This exciting news deserves its own thread, rather than being part of at least two other general news threads. In 2008, voters across the Portland metropolitan region supported a $125 million bond for Oregon Zoo improvements: Metro: The new vision at the Oregon Zoo Site plan for 6-acre Asian elephant exhibit (the zoo also wants a 140-acre off-site area for elephants): http://library.oregonmetro.gov/editor/zoo_elephant_site_ws5_900.jpg Site plan for polar bear exhibit: http://library.oregonmetro.gov/editor/zoo_polar_bear_site_concept_ws5_900.jpg Site plan for primate habitats (Red Ape Reserve will remain while the rest of the 1959 primate building will be demolished): http://library.oregonmetro.gov/editor/zoo_primate_site_ws5_900.jpg Site plan for African zone: http://library.oregonmetro.gov/editor/zoo_africa_site_ws5_900.jpg
- I love the plan for the elephant exhibit it has a ton of space for them. - Im not a fan of the polar bear exhibit plan as it is very cramped and not to much space.
At around 30,000 square feet this would be among the largest polar bear exhibits in the US, if not the largest. And clearly there is a lot of thought being put into providing enrichment and environmental variety, which is more important than raw space alone.
The elephant exhibit excites me most of all! Is the jungle hall going to be a massive naturalistic indoor viewing area!?!?! AMAZING. The thing that confuses me is the TINY cow holding above the meadow, while the giant barn is connected to jungle hall.
No reason to think the indoor space will be naturalistic--big, yes, but I doubt it will even attempt to be more than what it is--a roomy, warm, light-filled, soft-substrate group holding area. I too wondered about the "Asian cow holding." I'm guessing it might be for water buffalo or domestic cows, as a way to do a mixed species exhibit focusing on the human/elephant cultural storyline. It's way too small for elephants.
Detroit's "Arctic Ring of Life" exhibit has Tundra and Pack Ice enclosures for polar bears, and each are around 30,000 square feet in size. There seems to be a general consensus that Detroit has the best polar bear exhibit in the United States, and the underwater tunnel is the crown jewel of the multi-acre complex: ZooLex Exhibit Oregon's future plans all appear to be outstanding, and the latest press release has the zoo undecided on where the 100-200 acre off-site elephant breeding park will be.
Where will the black rhino be sited in the Africa re-development plans (they are not a species well integratable into multi-mixed species exhibits)? Overall, some pretty fine plans ahead!
I believe that these are all simply concept plans. Useful for showing to the media and donors. The actual exhibits may not resemble these at all. Or they might be similar. Don't get too invested in the details you see here, except for your own amusement.
