Brookfield Zoo Master Plan Discussion and Speculation

By my reckoning the current area the Pachyderm House sits on, with adjacent yards, covers about 4 acres.
The Copenhagen Zoo's elephant building is perhaps 0.4 acres at most and Zurich's is perhaps 1.5 acres (with about 1.5 acres of outdoor space).
Assuming Brookfield were to build a 1 acre building (huge! and expensive!) and leaving space for visitors, let's guess there could be 2 acres of elephant yards (about the same as Nashville I believe).
 
JVM said:
I think a lot of people miss out on how massive the land Pachyderm House sits on truly is. It's a huge complex and even the indoor area which is too small for the large animals are still big for a human and part of a truly massive indoor space overall without the outdoor areas. Once all of the existing building is sadly but necessarily torn down and the existing barriers are removed, there will be a ton of land left over that can be developed, with further potential non-exhibit space to the west and south of the existing space. Plenty to rotate elephants and rhinoceros. I really think Denver's exhibit is a fantastic model, and while it is larger, it includes an amphitheater and guest amenities that Brookfield wouldn't need to construct here.
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Denver's Elephant Passage has 88,208 square feet outdoor and ~9,000 square feet indoor. The plot of land Brookfield's Pachyderm House (both indoor and outdoor) sits on is ~165,000 square feet. If you expand west to the lone hoofstock yard, you're at the same width as the West Mall. Now the area is up to ~208,000 square feet. If you expand south (into the northern half of the West Mall) and west, it's at ~275,000 square feet! There's obviously a lot that would take away from that total (buildings, barriers, paths, moats, etc.) but that is truly an incredible amount of space to work with. Elephants, hippos, savannah expansion – whatever! Incorporate the space of the hoofstock yards on the north end and you have the potential for a truly remarkable set of exhibits.
 
I appreciate that most of the changes being discussed are ways to revitalize the areas that we already have. I see a common thing with most zoos, and Brookfield is no exception, is that when they are planning new exhibit complexes they often have to omit some ideas from their plans, usually due to finances, I am sure. The thing that bothers me is, those ideas are usually great ideas that would breathe a lot of life and interest into those exhibit complexes. I will use Great Bear Wilderness for example. Initial plans were pretty ambitious and amazing. They had an aviary for the Common Raven next to the Bald Eagle aviary. They had an indoor exhibit for small North American animals. It would have all tied in nicely. Instead we received a new Bison yard, the Bald Eagle aviary, the incorporation of Wolf Woods into the complex and 4 yards for Brown Bear and Polar Bear. Still impressive, but not what was in the plans. But it seems like those ideas were simply abandoned instead of part of possibly a second phase. How much more interesting would Great Bear Wilderness be with the incorporation of just the Common Raven aviary and a North American Small Animal indoor exhibit? When I see adding back Nile Hippo, creating a large savannah style yard for Ostrich and the Black Rhino and possibly new antelope species, improvements to Pinniped Point, groundhogs, improvements and outdoor exhibits to Tropic World...I get really hopeful that we will finally be getting the zoo we always knew we could have had. It gives me hope for those bigger projects and new exhibit complexes in the works for the future, as I feel the new director is going in the right direction with all of this. I am excited to see where this all goes. Regarding elephants? I am take them or leave them right now. I know they are a down the pipeline sort of project, but I know that it is a difficult job creating their environment (space-wise), the logistics of acquiring them and maintaining them. I am all well and good not having them at the zoo for the meanwhile. One thing I do hope we definitely get rid of? Hamill Family Play Zoo. With Wild Encounters opening up, it really created a sharp drop off in interest for that building. I would much rather see it put to good use as a new exhibit space in the future. Aside from that, most of what it offers is offered elsewhere across the zoo now and in a much more interesting fashion than is presented in there. It feels outdated. Especially the home aquarium style exhibits that a lot of the animals are displayed in. It's like walking into a pet shop when right next door you have a goat yard, a free-flight aviary, a wallaby and emu walkthrough, llamas, alpacas, reindeer and red pandas with hands-on animal encounters (weather permitting). Which one are you going to pay money to go to? Definitely the latter.
 
Yeah, I think in a post COVID world the Hamil Play Zoo needs to go. It can be used as an expansion for Wild Encounters or just turned into another smaller exhibit for the zoo.
 
Hot take - I actually really like the Play Zoo, it seems to really engage kids and I think that's great. I'd love to see it stay as long as there is no extra fee to see it.
 
When I visited Brookfield (pre-Covid) the play zoo was one of the two areas that stuck with me the most as a great exhibit idea. Good play space, teaching kids about pets, and a few exotic animals (and raptors).

The other was Tropic World, which was a “holy crap this must have been great in its heyday” sort of feeling. Although it seemed weirdly empty at the time. And it was also weird the orangs couldn’t get down to ground level. Other zoos have mixed them with otters just fine…
 
birdsandbats said:
Hot take - I actually really like the Play Zoo, it seems to really engage kids and I think that's great. I'd love to see it stay as long as there is no extra fee to see it.
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I agree. It has a lot of special accommodations for kids and disabled people old and young that can't be replicated elsewhere in the zoo without having to either create a limited use building or worse carve out part of another exhibit. It's a very effective Children's Zoo with some cool animals and while Wild Encounters does have a goat petting yard, it is really not a children's zoo. I have a mild nostalgic bias as it was newly opened on my first visit to the zoo as a child, but I also didn't visit it for close to a decade until the pandemic made it free again.

I can understand why the building has limited appeal to zoochatters and how it can feel like wasted space, I can feel frustrated when I read about the zoo's Small Mammal House that it replaced, but it's doing a good job at what it is.
 
I personally liked the play zoo. I thought the genet and armadillo were very interesting species held in the building, and some of the terrariums are nice, but the exhibitry could definitely be better. However, it seemed very good as a children's area with a lot of kids interacting with the building.
 
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Why IS Hamill Family Play Zoo being offered for free as opposed to the upcharge it used to be? And if we are expanding and upgrading the exhibits we have coming up, why not incorporate those lessons learned regarding what works and what doesn't work for family/child engagement into aspects of those new sections? Why not make the entire park more engaging for families as we expand? The Play Zoo has sat relatively unchanged for over 20 years now, having opened in 2001. I feel like it's time we take those lessons learned there and use that information as we create new experiences for families throughout the zoo. Wild Encounters and the new Nature Plaza are great places to start and the upcoming primate habitats can already begin incorporating the aspects of incorporating play into the children's education on these species and others throughout the zoo. Regarding the exhibits at the Play Zoo, I just feel that Brookfield has a responsibility to offer more than just "pet store viewing" of species. Yes, the genet and armadillo are interesting species, but they are also species that can be relocated to more appropriate exhibits elsewhere in the zoo as we create these new experiences.

I struggled with the right way to say this, as I am not trying to be confrontational, but I am just trying to big picture this whole thing into ways that will benefit and make the ENTIRE zoo more engaging for everyone who comes through those gates. And I am not just saying throw another playground down and let them rampage. Other zoos have been successful in new exhibit design that incorporate the whole education into play aspects. The groundhog exhibit that they are talking about is a grand example of that. All zoos do it now, but it works. It provides the aspect of play, exploration, and education that all exhibits should have for the public while still maintaining animal welfare. Fort Wayne's Children's Zoo is a prime example of this. While it is called a "children's zoo" it is truly a zoo that can be enjoyed by entire families. It doesn't skimp on exhibit design and immersion for both animals and guests, but it still incorporates elements of play, discovery and education throughout all it's exhibits. There's no reason Brookfield couldn't do the same in the future.
 
The last time I was in the Hamill Family Play Zoo pre-COVID, it seemed like a really cool experience for kids. Sure, some of the ambassadors are nothing to write home about, but not every child has the ability to interact with simple species like domestic cats, rabbits and small reptiles. For a zoo that I wish did more "pop up" ambassador experiences, I'm glad they're at least all in one place for kids. There was also something along the lines of a "learn what it takes to be a keeper" experience and a ton of talks and hosted activities. Very much creates a "day camp" like experience without having to commit to one.

As much as we think it's not necessary or can be replaced (this is coming from someone that really misses the small mammal house), the Play Zoo definitely fills a very cool niche that I don't think a lot of other zoos can match. There are a lot of neat and interactive exhibits at other zoos (penguin/otter/meerkat/alligator tunnels and the like), but I think Hamill Family Play Zoo is able to capitalize and engage with kids on a deeper level. I'm in the camp that a good exhibit is not enough to inspire anyone to care about conservation.

Below is a press release from the Play Zoo's 15th anniversary back in 2016. I know it's a little dated and I'm not sure how many of the activities have been going since COVID. But hopefully they'll get back to it at some point if they haven't already:
Hands-on Experiences at Hamill Family Play Zoo

Nature Swap
The Nature Swap, which resembles a children’s bedroom, is filled with hundreds of treasures, from small rocks and seashells to antlers and shark jaws. Through the program, youngsters ages 5 and older bring in items they have found while exploring the outdoors or even bring in journal entries, photos or drawings and trade them for items found in the Nature Swap’s collection. Trading is based on points earned through an official swap session with one of the play partners. Since opening in 2001, Nature Swap highlights include:

· There have been more than 23,000 swaps.
· 6,000 children participate in the Nature Swap program.
· The largest swap to date was a rose quartz that a swapper received 90,000 points for.
· The very first swapper who registered when the exhibit opened in June, 2001 is now 23 years old.

Greenhouse
The Greenhouse gives children and their families the opportunity to plant seeds, make cuttings, design planters, and help maintain the exhibit’s plants. Since opening in 2001, greenhouse highlights include:

· More than 70 plants species are on display.
· More than 2,500 tree saplings donated by the Forest Preserves of Cook County have been given away to families during the zoo’s annual Party for the Planet celebration.
· Six banana plants have produced bananas, which have been cut down, and with guests’ assistance, were given to the gorillas in Tropic World: Africa.
· There have been 30 fall harvest parades. Over the years, families have assisted zoo staff in harvesting vegetables, fruits, herbs, and flowers that have been delivered to animals throughout the park.

Animal Encounters
· Over the past 15 years, animal care staff have presented about 14,000 Zoo Chats, which amount to 200,475 minutes of chats.
· Currently, there are 347 animals in Hamill Family Play Zoo, representing 47 different species (not all on exhibit at one time).
· Of the animals at Hamill Family Play Zoo, 13 percent are mammals, 3 percent are birds, 13 percent are reptiles, 5 percent are amphibians, 5 percent are fish, and 61 percent are insects.

Animal Needs
· In 15 years, the animals at Hamill Family Play Zoo have consumed approximately 2,145 pounds of fruit, nearly 3,000 pounds of vegetables, 9,750 pounds of meat, 3,000 pounds of lettuce, 23,400 pounds of hay, and nearly 350 pounds of bugs such as crickets and mealworms.
· Approximately 360 bags of cat litter have been used, which amounts to 14,400 pounds.
· About 2,340 bags of shavings have been used, that is about 16,380 cubic feet—enough to cover 3.5 football fields from end zone to end zone in a 1-inch layer of shavings.
· The fish tanks in the exhibit have been cleaned 1,612 times.

Activities
· Face Painting--since the opening, visiting children, and even many adults, have used more than 35,000 crayons to create a variety of animal faces on themselves.
· There have been 630 ladybug releases resulting in around 2,835,000 ladybugs taking flight.
· Approximately 1,785 stories have been told by Play Zoo staff.
· Children have created more than 7,500 feet or about a mile and a half of mural artwork to decorate the zoo. (This does not include artwork they have taken home!)
· More than 225 gallons of glue has been used for art projects.
· More than 450 gallons of washable tempera paint has been used by children to create works of art.
· Children have wrapped more than 121,752 feet of ace bandages on plush animals in the exhibit’s Animal Hospital.
· More than 90,000 toilet paper tubes have been used for art projects—that’s more than 68 miles of tubes.
· Children have made more than 18,700 bird feeders.
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Amphibiman said:
Why IS Hamill Family Play Zoo being offered for free as opposed to the upcharge it used to be? And if we are expanding and upgrading the exhibits we have coming up, why not incorporate those lessons learned regarding what works and what doesn't work for family/child engagement into aspects of those new sections? Why not make the entire park more engaging for families as we expand? The Play Zoo has sat relatively unchanged for over 20 years now, having opened in 2001. I feel like it's time we take those lessons learned there and use that information as we create new experiences for families throughout the zoo. Wild Encounters and the new Nature Plaza are great places to start and the upcoming primate habitats can already begin incorporating the aspects of incorporating play into the children's education on these species and others throughout the zoo. Regarding the exhibits at the Play Zoo, I just feel that Brookfield has a responsibility to offer more than just "pet store viewing" of species. Yes, the genet and armadillo are interesting species, but they are also species that can be relocated to more appropriate exhibits elsewhere in the zoo as we create these new experiences.

I struggled with the right way to say this, as I am not trying to be confrontational, but I am just trying to big picture this whole thing into ways that will benefit and make the ENTIRE zoo more engaging for everyone who comes through those gates. And I am not just saying throw another playground down and let them rampage. Other zoos have been successful in new exhibit design that incorporate the whole education into play aspects. The groundhog exhibit that they are talking about is a grand example of that. All zoos do it now, but it works. It provides the aspect of play, exploration, and education that all exhibits should have for the public while still maintaining animal welfare. Fort Wayne's Children's Zoo is a prime example of this. While it is called a "children's zoo" it is truly a zoo that can be enjoyed by entire families. It doesn't skimp on exhibit design and immersion for both animals and guests, but it still incorporates elements of play, discovery and education throughout all it's exhibits. There's no reason Brookfield couldn't do the same in the future.
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Suggesting we can create a new, better children's zoo is a much more understandable opinion than simply suggesting the play zoo is something we 'definitely need to get rid of' as you stated earlier. I felt your previous post was implying the exhibit was simply wasted space and redundant to Wild Encounters. There is a big difference between removing it for the sake of removal and doing so after a new, superior exhibit fills it's niche. I see your perspective much more clearly now, so thank you for elaborating on that.
 
I could see them incorporating the new prairie dog exhibit into some of the outdoor space of the Hamill family play zoo. With Brookfield’s long list of needed renovations I think its much more likely the play zoo is revitalized rather then replaced.
 
If the Australia building is lost in the revitalization of the northwest quadrant, I hope everyone can be relocated to a new exhibit adjacent to Wild Encounters, with a wallaby walkthrough at the exit to transition between the two. Plus, if koalas are actually in the plans, it's a great location for a charismatic megafauna. This addition alone would bring much needed life to the southwest quadrant, and with the potential for development where the old bear grottos are, plus whatever they do for savannah expansion, this would all really round out the zoo even without doing anything to Big Cats/Seven Seas or anything in the southwest quadrant.
 
If there's one big takeaway from the recent announcements, it's that 2023 is going to be a huge year for the zoo, probably the best in the last decade. With all of the news that has come out over the last day there's a lot to unpack. I have some things I'd like to discuss and speculate about, but first I'd like to get everyone up to speed, so here's an updated timeline of projects slated for next year.

Spring 2023: Construction begins on avian, turtle, and prairie dog exhibits.
June 2023: Completion of North American aviary, Eurasian eagle owl aviary, toco toucan aviary + indoor toucan exhibit, macaw perches, and native turtle exhibit.
Summer 2023: Completion of Dolphinarium Renovation; dolphins return from Minnesota.
Fall 2023: Completion of prairie dog exhibit and release of new master plan.
Winter 2023: Groundbreaking of Tropic World expansion and Gorilla Center.

And in case you're out of the loop, here is a brief summary of every upcoming development.

Tropic World Expansion: After 40 years of keeping primates exclusively indoors, multiple new outdoor habitats are being constructed North of Tropic World. There will be two gorilla exhibits both over 13,000 square feet, one for the zoo's current family troop and one for a new bachelor troop. The orangutan exhibit will be roughly 6,700 square feet while the South American monkey exhibit will be just under 5,000 square feet. All of the exhibits will have a mesh top and will be viewed through large glass viewing windows. South American monkeys will access their outdoor exhibits via overhead tunnels that cross above the visitor pathway. A brand new gorilla house is being built just west of Tropic World (where the old bird show was) and will feature two dayrooms on the ground floor with space for the zoos conservation and research programs on the second level. The existing gorilla exhibit will be modified for smaller African primate species. This project is estimated to cost between $50 and $60 million and is slated for completion in 2025.

North American Aviary: A 4,000 square foot rectangular aviary being built on an empty lawn in the Hamil Family Nature Plaza, directly south of Tropic World. There will be an emphasis on native prairie birds with sandhill crane, greater prairie chicken, and American kestrel confirmed to be included. Of course, there is potential for a few other species to be announced further down the line. The interior support poles of the aviary are being designed to look like trees and will provide perching opportunities to the birds.

Eurasian Eagle Owl Aviary: This will be a 720 square foot hexagonal aviary being added directly adjacent to the east mall. It is still unclear where exactly in this area it will be placed, although it will be surrounded by existing woodlands.

Toco Toucan Aviary: A renovation of the existing raven aviary in the Hamil Family Play Zoo for toucans. This involves more than just swapping species: the mesh is being replaced, the walls are being repainted, new shift doors must be created, and planters will be added to accommodate tropical furnishings. A brand new indoor exhibit is also being added where the existing kitchen space currently is.

Macaw Perches: Two artificial trees for macaws are being placed near The Swamp and the Conservation Leadership Center. Unfortunately, these will not be proper aviaries, just perches for the zoos ambassador macaws that are winged-clipped birds.

Native Turtle Exhibit: Replacing the area with raised flower beds in the Hamil Family Nature Plaza will be a pond habitat for two Illinois native turtle species: blanding's turtle and box turtle. The zoo has done a lot of work with these two species in the wild and will make for a great showcase of local conservation work.

Prairie Dog Exhibit: This will be a 3,000+ square foot prairie dog exhibit being placed directly east of the pachyderm house. The set-up will be composed of two separate prairie dog habitats that visually will appear as one. There will be multiple interactive pop-up bubbles and crawl-through tunnels included for visitors

Dolphinarium Renovation: The zoo's bottlenose dolphin pod has been temporarily relocated to the Minnesota Zoo while the current dolphinarium is upgraded. The roof is being replaced, a lift platform is being added, and new air conditioning and purification systems are being installed to improve welfare.

I know some of these projects may not sound huge to some, but I cannot emphasize how significant all of this is. It's been over seven years since the last major development, which was a children's zoo. Locals know we've been complaining about underused and empty spaces at the zoo for years now and seeing that they're finally addressing this issue is wonderful. Using the Hamil Family Nature Plaza to exhibit Illinois native species is an excellent idea that will really bring some life to an area many guests choose to ignore. The prairie dog exhibit being placed on the other side of the zoo will be a hit with guests and will serve as a very nice entry exhibit for those entering through the North gate. The toucan exhibit is also something I'm looking forward to. I like the ravens, but toucans are a far more visually striking species that are even more interesting. Perhaps the ravens could be mixed with the bald eagles in Great Bear Wilderness, which I believe was done for a point in time back when the exhibit first opened. I have faith all of these exhibits are going to subtly enhance the zoo and make for great improvements.

However, there are two projects I'm not as keen on. Obviously, I am not very happy about the plans to erect perches for macaws. A few years ago I made a thread on why I loathed parrot-on-a-stick displays in zoos and it's a bit frustrating that's appears to be planned here. Macaws are extremely intelligent animals that deserve better accommodations than what they've been given at many zoos. My hope was that the zoo would build a proper macaw pavilion similar to the exhibit at Indianapolis, although I knew that was unlikely. Even just a proper aviary for them anywhere would have been nice. I'm also not sold on the Eurasian eagle owl aviary and I worry how this exhibit will fit into the grand scheme of the zoo. Others have stated this in the past, but I don't want random exhibits dotted around the zoo without rhyme or reason. It would be really weird to just have a random owl aviary thrown in haphazardly. Each exhibit should have a purpose. The nature plaza additions will show off cool native species with a conservation message, the prairie dog exhibit will create a pleasant first impression and engage families, but I worry this owl aviary won't serve much a purpose besides existing.

Now onto Tropic World, I have no doubt this is going to be a spectacular addition. It'll be interesting to see how much of the existing interior is changed, as what's been said so far seems to indicate the outdoor habitats will be the big alteration to the exhibit and nothing more. I like how the viewing will be set-up so that you'll never be looking at the Tropic World building when watching the animals. You'll always be facing away from the building. Regarding the monkeys, this excerpt from the above article caught my eye.

"When the gorilla troupe leaves Tropic World proper, their habitat will likely house African monkey species, which could also rotate in and out of the outdoor habitat."

Some have suggested this may indicate the African and South American monkeys will rotate the same outdoor exhibit, but I disagree. I don't see how it would be possible to get the African monkeys to the South American primate outdoor habitat, which is being placed all the way on the other side of the building. Now what would be brilliant is if the African primates are able to access the outdoor bachelor gorilla exhibit and share the same space as the apes. Many European zoos do this without issue so to see that done here would be extremely impressive.

I was hoping for a full master plan reveal sometime in the beginning of the year, but at this point I can wait until next fall. There's enough going on between now and then to keep things interesting. After the last decade of deterioration, species phase-outs, and general lack of progress, it appears the tide is finally changing. All of a sudden it's a great time to be a Brookfield Zoo fan and for the first time in years I'm optimistic towards the zoo's future.
 
“Another huge project on the drawing board, one that’ll be addressed after the Tropic World project, is reimagining the northwest corner of the zoo, which is now a disjointed collection of areas that include the Pachyderm House, the Habitat Africa yards, The Australia House and the hoofed stock yards along 31st Street“

I would focus on "a disjointed collection of areas". I'm sure the zoo envisions transforming that section of the zoo, so it has more flow. Fewer paths, less circling, and backtracking to see everything. More well defined geographic areas where all the exhibits aren't just randomly connected. They could reconfigure the current Australia area, and really isolate it as its own section of the zoo. While creating a separate entry path into an "African/Savannah section of the zoo. Two distinct regions and exhibits that wouldn't be connected at all, but could both easily fit with in the northwest section of the zoo. Just a few ideas, as I can't see them completely getting rid of the Australian exhibit.
 
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I wonder what new species could be brought in for Tropic World once the additions are complete. 'Tragic World' is already very sparse, and the new exhibits will leave the indoor area pretty much completely empty.

I think the zoo will bring 3-10 new species, including a couple new primates for the complex. Brookfield has a good track record in the past 5 years of bringing in new species, including exciting and rare ones, and ones of conservation concern, so I think a little optimism is warranted.

As I have seen mentioned, I think Mandrills are a good candidate. They are big, colorful, and capable of filling some of the indoor space quite nicely.

Wolf's Guenon, Diana Monkey, and DeBrazza's Monkey are also likely African monkeys that are present in AZA institutions. Lesser Spot-nosed and Stuhlmann’s Blue Monkey are reach species, and I'm not so sure how their populations are doing, but they are also present in some numbers at AZA facilities. Baboon species probably would not do well in a mix, but I could see one in the current gorilla exhibit if a Mandrill doesn't go in there.

Regarding South America and Asia, if they could get back some of the former species which are still present in good numbers, I think they would be fine. With the new expansion, Africa is the section that will really be left empty, so it will be in the most need of new species being brought in. It is also the only section that has been explicitly mentioned as bringing in new monkeys in the articles and reports.

Of course, this is all speculation, but hey, that is why it is here instead of the news thread :p
 
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