The future of smaller Zoos

[ZooChronicles]

I have been thinking recently how smaller zoological institutions will change in the future. With the worlds larger zoos setting further benchmarks in breeding programs, conservation and research both on site and in the field, do you think that smaller zoos are being left behind and they need to find another path in order to define themselves against the larger institutions? Or do they not need to?

 

[DavidBrown]

I can't speak for Europe or the rest of the world, but in the U.S. smaller zoos tend to be focused on serving their local communities. Many of them have started scaling their collections towards appropriate species for the budget and space that they have. Many zoos have stopped exhibiting elephants, hippos, polar bears, etc. if they don't have enough space for good exhibits for them or the resources to build and maintain them. I think that the future of smaller zoos is quite bright as they find ways to serve their constituencies as recreation and education facilities and contribute to international wildlife conservation efforts.

 

[TropicWorld54]

The cosley zoo in Illinois is within a hour of the Brookfield Zoo and Lincoln Park Zoo and it is a Children's zoo and only exhibits native Illinois animals and farm animals because the zoo (5 acres) know they can not compete with with the very large Brookfield Zoo (216 acres) and the free Lincoln Park Zoo.

 

[Zoovolunteer]

One way smaller zoos could build a role is to specialise. There are far more endangered (and interesting) small species that would be much easier for them to house and care for - it does not take lions and elephants to make an interesting set of exhibits! The zoo I volunteer at (Bristol) is fairly small (12 acres) and has concentrated for that reason on mostly small to medium sized animals, althougth they do have some larger species. For example, Livingstone's Fruit Bat, Aye-Aye, Turkish Spiny Mouse, plus various threatened amphibians, reptiles, and birds are all very interesting to visitors.

 

[blospz]

A small zoo is an interesting concept. For many, they are in a city where people may not have access to a bigger zoo. Or they don't want to travel to see one. So locals go to their small zoo in hopes to see all the ABC's of animals. But now with zoos wanting to improve exhibits for their animals, sometimes they phase a species out if they do not have enough money or space. Will people now visit bigger zoos to see the animals they want or will they accept the fate or what small zoos will turn into?

And here's a question...for a smaller zoo would you like an assortment or animals, not in any particular order or would you want a zoo that has a couple of solid geographical sections?