List of Zoochat Members Wanting to Found a Zoo

just for interest's sake, seeing we are talking about money and non-animal necessities, here is something I plucked from a zoo thread:

In case anybody wonders where the money goes in running a zoo or wildlife park, we have just spent over $25,000 upgrading our electricity network, need to spend more, and of course as it is underground nobody will ever see the result!
 
Intended Location of zoo: Wisconsin USA

2. Species Intended to be held: Mostly large herbivors: Asian and African antelope, zebra, bison. birds, cattle, camelids, ect.

3. Time frame for building/opening: Maybe 5 years.

4. Open to collaboration with others: Yes

5. Biggest restraint if not opening in the next 2 years: Financing, lack of help.

I should add this will be a hybrid farm/animal park.
 
Just a reality check for those wanting giraffes. Assuming you do not have the credibility and finances to be AZA accredited, you will need to buy them. A few years ago I visited a public and well established (but unaccredited) safari park in the southwest. The owner said male giraffes are forty thousand dollars and female giraffes are one hundred thousand dollars. So if you are being realistic (which this thread is for), I would cross it off my list, unless your facility becomes very popular and receives a good income.
Just saw a female giraffe at auction brought $65,000.
 
It will be on the outskirts of Dartmoor. Newton Abbot way.

Bit of an over-subscribed area for an additional collection perhaps, given the close proximity of Living Coasts, Paignton and Shaldon to Newton Abbot.
 
Bit of an over-subscribed area for an additional collection perhaps, given the close proximity of Living Coasts, Paignton and Shaldon to Newton Abbot.

We’re a good hour from any of those collections. Although maybe 25 miles.
We’re right on the edge of the Dartmoor National Park
 
Bit of an over-subscribed area for an additional collection perhaps, given the close proximity of Living Coasts, Paignton and Shaldon to Newton Abbot.
Whereas Dorset has only two very specialised collections, Monkeyworld and Sealife Weymouth.
 
I have created this thread with the intention of providing a place for like minded people to discuss their goal of starting up a zoo, ask questions, receive advice and possibly provide opportunities for people with similar objectives to collobarate and make their shared dream a reality.

It will also assist with marshalling the large number of threads dedicated to those wanting to found their own zoo into a single thread. ZooChat, thank me later.


To start with, please answer the following 5 questions as briefly as possible if you are wanting to found your own zoo:

1. Intended Location of zoo: (eg. London, England; Arizona, USA etc.)

2. Species Intended to be held: (eg. New Zealand native animals and farmyard animals; World class zoo with megafauna; reptiles of Southeast Asia etc.)

3. Time frame for building/opening: (eg. Less than 2 years; 5 years; 10 years; 10 years+)

4. Open to collaboration with others: (eg. Yes or No)

5. Biggest restraint if not opening in the next 2 years: (eg. Finances; Lack of willpower etc.)


Please note, this has been placed in the Zoo Discussion forum, not the Fantasy Zoo forum so this is for people with aspirations to open a real zoo in the future (even if it’s in 10 years plus) so no posts with location listed as: your computer, no species intended to be held as: whatever is available on your Zoo Tycoon 2 expansion pack, no time frame for building as: when you get home from school, no collaboration with others as: whatever friends you are or aren’t speaking to today and no biggest restraint as: the amount of space on your hardrive. Serious and tangible zoological ambitions only people.
To dream of opening your own zoo is great. To actually achieve your goal is going to be very difficult! Bear in mind that in ten-twenty years the costs will be much higher than they are today and probably there will be tighter regulations etc..
 
To dream of opening your own zoo is great. To actually achieve your goal is going to be very difficult! Bear in mind that in ten-twenty years the costs will be much higher than they are today and probably there will be tighter regulations etc..

Regulations may be an issue for obviously, money is less of an issue.
 
1. Intended Location of zoo: I am planning to build this zoo in Brisbane or Gold Coast (Queensland, Australia).

2. Species Intended to be held: As many species as possible! Though I would say mostly mammal, bird and reptile species with a few insect and amphibian species.

3. Time frame for building/opening: 4-6 years of building until opening.

4. Open to collaboration with others: Yes.

5. Biggest restraint if not opening in the next 2 years: Financial struggles , lack of species and lack of help around the zoo.
 
I am definitely planning to build a Zoo over the next 15-20 years in the West Country of England.
Yes, but I don't have access to 53 acres of Woodland and Grassland / Farmland in Dorset lol.
Regulations may be an issue for obviously, money is less of an issue.
Just curious - if you already have the land, and money "is no issue", then why the 15-20 year wait? Why don't you hire some people who know what they're doing and get started?
 
@Chlidonias

Not a case of doing nothing. As my post earlier outlines, I have quite big plans and want to do a lot of research and get the land all in order. All the land is relatively steep sloped woodland and meadow. The next 5-6 years is being spent getting the land and things in shape to start building to my extensive masterplan.
I'm currently visiting every zoo around the world, researching a number of things, learning more about exhibits and animals and trying to generate contacts. I am doing a lot of VIP stuff, as you get to learn more about the animals and so on.
I plan to start setting about plans and building sites within 5-6 years, but I envisage to open in 15-20 years, as I want to have everything set up before it's open. There's every chance within 5-10 years I will have a lot of a private collection built up, but there's a lot more needed from going from a private collection to a collection open to the public,.
My research is going to take around another 3 years, and I've already started looking at the land and what I would like there and how I would plan things out, next step is the draw these up and stick to my 5 park master plan.
I won't want to open anything until it's all in place, but I firmly expect to have a decent private collection within 5-10 years.
I'm in no hurry to set something up and open up, I simply want to spend the time, money, research and get everything right and the right people on board so that when it does open as a public attraction it will be a collection to get huge visitor numbers.
I plan to have it as more of a resort, with a Hotel, Professional Chef run restaurant, adventure park for kids, and 5 different Zoo parks focusing on 5 sections I am passionate about. I'm only in my 30s, so my plan is to have the place as perfect as I can at what would be a normal retirement age of around 50-55, so it can open then and I can enjoy it in my latter life, and hopefully have a family to enjoy it and continue to run it in the future.
 
normal retirement age of around 50-55

Normal retirement age!?

All the best and everything but somewhere out there there's a real world, and I worry slightly what happens to you when you encounter it...
 
Normal retirement age!?

All the best and everything but somewhere out there there's a real world, and I worry slightly what happens to you when you encounter it...

Lived in the real world all my life, and had a very successful start to it, thanks for your regards however. Advice for you, instead of some condescending remark, keep your opinions to yourself.
 
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