Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Cleveland Metroparks Zoo News 2020

I think it's relevant to mention how low-key many of these exhibits were from a fundraising perspective. Excluding AEC and the Steffee Center, that's at least $15.9 million in a decade without any public fundraising campaigns. There was never an announcement that funds were being raised for any of these exhibits - they were announced and constructed.

That leads me to the assumption that they know they can successfully undertake a major campaign over a longer period. They clearly aren't worried about losing future contributions with these smaller improvements. To me, there's clearly been a lot of strategy and thought behind this from a financial perspective.

Whatever they're doing, its working.

 

From Facebook:

It is with heavy hearts that we announce that Kera Wak, the orangutan, gave birth to a baby this week but it did not survive.

Kera has been a tremendous mother to Merah, now 5, and we had been closely monitoring her for the past several months since we first identified she was pregnant. Unfortunately, the baby did not show any signs of life immediately following birth.

Our veterinarians and biologists continue to monitor Kera’s health and so far she seems to have no ill effects from the birth.

Bornean orangutans are critically endangered and their populations are declining. Please consider reading more here how you can help make a difference for their population. (Make A Difference | Cleveland Metroparks)

While the Zoo is currently closed, our Zoo team continues to do everything we can every day to care for the animals. We thank everyone for your support and we will continue to provide updates on all our animals here at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.

 

Another female reindeer was born at the zoo.

 

Potential projects for Cleveland Metroparks:

https://www.clevelandmetroparks.com...for-Accelerated-Implementation-Final.pdf.ashx

 

The tropical bear exhibit looks promising, as does the elephant night range! It's a shame that the zoo is somewhat doing away with moats for the bears, seeing as they have the land to expand, but if it means more traversible area, I'm all for it! As for the night range, are there going to be attempts to make it somewhat naturalistic?

 

The night range looks to be a simple structure built to enclose the preexisting off exhibit yard. I doubt it will be anything fancy but it will almost double their internal space, which will be important in cold months.

 

Now that I think back whenever I've caught glimpses of the elephants in the existing night range, they always hug the edge of the building and stay on the concrete under the canopies. If I had to guess, the elephants aren't using the entire space and fully enclosing it would make them more apt to do so. But it's just a guess. Either way, it's never been a public exhibit so I doubt they'd add any naturalization.

I find the cheetah exhibit most intriguing, mostly because of the placement. It would contradict what I've heard in the recent past - that they were planning to effectively shut down the upper portion of the zoo, including PC&A. This new design seems almost intimately integrated with the structure. And if they're going to add that level of development to this spot, it makes sense to keep investing in PC&A and the entire area.

Also, the zipline starts at the Metroparks administration building? That has some potentially interesting implications . . .

 

I assume the "night range" is off exhibit. Perhaps not, of course.
What do you mean by "naturalistic"? No reason for faux trees or cliff banks in a back of house range. No chance of grass in such a building (not with elephants). So what are you envisioning?

 

The cheetah habitat will cost around $750,000. Tropical bears will cost around $6 million. The night yard around $3 million. The zip line around $500,000. I listened to the audio of the meeting.

 

@Zooplantman I envisioned for something akin to JungleWorld as per the renderings displaying this as a dayroom for the elephants in addition to the on-view stalls. Basically JungleWorld for elephants (if that makes sense) With that said, I do see drawbacks in the sense of not providing enough reversible area for the elephants and being more for the guests' benefits. However, the psychological benefits of chlorophyll along with the natural UV rays from the sun as per the windows in the rendering could potentially provide benefits as well as provide a context as to the African forest elephant for guests (with the bush elephants being a stand-in, much like the Alaskan brown bears at the Minnesota Zoo standing in for Kamchatka brown bears, or California sea lions standing in for Galapagos sea lions.)

 

Not cheap, but relatively inexpensive. I enjoy seeing this zoo update with new leopard, tiger and rhino exhibits that are great for their inhabitants, while keeping costs lower than many other zoos. Its good to see this trend continuing.

 

Don't put too much stock in the illustrations: they are utilitarian visual exhibits to convey the scale of project imagined. Neither this (nor the rain forest expansion) have been designed.
I don't doubt that, when built, it will have a large ETFE roof (like Zurich) to let in maximum light. But whether it is a "night holding" or indoor winter viewing for visitors will determine what the interior looks like.

 

If this plan does come to light, could it mean a refurbishment of PCA in the future?

 

How so? What concept could incorporate cheetahs (an African species, when the zoo has an African savanna section already)?

 

If this plan is to be taken 100% at face value, they'd need to refurbish at least part of the building for the indoor cheetah holding and all the associated facilities, and based on CMZ's current trajectory that would mean redoing an existing space adjacent to the new exhibit before building an entirely new structure.

I'd be very surprised if there was anything like a structured plan for PC&A's future - more a list of desires and realities. And - again knowing CMZ's history - whatever plan they have now will probably be thrown out or completely revamped in the next few years.

 

Rhino construction update:

https://www.clevelandzoosociety.org...378309842&mc_cid=755eba41e0&mc_eid=f0ecead2c2

 

The cheetah exhibit would signal what seems to be different thinking up the hill. From the link they want to add a gorilla exhibit to the rainforest still, which would mean their moving away from the PCA. $750k isn't nothing for the cheetahs and I agree with what was said that it could easily change. They had publicly announced moving the cheetahs down to the Savannah section just a few years ago. Ultimately, I'm not sure what worth the PCA has, it is difficult to get to, needs major renovation and while giving the cheetahs an expanded habitat is great, they are out of place up there. I liked the plan from a couple of years ago to put them down on the other side of Monkey Island, not sure it is big enough though. The zipline is cool and I'm sure another part of the alternative funding strategy (4d theater, carousel). I suppose if running it from the administrative building down the hill is the plan, then it would also mean they are still very interested in having things up there, which could explain some of the cheetah thinking. I like the idea of using the Zoo's topography to their advantage with that, I think often they see it as a problem to work around, the zipline would use it.

 

The older of the two male Siberian tigers, Klechka, died of cancer at 16 years old. CMZ confirmed it in a Facebook post:

Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

Sad indeed. I have very fond memories of this particular tiger. Very photogenic and kept himself visible and photogenic.

 

The Zoo reopens this week, but the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Daniel Maltz Rhino Reserve is happening this morning, June 9th.

 

If PCA was turned into a Madagascar/Indian Ocean complex of habitats to complement the Australian zone that CMZ has, complete with a highly accurate recreation of a spiny forest, deciduous open gallery forest and rainforest (along with maintaining a nocturnal section for aye-ayes, fossa, tenrecs, etc.) *for Madagascar*, and as for an Indian Ocean environment, maybe some exhibits replicating reefs, open ocean, etc. leading to Papua, New Guinea (incorporating the deckwalk and eventually the Australian zone of the zoo as well) I can see a legitimately bright future that honors the ambition that PCA originally had and maintains that idea through a new message of biodiversity.