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New zoo design blog

Discussion in 'General Zoo Discussion' started by DavidBrown, 27 Oct 2013.

  1. DavidBrown

    DavidBrown Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    A young landscape architect and aspiring zoo designer named Steve Hofhine has started a blog to analyze zoo exhibits from a design perspective. It may be of interest to some of the members of our Zoochat family who are into zoo design.

    The first entry is a critique and tour of the one time "world famous" Topeka Zoo rain forest exhibit.

    Steve Hofhine Design: It's a Jungle In Here, Part I
     
  2. mstickmanp

    mstickmanp Well-Known Member

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    Several new blog posts have been posted since, including a new post from today about the Sedgwick County Zoo's Jungle exhibit.

    Steve Hofhine Design
     
  3. DavidBrown

    DavidBrown Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    California, USA
  4. Buldeo

    Buldeo Well-Known Member

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    I'll bite.

    I fully endorse the idea that your local zoo can't be all things to all people. Whether it's available space, budgetary constraints, or unfavorable weather conditions zoos can't or shouldn't exhibit everything.

    For example, the Bronx Zoo shouldn't be exhibiting elephants of any kind. San Diego probably shouldn't be exhibiting polar bears either, but that's a different topic for a different day.

    That said, while I don't need to see megafauna, I have almost zero interest in seeing animals I can see in my own backyard (with varying degrees of effort) in a zoo setting. Why? Because I can see them outside. For example, I can see California Sea Lions in a semi-natural setting about fifteen minutes from my house. An hour's drive puts them in a completely natural environment, and in another month or so Northern Elephant Seals will begin hauling out by the hundreds for the breeding season. Harbor Seals are also pretty common along the Central Coast.

    Whale migration is annual event of course.

    Inland, I see wild turkeys on almost a daily basis. Squirrels? Of course. I've randomly come across deer while driving, and six hours north of here I am virtually assured of seeing Tule elk (again). Santa Cruz has the annual Monarch butterfly migration.

    To make a long post short: With relatively limited shelf space in zoos do we really want to fill it with local species or are there better ways for municipalities to encourage the local flora and fauna?


    How much blame, if any, can we lay on the AZA's effort to seemingly homogenize U.S. zoos?

    Oh, and every zoo should have tigers. All five remaining sub-species.
     
    Last edited: 10 Oct 2014