@Milwaukee Man: Thank you very much! You're right, the aardvarks are gone in the map - I don't think they're always stressed on the existing zoo map. It would be a big shame if they were permanently gone! I notice the Bear Wilderness plans don't match the original plan, so it has a lot of space for flexibility - there are no goats or small mammals, and the keeper I talked to last time I was there, who has been with the zoo for a long time, seem mystified there was ever intention of going beyond bears, bison and eagles.
@redukari: I used to joke as a kid that with all the construction projects, it would be nice if Brookfield or Lincoln Park could leave their zoos as-is for a few years. Now I miss the thrills of waiting for a new exhibit to come out. I notice in the last five years Brookfield has indeed spent a LOT of money and time in making small changes to existing exhibits over major renovations. It makes a lot of sense to work on taking care of the existing animal collection. I think I've heard their next priorities are the new Baboon Island and once money's available, the Packyderm House renovations, primarily aimed at making new room for the elephants, which based on the plan looks more than adequate, assuming they are principally kept in the larger enclosure.
Sometimes I do wish there were ways to preserve the antiquated zoo buildings and grottos like in the old bear habitats, but a large collection needs a lot of space and the animals' needs come first, even over my love of history.
