HI, my question is: How much does it cost to open a little zoo? Let's say I would start with 15 animals. All of them would be mammals. How much would it cost to build enclosures, feed them? Thanks for answers and sorry for bad English
I suggest we treat this question as more of a project ?Before worrying about animals, food enclosures etc . I suggest we sort out the land first . Where are you having your Zoo ? How big is your zoo going to be ? Are you going to rent the land or better still by it. Before you buy the land then the next question is where ? What is it near towns cities transport etc
Like garyjp says, it's gonna depend on a lot of things. Price to start out even a small zoo will really vary. How big would it be? Where is it? You need a good location if you want to get enough visitors, but land is more expensive in urban areas. Zoning laws will need to allow for a zoo. Assuming you live in the US, different states will have different regulations relating to animals and you might need to spend more money on permits and such. What kinds of animals would you have? Some animals will cost more to buy and maintain. Food costs can be pretty high, especially if you have large carnivores. What is the staff situation like? Certain species would require specialized, experienced handlers. You'll have to figure out vet care, again, costs for that can vary. I don't think small zoos usually have on-site vets. (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong) If there aren't exotic animal vets in your area, you might have to spend more to get them treated since the vet will have to travel far to reach you. In addition to exhibits, you might need other facilities, maintenance and utility costs and such. You'll need a place to store and prepare the food, at least, and a way to shelter the animals if the weather gets bad. If the land you buy already has a building, that could possibly save you some money. Pay for water and electricity, along with insurance. You'll also want to have money set aside for emergencies. Those are the bigger costs. Running a zoo would also have lots of small costs, again, that can vary depending on what you have. You'll have to pay for signage, trash cans, maintaining restrooms, advertising, souvenirs, vending machines, etc. Starting a small zoo will probably cost you tens of thousands of dollars, at the least. Maintaining will also cost at least tens of thousands a year. You're not gonna be able to get a more exact budget until you figure out the details. Your biggest starting costs are going to be buying the land and building the facilities.
OK. lets change the question... What would be the price of building inside and outside enclosures with glass windows for two Lions?
Even this is hard to answer. When it comes to construction, all information is local. What are building costs in Lithuania? What do animal welfare laws and building codes require? Are you building any of it yourself or hiring a contractor? If you could propose the square footage and materials (wood? concrete block?) there are construction calculators you might use. They may not be available in Lithuania, but perhaps in similar areas with similar construction costs? Or else you could look at one in the USA, for example, and then attempt to compare construction costs in general to your local costs. see What is an average commercial building cost per square foot? QuickCalculators
Nobody can answer this without knowing the specification and size of the enclosure and probably a whole lot more.
You're being pedantic. Unless the answer is accompanied with the specification and the size of the enclosure that the answer is based on then the answer is of no use whatsoever, a bit like this thread! However, why doesn't the poster just contact Africa Alive! and ask them what it cost to build their lion enclosure, which is quite good. He could then divide the cost by 5.73 to arrive at the equivalent Lithuanian cost. Simples.
Price for domestic mice: 0,5-3 € (depending on colouration, fancy breed etc.): 1 € (average) € x 15 = 15 € Suitable mouse enclosure: 50 € (prefabricated, used); 30 € (homemade) Feeding, equipment, bedding, heating: 5-10 €/month = 50 - 75 € Name one of the mice "Mr. Jingles" = priceless. If not already available, get yourself two dogs/cats. Price depending on breed and "lion" suitability; leasing might be an economically reasonable alternative. Get two lion wigs: 2 x 15 € Equip dogs/cats with wigs. See exhibit A and B for comparison http://themavesite.com/TMS-Pictures/2011-12/LionDog.jpg http://officeforward.com/main/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/crazy-cat-lion-man-two.jpg = 30 € + leasing fees/maintenance costs Let them look out of your window when required = priceless There are some things money can't buy. For everything else, there's ZooChat...
As others have said, there is some variation, but commercial zoos will generally spend a lot more money than is strictly necessary to keep their public safe and have it be the best possible environment for their animals. In the US where they keep these animals as private pets relatively regularly, I've seen people building mesh enclosures without much furniture for a couple of grand. However, as a zoo you would want to create a display of some kind, allow them to behave naturally and give the visitors something to look at. Looking at zoolex, the most recent house on there is ywp who spent £300,000 for an enclosure for three prides of lions. We can divide that immediately into three, so £100,000, and maybe a little further as £75,000 or so as you only plan to keep a pair. If you genuinely wanted a zoo, you'd probably not start with lions though, or I guess I wouldn't myself. If you started much smaller, raccoons, civets, meerkats, marmosets, those things can have good enclosures built for under a grand, you could do the whole thing including buying land for a comparable price to the above lion enclosure.
