This is awful news, talk about being as anticlimatic as possible in the way that the news was released. I was so hyped, this and the Los Angeles Zoo master plan (which is most likely not happening anymore either) were my most anticpated zoo projects to come within the next decade. Now hopefully Nashville is still successful in its African expansion, that masterplan seems very expensive and ambitious as well.
I've sever visited Sacramento, so maybe a regular or someone who's visited in person could offer some input, but based on my analysis of the zoo map it still seems like the zoo could still be salvaged even at it's mere 14 acres of land.
Based solely after scenning through the map, at the top of my head:
- I want to know how larger the white rhino exhibit is; to my understanding it was meant to be very temporary until they could transfer them to the new zoo
- As the kangaroos and emus were meant to be phased out according to the later draft of the new zoo master plan anyways I propose phasing them out and moving the Galapagos tortoises to another part of the zoo, then combining the rhino exhibit with the tortoise, roo, kookaburra, and emu exhibits to make one medium sized mixed species savanna, where the rhinos could cohabitate with zebras and ostriches
- Combine the giraffe exhibit with the nearby zebra habitat now that the zebras were moved into the expanded rhino exhibit, make a second now larger mixed species savannah with giraffes and various birds/hoofstock
- Remove the giraffe viewing deck, make the entire habitat visible from the guest path, add a smaller viewing/feeding deck between the giraffe and rhino habitats just like Fresno Chaffee Zoo has, then puts gaps beneath the viewing deck so the smaller birds and hoofstock can travel between the two large exhibits
- Move the flamingos back into their ild exhibit, move the orangs and gibbons to another part of the zoo (will elaborate shortly) and use the land to combine all three ape exhibits to make room for a single large lion enclosure in the same vein as Fresno Chaffee's large lion exhibit, plus squeeze in a neighboring meerkat enclosure
- With the rhino and giraffe savannahs, plus the lion and meerkat exhibits, this would be the zoo's star African Savannah zone
- The nearby park space and pavillion shown on the map could be land contributed to the proposed African savannah zone to add more guest space, amenmities, or expand the savannah further
- Combine the land from the black-and-white ruffed lemur, mongoose lemur, and old meerkat enclosures into one large mixed species lemur aviary similar to the lemur exhibit from San Diego's African rocks, and move the ring-tailed lemurs in with them
- Most likely phase out the guenon monkey
- If there is enough space use the land where the current guenon, ring-tailed lemur, and thick-billed parrot exhibits are to make three modernized enclosures for saki monkeys, sloth, and thick-billed parrots - bonus points if they are rotational between one another so the three species each get further enrichment
- combine the current sloth and saki monkey exhibits to make a humble capybara-squirrel monkey exhibit as was in the original master plan
- Now combine the olde squirrel monkey, lion, and capybara exhibits to make one large orangutan-gibbon mixed species netted aviary, preferably with glass viewing to optimize visitor engagement and maximize space for the animals, taking inspiration from San Diego's moxed orang-siamang enclosure
- Upgrade the now clouded leopard exhibit, perhaps borrow a few feet from the capy exhibit to give the leopards more space
- Downsize from NARO to ASC otters, renovate the otter exhibit with underwate viewing, and retheme this entire area to an Asian forest themed zone
- Keep the jaguar and American Alligator exhibits mainly as is; they allong the neraby proposed flamingo, squirrel monkey, capybara, thick-billed parrot, sloth, and saki monkey exhibits could create a South American river themed area
- Alternatively there seems to be a bit of land between the lion exhibit, red panda exhibit, and Kampala Cafe, perhaps combine that land with the jaguar exhibit, and extend all the way to the cafe (offering glass viewing into the exhibit from the cafe) and replacing the jaguar with tigers as was the plan in the new zoo's master plan
- This could add to the Asian theming with the now nearby orangs, gibbons, ASCO's, and current red panda
- Maybe put an aviary over the otter exhibit and a bridge connecting it to the aforementioned Asian primates habitat so the Asian apes can travel back and forth to the otter habitat for more enrichment
- Retheme cafe to an Asian themed cafe
- Upgrade the current cheetah, okapi, and hornbill exhibits, not too many changes as necessary being that these are fairly recent exhibits
- Make a new Galapagos tortoise exhibit on the empty lawn across from the reptile house
- Modernize the reptile house
https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipO0bQcFI9ST4XNsA75HmMgHESogjaulLkpybjNm
- Very sloppy outline I made right now while at work lol
https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipOsIVjlnfja6Ijqi6IueStAlEr-xctl9xIKF8Yu
- Some minor descriptions + outline for clearer vision
This is the bare minimum I could come up with, and again, having not seen the zoo in person many of my ideas may not be feasible. There are still many other drastic changes that could be made, but would be more timely and cost-extensive. For example, moving the cafe near my proposed savannah exhibits (prehaps where the lemurs and meerkats currently are) so they could revitalize their much desired African themed restaraunt overlooking the savannah concept, or phasing out the rhinos and combining the land from the rhinos down to the roos and emus to make one modern hippo complex, even if not as spectacular as the one from the master plan.
At the end of the day though any of these changes would most likely require a Measure Z level of funding just like Fresno Chaffee Zoo was able to obtain.
