the Arctic and their relationship to the local wildlife, because I thought they showed great nature stewardship.
Before entering the exhibit visitors would pass a garden of small indigenous arctic plants. Aquariums would show the nature of permafrost and the layers of sediment in the arctic. Vast open grassy exhibits would house caribou and musk oxen, as well as arctic wolves. After viewing these exhibits visitors would enter a comfortable heated building with windows forming one side of a barrier for different outdoor arctic exhibits. Lemmings would be displayed by snowy owls. There would also be displays of arctic foxes, arctic hares, wolverines, a few birds, seals, polar bears and beluga whales. I was very descriptive of displays for the latter three species which would primarily be huge aquatic displays with very long floor to ceiling underwater viewing windows and lots of tall artificial rockwork to hide barriers. I stressed incorporating enrichment and structural complexity into the animals enclosure. I wanted all three exhibits to have automatic fish dispensers, cooled salt water, underwater rocks and passages, wave machines, snow machines, ice producing machines, etc. The polar bear exhibit would have vast areas to dig in, different substrates, and taller areas for the animals to get better views from. There would also be a cooled cave for close up viewing. I have a strong suspicion that I also talked about acrylic tunnels.
Shortly after sending this e-mail I got a reply saying that my entire e-mail had been sent to the Director of Exhibits and Development (or some other very similiar post) and he was considering my suggestions.
Fast forward a few years and the Calgary Zoo has developed exhibits of caribou and musk oxen, as well as replaced their tundra wolves with arctic wolves. They also developed plans for an Arctic Shores complex revolving around polar bears, seals, and beluga whales (just like my exhibit). Other animals to be displayed were lemmings, snowy owls, arctic foxes, arctic hares, and a few arctic birds. A major feature of this development was viewing from a large comfortable heated building with large underwater windows overlooking outdoor exhibits. Outdoor acrylic tunnels would also pass through displays. Indigenous peoples connection and dependence on the land were going to be heavily incorporated into theming and education. Concerning the enclosures the major feature was over 10 million liters of water! Incorporation of enrichment into the environment and structural complexity were highly stressed. Every aquatic animal was going to have automatic fish dispensers, cooled seawater, underwater passages and rocks, generation of currents in the water, and possibly snow producing machines. Tall artificial rockwork would hide barriers and permit the polar bears to have incredible sight lines overlooking much of the city. The polar bears would also have digging areas, and different substrates. A large cooled cave with close up viewing was also an important inclusion. Does this sound familiar?
It's probably the case that these are just common good design ideas that were independently thought of (there is also not all that many arctic animals to pick from), but what if that e-mail I sent actually formed one of the important starting points for Arctic Shores
? What do you think of that after reading some of my posts!
At the very least didn't my e-mail send the message that there was public demand for an arctic display featuring polar bears, seals, and beluga whales?
I also think it's funny that if the Calgary Zoo had announced their plans years ago I would have been absolutely ecstatic as they would have matched my ideal envisioned exhibit! Now that I know the costs (both animal wise and monetary) associated with these plans I am considerably more critical
! Since I sent that e-mail an incredible amount of space at the Zoo has also been eaten up.
Ahhhh the loss of youths innocence.
), and enamored with the Canadian Wilds at my local Calgary Zoo. The Canadian Wilds were to be completed in 5 stages with one being an Arctic Shores area. At the time the Calgary Zoo had no definitive plans for an arctic exhibit, so I thought it would be a great opportunity to send in an e-mail with my own suggestions before plans or designs were drawn up. So I sent in a 3 page detailed account of my ideal Arctic Shores exhibit. Obviously I can't remember all the details because I don't have the e-mail, and it was quite a few years ago, but I'll do my best nonetheless.I wanted the exhibit to discuss the indigenous people of the Arctic and their relationship to the local wildlife, because I thought they showed great nature stewardship.
Before entering the exhibit visitors would pass a garden of small indigenous arctic plants. Aquariums would show the nature of permafrost and the layers of sediment in the arctic. Vast open grassy exhibits would house caribou and musk oxen, as well as arctic wolves. After viewing these exhibits visitors would enter a comfortable heated building with windows forming one side of a barrier for different outdoor arctic exhibits. Lemmings would be displayed by snowy owls. There would also be displays of arctic foxes, arctic hares, wolverines, a few birds, seals, polar bears and beluga whales. I was very descriptive of displays for the latter three species which would primarily be huge aquatic displays with very long floor to ceiling underwater viewing windows and lots of tall artificial rockwork to hide barriers. I stressed incorporating enrichment and structural complexity into the animals enclosure. I wanted all three exhibits to have automatic fish dispensers, cooled salt water, underwater rocks and passages, wave machines, snow machines, ice producing machines, etc. The polar bear exhibit would have vast areas to dig in, different substrates, and taller areas for the animals to get better views from. There would also be a cooled cave for close up viewing. I have a strong suspicion that I also talked about acrylic tunnels.
Shortly after sending this e-mail I got a reply saying that my entire e-mail had been sent to the Director of Exhibits and Development (or some other very similiar post) and he was considering my suggestions.
Fast forward a few years and the Calgary Zoo has developed exhibits of caribou and musk oxen, as well as replaced their tundra wolves with arctic wolves. They also developed plans for an Arctic Shores complex revolving around polar bears, seals, and beluga whales (just like my exhibit). Other animals to be displayed were lemmings, snowy owls, arctic foxes, arctic hares, and a few arctic birds. A major feature of this development was viewing from a large comfortable heated building with large underwater windows overlooking outdoor exhibits. Outdoor acrylic tunnels would also pass through displays. Indigenous peoples connection and dependence on the land were going to be heavily incorporated into theming and education. Concerning the enclosures the major feature was over 10 million liters of water! Incorporation of enrichment into the environment and structural complexity were highly stressed. Every aquatic animal was going to have automatic fish dispensers, cooled seawater, underwater passages and rocks, generation of currents in the water, and possibly snow producing machines. Tall artificial rockwork would hide barriers and permit the polar bears to have incredible sight lines overlooking much of the city. The polar bears would also have digging areas, and different substrates. A large cooled cave with close up viewing was also an important inclusion. Does this sound familiar
? It's probably the case that these are just common good design ideas that were independently thought of (there is also not all that many arctic animals to pick from), but what if that e-mail I sent actually formed one of the important starting points for Arctic Shores
? What do you think of that after reading some of my posts!At the very least didn't my e-mail send the message that there was public demand for an arctic display featuring polar bears, seals, and beluga whales?
I also think it's funny that if the Calgary Zoo had announced their plans years ago I would have been absolutely ecstatic as they would have matched my ideal envisioned exhibit! Now that I know the costs (both animal wise and monetary) associated with these plans I am considerably more critical
! Since I sent that e-mail an incredible amount of space at the Zoo has also been eaten up. Ahhhh the loss of youths innocence.
) I hold him in pretty high regard. He has a lot of experience as a veterinarian at the Granby Zoo, has worked for several years at the Calgary Zoo as a director of live collections (manages keepers, veternarians etc.), has a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Degree, has published several peer reviewed scientific articles, and has an MBA in Business 
! I also really like the approach he has taken to several problems. One pickle the Calgary Zoo was in happened after a hippo in transit from the Denver Zoo died shortly after arrival (hours). Dr. Clement Lanthier hired an independent expert on animal transport to conduct a through investigation of all parties involved. Dr. Jacques Dancosse concluded that proper reasonable procedure had been followed by all parties, but included many recommendations that would improve large mammal transport. The Calgary Zoo has said that it is committed to realizing all of these recommendations. 
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