Woodland Park Zoo Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo 2008

What? Are you people joking or something :confused:?
I wish that my local Zoo still sold Zoopoop! My garden could certainly use it and when visitors marvel at my plants I could say that they were grown on red panda and fruit bat feces :D! Just let them try to beat that :)!
 
Taccachantrieri, I'm not joking about the elephant dung!

Neither me or my family bought any but the zoo used to advertise it in their magazine and apparently it sold well (although i'm not too sure). I don't think it was sold 'off-the-shelf' but I think you had to order it from inside the gift shop (which ironically is right next to the elephant house ;) )


p.s. wow! sorry for taking this thread so off-topic...
 
Poop is still sold at the Adelaide Zoo in South Australia, and probably at many other zoos as well.
 
I meant were you joking that you found the sale of Zoopoop weird, because I certainly do not.

I have probably bought enough sheep and cattle manure over the past few years to fill up a truck several times!
 
Taccachantrieri said:
I meant were you joking that you found the sale of Zoopoop weird, because I certainly do not.

I have probably bought enough sheep and cattle manure over the past few years to fill up a truck several times!
Click to expand...

Ohhh I see, I don't find it weird. Actually, I guess zoopoo is more nutritious than domestic stock faeces, due to the refined diet and added nutrients in zoo diets...
 
zoopoo: you can buy it in melbourne in garden centers and plant nurseries.

what i have always admired about hancocks is his "do it right or not at all" mentality, because thats something i feel 100% about.
 
David Hancocks actually rips into many zoo exhibits in his book (including big guns like San Diego) and isn't afraid to speak his mind if he sees an enclosure that could be substantially improved. He basically pioneered the "immersion" experience in the late seventies, and therefore knows what he is talking about.
 
patrick said:
what i have always admired about hancocks is his "do it right or not at all" mentality, because thats something i feel 100% about.
Click to expand...

He certainly is very critical and so frustrated by the quality of zoos generally, despite obviously loving them. He is not afraid to criticise one of his favourites (Sonora) if he feels it deserves it.

Before I went to San Diego I was really expecting a magical place, and to be honest I was a bit disappointed. The animal collection was vast and I saw plenty of new species, but the general layout with all the concrete grottoes didn't strike me as inspiring. The WAP impressed me with its size, but like Hancocks I thought the main drive through area was a big dust bowl.

Zooplantman said:
Hancocks was director of the zoo and says so in the book.
Click to expand...

I missed that. I have just flicked through the book and I still can't find it.

Is he still director of Werribee? How does Werribee measure up to the standards he lays out in his book? (I've never been).
 
Where is David Hancock's book for sale? (Is it available in the UK?)

It seems like a really interesting read from what you guys have said and exhibit design and layout really interest me...
 
Hi Jimmy

[ame=http://www.amazon.co.uk/Different-Nature-Paradoxical-Uncertain-Future/dp/0520236769/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1202724820&sr=1-1]Amazon.co.uk: A Different Nature The Paradoxical World of Zoos & their Uncertain Future: The Paradoxical World of Zoos and Their Uncertain Future: Books: D Hancocks[/ame]

or you could try your local library
 
Pygathrix said:
Is he still director of Werribee? How does Werribee measure up to the standards he lays out in his book? (I've never been).
Click to expand...

I've been to Werribee but haven't read the book (although this I shall remedy), Werribee is a very large open range zoo, with naturalistic enclosures from what I saw in the few hours there...

Fertiliser from the Auckland Zoo is called ZooDoo...
 
hancocks was director of werribee from 1998 to 2003

back in the early 90's werribee was still nothing more than a few exotic animals walking around on old farmland outside melbourne - its now an a-grade zoo in every sense of the word and you'd be hard pressed to find a complain other than that the collection is small.

nonetheless its been set on a path to success. its facilities from the entrance are all modern and its slowly adding more (all african) animals one by one, each getting a portico designed immersion exhibit.

its because of this, i believe its already overtaking dubbo as the premiere open range zoo in this country and its goning to come down to a battle with monarto.

i'm not sure how much hancoks oversaw of the werribee redevelopment, but i certainly believe its all been done very "right"...
 
I never went to Werribee while in Australia, but it certainly appears to have gradually been improving over the years. The new lion and hippo exhibits come across as excellent, and so what is next up for them?

@Patrick: I realize that you are like me (and many others) in that the time spent at an open-range zoo such as Werribee will probably be half that of the time spent at a major urban zoo like Melbourne. But overall to have a pair of connected establishments such as those in Victoria is tremendous for the future. Toss in the impressive Healesville and you've got a trifecta of quality zoos!
 
The Woodland Park Zoo is one of my favorites. Its 1976 Long Range Plan revolutionized zoo design and is clearly the foundation for immersion exhibits. Much as Hagenbeck was for moated exhibits. I'll post the plan in the picture gallery. Of course some of its exhibits were based on husbandry practices from the 1970s. But like Hagenbeck's, these original exhibits wont need to be replaced in the future, but rather slightly renovated or expanded. Unfortuanately, I wish they would still continue on the design principles and theory in their new updated plan, which i have also posted in the gallery.
 
Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo is indeed one of the best zoos in North America, and the immersion exhibits in the seventies (such as the first naturalistic gorilla exhibit in the world) hold up remarkably well 30 years later. They do have plans to eventually expand their African Savannah (specifically the hippo enclosure) but for now are concentrating on new exhibits for flamingos and penguins.
 
Cut and pasted from the zoo's website:

The new penguin exhibit opens in summer 2009, with plans for a larger colony of up to 20 breeding pairs. The current structure was built in 1947 for seals and sea lions. In keeping with the zoo’s numerous awards for naturalistic exhibitry, the new, 17,000-square-foot exhibit will be a “signature experience” for the marine-savvy Pacific Northwest. It is being designed to be environmentally friendly for penguins and for people, with an innovative filtration system to recycle virtually all of the water. Shoreline cliffs, crashing waves, rocky tide pools, and nesting burrows will cater to the birds’ natural coastal behavior and highly social demeanor. Guests will enjoy nearly nose-to-beak viewing of the black and white torpedoes “flying” underwater at speeds of up to 17 mph, porpoising through the air and raising young chicks. A core theme is the plight of Humboldt penguins in the wild and how people can help preserve these charismatic birds’ natural habitat.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top