Bronx Zoo World of Darkness reopening

ThylacineAlive said:
That would make for a rather poor orangutan exhibit :p ;)

~Thylo
Click to expand...
Of course they would have to completely gut it out and repurpose it.
If you recall the interior of the former, “Lion House” prior to its transformation into “Madagascar” there were rows of cells augmented by large out door cages on the North and South end of the building with small cells between them.
This is completely gone.
The “Monkey House” could be gutted and , of course, expanded with the current structure serving as the indoor holding facility for Orangutan and augmented with large , outdoor enclosure - similar to Indianapolis and Hamburg that would occupy the Astor Court common that currently exists between Madagascar and the disused “Monkey House”
The building would certainly provide enough space for Orangutan.
Have you seen the current -off exhibit space - that holds lions, gorillas and Geladas at the zoo?
Not cosmetically attractive to the public but there no less
 
Don Majeski said:
Of course they would have to completely gut it out and repurpose it.
If you recall the interior of the former, “Lion House” prior to its transformation into “Madagascar” there were rows of cells augmented by large out door cages on the North and South end of the building with small cells between them.
This is completely gone.
The “Monkey House” could be gutted and , of course, expanded with the current structure serving as the indoor holding facility for Orangutan and augmented with large , outdoor enclosure - similar to Indianapolis and Hamburg that would occupy the Astor Court common that currently exists between Madagascar and the disused “Monkey House”
The building would certainly provide enough space for Orangutan.
Have you seen the current -off exhibit space - that holds lions, gorillas and Geladas at the zoo?
Not cosmetically attractive to the public but there no less
Click to expand...

Isn't the Monkey House quite a bit smaller than the old Lion House? I know in one interview, they mentioned Pygmy Hippo for that building but I just have a really hard time seeing that space being converted for anything sizable. I know there is a good deal of off-show space there from what was on the public side when it closed, including iirc a whole basement where they at times keep tortoises and small mammals. I just doubt that the space would make for an ideal orangutan habitat. I also cannot see them tearing up the historic Green that's been present for longer than some of those buildings!

~Thylo
 
Don Majeski said:
Of course they would have to completely gut it out and repurpose it.
If you recall the interior of the former, “Lion House” prior to its transformation into “Madagascar” there were rows of cells augmented by large out door cages on the North and South end of the building with small cells between them.
This is completely gone.
The “Monkey House” could be gutted and , of course, expanded with the current structure serving as the indoor holding facility for Orangutan and augmented with large , outdoor enclosure - similar to Indianapolis and Hamburg that would occupy the Astor Court common that currently exists between Madagascar and the disused “Monkey House”
The building would certainly provide enough space for Orangutan.
Have you seen the current -off exhibit space - that holds lions, gorillas and Geladas at the zoo?
Not cosmetically attractive to the public but there no less
Click to expand...
You i
ThylacineAlive said:
Isn't the Monkey House quite a bit smaller than the old Lion House? I know in one interview, they mentioned Pygmy Hippo for that building but I just have a really hard time seeing that space being converted for anything sizable. I know there is a good deal of off-show space there from what was on the public side when it closed, including iirc a whole basement where they at times keep tortoises and small mammals. I just doubt that the space would make for an ideal orangutan habitat. I also cannot see them tearing up the historic Green that's been present for longer than some of those buildings!

~Thylo
Click to expand...
Solely musing . That green should have been used years ago to expand the sea lion habitat - which once included Stellar sea lions.
They could incorporate the East wing of the MH - where there were exterior cages and recently housed Capuchins.
I envision a building with something similar to the Sea Bird aviary
Orangutan like to go up - and there is plenty of room for that
 
Don Majeski said:
You i

Solely musing . That green should have been used years ago to expand the sea lion habitat - which once included Stellar sea lions.
They could incorporate the East wing of the MH - where there were exterior cages and recently housed Capuchins.
I envision a building with something similar to the Sea Bird aviary
Orangutan like to go up - and there is plenty of room for that
Click to expand...
Do you recall when Madagascar was to have been the “Flooded Forest” with giant otters, bush dogs, caiman, ocelot etc in a Neo Tripical rain forest theme?
Where has that gone ? Somewhere along with the plans for the orangutan forest that was to have occupied part of the parking lot adjacent Jungle World
 
StoppableSan said:
I'm just grateful World of Darkness is reopening period. "This nocturnal house which is bucking the trend isn't bucking the trend enough" - I'm not expecting anything earth-shattering by any metric, but I'm glad that an exhibit that was closed during the 2009 recession is reopening.
Click to expand...

I share the same sentiment.

I was 11 years old when the World of Darkness closed, and—because I didn't start visiting the Bronx Zoo regularly (relatively speaking) until 2012—have only the vaguest memories of it. Sometimes I lament my age, having missed out on earlier eras of the Zoo's history and opportunities to have seen particular exhibits and species; up until a couple of months ago, the World of Darkness was a symbol of that sense of loss, its towering, monolithic exterior a monument to Bronx bygones.

Whether it will reopen largely reimagined or mostly retaining its old character (I suspect something like a ~60/40 in favor of the former), whether it ends up blowing us away or being "just fine," I see this as the return of at least a small part of—and a chance for me to experience—the Bronx Zoo of old. And that alone has me very excited.

(Oh, yeah, and I'm sh*tting bricks because A y e - a y e s.)
 
Don Majeski said:
Subsequently , zoos in suburban settings with more land available and development and expansion (ie Omaha , etc) have been able to surpass the Bronx Zoo’s efforts with larger, more expansive exhibits.
Click to expand...

The Bronz Zoo has 265 acres, with a sizeable chunk (the northwest part, the former Rare Animal Range, Gibbon Island, etc.) unused. Omaha has 160 acres.
 
Going back to this quote about what World of Darkness used to entail, I think given the fact that a light renovation + updated graphics is the most likely outcome for the exhibit's reopening, I think there's a fair chance that a lot of these older exhibits would receive a new coat of paint. I'm excited because I genuinely believe/agree with the sentiment that WCS' rockwork is second to none. If they do the same style of lighting that makes Prospect Park's nocturnal habitats work the best out of all the WCS parks, we could have something truly special.
DesertRhino150 said:
Today I took two issues of the International Zoo Yearbook out of my university library for general reading purposes. One of them (the 1975 volume) contains details about the World of Darkness at Bronx Zoo and the Clore Pavilion at London Zoo, with a full species list of the former. I am going to upload the Bronx list here, as the Clore is not entirely a nocturnal house (although I am open to providing this information if it is wanted). I will note down all the species first, with an x indicating if the species has bred in the zoo. I will then include details from the article about the enclosures, including mixed exhibits and former displays. Note the scientific names included below are taken directly from the article, some of them are definitely out of date.

Species List:
Mammals
Brown-eared woolly opossum Caluromys lanatus
Common brush-tailed possum Trichosurus vulpecula x
Sugar glider Petaurus breviceps x
Indian fruit bat Pteropus giganteus x
Fisherman bat Noctilio leporinus rufipes x
Lesser spear-nosed bat Phyllostomus d. discolor x
Lesser long-tongued bat Glossophaga soricina x
Tailless long-tongued bat Anoura geoffroyi x
Short-tailed fruit bat Carollia perspicillata x
Yellow-shouldered bat Sturnira lilium
White-lined bat Vampyrops lineatus
Mexican fruit bat Artibeus jamaicensis x
Great fruit-eating bat Artibeus l. lituratus
Mexican vampire bat Desmodus rotundus murinus
Lesser mouse lemur Microcebus murinus
Slow loris Nycticebus c. counang
Thick-tailed galago Galago crassicaudatus x
Demidoff's galago Galago demidovii x
Dourocouli Aotus trivirgatus
Hoffman's two-toed sloth Choloepus hoffmanni
Nine-banded armadillo Dasypus novemcinctus
Desert woodrat Neotoma lepida
Degu Octodon degus x
African brush-tailed porcupine Atherurus centralis
Indian crested porcupine Hystrix indica x
Prehensile-tailed porcupine Coendou prehensilis x
Kit fox Vulpes macrotis
Raccoon Procyon lotor x
Striped skunk Mephitis mephitis
Hog-nosed skunk Conepatus mesoleucus
Small-toothed palm civet Arctogalidia trivirgata stigmatica
Leopard cat Felis bengalensis x
Southern tree hyrax Dendrohyrax arboreus
Bay duiker Cephalophus dorsalis x

Birds
White-backed night heron Calherodius leuconotus
White-throated bat falcon Falco ruficularis ruficularis
Eastern screech owl Otus asio acadius
Saw-whet owl Aegolius a. acadicus
Tawny frogmouth Podargus s. strigoides

Reptiles
South American caiman Caiman crocodilus
Boa constrictor Boa constrictor
Bullsnake Pituophis melanoleucus sayi

Amphibians
Cane toad Bufo marina

Some exhibit notes:
- Two identical enclosures were originally included, both housing chipmunks and flying squirrels; one was lit diurnally with the chipmunks active and the squirrels viewable sleeping in a hollow tree and the other portrayed nocturnally with the squirrels active and the chipmunks visible sleeping in a cross-section burrow. The exhibit was discontinued as the reflections from the lit exhibit made seeing into the nocturnal enclosure too difficult.
- A North American cave exhibit housing insectivorous bats, blind cave fish and cave salamanders was replaced with the vampire bat exhibit as the cave enclosure had high maintenance demands with little animal activity in the display (the animals in the American cave exhibit all survived well).
- Sand boas Eryx johnii were originally used to exemplify nocturnal burrowers but were replaced by the degus as the boas tended to stay buried in the sand.
- An African forest display housed together the bay duikers, thick-tailed galagos, brush-tailed porcupines and tree hyrax.
- A swamp exhibit was designed to make it appear that the caiman, raccoons and striped skunks shared an exhibit. The caiman were separated from the mammals behind by a pane of glass that was invisible under low light - the raccoons and skunks were raised together and so were completely compatible.
- The largest exhibit in the house was a South American forest display housing the six species of Neotropical fruit bats, two species of nectar-feeding bats, two-toed sloths and striped skunks (the latter species was apparently habituated to eating mice and kept in several exhibits as biological rodent control, to little success). Originally coypu and agouti were also included in this display but were removed as they were too destructive to the exhibit. To help visitors view the bats closer, there was a cross-section of a hollow tree display included in this exhibit.
Click to expand...
I think there may be ways in which the exhibits chronicled here may be recontextualized with the species that we know of.
- I'm unsure what eventually became of the diurnal/nocturnal squirrel and chipmunk enclosure before World of Darkness' closure in 2009, but if there's a way that that habitat can be resurrected, that could be incredible.
- Vampire bats are an easy acquisition given the number of zoos in the US that are building up different colonies; Cincinnati's got the largest colony of vampire bats and has been distributing some to different zoos for management purposes.
- I can believe that Bronx Zoo can move a group of degus from Mouse House to World of Darkness, Bronx isn't a stranger to having repeat exhibits throughout the park.
- I think the old African forest display may be where Bronx Zoo decides to have the new aye-aye exhibit. As much as I'd love to see duikers in a nocturnal setup once more, and even though there is a push for more zoos to join the Blue Duiker SSP, the old African forest display may make more sense as a dedicated aye-aye exhibit given their being the fountainhead of the new World of Darkness.
- The swamp exhibit's a safe bet to be brought back to its original glory, especially given that caimans were teased in Bronx Zoo's announcement.
- I'm excited the most for the South American forest display. If the sloths were compatible with neotropical fruit bats back then, there's no reason for that not to happen again. I figure the collection will be much more limited to start, but I'd be genuinely excited (even more excited than I already am) if they get to Omaha levels with the bats.

As far as other species I'd love to see eventually transferred to World of Darkness, I hope that there's enough room to move the kiwi and tawny frogmouth over from Aquatic Bird House, but if these were the only galleries within World of Darkness, I'm not holding my breath. Regardless, I stand by the fact that with World of Darkness reopening alongside the existing nocturnal habitats in Bronx Zoo, they'd have the most extraordinary nocturnal collection on the East Coast.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
StoppableSan said:
Going back to this quote about what World of Darkness used to entail, I think given the fact that a light renovation + updated graphics is the most likely outcome for the exhibit's reopening, I think there's a fair chance that a lot of these older exhibits would receive a new coat of paint. I'm excited because I genuinely believe/agree with the sentiment that WCS' rockwork is second to none. If they do the same style of lighting that makes Prospect Park's nocturnal habitats work the best out of all the WCS parks, we could have something truly special.

I think there may be ways in which the exhibits chronicled here may be recontextualized with the species that we know of.
- I'm unsure what eventually became of the diurnal/nocturnal squirrel and chipmunk enclosure before World of Darkness' closure in 2009, but if there's a way that that habitat can be resurrected, that could be incredible.
- Vampire bats are an easy acquisition given the number of zoos in the US that are building up different colonies; Cincinnati's got the largest colony of vampire bats and has been distributing some to different zoos for management purposes.
- I can believe that Bronx Zoo can move a group of degus from Mouse House to World of Darkness, Bronx isn't a stranger to having repeat exhibits throughout the park.
- I think the old African forest display may be where Bronx Zoo decides to have the new aye-aye exhibit. As much as I'd love to see duikers in a nocturnal setup once more, and even though there is a push for more zoos to join the Blue Duiker SSP, the old African forest display may make more sense as a dedicated aye-aye exhibit given their being the fountainhead of the new World of Darkness.
- The swamp exhibit's a safe bet to be brought back to its original glory, especially given that caimans were teased in Bronx Zoo's announcement.
- I'm excited the most for the South American forest display. If the sloths were compatible with neotropical fruit bats back then, there's no reason for that not to happen again. I figure the collection will be much more limited to start, but I'd be genuinely excited (even more excited than I already am) if they get to Omaha levels with the bats.

As far as other species I'd love to see eventually transferred to World of Darkness, I hope that there's enough room to move the kiwi and tawny frogmouth over from Aquatic Bird House, but if these were the only galleries within World of Darkness, I'm not holding my breath. Regardless, I stand by the fact that with World of Darkness reopening alongside the existing nocturnal habitats in Bronx Zoo, they'd have the most extraordinary nocturnal collection on the East Coast.
Click to expand...
This is the kind of thoughtful, detailed analysis I was hoping we'd see in this kind of thread. I suspect you're correct about the Aye-aye, and seconded on the Kiwi being moved over as well.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
ZooElephantMan said:
I’m really hoping for night monkeys.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure about the population as it appears to be one where AZA and non-accredited zoos (Hemker Park) somewhat cooperate, but in terms of compatibility, it seems very possible. Night monkeys have been mixed with sloth, Brazilian porcupine, and armadillo at both Omaha and Birmingham, UK, so it would be an easy mix to duplicate here as these are mostly available species and share a similar habitat. I know a sloth/bat mix has also been mentioned as a possibility though and I'm not sure they could fit with the monkeys?

PercideRolo said:
pangolin would be nice addition. hope they do not put large species like aardvark in small tank
Click to expand...
Pangolin are more possible than it sounds, as Brookfield has multiple behind the scenes and is looking for partners. The population has contracted from previous attempts to expand and seems relatively difficult to maintain, but if any zoo could pull it off, Bronx could, so it's really just a question of interest and money.
 
Blue light seems to be particularly bad for the welfare of nocturnal animals (everything I've seen suggests that it isn't great for humans either) - there was research done in American zoos on primates in nocturnal houses that showed that they were much more active under red than blue light, and the hormones that control sleep were also higher under red than blue light.
 
Mary said:
Just wanted to say this very well could have just been concept art and nothing more in the early stages of planning!
Click to expand...
Sorry, probably should have worded that better. But I’d expect them to appear as the others you mentioned have been confirmed. Is it just Memphis and Buttonwood Park that have them?
 
USZOOfan42 said:
Sorry, probably should have worded that better. But I’d expect them to appear as the others you mentioned have been confirmed. Is it just Memphis and Buttonwood Park that have them?
Click to expand...
Audubon and Buttonwood both have Nancy Ma's night monkeys, Memphis has Northern owl monkeys, and Azara's night monkeys (no subspecific status) are held by Hemker Park Zoo and Brights Zoo according to Zootierliste.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top