I am guessing, so I could be completely wrong, that this will not be the location because there are sidewalk signs at the entrance to the ostrich viewing that advertise the new facility. Also, the current plans are different. They include a small playground for the preschool program, staff parking, and a larger building. These modifications to the plan are at the repeated requests of the education department. Because the watusi are domestic, I wouldn't mind seeing the ostrich relocated to that enclosure once the cattle pass, but this still removes an exhibit that could house another species. Maybe impala?
Roger Williams Park Zoo Roger Williams Park Zoo News 2022
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The watusi aren't even elderly, so I highly doubt there are any plans considering when they will pass. If the zoo wishes to move ostrich into another exhibit, either the zebra/wildebeest/watusi habitat or the giraffe habitat could accommodate them, wouldn't be too difficult to do. The playground spaces were included in the original plan, labeled on the masterplan as "camp play". I wouldn't think too much into the location of signs advertising the facility, but I'd be surprised if this removes any exhibits. However, if an exhibit is to be removed, the ostrich one of the exhibits that'd be the smallest loss for the zoo- it was designed for a species phased out by the AZA and any renovations to the exhibit would be fairly costly for what it's worth. In order to work for other ungulates (or at least any sort of antelope), the mountain would need to be removed, and any animals that'd possibly use the mountain (baboons, gelada, lions, etc.) would require a new holding building and different fencing requirements. There really aren't any easy solutions to that space, as neither aoudad nor nubian ibex are easy to come by in the AZA. Plus, this new education center is truly a necessity to the zoo. The current building is on it's last legs, and is too small to accommodate all the educational programs the zoo could otherwise handle. New building means more programs, while means more revenue being generated- allowing for further development down the line, including a replacement for the current building. The education department is also currently rather spread out across the zoo- with parts of the department situated in Big Backyard, parts situated in the current Education Center, and parts situated in completely other sections of the zoo. Consolidating the department would be very beneficial going forward from an efficiency standpoint, and would further free up other sections of the zoo for other purposes.
I know that the watusi aren't elderly, but they are ten years old. I do understand your point though.
I don't think that the ostrich could be moved to the giraffe enclosure, given that it is on the smaller side. The enclosure does meet AZA requirements if I remember correctly, though. Also, the zoo likes to keep Jaffa separate from the females, so in the winter when the giraffes and ostriches can not go outside (ostriches are more tolerant to cold weather, but still), the holding spaces are opened so that he is able to use them all. Ostrich could live with the other hoofstock, but I would guess that space is already used nicely and that the zoo would not want to add more animals to an enclosure that is perfectly sized for that animals that live in it.
When the watusi eventually do pass, I expect the ostrich will move to this area, if they haven't already. I would hope that the aoudad enclosure is still present and could be renovated, even if it is expensive, to house an antelope or baboons (colobus monkeys or lemurs would work to, but I think baboons would be the best choice).
I had not realized that the area labeled "camp play" was for this, and I will admit, I was very confused as to what it could be.
I agree with you about consolidating the education department to one building, but I think it would be better suited where Hasbro's big backyard is. This was never a great use of space, and I think that removing it all and replacing it with an education center and a second playground for normal visitors would be much more efficient. Under the previous director, there were plans to build additional parking lots, which would make parking easier on busy days, but it could also mean that a few spaces from the current lot could be overhauled for the education center.
This is, of course, all wishful thinking, but not entirely out of the realm of possibility. Renovating the aoudad/ostrich enclosure would take, at most, $300,000 and I think that is a long shot. But even then, if the space is good enough for ostrich, then I think it would be much better for an antelope species.
I extend my apologies if I have offended you in some way or lead to what appears to be an argument. This was not my intent.
I don't think that the ostrich could be moved to the giraffe enclosure, given that it is on the smaller side. The enclosure does meet AZA requirements if I remember correctly, though. Also, the zoo likes to keep Jaffa separate from the females, so in the winter when the giraffes and ostriches can not go outside (ostriches are more tolerant to cold weather, but still), the holding spaces are opened so that he is able to use them all. Ostrich could live with the other hoofstock, but I would guess that space is already used nicely and that the zoo would not want to add more animals to an enclosure that is perfectly sized for that animals that live in it.
When the watusi eventually do pass, I expect the ostrich will move to this area, if they haven't already. I would hope that the aoudad enclosure is still present and could be renovated, even if it is expensive, to house an antelope or baboons (colobus monkeys or lemurs would work to, but I think baboons would be the best choice).
I had not realized that the area labeled "camp play" was for this, and I will admit, I was very confused as to what it could be.
I agree with you about consolidating the education department to one building, but I think it would be better suited where Hasbro's big backyard is. This was never a great use of space, and I think that removing it all and replacing it with an education center and a second playground for normal visitors would be much more efficient. Under the previous director, there were plans to build additional parking lots, which would make parking easier on busy days, but it could also mean that a few spaces from the current lot could be overhauled for the education center.
This is, of course, all wishful thinking, but not entirely out of the realm of possibility. Renovating the aoudad/ostrich enclosure would take, at most, $300,000 and I think that is a long shot. But even then, if the space is good enough for ostrich, then I think it would be much better for an antelope species.
I extend my apologies if I have offended you in some way or lead to what appears to be an argument. This was not my intent.
gardener14
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Speaking of Ostriches, has anyone seen them at the zoo recently or know their status? On my last two visits they didn't seem to be on exhibit, and there was no signage for them either. Another comment here also said they weren't seen on a recent visit.
Maybe they were off exhibit due to avian flu?
gardener14
Well-Known Member
That's unlikely because the zoo had previously announced that birds were back on exhibit due to the lessened risk of avian flu. Also, on my visit earlier in the season, the Ostriches were on exhibit when other birds were off exhibit due to avian flu.
On November 21st, it was reported that the zoo has started demolishing the former harbor seal exhibit for penguins, of which the facility wants (6.6) Humboldt penguins. It was also reported that polar bears might be a possibility but a "longshot", with grizzly bears and grey wolves still being a part of the master plan. Interestingly, the zoo's director Stacey Johnson mentions how adding grey wolves won't necessarily mean the subtraction of red wolves, saying that he would love to do both.
The Providence Journal
The Providence Journal
Polar bear sounds a bit too ambitious. And even if both grey and red wold could be kept wouldn't that come at the cost of breeding red wolves?
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The article doesn't mention that, though I think right now the idea of polar bears and 2 wolf species at the zoo is just that, an idea.
I think housing two wolf species at a zoo like this would be a mistake. Other zoos do it like Beardsley, but Roger Williams' collection is very different. The zoo should be looking to add species that will attract more visitors, not species similar to the ones that it already has.
It is great to hear that they will be getting that species of penguin, even if the general visitor wouldn't care. It seems as if every facility that is looking to acquire them goes for African penguins.
A few notes, I wouldn't get too attached to the Ostriches. They never were intended to be at the zoo long term. Construction has started on what is going in that area already and it will at least be partially used for the new Education center. As for the Polar Bear comments, I think its safe to say that the director is certainly "interested" in doing the near herculean task of trying to bring them back. But there are so many factors that would prevent this from happening, but he's interested in it if the opportunity presents itself. I'd also really really start taking the original master plan put fourth with a grain of salt, a lot of stuff is moving around behind the scenes and so if you are confused as "why are the penguins there, aren't they supposed to be by the zebras" or "what about x species". Do not assume that master plan is up to date. Its actually quite dated and stuff is and has already changed. There are a ton of new animals being floated around internally and logistical reasons they need to move stuff.
So where exactly is the new education center going to be? If it's in Plains of Africa would that mean that the area near Hasbro's Big Backyard and the greenhouse be closed off during construction?
Where do you get all this behind the scenes information from?
The way to do a good polar bear habitat in an age when polar bears may not be available is to design a rather versatile, large carnivore exhibit. It could very well end up being a "polar bear or Grizzly Bear or amur tiger" habitat, getting one of the other species if polar bears weren't an option. As for the wolves, it depends on what the plan for greys is. They could theoretically get Grey Wolves without messing with the red Wolves at all, by adding Grey Wolves elsewhere in the zoo. This is all speculation, but if these sorts of new animals are being talked about, my best guess would be replacements for the area currently home to bison and pronghorn- as the zoo has only one elderly bison and Pronghorn are an AZA phase out (except for the regionalized program for peninsulars). Whatever species the zoo ends up wanting, whether it be different North American species or a different theme entirely, that section is the most in need of work in the entire zoo, especially considering the limited time left with the bison/pronghorn.
PercideRolo
Well-Known Member
What animal thrive in new engand weather that could live where ostrich were? snow moneky be nice
Does anyone know if it is possible to access the article without paying to subscribe to the Providence Journal?
Copy/paste the link into the wayback machine (archive.org), it usually works for getting around paywalls.
Thank you, it worked!
Now that I've read the article, there was one part that really drew my attention:
To me, it sounds like the new director is trying to be as non-commital and crowd-pleasing as possible. People are asking if Polar Bears are coming back, and he's not going to say no because he knows that answer will disappoint us. But he's also not going to say yes because he knows how much of a long-shot it is. The same can be said for the discussion about the wolf options; he sounds pretty wishy-washy and isn't making any clear claims as to whether they will have two wolf species or one.
One possibility is that the zoo may be yet to make up their minds on these issues. The director might not want to make an announcement at this uncertain stage, if he'll have to end up backtracking on it (like the zoo has backtracked with polar bears and tigers in the past).
In terms of the zoo's immediate future plans, the things I am more curious about are A) the timeline for when the penguin exhibit will be complete and B) what the scope of the exhibit is, since the article mentioned that the seal exhibit is being demolished. That makes the project sound like it has a much larger scope than the minor-touch ups that I was originally imagining.
gardener14
Well-Known Member
Here's a link to the article that was recently posted without a paywall:
archive.ph
archive.ph
My hope for the penguin exhibit would be they keep the pool/underwater viewing, but make some changes to the aboveground viewing. That viewing was always extremely difficult to see into the seal exhibit from, and with penguins being smaller than seals (and also spending more time on land), it'd likely be even more difficult to see them from the top viewing. So ideally, in my opinion, I'd love to see them, in addition to new filters, holdings, etc. as necessary, demolish the current aboveground viewing and build a more visitor-friendly one. Perhaps by doing so they could also add a little more land area to the exhibit (ideally with a natural substrate).
It could also be a matter of, depending on where the filters are, demolishing part of the exhibit is essential to replace/upgrade the filters to what the penguins need.