HOLY CRAP! This is huge! The zoo in 15 years is going to be an entirely different zoo! Looking forward to these changes!!!
Milwaukee County Zoo Master Plan and Future Renovations
- Thread starter pachyderm pro
- Start date
That’s what I thought but then there are other photos that more stitch together the whole picture. The idea is to make the exhibits more seemlessly flow together, creating more of a savannah feel. I think that’s why they opted for an elevated path in certain areas.
The one thing that could potentially throw this all off is money. We’ve already seen a deviation from the master plan in regards to the elephant exhibit. If you look the elephant barn is off to the side where the wolf yard was and now it’s in the middle of the exhibit. I can only assume this was done because of financial reasons. I’m assuming when this plan was created MCZ was to be a breeding zoo for elephants and now we are not.
I noticed some differences between the two models as well. I'm thinking there will definitely be a few design changes to fit budgets ect, but I'm hoping things stick mostly to these original designs. The differences between the 2 elephant exhibits are very slight, so I have high hopes.
I will say, despite how great everything else looks, I can't help but be disappointed that Australia is being reduced to another "walk about" yard instead of something more exciting.
Great news! Its good to see a zoo really commit to changing for the better (I understand that the whole master plan probably won't come to fruition but it's a good start). It's a bit strange that the first exhibit to be built, is scheduled for completion in 5 years time.
Thanks for the description of the projects and the graphics. Hopefully they will be able to do much of what they propose.
Actually that is not correct. Otter exhibit and West entrance will open in May, and part of Adventure Africa will open next year.
I think they meant that since this Master Plan was formed in 2013 it's strange the West Entrance is opening just now.
I was going to say that the master plan was completed in 2013 but announced in 2015 to the public. Since then they had to find businesses to design, then search for contractors, and most importantly find the money. So though this maybe old, it takes time once they have a plan in place.
Long time lurker, recent poster.
Couple quick thoughts and about each projects in this Master Plan.
Adventure Africa - Curious to see how this ends up because it is definitely changed from original concept. Really wonder how much they are going to expand with the Rhinos. Seems as though the Giraffes probably won't get more room. Actually have really high hopes on the Hippo exhibit.
Alaska's Cold Coast - i noticed that the Grizzly Bears weren't listed so I wonder if they would be in one of the Brown Bear exhibits or if they would potentially get the Polar Bear yard if those hardships continue. Really like the Sea Lion exhibit/show element. I find the Sea Otter inclusion interesting, but nice.
Asian Trail - Very disappointed with this concept art, felt like a lot more could be done with this area than just expanding the Tigers. If one of these exhibits never comes to fruition, I hope it's this one. (Mainly so the idea can be improved in the future.)
The Farm - Disappointing that this is how Australia returns, but better than nothing I suppose.
Escape to the Islands - Very cool renovation and expansion to ARC, would love to see it happen, but other buildings (Primates and Small Mammals) need renovations/expansions first.
The Jungle - Anything to improve the Orangutan exhibit is more than welcome in my book. The thing that has me currently concerned with this project is that I fear that it is already drastically cut back, with the current renovations of the Colobus, Mandrill and Siamang exhibits. Perhaps its just a advanced renovation in preparation of this, but I have my reservations. As for the rest of the new built exhibits inside I predict that many of the Tropical small mammals will find a new home here (Lemurs, Tamarins, Sloth). I wonder if a new Monkey will go on Monkey Island to fit the "Jungle theme". The Special Exhibit change is welcome, but I feel they could have used the old Sea Lion Show space better.
Wild Woods - Spectacular use of the old Small Mammal Building and the massive amount of special exhibit space that stays vacant for a majority of the year. A return of many former zoo favorites such as the Moose, Wolf, and Cougar. I was sad to see the Cougar go after the Big Cat update, and the mention of Cougars here has me stoked. Also it say "Moose Feed' on the pathway, so I think much like the Giraffes you will be able to feed the Moose! (Does any other Zoo have that, or would Milwaukee be the first?)
tldr: It's nice knowing what the zoo's thoughts on its future is. I'm not expecting much of it to get done honestly, Money is going to be the roadblock in the way of a lot of these ideas, which is a shame, but that's life. Adv. Africa already shows signs of cutbacks and Alaska's Cold Coast has a reported 1.7 million budget. For comparison the Hippo renovation is reported around 9.6 million.
So other than the officially announced exhibits (Africa and Alaska), I really hope the Wild Woods gets done after, followed by the Jungle. Why? Much needed renovations of old buildings, expanded space for animals and returns of zoo fan favorites.
Hope you enjoyed a new Zoochatters pessimistic rank about his home Zoo!
Couple quick thoughts and about each projects in this Master Plan.
Adventure Africa - Curious to see how this ends up because it is definitely changed from original concept. Really wonder how much they are going to expand with the Rhinos. Seems as though the Giraffes probably won't get more room. Actually have really high hopes on the Hippo exhibit.
Alaska's Cold Coast - i noticed that the Grizzly Bears weren't listed so I wonder if they would be in one of the Brown Bear exhibits or if they would potentially get the Polar Bear yard if those hardships continue. Really like the Sea Lion exhibit/show element. I find the Sea Otter inclusion interesting, but nice.
Asian Trail - Very disappointed with this concept art, felt like a lot more could be done with this area than just expanding the Tigers. If one of these exhibits never comes to fruition, I hope it's this one. (Mainly so the idea can be improved in the future.)
The Farm - Disappointing that this is how Australia returns, but better than nothing I suppose.
Escape to the Islands - Very cool renovation and expansion to ARC, would love to see it happen, but other buildings (Primates and Small Mammals) need renovations/expansions first.
The Jungle - Anything to improve the Orangutan exhibit is more than welcome in my book. The thing that has me currently concerned with this project is that I fear that it is already drastically cut back, with the current renovations of the Colobus, Mandrill and Siamang exhibits. Perhaps its just a advanced renovation in preparation of this, but I have my reservations. As for the rest of the new built exhibits inside I predict that many of the Tropical small mammals will find a new home here (Lemurs, Tamarins, Sloth). I wonder if a new Monkey will go on Monkey Island to fit the "Jungle theme". The Special Exhibit change is welcome, but I feel they could have used the old Sea Lion Show space better.
Wild Woods - Spectacular use of the old Small Mammal Building and the massive amount of special exhibit space that stays vacant for a majority of the year. A return of many former zoo favorites such as the Moose, Wolf, and Cougar. I was sad to see the Cougar go after the Big Cat update, and the mention of Cougars here has me stoked. Also it say "Moose Feed' on the pathway, so I think much like the Giraffes you will be able to feed the Moose! (Does any other Zoo have that, or would Milwaukee be the first?)
tldr: It's nice knowing what the zoo's thoughts on its future is. I'm not expecting much of it to get done honestly, Money is going to be the roadblock in the way of a lot of these ideas, which is a shame, but that's life. Adv. Africa already shows signs of cutbacks and Alaska's Cold Coast has a reported 1.7 million budget. For comparison the Hippo renovation is reported around 9.6 million.
So other than the officially announced exhibits (Africa and Alaska), I really hope the Wild Woods gets done after, followed by the Jungle. Why? Much needed renovations of old buildings, expanded space for animals and returns of zoo fan favorites.
Hope you enjoyed a new Zoochatters pessimistic rank about his home Zoo!
Long time lurker, recent poster.
Couple quick thoughts and about each projects in this Master Plan.
Adventure Africa - Curious to see how this ends up because it is definitely changed from original concept. Really wonder how much they are going to expand with the Rhinos. Seems as though the Giraffes probably won't get more room. Actually have really high hopes on the Hippo exhibit.
Alaska's Cold Coast - i noticed that the Grizzly Bears weren't listed so I wonder if they would be in one of the Brown Bear exhibits or if they would potentially get the Polar Bear yard if those hardships continue. Really like the Sea Lion exhibit/show element. I find the Sea Otter inclusion interesting, but nice.
Asian Trail - Very disappointed with this concept art, felt like a lot more could be done with this area than just expanding the Tigers. If one of these exhibits never comes to fruition, I hope it's this one. (Mainly so the idea can be improved in the future.)
The Farm - Disappointing that this is how Australia returns, but better than nothing I suppose.
Escape to the Islands - Very cool renovation and expansion to ARC, would love to see it happen, but other buildings (Primates and Small Mammals) need renovations/expansions first.
The Jungle - Anything to improve the Orangutan exhibit is more than welcome in my book. The thing that has me currently concerned with this project is that I fear that it is already drastically cut back, with the current renovations of the Colobus, Mandrill and Siamang exhibits. Perhaps its just a advanced renovation in preparation of this, but I have my reservations. As for the rest of the new built exhibits inside I predict that many of the Tropical small mammals will find a new home here (Lemurs, Tamarins, Sloth). I wonder if a new Monkey will go on Monkey Island to fit the "Jungle theme". The Special Exhibit change is welcome, but I feel they could have used the old Sea Lion Show space better.
Wild Woods - Spectacular use of the old Small Mammal Building and the massive amount of special exhibit space that stays vacant for a majority of the year. A return of many former zoo favorites such as the Moose, Wolf, and Cougar. I was sad to see the Cougar go after the Big Cat update, and the mention of Cougars here has me stoked. Also it say "Moose Feed' on the pathway, so I think much like the Giraffes you will be able to feed the Moose! (Does any other Zoo have that, or would Milwaukee be the first?)
tldr: It's nice knowing what the zoo's thoughts on its future is. I'm not expecting much of it to get done honestly, Money is going to be the roadblock in the way of a lot of these ideas, which is a shame, but that's life. Adv. Africa already shows signs of cutbacks and Alaska's Cold Coast has a reported 1.7 million budget. For comparison the Hippo renovation is reported around 9.6 million.
So other than the officially announced exhibits (Africa and Alaska), I really hope the Wild Woods gets done after, followed by the Jungle. Why? Much needed renovations of old buildings, expanded space for animals and returns of zoo fan favorites.
Hope you enjoyed a new Zoochatters pessimistic rank about his home Zoo!
Welcome PocketCookie!
When I last visited my home zoo during the summer, I was dismayed by how tired several areas looked. However, Milwaukee seems to have done a complete 180 with the many recent arrivals, fast-tracking the upcoming new exhibits, and the unveiling of this Master Plan.
I have many similar opinions and thoughts about the Master Plan as you do. Here's a couple other thoughts:
Asian Trail: I agree this is probably the weakest part of the plan. Expanded tiger habitat and another small species are good, but I'd much rather see the South American animals (to the Jungle?) and camels get relocated (most if not all the African hoofstock and birds should be gone to Adventure Africa by then too), and all the big cat enclosures get expanded into the prey exhibits. This would give Milwaukee a "true" Big Cat Country.
Jungle: I think this area should be more than primates. How? Divide the complex into different jungle environments. A South American/Amazon section could have the tapirs, tamarins, spider monkeys, etc.; Africa could continue with Apes of Africa, colobus, mandrill, etc. (on a side note, why are they doing this outdoor extension now if the colobus are getting a new area elsewhere anyway?
); and Asia can be a mixed-exhibit for orangutan and siamang, and maybe even another species like lion-tailed macaque or langur. The sea lion show area could make a good area for a Madagascar region with lemurs.Australian animals: instead of the walkthrough in the Farm area, I think incorporating them into the Islands area makes better sense both in the theme, and even the possibility of a further expanded Aussie region.
Overall though, beyond excited for my home zoo to leave the past behind, bring these promising plans to life, and compete with its large zoo brethren once again!
How did you get this?! This is a lot more renovation than I thought they would do! This is fantastic!
I had to do some investigating reporting. Eventually I got the zoo to give me the master plan.
It appears that the aviary will become part of The Jungle. Would the zoo renovate the aviary at all to fit this theme, or would it stay pretty much the same?
As I continue to read through the master plan and see what everyone is saying about the new plan, I am excited to see what is going to happen.
Adventure Africa:
I am excited that they are "going to" be closing off the pachyderm building and creating a space for rhinos and hippos to move around in the winter rather then staying cage through the cold winter months of Wisconsin.
Asian Trails:
I know that this one has probably getting the most flak for not really being a complete picture of what the area is going to be. However, I feel like this one may have a lot of potential but where it lies in line up areas it seems to be the last on the list. So potentially could have more added to it as we get closer to the area to be renovated.
Overall, at least from the diagrams we have so far, the care for the animals is becoming forefront of their thinking. Also, something else that was mention is trying to create a more Winter zoo too. Having warming stations throughout the zoo that can also be cooling stations in summer. With everything going on, it appears that both animal and people are going to get a better experience at the zoo.
Adventure Africa:
I am excited that they are "going to" be closing off the pachyderm building and creating a space for rhinos and hippos to move around in the winter rather then staying cage through the cold winter months of Wisconsin.
Asian Trails:
I know that this one has probably getting the most flak for not really being a complete picture of what the area is going to be. However, I feel like this one may have a lot of potential but where it lies in line up areas it seems to be the last on the list. So potentially could have more added to it as we get closer to the area to be renovated.
Overall, at least from the diagrams we have so far, the care for the animals is becoming forefront of their thinking. Also, something else that was mention is trying to create a more Winter zoo too. Having warming stations throughout the zoo that can also be cooling stations in summer. With everything going on, it appears that both animal and people are going to get a better experience at the zoo.
As far as I can read, there is no plan to touch that corner of the zoo, so the animal hospital, flamingos, and the aviary will not be renovated. There may be some outside re-theming but overall nothing appears to be in the works.
Also, the animals of the night appears to be going away too, when Wild Wilds opens. No where did I see where they might go in the new master plan.
The Jungle maybe?