Minnesota Zoo The Future Of The Zoo

TeamTapir223 said:
Probably the most interesting fact contained in this article is that the zoo plans to shut down its monorail!

Team Tapir223
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Shoot, I didn't catch that when I was interviewed about the new Master Plan. That's a real shame, as I love the monorail. What a great way to tour the Northern Trail, especially with how long that trail is!

While I see them taking many steps forward, this is a step back.
 
TeamTapir223 said:
Probably the most interesting fact contained in this article is that the zoo plans to shut down its monorail!

Team Tapir223
Click to expand...

Toronto Zoo closed its monorail down in the 1990's, San Diego Zoo Safari Park closed its monorail a few years ago, Bronx Zoo has been mulling over what to do with its disappointing Wild Asia tour (disappointing because it is only open about half the year and it is not economically viable), and now Minnesota Zoo is dismantling their monorail. That leaves Zoo Miami and Dallas Zoo as the only other zoological facilities with monorails, so who will be the last man standing?:) I suppose that Miami, Dallas and Bronx could heavily advertise that they are the last of a dying breed. Not many visitors pay the extra cost to take a monorail ride, and zoo nerds moan about the seconds that pass as animals whiz by, and thus it is no surprise that such items are being slowly phased out of existence.

Minnesota Zoo seeks $15 million from the state in order to fund the new Hawaiian Monk Seal and Japanese Snow Monkey exhibits:

Minnesota Zoo seeks $15 million slice of bonding bill | ABC NewspapersABC Newspapers
 
snowleopard said:
Toronto Zoo closed its monorail down in the 1990's, San Diego Zoo Safari Park closed its monorail a few years ago, Bronx Zoo has been mulling over what to do with its disappointing Wild Asia tour (disappointing because it is only open about half the year and it is not economically viable), and now Minnesota Zoo is dismantling their monorail. That leaves Zoo Miami and Dallas Zoo as the only other zoological facilities with monorails, so who will be the last man standing?:) I suppose that Miami, Dallas and Bronx could heavily advertise that they are the last of a dying breed. Not many visitors pay the extra cost to take a monorail ride, and zoo nerds moan about the seconds that pass as animals whiz by, and thus it is no surprise that such items are being slowly phased out of existence.

Minnesota Zoo seeks $15 million from the state in order to fund the new Hawaiian Monk Seal and Japanese Snow Monkey exhibits:

Minnesota Zoo seeks $15 million slice of bonding bill | ABC NewspapersABC Newspapers
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And it is expensive to maintain your own train system, no matter how modest it appears.
The Bronx Zoo, as you know, would almost have to abandon public viewing of the area called "Wild Asia" without some form of transportation. The monorail and the exhibit are connected.

The situation in Minnesota and Miami is quite different as the monorail is a basic transportation alternative for zoo goers. In Miami on a summer day the monorail is a life saver.

Dallas would have to rethink their monorail area, of course, but could absorb it into the pedestrian zoo. But at present, they have the entire north zoo to redevelop and that must be rather pressing.
 
snowleopard said:
That leaves Zoo Miami and Dallas Zoo as the only other zoological facilities with monorails, so who will be the last man standing?:)
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I personally LOVE it when zoos offer a monorail ride!

Another North American zoo with a monorail is Granby, up in Quebec. Over in Europe, the UK's Chester Zoo has a very popular monorail ride, and also the Ouwehands Zoo in the Netherlands.
 
snowleopard said:
I printed off the Master Plan while I was at work (all 76 pages) as I find it handy to sometimes have a paper copy that can be used as a reference guide in the future. That makes it far more accessible than an online version. Anyway, here are some of my thoughts:

- there have been many improvements over the past decade and there are many ZooChatters that feel confident in stating that Minnesota has one of the dozen best zoos in the nation. The idea of the establishment being a zoo with a focus on northern-based animals both helps and hurts the status of the animal collection, but with a 40% increase in attendance since 2005 it goes to show that if a zoo has the cash to build exciting new exhibits then the public will respond in a big way.

- snow monkey "natural hot spring" in the new exhibit? Sweet!

- Discovery Bay has 4 major options and all are a big improvement on what I toured in 2008

- Northern Trail, which is already outstanding, becoming exclusively Asian cold-weather species makes perfect sense and is a highlight of the Master Plan. Going from Russia's Grizzly Coast and into an Asian Higlands and Asian Trail zone looks brilliant on paper.

- some ZooChatters (single guys with no family) will groan at the sight of Crossroads Park in the plan, but having a family-friendly zone with a money-making carousel, play area, adventure section, etc, makes perfect sense as zoos are for families.

- Africa Trail is one part of the plan that I'm not so keen on. There are lots of proposed warm-weather species that will only be seen seasonally, and locked in barns for months on end in the winter. Why not focus on the hardy, Asian species and leave an African zone off any future proposals? It is not cool to keep large mammals such as giraffes, hippos, rhinos, lions, cheetahs and all of the assorted hoofstock indoors for long periods of time. Also, the cost factor of any African section is immense. I expect that this area would be hugely popular in the summer, but is it worth it for less than half the year?

- the extension of the Tropics Trail to include the Sumatran Longhouse Orangutan Forest & Events Center seems promising, and yet another section of the zoo will focus exclusively on Asian animals. The possible addition of great apes is a smart move, and will be massively popular.

Overall, there is a lot of positive ideas in the Master Plan, and it will be interesting to see how many of them come to fruition over the years. Already the zoo is a top-notch facility, and as long as the establishment continues to receive support from the community then it should solidify itself as one of the great modern American zoos of the 21st century.
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I also think it would be better for the zoo to focus on the hardier species. This zoo was so unique for that reason. Although with the talk about warm weather species being kept indoors too long, I have wondered about the zoo's musk oxen. Minneapolis can get pretty hot in the summer and those animals are built for cold weather.
 
It's interesting to read the zoo's master plan. There are animals mentioned in there that are on the phase out list like goitered gazelles and Eurasian lynx, as well as animals not on the AZA website such as dholes. I'm wondering what will happen to their caribou. Are those being phased out of zoos in general?
 
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