A male Sumatran orangutan named Bernas arrived from Zoo Atlanta. Denver Zoo welcomes Sumatran orangutan to its primate exhibit - The Denver Post
Master Plan Projects | Denver Zoo Masterplan Link to details, concepts and opportunity to vote on potential new complexes. Looks like CLR Designs work of reworking previously done exhibits at other Zoos. Nothing too exciting. Typical African Savanna w/ restaurant. Imaginary Polar Bears. Crossing bridges like in TEP and Hogle and Philadelphia Zoos. Tired of the Savanna explosion. At least if it happens, it won't be a disgrace like Cincinnati's.
Thanks for posting the Master Plan link. I've looked it over and there are certainly some exciting sections and some more generic areas. I'm a major fan of Denver Zoo and of the 250 different zoos/aquariums that I've visited over the years I'd place it in America's top 10. Primate Panorama, Toyota Elephant Passage, Tropical Discovery and Predator Ridge are all excellent, as are the hoofstock fields, the animal collection, the huge gift shop and impressive entrance. Here are a few more bits and bobs: - I love the prairie dog mini-bridges...great idea! - We cannot forget that this is all early conceptual stuff and much of it might never see the light of day - I'll miss the hoofstock yards that are currently there if an African Savanna becomes a reality - The Coastal region of the zoo gets a thumbs-up from me but surely grizzly bears will have to substitute for polar bears - The highlight of the Master Plan is the Asian Highlands/Asian Predators zone, which will tie in nicely with the adjacent Toyota Elephant Passage to form a long Asian perimeter of the zoo.
They had x amount of space and have packed it tight. The savanna is awkward and has more birds than the typical mammal highlights. I am glad they did not incorporate more mammals. It's too small. Cincy is always quantity > quality. Giraffe is small. I've seen better little league infields. Lion is ok. The moat was a waste of space. The cheetah exhibit is small. Cheetah run is the biggest yard and is used for shows mostly. Dog is good. Should be nice to see the pups. Meerkat is huge! Fine there. Now a playscape, and then a small hippo habitat. Planned poorly. Yes, it is conceptual and may never happen. I like the N. A. peaks to prairie. Just because of Wolverine though. Polar Bears are a touchy subject for me after growing up with one at the Zoo and working with the bear later in life for six years. The African and Asian sections will complement what's already there, yes. The coastal section is awkward, and using more water in a dry-er condition state when there's all that water in TEP. I dislike how they use Polar Bears when the captive population is aged out and will soon be filled by Brown Bears. The Polar exhibit at least has natural substrate in one of the yards. The rage that has been happening in Zoos with Polar Bears is tough. Most new exhibits are small. N. C. Zoos new stream yard is nice. Como, Columbus and Detroit offer plenty of space. Maryland gets a nod for PB Watch as it was before its time. St Louis' new bear is horridly small, much like the ones PGAV have done. It is oddly shaped and a bear can run wall to wall in no time. Henry Vilas, while looking much like GBW at Brookfield, seems nicer. Lincoln Park is working on a Portico disaster. These newer narrow exhibits are boring and may cause the bears to display certain behaviors. Nod to Toledo, for actually making cubs now and then. Buffalo I'm undecided on. The progress looks good and there are two yards for flex. Not sure if they're going Brown Bear too. Oregon after Elephant, is onto Polar Bear. Where will these bears be sourced? Zoos want them, but when you advertise and get money (RWPZ) and don't get bears, the backlash is harsh. It is still happening years later. They finally changed their logo a year or so because of this. In the end, much like you said SL, they will probably end up with Brown Bear. It's a risk that Zoos should not bank on.
1. How neat is that swimming with the bears/seals thing, If that works, I would be a total fan of it, though, I can see it being a mess and crowded with children. 2. Are they doing away completely with the bear grottos and just including a wolverine? 3. I know zoos must accommodate to people, but this seems like way to many people based changes to the zoo, though this will be a long long process and the zoo will continue to evolve! 4. Awesome stuff to look forward to all the way around!
As far as I know, Buffalo Zoo has no intention in bringing brown bears back to the zoo. After their Kodiak and Grizzly bear died, they said they would not bring back brown bears. However, they did house the three grizzly cubs before they went to the Hogle Zoo. With two yards, it gives them enough space to house Anana and Luna separately. I do not think they have any plans to try to exhibit them together. It hasn't been officially announced, but I do think Kali, now in Buffalo, will be at St. Louis for the opening of their exhibit. I'm sad to hear it's small as he already displayed a stereotypical behavior or sucking his paw when he first got to Buffalo. His current exhibit now is not that big and his behavior has stopped, but with the stress of moving and the layout of the new space, who knows. You are also correct there is not enough polar bears to go around! When I heard Oregon and Point Defiance were revamping their exhibits I almost thought what was the point since their bears are quite old. If Anana (other one) leaves North Carolina when Lincoln Park completes their exhibit, that is a zoo with a new exhibit left empty. Also, Louisville has SSP wanting to move their bears to mate with others so that could leave their exhibit empty. The only hope for these zoos is if cubs are born in the next couple of years or when Alaska completes their renovation to house orphaned cubs, we can start getting some more polar bears in the US zoo population.
Glad to hear about Luna and Mom having yards to themselves and no Brown Bears, for now. June 6th is the opening in St Louis, so if he goes it will be soon. The exhibit depth is shallow from viewing areas parallel to train tracks. Bears can't escape the shrills of the crowd. A lot of the newer exhibits steer away from larger pools for the bears. This gives flexibility to add other bears or cats if Polar Bears dwindle. Good. Glacier Run isn't the greatest. Surprised they'd leave them Polar-less. Unless they find a miracle to import Canadian Bears or Alaska gets going, exhibits will soon be empty.
I for one am not impressed with the master plan. Toyota Elephant Passage was a waste of space. The elephant yards are no larger (maybe one) than the original exhibit… Same goes for the tapir exhibit. The flying fox exhibit was designed without any UVB access so now the exhibit contains a hornbill and argus pheasants. The otters have almost no significant value to conservation what so ever and are given a much larger exhibit than the fishing cat. The herp exhibits are awkward and seem to be unsuitable for many of the inhabitants, hence way most originals are gone. And to make it worse, hard to imagine it can, the zoo's recycled water contains to high of a bio-load so every pool is swarming with thick algae. That being said, the new exhibits planned looks very similar to Toyota Elephant Passage. Not only are fewer animals going to be exhibited but the zoo seems to be focusing on the generic animals. This master plan will truly be a reason why people do not need to come to Denver Zoo to see anything special. I know it is just a rough draft, but way to be mainstream! (cliche, I know… but all too true) I also would like to mention that the exhibit about conservation and DZ's efforts to conserve wildlife, is the smallest exhibit planned. :roll eyes: Denver seems to becoming more of a zoo for people rather than a zoo for animals. Which is a shame because I would much rather see a rare species in an average but perfectly acceptable exhibit than a mediocre African Savannah for only three months out of the year.
