Zoos Within Zoos

[Philipine eagle]

Very much so. In fact Bush was built specifically to create a winter destination within the Zoo, and included a large restaurant for that purpose. It succeeded beyond expectations, and resulted in a massive increase in visitation. Many of these visitors never visit other parts of the zoo.

Why would someone visit only one part of a zoo? Except for local & very regular visitors, this makes no sense. I've been more than 30 times to this fantastic zoo, on many occasions with lot's of other people, and I never restricted my visit to the Bush (or to the eco displays in general) alone, neither did any of my fellow visitors.

 

[MRJ]

Why would someone visit only one part of a zoo? Except for local & very regular visitors, this makes no sense. I've been more than 30 times to this fantastic zoo, on many occasions with lot's of other people, and I never restricted my visit to the Bush (or to the eco displays in general) alone, neither did any of my fellow visitors.

For a start, you and everybody else on this site are zoo nerds.

We are talking winter visitors who are looking for a day out in comfort. Many are from cities and towns that have zoos they are more than happy to visit in summer, but avoid over winter. Some are "zoo-dubious" who see Bush and the more recent developments as not really zoos as they know them. At least this is how it was explained to me by the senior curator who showed me around, and this was very much the business case for subsequently building Desert and Reef.

I must admit I visited over 20 years ago, and went primarily to see Bush. Desert had not been open for very long, and Reef was under construction. We also looked at the original Mangrove House, which was built as "proof of concept". We were there in late Autumn, and I have to say once we had seen these exhibits, and given the weather, cold and gray, the small amount we saw of the rest of the zoo did not encourage us to explore further.

 

[Gondwana]

For a start, you and everybody else on this site are zoo nerds.

We are talking winter visitors who are looking for a day out in comfort. Many are from cities and towns that have zoos they are more than happy to visit in summer, but avoid over winter. Some are "zoo-dubious" who see Bush and the more recent developments as not really zoos as they know them. At least this is how it was explained to me by the senior curator who showed me around, and this was very much the business case for subsequently building Desert and Reef.

I must admit I visited over 20 years ago, and went primarily to see Bush. Desert had not been open for very long, and Reef was under construction. We also looked at the original Mangrove House, which was built as "proof of concept". We were there in late Autumn, and I have to say once we had seen these exhibits, and given the weather, cold and gray, the small amount we saw of the rest of the zoo did not encourage us to explore further.

In North America the Minnesota, Omaha, and Toronto Zoos all have similar setups, with multiple large indoor pavillion-style exhibits clustered near the entrance that facilitate winter visits without long outdoor walks. I recall visiting the Minnesota Zoo once when the temperature was about 5 degrees Farenheit/-15 degrees Celsius. I think the outdoor exhibits were actually closed but there were still a fair number of visitors in the main building, which has tropics and marine pavillions, plus a few additional exhibits, bird show amphitheater, restaurant, and gift shop.

Some zoos also employ the "place the famous thing at the front" tactic, for example the panda complex at the Beijing Zoo. The expectation being that foreign visitors will pay admission, check off their panda photo, and immediately leave.

 

[Philipine eagle]

For a start, you and everybody else on this site are zoo nerds.

We are talking winter visitors who are looking for a day out in comfort. Many are from cities and towns that have zoos they are more than happy to visit in summer, but avoid over winter. Some are "zoo-dubious" who see Bush and the more recent developments as not really zoos as they know them. At least this is how it was explained to me by the senior curator who showed me around, and this was very much the business case for subsequently building Desert and Reef.

I must admit I visited over 20 years ago, and went primarily to see Bush. Desert had not been open for very long, and Reef was under construction. We also looked at the original Mangrove House, which was built as "proof of concept". We were there in late Autumn, and I have to say once we had seen these exhibits, and given the weather, cold and gray, the small amount we saw of the rest of the zoo did not encourage us to explore further.

You're absolutely right, I'm a zoo nerd

However, none of the many people I took with me on a Burgers' Zoo visit were only interested in the Bush. All of them were desperate to see the savanna exhibits, de great apes and the wolf wood (which is now gone). Birdhouse and Mangrove house took less attention, but were mandatory included by me

I agree, in winter times most people stay in the eco displays; but only a minor percentage of the visitors come in winter.

 

[birdsandbats]

In North America the Minnesota, Omaha, and Toronto Zoos all have similar setups, with multiple large indoor pavillion-style exhibits clustered near the entrance that facilitate winter visits without long outdoor walks. I recall visiting the Minnesota Zoo once when the temperature was about 5 degrees Farenheit/-15 degrees Celsius. I think the outdoor exhibits were actually closed but there were still a fair number of visitors in the main building, which has tropics and marine pavillions, plus a few additional exhibits, bird show amphitheater, restaurant, and gift shop.

Some zoos also employ the "place the famous thing at the front" tactic, for example the panda complex at the Beijing Zoo. The expectation being that foreign visitors will pay admission, check off their panda photo, and immediately leave.

For Minnesota, I actually think winter visits are more enjoyable. The indoor areas are large, you avoid the crowds, and almost all the outdoor animals are still visible and quite active during this time. The outdoor exhibits at Minnesota do not close in the winter (except for the farm and the butterfly house), all of the outdoor animals are species that handle the Minnesota climate well.

 

[Tiger]

I think the Ocenium in the Rotterdam Zoo and The Last Frontier in Pairi Daiza would be worth seeing without the rest of the zoo.

 

[MRJ]

I agree, in winter times most people stay in the eco displays; but only a minor percentage of the visitors come in winter.

Which is why Bush was built. It was not built for visitors like you. Rather it was built to encourage a new group of visitors, who would visit in an off-peak period. In doing this, I was told, it was very successful, and as such boosted Burger's finances.