Visiting the zoo has long been one of America’s favorite summer pastimes, and zoos around the country are investing millions of dollars to improve habitats to meet modern zoological standards and make visits more enjoyable for guests and residents. So what exhibits are getting an upgrade? And what does it cost to create suitable environments for our favorite wild animals?
At BuildZoom, we used our National Permit Database to glimpse into what it takes to build new homes for the VIP residents at the zoos — from elephants to hyenas, tigers and many creatures in between! We pulled together some of the most interesting upgrades for you!
1. Fort Worth Zoo is Building an Elephant Oasis for a Three-Generational Pachyderm Family
In 2016, the Fort Worth Zoo committed to raising $100 million to revamp entire sections of the zoo. The plan, dubbed “A Wilder Vision” and funded by private donors, will improve a number of exotic exhibits. For example, in June, the city of Fort Worth received permits applications valued at nearly $8 million to overhaul “Elephant Springs,” the zoo’s home to America’s beloved pachyderms.
Using details from the permits, we are able to learn exactly what comprises a home remodel for a three-generation family of elephants–and its next door neighbors, the greater one-horned rhino, including Asha, a one-horned rhino calf born in 2012.
Permits were filed for a $3.5 million house for veterinarian equipment, including a life support set up to help ailing elephants, a $2.1 million elephant barn (from 2016), more than $800,000 in guest facilities, including a viewing structure and restrooms, and $923,000 on waterfalls, viewing areas, and off-exhibit structures. The new space will enable zookeepers to triple the size of the herd and will include a $500,000 pool containing 500,000 gallons of water, nearly the volume in a ten-lane Olympic swimming pool. The permits only cover new buildings and structures for the habitat and exclude the cost of specialized equipment and land value.
You can see more permit details for the Fort Worth Zoo here.
2. Zoo Boise is Going to the Dogs With Huge “Wild Dogs of Africa” Addition
Zoo Boise has undergone a fair share of changes since its 1916 opening, when its residents were limited to an eclectic mix of exotic birds and an escaped circus chimp. Now the zoo features a diverse collection of exotic residents, including giraffes, monkeys and ocelots.
This past April, Zoo Boise broke ground on a 2.5 acre Gorongosa National Park exhibit, as part of its Zoo with a New View Capital Campaign, designed to exhibit animals that might be seen on a Mozambique safari. Following destruction of the original Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique during periods of war, Zoo Boise is partnering to restore the original park and support local communities.
The exhibit will feature wild African dogs, baboons, Nile crocodiles, vervet monkeys, otters, hyenas, saddle-billed storks, warthogs, nyala, and southern ground hornbills. As of April 2018, the initiative had raised more than $8.9 million.
Hyena and Wild Dog Exhibit
In April, the city of Boise issued Zoo Boise permits worth $743,000 to build two conjoined exhibits for spotted hyenas and African wild dogs. The exhibit is the largest addition within the Gorongosa development, with 8,500 square feet for the wild dogs — about the size of two basketball courts — and 6,500 square feet for the hyenas. The enclosures are connected by a 1,200-square-foot holding area. According to the plans, the exhibit is ringed by a viewing walkway and will feature an indoor animal exhibit and a children’s playground next door, allowing children to play safely near – but definitely not with! – the exotic dogs.
The exhibit plans reveal some shade structures and rocky outcroppings with some foliage, mimicking the natural environment of Gorongosa National Park.
Other Home Renovations at Zoo Boise
Besides prime digs for the primal diggers, Zoo Boise is building enriched environments for other residents. According to permits issued this year, the zoo has spent about $400,000 on an 840-square-foot house and yard for the nyalas, new aviaries for the sarus cranes and ground hornbills, a 280-square-foot Lion House with a viewing platform on its roof and interior zebra barn improvements.
You can see more permit details for Zoo Boise here.
3. Up Close and Personal with Tigers and Giraffes at Lincoln Children’s Zoo
The Lincoln Children’s Zoo in Nebraska is undergoing its largest expansion to date and is expecting to complete its “Love Your Zoo” campaign and expansion by 2019. The zoo is planning additions to four new interactive areas, including “a world-class giraffe feeding experience, an up-close tiger encounter, an indoor adventure where children will climb with monkeys and a plaza with a splash stream.”
And they really mean it! According to the nearly $9 million in recently-issued permits for the tiger exhibit, the zoo is planning a new education and conservation facility built into the highly interactive tiger exhibit. According to the renderings for the project, pictured below, guests can get inside of a Jeep with a resident tiger with just a few centimeters of glass between the daring drivers and their front-seat feline companions.
The giraffe exhibit is even more immersive. In late 2017, the city of Lincoln issued permits worth $205,000 to build a giraffe barn. According to the renderings for this area, curious giraffes can stick their heads under the awnings and eat lettuce snacks right out of the hands of willing guests! Like the successful Houston Zoo and San Diego Zoo giraffe-feeding exhibits, this new feature will likely be a popular photo op!
You can see more permit details for the Lincoln Zoo here.
4. Oakland Zoo’s 56-acre “California Trail” Expansion
After many years of planning and construction, the Oakland Zoo has finally opened its California Trail Exhibit last month, more than doubling its size from 45 acres to 100 acres. The new exhibit features eight animal species from California’s current and past wildlife, and emphasizes ecological preservation in the new educational center, named the California Conservation Habitarium.
Permits show how much each of the homes for the new inhabitants cost to build. Nearly $1.7 million went into the grizzly bear exhibit, including $680,000 for structure for housing the bears, and more than $1 million on a pool and viewing structure for attendees.
The black bears will be housed in a $380,000 structure made of shotcrete walls, while the bison exhibit includes a new $260,000 holding area. Our nation’s iconic bird, the American Bald Eagle, can expect a $160,000 new home.
The condor and jaguar pavilion, along with the wolves exhibit, are estimated to have cost at least $1.4 million and will include an elevated pedestrian walkway for a chance to see the animals from a new vantage point.
The California Trail exhibit can be accessed from the main zoo by a free 4-minute gondola, which along with the new visitor center, conference center, and restaurant which pulled over $5.1 million in permits.
You can see more permit details for the Oakland Zoo here.
Conclusion:
Zoo exhibits have traditionally been more human-centric, but in recent decades, new studies and findings about the intelligence of animals, as well as an increasing awareness of animal rights, have encouraged zoos to reconsider the design of animal habitats and the overall experience it offers to attendees. The goal for many zoos has expanded from entertainment to include a stronger focus on education and conservation, and many exhibits continue to be upgraded to more closely resemble each animal’s natural habitat. Zoos are also creating more guest-friendly offerings by building immersive experiences for their attendees, which can involve feeding the animals or viewing them from different vantage points. Zoo Boise, Forth Worth Zoo, Lincoln Children’s Zoo, and the Oakland Zoo are just a few of the many US zoos investing millions into improving their facilities for both guests and residents.
Notes:
If you’d like more information about the permits, please send us an email at [email protected].
Please note that permit valuations are pre-construction estimates and may not reflect final costs.
Leave a Reply