Wasted money?

[adrian1963]

I was wondering what other members thought about the amount of money wasted by zoos and other animal collections on things that are not really called for or needed and what this money could have been better spent on in the same collection
My first would have to be The Dirt track at Twycross the one round the back of the Elephant enclosure; this could have gone towards updating other enclosures within the collection mainly towards better accommodation for the Chimps

Second would be the total waste of money spent at Twycross on the Himalayan Exhibit could someone please explain how spending that amount of money on a glorified café could be better then updating the old Monkey Blocks or Chimps Enclosures

Third on my list may upset a few people but the amount of money spent on the Painted Dog enclosure and that funny looking walkway around it what was the whole idea of the walkway and the funny colour of the pathway. Surely some of this money could have been spent on updating some of the very poor aviaries around the site.

Fourth would have to be the Chimp House at Dudley Zoo if they knew they were not going to get a male for so long then why waste the money, this could have been used to update the Orang-utan enclosures and the Chimps could quite easily have moved into the enclosure used for the Baboons.

These are the only ones I could comment on as these are the ones I see on a regular basis there are probably a lot more out their but I could not possibly comment on here say so please put your own experiences down and see if other members agree

 

[zoogiraffe]

Well I'm guessing the third on your list,is Chester's Hunting Dogs exhibit,in which case it cost a damn site less than the first on your list,and also expect to see alot more theming like that at Chester!

 

[gentle lemur]

Second would be the total waste of money spent at Twycross on the Himalayan Exhibit could someone please explain how spending that amount of money on a glorified café could be better then updating the old Monkey Blocks or Chimps Enclosures

In one way, you're absolutely right. But if I understand the situation correctly, a large slice of the money for Himalaya came as a grant for improving facilities for tourists and providing job opportunities in the area. Credit Twycross for using such funding constructively while it was available. Bristol and Chester produced much more spectacular and expensive plans, but they missed the bus because the plans didn't get approval before the new Government was elected and cut off the funding immediately.

Alan

 

[Shorts]

Second would be the total waste of money spent at Twycross on the Himalayan Exhibit could someone please explain how spending that amount of money on a glorified café could be better then updating the old Monkey Blocks or Chimps Enclosures

As has been mentioned before, Himalaya was significantly grant-funded and it was not possible to get a grant for just animal enclosures. Therefore to obtain the funds they had to propose an unholy hybrid of cafe, function room, tourist gateway, local amenity, enclosure and shop. Notice that zoo entrance/turnstile is not included in the mix

 

[Shorts]

Third on my list may upset a few people but the amount of money spent on the Painted Dog enclosure and that funny looking walkway around it what was the whole idea of the walkway and the funny colour of the pathway. Surely some of this money could have been spent on updating some of the very poor aviaries around the site.

If you're dissing Chester here I think you're a little off-target. It's a great-looking enclosure and it's hardly like the zoo has other areas screaming out for funding/updating (unlike parts of Twycross and Dudley). I can't off the top of my head think of any "very poor" aviaries around the site.

 

[adrian1963]

@Shorts I am not dissing Chester just asking why waste money on a needless pathway when a normal walkway would have done.
The avaries I am on about are the ones in the middle of one of the last remaining green area's in the zoo by the Realm of the Red Ape (even the keeper that was by them when I visited and spoke to them about them said they needed updating) so I take it he was wrong as well

 

[Arizona Docent]

A good cafe is an income earner and will likely pay for itself and then some in the long run.

 

[Shorts]

@Shorts I am not dissing Chester just asking why waste money on a needless pathway when a normal walkway would have done.
The avaries I am on about are the ones in the middle of one of the last remaining green area's in the zoo by the Realm of the Red Ape (even the keeper that was by them when I visited and spoke to them about them said they needed updating) so I take it he was wrong as well

We'll have to agree to disagree on this one. I don't have a problem with spending money on a walkway to theme an exhibit, it looks good and will attract repeat visitors (probably more so than new aviaries) and importantly the zoo is hardly on its uppers and can afford it.

Realistically all departments get a budget so it's likely that "Birds" decided to spend their money elsewhere. The keeper's not necessarily wrong, though in my experience keepers can be perfectionist/idealists (nothing wrong with that) and are always wanting more and to change things for the better. I'm sure it won't be long before those aviaries are sorted (possibly from extra money generated by the Hunting Dog exhibit).

 

[adrian1963]

@Shorts it's always good to chat on here but I must admit the second part of your last reply is correct and thank you for the replies

 

[Dassie rat]

I think one of the biggest wastes of money in a zoo is the idea that a zoo needs to raise millions of pounds to build a new enclosure that will save a species from extinction. I still agree with the ISIS formula that zoos need to have about 80 individuals of a species, preferably with a varied gene pool, to act as a bank in case the species becomes extinct in the wild. Keeping captives has helped to save the Arabian oryx, ne-ne, Californian condor, Przewalski's horse and black-footed ferret and some animals have been released into the wild. Unfortunately, many species are being kept that will never be released into the wild, either because of the lack of suitable habitat or the problems of 'training' the animals to behave naturally in the wild. Spending millions of pounds on new enclosures for these animals, many of which are over-represented in zoos, is done more for commercial reasons, rather than conservation. The zoos concerned would be more honest spending the money on preserving habitat in the wild. Millions of pounds could be used to purchase large areas of rainforest and training local people to look after the wildlife. This would be far more beneficial from a conservation perspectus than a multi-million pound enclosure in a zoo.

In http://www.zoochat.com/38/report-hwp-tour-douglas-richardson-233843/,
gentlelemur wrote the following about a tour round the Highland Wildlife Park. “Converting the old aviary which once held choughs into an enclosure for Pallas’ cats cost a total of £85! Most of the materials required were recycled or found in stores of odds and ends”. I was very impressed by this. Surely, in a time of recession, it would be better for zoos to follow this concept and produce new low-cost enclosures, rather than expecting people to make financial sacrifices for ego-boosts for zoo directors.

 

[gentle lemur]

Building is an expensive business. Look at the post about the buildings at Chester Zoo and the costs appear eye-wateringly large at first sight (http://www.zoochat.com/38/photography-building-lifecycle-stories-239815/).
But then think about the cost of buying a home; an estate of new houses may have hundreds of homes, but they are all built of the same components to a few standard designs - even so building costs are usually the main factor in the total price of a house.
On the other hand, virtually every zoo exhibit is a one-off design, with very detailed specifications to meet the very specific requirements of the animals, the keepers and the public - plus the horticulturists' demands for any plants used, the zoo's education department's requirements for signs and information sites. Then the plans must satisfy the council's planning department and the requirements of the Zoo Licensing Act and the zoo inspectors (plus critical visitors, the RSPCA etc). The materials and the components required are often unusual and hard to find - for example I think there is a long story about finding exactly the right sort of sand for the elephant paddock at Chester.
Even a path at a zoo is nothing like a garden path at home. During a year it may have a million visitors walking along it, possibly several times during each visit. It must be safe for all visitors, whether they are on foot, in pushchairs or wheelchairs or using crutches or walking frames, and it must be safe in all weathers (think surface, gradient(s), camber, drainage etc). It must also be suitable for keepers, wheelbarrows, tractors and in some cases animal transporters and JCBs too. In addition it must be wide enough, it must allow decent views of the animals and it must be separated from the exhibits by suitable barriers.

Money spent to a produce a path like this is not wasted money.

Alan

 

[Dassie rat]

One of the big problems with zoos is when architects get involved and decide to produce a building that will win an award, even if it is unsuitable for the animals to be exhibited. Several zoos have listed buildings that take up large areas of space and are well past their sell-by date, but must be kept for 'architectural reasons'. I wonder if some of these could be moved to an open-air museum, so that the zoos could produce more practical buildings.

One of my favourite zoo buildings was the Rodent House in Berlin's Tierpark. It was little more than a garden shed, but had a range of unusual species, including cururos, gundis, short-tailed opossums and dassie rats (hurray). The building wouldn't have won any awards, but I liked the collection. Perhaps that's why I differ from many of the people who visit zoos. I prefer seeing animals I've never seen before, rather than seeing the same species in several zoos. Many years ago, I visited Bristol Zoo with the zoo volunteers. I came out of the Nocturnal House and told the other volunteers about the tarsiers there. Only one volunteer was interested; the others hadn't heard of tarsiers and wanted to see the same species that were kept in London Zoo. Oh well. Each to their own.