Creative uses of old enclosures.

They keep the golden jackel (Canis aureus). Who live from France to Vietnam, including most of the indian sub-continent

 

Yeah, I know.

 

It really looks like the mix is working and it is interesting that this is a biogeographically correct mixed-species exhibit too.

 

Wroclaw's Old Bear Castle is good example for such an enclosure.
Build just before the zoo opening in 1864,It is hard to imagine that it was once home of Brown and Polar Bears. It was renovated in1986 and housing interesting collection of Owls nowadays.

 

Thanks for sharing @twilighter !

I really like the way that they have kept this historic building, documented its history in educational displays and repurposed it for a much more suitable animal, the owl.

 

And its a fine piece of architecture too, so I'm glad it wasn't demolished.

 

As to Detroit's, everyone was unhappy when we sent the elephants to a sanctuary but I don't think anyone disputed that we really didn't have room for elephants and given our weather, they had to stay indoors during much of the winter. The exhibit has been expanded and is now part of the white rhino display and they seem to have done a good job with it.

Another reimagined exhibit is the bear den, which is one of the oldest exhibits in the zoo. The side facing east consisted of three pits. They had at the last a Syrian brown bear and a couple of black bears as well as the grizzlies. The other bears were sent to a sanctuary and the three sections were made one, lots of room for the grizzlies to move about.

Detroit Zoo more than doubles space for bears

 

The old location of Zoo Miami, in Miami, Florida, is now open as a botanical garden, where you can still see the remains of some of the old zoo cages. The old zoo was called Crandon Park Zoo and is now called Crandon Park Gardens.

Crandon Park Zoo Ruins

 

The Memphis Zoo’s old Carnivora building was converted into a restaurant, with viewing windows into the white-cheeked gibbon enclosure.

 

Do I want to eat food while I watch gibbons?

Of course I do!

 

Thank you for sharing @The Cassowary.

Now that is a really elegant looking cafe / restaurant

I would really like to have a coffee there and watch the gibbons.

 

Would the Swamp at Brookfield count for this? That used to be their primate house didn't it

 

I don't know, what is "the swamp" ?

In this thread it is mainly about old historic enclosures that have been repurposed for either art / museums / educational displays or recreational facilities.

 

The Swamp used to be Brookfield's primate house, now it's a building themed around wooded wetlands across the world. Most of the animals there are birds and herps but also has some cool mammals, fish and arthropods.

 

It sounds like more an old enclosure repurposed as a new thematic enclosure.

 

At the Henry Doorly zoo you can also go in their jungle cafe that overlooks the Lied Jungle's Gibbon Habitat, Last year It was very cool to see the gibbon mother and baby swing through the trees while I ate my sandwich.

 

It's not in a zoo, but Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens in Akron, OH turned their stables in the old carriage house into a sit down restaurant called Molly's Cafe named after one of the horses that lived there back in the day. I've been there, really nice place to visit!

 

Pretty cool @Sarus Crane , thanks for sharing !

 

Lincoln Park Zoo's old Reptile House was closed in the early-90s and converted into a food court. There's actually still historic remnants on the outside, like a fish design on the building's exterior (prior to the Shedd Aquarium being built, the Reptile House was the city's first aquarium).

Their carousel actually used to be an old gift shop that housed koalas (and later lovebirds) around the exterior of the building.

The Primate House used to have an old cage on one side of the building that was originally meant for gorillas. After they moved to the Great Ape House, the cage was converted into an educational piece about what zoos used to be like and how far they'd come. But when the Great Ape House was rebuilt in 2003-2004, the cage was demolished and the area it's in is now for employees only. I've heard that path also leads to an off-exhibit outdoor habitat for the zoo's geriatric chimp troop that lives behind the scenes, but I can't confirm that.

 

Interesting, thanks for sharing @PAKMan !

Do you have any pictures of this by any chance?