Keep, steal, demolish

MKE Zoo guy

MKE Zoo guy

Well-Known Member
5+ year member
The name of the game is keep, steal, and demolish. With your home zoo what is one exhibit (or area) you would keep, one exhibit you would steal from another zoo, and one exhibit or area you would demolish.

Home Zoo: Milwaukee Zoo
Keep: Sea Otters
Steal: Oregon Zoos elephant exhibit
Demolish: small mammals building
 
Home Zoo: Seneca Park
Keep: Into Africa (Elephant, Baboon and Lion)
Steal: Omaha Henry Doorly’s Lied Jungle
Demolish: Main Building
 
Home Zoo: North Carolina Zoo

Keep: Almost all, but I guess Watani Grasslands (Elephants, Antelope & Rhino)
Steal: Wild Asia: Bronx Zoo. Why not, the zoos got the room and needs to bring in some asian animals.
Demolish: This could finally be the opportunity to demolish the African Pavilion that has been sitting empty for a decade. But really I guess the all indoors barred owl exhibit, thats the only bad exhibit in the whole zoo.
 
Home: San Diego Zoo
Keep: Africa Rocks
Steal: Oakland Zoo African Elephant Exhibit, Cincinnati Zoo (upcoming) Elephant Trek
Demolish: Elephant Oddesey, Corncrib Cages
 
Home: Oakland zoo

Keep: African Elephant exhibit

Steal: Kansas City chimpanzee exhibit

Demolish: Indian Muntjac exhibit. Mostly because it’s a giant exhibit for one animal that no one ever sees (except @Buldeo). It just seems like a waste of space for an animal that needs space in AZA zoos.
 
Home Zoo: Chester Zoo
Keep: Spirit of the Jaguar
Steal: Berlin Zoo Hippo House
Demolish: The Congo Buffalo House, The building itself looks ugly from the outside.
 
Home zoo: Memphis Zoo
Keep: Zambezi River Hippo Camp
Steal: Saint Louis Zoo’s herpetarium
Demolish: African Veldt. The elephants and rhinos need bigger enclosures and all the other exhibits, while decently spacious for the species housed within, are very old and ugly and ought to be updated. Either that or the aquarium.
 
Home Zoo: Zoo Atlanta

Keep: Gorilla habitats and the Reptile House (although I'd definitely rename it!)

Demolish: Most of if not all of the Southeast portion of the zoo, which holds a small Australian collection, underwhelming exhibits for golden lion tamarins (all indoors) and two-toed sloth, a farm/petting zoo, and a number of frankly kind of sorry-looking mesh aviaries for birds like galliformes, crowned pigeons and raptors. It's the only area of the zoo still not up to snuff with the rest once the redone savanna complex is opened.

Steal/replace with: Saint Louis's Bird House. Fills the gap in bird diversity especially if the mesh aviaries were demolished, and would nicely complement the reptile house. I also just think it's lovely. I briefly considered Bronx's World of Birds instead but I think it'd be too overwhelming for a zoo as modest as Atlanta!

Other considerations were Frankfurt's Grzimek House for a great nocturnal section and boost in smaller mammal diversity, and either Jacksonville's Range of the Jaguar or Miami's Amazon and Beyond for Neotropical diversity (although these might share too much with the Reptile House or the Georgia Aquarium).
 
Home zoo: Toronto Zoo.

Keep: Tundra Trek

Steal: San Diego Zoo's Africa Rocks

Demolish: Indomalaya Pavilion: It's small and outdated.
 
Home Zoo: Brookfield Zoo
Keep: Habitat Africa Forest
Steal: Dallas Zoo’s Africa Complex
Demolish: Big Cats and Fragile Kingdom so the area can be remodeled into an immersive Asian walkway. Also please demolish the empty bear grottos and baboon island.
 
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Home zoo: St Louis (though I haven't lived there for over 34 years, current city has no zoo)
Keep :River Edge
Steal: Omaha's desert dome/Kingdom of the night
Demolish: Depends what they are going to do with the 14 acres across the highway, but I'd demolish the whole south parking lot , entrance and south lake which would open up like 25-30 acres. Make the street between the parking lot a tunnel, making it one big space. The highway is between the
14 acres and the south parking lot and then a street between the south lot and the entrance. The lake is now seemingly wasted space particularly since
they have nearly eliminated their once awesome waterfowl collection. Just can't figure that one out.

Oh and also demolish the old sea lion arena
 
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If one's home zoo is the AZA facility closest to one's residence, then mine would be the Queens Zoo. However, the most prestigious zoo close to me is the Bronx Zoo, and I also acknowledge the Buffalo Zoo as a "secondary home zoo" because I attend college there. So if you don't mind me breaking the rules a bit, I shall do those three zoos.

Queens Zoo:
Keep aviary (old as it is, a beautiful and well-working aviary with a rich history)
Steal Buffalo Zoo's Rainforest Falls (I consider it among the best rainforest exhibits out there. Includes giant anteaters, ocelots, and vampire bats)
Demolish sea lion pool (although it works as for its elderly bachelor group, even they deserve larger and more dynamic quarters)
Bronx Zoo:
Keep Congo Gorilla Forest (huge, immersive, area with diverse species like gorillas, okapis, and pythons)
Steal Buffalo Zoo's Arctic Edge Exhibit (brand new polar bear exhibit that also houses lynx, bald eagles, and Arctic foxes, also replaces polar bear that died recently)
Demolish Mouse House (as much as I like small mammals, perhaps there can be better uses for that space)
Buffalo Zoo:
Keep Arctic Edge (brand new polar bear exhibit that also houses lynx, bald eagles, and Arctic foxes). For those who say "but you already stole that exhibit", I nominate the river otter exhibit (great views, great size, and lots for them to do)
Steal Brookfield Zoo's Hammill Family Play Zoo (great exhibit for children with great animals like lemurs, geckos, and even a domestic cat)
Demolish whole elephant area (outdated to say the least, barn stays because it's a historic building. I simply mean the area is vacated of elephants. Given its proximity to Arctic Edge, perhaps better alternatives might be reindeer, musk oxen, moose, seals, or even a third polar bear exhibit)
 
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iluvwhales said:
If one's home zoo is the AZA facility closest to one's residence, then mine would be the Queens Zoo. However, the most prestigious zoo close to me is the Bronx Zoo, and I also acknowledge the Buffalo Zoo as a "secondary home zoo" because I attend college there. So if you don't mind me breaking the rules a bit, I shall do those three zoos.

Queens Zoo:
Keep aviary (old as it is, a beautiful and well-working aviary with a rich history)
Steal Buffalo Zoo's Rainforest Falls (I consider it among the best rainforest exhibits out there. Includes giant anteaters, ocelots, and vampire bats)
Demolish sea lion pool (although it works as for its elderly bachelor group, even they deserve larger and more dynamic quarters)
Bronx Zoo:
Keep Congo Gorilla Forest (huge, immersive, area with diverse species like gorillas, okapis, and pythons)
Steal Buffalo Zoo's Arctic Edge Exhibit (brand new polar bear exhibit that also houses lynx, bald eagles, and Arctic foxes, also replaces polar bear that died recently)
Demolish Mouse House (as much as I like small mammals, perhaps there can be better uses for that space)
Buffalo Zoo:
Keep Arctic Edge (brand new polar bear exhibit that also houses lynx, bald eagles, and Arctic foxes). For those who say "but you already stole that exhibit", I nominate the river otter exhibit (great views, great size, and lots for them to do)
Steal Brookfield Zoo's Hammill Family Play Zoo (great exhibit for children with great animals like lemurs, geckos, and even a domestic cat)
Demolish whole elephant area (outdated to say the least, barn stays because it's a historic building. I simply mean the area is vacated of elephants. Given its proximity to Arctic Edge, perhaps better alternatives might be reindeer, musk oxen, moose, seals, or even a third polar bear exhibit)
Click to expand...

The mouse house is essentially the most unique exhibit at the Bronx Zoo. Its historic and has a really nice collection of rodents and small mammals, when most major zoos have downsized and ignored those groups. I imagine the zoo will never demolish this building, although some of the exhibits could use some slight renovations. It used to hold species such as dhole, and sun bear when it was first built; so now it is much better. The ostrich house that used to be attached was demolished a two or three decades ago. I wish I had been able to see it. Obviously your choice with this game, but I love the Mouse House.
 
Rodents make up 40% of all mammals. I doubt they account for more than
3-4% (and probably less) of species represented in zoos. Many are rare and endangered yet fewer still have zoo breeding programs.
 
My home zoo is capron Park Zoo.
Keep the newly renovated Rainforest building.
Steal the koala and tree kangaroo exhibit from Cleveland Zoo.
Demolish the creepy caterpillar near the lake. (Not an actual animal- but it is very creepy)
 
Home zoo: Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
Keep:African Rift Valley. It's my favorite exhibit at the zoo in terms of design and species selection. Exhibits for the lions and colobus monkeys are some of the best in the country.
Steal: Lied Jungle from Henry Doorly Zoo. This exhibit blew me away when I saw it in 2016. Made me come back for a second day just for this exhibit. The openness of the building is incredible and the habitats still hold up even though it was built in the early 90s.
Demolish: The whole area between African Rift Valley/Encounter Africa and the restaurant and carousel. This includes the Asiatic black bear grottos, Monkey Pavilion, and the tapir exhibit.
 
I would count both Belfast and Dublin being Home Zoos to me.
Belfast
Keep:There isn't really a standout exhibit so I'll choose the Red Squirrel Nook due to how many successful releases into the wild there has been. Isn't that the Overall aim for a Zoo? The Malayan Tapir is another. A very average exhibit, but I believe Belfast has by far the best breeding success in the UK.
Steal: Chester zoos Bears of the Cloud Forest.
Demolish: A lot to choose from but If i'm stealing an Andean Bear enclosure, I guess I shall destroy the horrible concrete pit for Andean bear. A close second would be the elephant enclosure.
Dublin
Keep: Gorilla Rainforest. It is still the best Gorilla enclosure I have seen.
Steal: The Hippo Aviary at ZooParc de Beauval. Only seen photos of it on here but it looks absolutely stunning.
Demolish: The current Hippo enclosure. IMO the only enclosure left in Dublin that I would classify as bad. Its came a long way in the last 10/20 years.
 
Home Zoo: Turtleback

Keep: Reptile house. It's a fantastic building and could probably use a bit of expansion (and they're planning to get rid of it so...)

Steal: Pittsburgh Zoo's aquarium. It's a good concept but could use a bit more exhibits

Demolish: Essex Farm. Give the animals more room to roam in a different part of the zoo.
 
Zoo di Napoli

Keep: Tiger Kingdom (but without the generic tigers)

Steal: I'm not sure about this, but an aviary similar to the one of Jardin de Plantes would be nice (tho I would prefer better exhibit for meerkats, lemurs, lions exc.)

Demolish: Either the old tiger cages or the bear pits.
 
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