What do you think is the next step in zoo innovation?

Gibbon05

Well-Known Member
5+ year member
From carnivore grottoes, to Hagenbeck panoramas, to walkthrough exhibits, and now more recent developments like animal walkways (e.g Zoo360) and predator/prey displays. Zoo exhibition and animal enclosures has come very far from the tiny, barren cages commonly seen in the past. What do you think is the next step in the evolution of innovative exhibit design? Whether it is something not currently done in zoos or something you wish more zoos will adopt.
 
What's a Hagenbeck panorama? I think the next innovation might be more free flight exhibits and multi-generational elephant herds, especially since fewer zoos are exhibiting elephants.
It's where more than one species(often predator and prey) are exhibited in such a manner that it appears they share the same space and are often separated by dry moats hidden from the public. This take was pioneered by Carl Hagenbeck.
 
I think we will continue to see innovation in walkthrough exhibits. Wallaby walkthroughs have become more common in the US and primate walkthroughs are becoming more common in Europe. Butterfly walkthroughs remain popular, and free flight bird aviaries do as well. I think we will see more species being exhibited in this manner in the future. The ability for primates, and sometimes other animals, to traverse by climbing between areas is also becoming more commonplace and I hope is further explored as a way to give animals more space and ease pressure on space constrained zoos.

I would really like to see some advances in how we keep nocturnal species. I think this is an area in which we are still lagging behind considerably with only fewer, specialized zoos working on it. Perhaps if we can find more ways to make these animals comfortable, more of them can be kept. One-way glass and noise reduction and so forth could go a long way towards these goals. I think an innovation in this area could really change the game for the better.
 
Something I have never seen, but that I think would work well and look amazing/v immersive would be flying birds over large exhibits.

Essentially a long form free flight show but with the birds flown over paddocks of hoofstock.
 
Rotational exhibits:

Many city zoos have decreased the number of species held in favour of providing those remaining with larger exhibits; while others are achieving the same outcome via efficient use of space e.g. rotational exhibits.

Perth Zoo is planning a system which will see tigers, bears, orangutans and gibbons rotate through a series of exhibits. Aside from being space efficient, it will be hugely enriching for all species involved as no two days will be the same.

See Page 3 for more info:

https://perthzoo.wa.gov.au/perthzoowebsite/media/perthzoo/7111-Master-Plan-2018_V19_web.pdf
 
Rotational exhibits:

Many city zoos have decreased the number of species held in favour of providing those remaining with larger exhibits; while others are achieving the same outcome via efficient use of space e.g. rotational exhibits.

Perth Zoo is planning a system which will see tigers, bears, orangutans and gibbons rotate through a series of exhibits. Aside from being space efficient, it will be hugely enriching for all species involved as no two days will be the same.

See Page 3 for more info:

https://perthzoo.wa.gov.au/perthzoowebsite/media/perthzoo/7111-Master-Plan-2018_V19_web.pdf
Sounds similar to the Islands exhibit at Louisville which also rotates tigers, orangutans, and gibbons, with babirusa and tapir instead of bears.

Rotation definitely has the potential to allow for smaller collections to display more species, but I though it was less of a 'recent' concept. I know Denver has used it to amazing effect across multiple major displays though.
 
Rotational exhibits:

Many city zoos have decreased the number of species held in favour of providing those remaining with larger exhibits; while others are achieving the same outcome via efficient use of space e.g. rotational exhibits.

Perth Zoo is planning a system which will see tigers, bears, orangutans and gibbons rotate through a series of exhibits. Aside from being space efficient, it will be hugely enriching for all species involved as no two days will be the same.

See Page 3 for more info:

https://perthzoo.wa.gov.au/perthzoowebsite/media/perthzoo/7111-Master-Plan-2018_V19_web.pdf
Sounds similar to the Islands exhibit at Louisville which also rotates tigers, orangutans, and gibbons, with babirusa and tapir instead of bears.

Rotation definitely has the potential to allow for smaller collections to display more species, but I though it was less of a 'recent' concept. I know Denver has used it to amazing effect across multiple major displays though.
Rotational exhibits can be effective at providing additional stimulation to their inhabitants and make for a more dynamic guest experience, although their effectiveness varies from exhibit to exhibit. The key to a successful rotational exhibit is to make sure the species being rotated all have similar husbandry needs. Some of the most notable exhibit complexes centered around rotation all have a focus on a specific group of species: Elephant Passage at Denver, Primate Canopy Trails at Saint Louis, Big Cat Falls at Philadelphia, etc. Exhibits like Louisville's Islands and Point Defiance's Asian Forest Sanctuary suffer from the fact that the species being rotated are all vastly different and not every enclosure is best-suited for each of them. I'm not all that familiar with Perth, although after reading the page linked above I worry that its future exhibit will have similar issues.
 
Something I have never seen, but that I think would work well and look amazing/v immersive would be flying birds over large exhibits.

Essentially a long form free flight show but with the birds flown over paddocks of hoofstock.
Fully flighted birds like vultures, flamingos, pelicans, or cranes would look neat with savanna animals. Though I could see the costs being prohibitive.
 
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