Then it should work for tigers, just not lions.
Bronx Zoo Future of the Bronx Zoo
- Thread starter okapikpr
- Start date
The recent reopening of World of Darkness has lead to a lot of conversation in the Bronx Zoo news thread about the possible future developments and projects. A lot of us understand that the zoo will probably not open a new exhibit very soon because it has taken a long time to refurbish and reopen World of Darkness, but I thought I would "refresh" this thread with what has been discussed about the zoo's future:
In the Zoophoria interview feature "Taking On the Legacy and the Zoo A Conversation with Jim Breheny, Director of the Bronx Zoo", conducted in 2017, Breheny shared with Grayson Ponti some concepts:
As far as I know, this is the only official word on future developments right now.
North America/Boreal Forest expansion
It was recently revealed in the news thread that a previously little-known potential expansion focusing on North American wildlife was also proposed relatively recently:
African Village / Safari Adventure
Breheny describes "a Safari Adventure area that will expand on the current African Plains and address how wildlife is displaced by human activity". A closed portion of the African Plains section once held Arabian oryx and Blesbok.
A more detailed proposal has been discussed in this thread previously and in the news thread:
Latin America proposals
Breheny also mentions a Latin American section. This has often been expected to replace the former Rare Animal Range exhibit, although I'm unsure where the connection to the closed Rare Animal Range originated, though @KiwiBirb above seems to confirm it is still the plan:
There were earlier discussions of a Latin American-themed "Flooded Forest" exhibit concept, which ultimately did not come to fruition at the intended location, that may provide some insight into possible species for a Latin American exhibit:
Monkey House redevelopment
Breheny's own statement mentions "new exhibits in the old Monkey House including indoor and outdoor habitats for primates and pygmy hippos". The current building has been closed to the public since 2012, but Capuchin monkey were visible in the outdoor habitat for some years later. There has been a lot of speculation on this board about pygmy hippos being added to the zoo but there seem to be mixed feelings and disagreement about introducing them to this space.
In the Zoophoria interview feature "Taking On the Legacy and the Zoo A Conversation with Jim Breheny, Director of the Bronx Zoo", conducted in 2017, Breheny shared with Grayson Ponti some concepts:
As far as I know, this is the only official word on future developments right now.
North America/Boreal Forest expansion
It was recently revealed in the news thread that a previously little-known potential expansion focusing on North American wildlife was also proposed relatively recently:
African Village / Safari Adventure
Breheny describes "a Safari Adventure area that will expand on the current African Plains and address how wildlife is displaced by human activity". A closed portion of the African Plains section once held Arabian oryx and Blesbok.
A more detailed proposal has been discussed in this thread previously and in the news thread:
Latin America proposals
Breheny also mentions a Latin American section. This has often been expected to replace the former Rare Animal Range exhibit, although I'm unsure where the connection to the closed Rare Animal Range originated, though @KiwiBirb above seems to confirm it is still the plan:
There were earlier discussions of a Latin American-themed "Flooded Forest" exhibit concept, which ultimately did not come to fruition at the intended location, that may provide some insight into possible species for a Latin American exhibit:
Monkey House redevelopment
Breheny's own statement mentions "new exhibits in the old Monkey House including indoor and outdoor habitats for primates and pygmy hippos". The current building has been closed to the public since 2012, but Capuchin monkey were visible in the outdoor habitat for some years later. There has been a lot of speculation on this board about pygmy hippos being added to the zoo but there seem to be mixed feelings and disagreement about introducing them to this space.
The Rare Animal Range trail is what they use for the dinosaur exhibit path. It runs from the raptor aviaries to the Fountain circle parking lot.
~Thylo
~Thylo
KiwiBirb
Well-Known Member
This is why I believe Latin America is the lowest on their priority list, the area is still generating revenue. I do believe however, that’s where they want to put the Latin American exhibit
AnActualFan
Well-Known Member
Do wonder what is highest on the priority list right now. Like they don't have any areas of obvious defects right now that need something new besides the Lion exhibit.
Don Majeski
Well-Known Member
If anything, the WCS should improve , expand and ad to the City Zoos and Aquarium which are woefully neglected.
They have adopted a, “This is it -take it or leave it policy “ For the most part , the public: “Leaves it ..alone “
Queens Zoo was/upoised to transition from an Nearctic to an Americas Zoo but it never included a permanent exhibit for reptiles or amphibian .
No proposed jaguar ever came to fruition and there is no Neo Tropical rain forest equivalent to Central Park’ attempt at one
They need to scrap the livestock exhibit abs replace it with tapir, guanaco and a permanent facility for tbe alligators
Don Majeski
Well-Known Member
The Prospect Park Zoo went from having an excellent collection: lions, leopard, jaguar, Asistic black bear, polar bear , black rhino, Nile hippo,Grant zebra - independent of a farm in the zoo (An autonomous entity in and of itself) to a zilch.
The were tracking towards an Oceanic (Australo/Malaysian theme ( kangaroos, wallabies) but that seems abandoned for an electric mix up that is only salvaged by the small felids it had exhibited, of late
This absurd idea of a “glorified(?!?) “Children’s Zoo” must have been designed by a child psychologist or pediatric sociologist and not zoo curator
When the city - along with the WPA - remodeled the Prospect Park and Central Park ( And later Barret Park ( Staten Island) zoos they took a poll and asked what the public wanted for their free ( tax subsidized , anyway) zoos and they responded : elephants, hippos, lions, tigers, bears, orangutans etc-and they GOT what they wanted and paid for ..Prospect Park needs an upgrade
The need to bring the Australasian plan to fruition by transforming their indoor exhibit into a tropical rainforest to compliment a, “Walk-about” one that would exhibit their dingo , emu while returning red, gray kangaroo and wallabies species .
Indoor could house various reptile and amphibians along with echidna ( No monotremes currently at any NY zoo), wombat, phalangers , cockatoo, birds of paradise, cuscus , Tasmanian devils
And they need to add a large carnivore exhibit with either lions, Sumatran tiger, sloth bear .
I would also hold out for Baird’s tapir and Pygmy hippo
The second iteration was a great collection - the manner in which the were exhibited AN ABOMINATION
Perhaps maintaining a felid only collection would be a great taxonomical and zoological interest - with one large predator species to at as contrast -as the marmosets do to the gorilla in Congo!
Don Majeski
Well-Known Member
Insofar as Central Park Zoo it needs to be energized .
It has become flaccid and complacent .
It needs to be infused with major new exhibits.
It needs to repurpose the macaque exhibit for Orangutans which would be a cornerstone species and exhibit that would draw people to the zoo.
Adding large raptor exhibit would also help.
I personally would argue that before the zoo turns their attention to new animal exhibits or reopening old exhibits, it needs to update and modernize the majority of the guest areas of it's exhibits. The buildings need the most attention, but even most of the outdoor signage is looking pretty old and worn.
When it comes to the buildings, the signage is outdated and not up to the standards of a modern, top tier zoo (or really a typical AZA zoo), but additionally, many of the guest areas in the buildings are completely sterile, unengaging, and doesn't help to immerse you in the exhibit/zoo. From what I have seen, the Bronx's signage is almost universally panned by this sites users, but we tend to gloss over it when it comes to these types of conversations as we are so concerned about what is next in terms of animals. Nothing will ever be done about the signage unless the zoo seriously commits to it and it doesn't need to be a part of a renovation project. This is something that can be done and modernized with the buildings remaining largely open.
World of Birds and the Aquatic Bird House would likely be my top priority, followed by the Reptile House and then the Mouse House. I think parts of Jungleworld also need it, but its not as necessary.
Most of the current signage in these buildings looks like it was created using a very early version of Microsoft Word (circa 2003-2005) (all its missing is the clip art!) and was just thrown through a laminator. As a former teacher, I made more appealing signage and posters for my classroom (and I wasn't even good at that type of stuff).
Bronx is already a top level zoo, so adding new animal exhibits isn't as pressing to me as modernizing what is already there (even if this isn't specifically addressing the exhibitry as there are very few flaws there).
When it comes to the buildings, the signage is outdated and not up to the standards of a modern, top tier zoo (or really a typical AZA zoo), but additionally, many of the guest areas in the buildings are completely sterile, unengaging, and doesn't help to immerse you in the exhibit/zoo. From what I have seen, the Bronx's signage is almost universally panned by this sites users, but we tend to gloss over it when it comes to these types of conversations as we are so concerned about what is next in terms of animals. Nothing will ever be done about the signage unless the zoo seriously commits to it and it doesn't need to be a part of a renovation project. This is something that can be done and modernized with the buildings remaining largely open.
World of Birds and the Aquatic Bird House would likely be my top priority, followed by the Reptile House and then the Mouse House. I think parts of Jungleworld also need it, but its not as necessary.
Most of the current signage in these buildings looks like it was created using a very early version of Microsoft Word (circa 2003-2005) (all its missing is the clip art!) and was just thrown through a laminator. As a former teacher, I made more appealing signage and posters for my classroom (and I wasn't even good at that type of stuff).
Bronx is already a top level zoo, so adding new animal exhibits isn't as pressing to me as modernizing what is already there (even if this isn't specifically addressing the exhibitry as there are very few flaws there).
Don Majeski
Well-Known Member
Signage seems insignificant in the larger order of things - but it matters.
It is the small things that add up. The small oversights , generic apathy and creature comforts that add and enhance the experience : Their Linnean designation - and , perhaps, their translations ,class, order and geographic locations, diet and habitat count .
These are scientific institutions dedicated to inform, educate as well as entertain.
You are correct
Might as well just post as sign saying,
“Beast”
I feel you have failed to understand the design of the exhibits
The entire intention behind the darkened and sterile design of the bird houses (and the reptile house, to a lesser extent) is to make the vibrant "world of the birds" pop to the visitors. This is something World of Birds has done for over 50 years.I do agree that the ABH needs a facelift, but I'm not sure I'd even agree that the others are an issue from the visitor perspective. WOB has entire small rooms dedicated for educational displays (ie the "survival" room and the extinct bird memorial--the latter of which is actually under renovation right now) as well as displays about deforestation and the illegal wildlife trade throughout the building. There are also two walkthrough aviaries. Both WOB and WOR have windows into their nurseries. WOR has the "field station" display in the middle of the room, something I expect 99% of visitors ignore because there are no animals along that wall. The Mouse House I'm unsure what you would want to add. It's a pretty simple exhibit, just one hallway with displays on either side of the path, but half of it is a nocturnal exhibit. JW really confuses me. There are tons of non-animal displays throughout the building, and even it's pathways are more imaginative with wooden "bridges", views through waterfalls, and of course the bulk of the visitor space is through a massive walkthrough.
I 100% agree with you on the signage. The zoo lacks majorly in this department in general. World of Darkness has opened with amazing signage, and tbh I think it's a bit much with the touchscreens. Some other habitats such as the Dholes have great signage, too, but those laminated paper printouts fill their houses and lots of stuff is simply unsigned.
Signage aside, though, I'm curious what you'd want to see added to the hallways of these other exhibits. What are other zoos doing that Bronx is not? I honestly can't think of many zoos that do much different with the visitor spaces in-between habitats of their buildings that Bronx doesn't do. Sometimes the point of the zoo building can just be the animals.
~Thylo
I feel you have failed to understand the design of the exhibits
I do agree that the ABH needs a facelift, but I'm not sure I'd even agree that the others are an issue from the visitor perspective. WOB has entire small rooms dedicated for educational displays (ie the "survival" room and the extinct bird memorial--the latter of which is actually under renovation right now) as well as displays about deforestation and the illegal wildlife trade throughout the building. There are also two walkthrough aviaries. Both WOB and WOR have windows into their nurseries. WOR has the "field station" display in the middle of the room, something I expect 99% of visitors ignore because there are no animals along that wall. The Mouse House I'm unsure what you would want to add. It's a pretty simple exhibit, just one hallway with displays on either side of the path, but half of it is a nocturnal exhibit. JW really confuses me. There are tons of non-animal displays throughout the building, and even it's pathways are more imaginative with wooden "bridges", views through waterfalls, and of course the bulk of the visitor space is through a massive walkthrough.
I 100% agree with you on the signage. The zoo lacks majorly in this department in general. World of Darkness has opened with amazing signage, and tbh I think it's a bit much with the touchscreens. Some other habitats such as the Dholes have great signage, too, but those laminated paper printouts fill their houses and lots of stuff is simply unsigned.
Signage aside, though, I'm curious what you'd want to see added to the hallways of these other exhibits. What are other zoos doing that Bronx is not? I honestly can't think of many zoos that do much different with the visitor spaces in-between habitats of their buildings that Bronx doesn't do. Sometimes the point of the zoo building can just be the animals.
~Thylo
As I said, my main issue is with the signage of these buildings. I agree, World of Darkness was an excellent step forward with this. One thing I like about World of Darkness's signage is that I felt it was pretty subdued in a typical Bronx style, but at the same time engaging and provided the information needed. I also think the touch screens are a great touch as they get kids (and adults) engaged with the signs, along with taking in information, and aren't extremely repetitive where you have to do the same thing on every sign (this is not something the Bronx has an issue with in general).
The rest is really going to come down to personal preference and admittedly likely isn't going to appeal to you if you found the touchscreens a "bit much." I understand these buildings really strive to put the focus on animals and overall, they are very successful in accomplishing that task with the excellent exhibits in them for the animals. Again, its mostly a signage thing. In the case of Jungleworld I agree, there is very little to be done in there, but I still don't care for the signage or think it is very good for the average visitor. A lot of people don't even appear to notice the signage in the handrails, especially in the areas that are not well lit. Otherwise, Jungleworld is a great example of what I would like to see done elsewhere in terms of most the other aspects and visitor immersion.
To go beyond that, I would like to see more of what has been done in World of Darkness in terms of the walls/ceilings to help create a more immersive atmosphere. It does not need to be anything major, but the cutouts on the ceilings, imitation of the night sky, etc. help immerse visitors in the experience. This could take the the form perhaps of murals in the bird houses, some rock work, plantings in the visitor areas, etc. These are all things the zoo does better than most others within the animal exhibits themselves and I think could be extended to the visitor area. A quite extreme version of this would be what Omaha has done within the Orangutan House with making the visitor area into a mock ruined temple. Again, this is extreme and I am not advocating for the zoo to go this far as I think that is too much and way overdone, but it helps make visitors feel immersed in exhibits.
I think your comment on the field station in World of Reptiles highlights a problem that is also found with the educational displays in World of Birds. They are off to the side and seem to be a complete afterthought in the zoo. I agree, many visitors will skip these areas because there are no animals, but they feel tucked off to the side in many cases and like visitors need to go searching for them if they want them. They don't draw attention to them when you need to in order to get visitors to engage with the information.
Mouse House is again, mostly a signage thing as, yes, you aren't going to do a ton in the nocturnal area. I actually think the signage in the non-nocturnal area is pretty good as it is, so would mostly like to see that expanded to the other side.
As I've stated recently elsewhere, the Bronx is a top level zoo and because of this I am perhaps holding them to a higher standard than most other zoos out there. Honestly, as I think about other zoos, I think many criticisms of the Bronx extend to other zoos as well. I think zoos as a whole could do a better job of engaging visitors with their informational displays and perhaps need to start looking at what other museums types are doing in this area. These areas get skipped over because they are uninteresting, not necessarily because visitors are uninterested themselves.
Perhaps, it would all be for not as yes, zoo visitors are most certainly there to see animals versus the informational "displays", but I don't think zoos in general do a very good job of getting visitors interested in these things to begin with. This is an ongoing conversation/reality teachers have had to deal with in the classroom as putting a wall of text in front of people does not engage them or get them interested. This is one of the reasons I would advocate for signage in the vein of World of Darkness when it comes to the animal signage. Its minimal and can be read quickly, but informative and has some aspects to get visitors engaged. What worked 50 years ago to engage visitors/students/learners does not work today.
Once again, to wrap it all up. Fixing the signage alone would go A LONG way for me and if that is the only thing that was changed, I would be perfectly fine with that. However, at the same time I think more can be done to truly immerse visitors.
EDITING to add: I think these are all things that absolutely could be done, while also focusing on opening a new exhibit area, but with the way WCS seems to sort of focus on one thing at time, I personally would prefer for them to focus on the signage first as opening a new area/bringing more animals into the zoo does not necessarily seem like it should be of the highest priority to me at a zoo that already has exceptional exhibits (for the most part) and a large collection of animals. I understand money is a large as to why new exhibits have not happened at the Bronx Zoo, but at the same time the fact that mostly everything there is still of a high quality makes that something that is not urgently in need of attention and not a focus for that very same reason.
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