Alberta Flood Watch 2013

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by GoinAllTheWay

And for the city! I'm not really sure how ours stacked up to other zoos around the world but I always thought it was pretty top notch, especially with the work they've put into upgrades over the years.

I really hope they can bounce back, would be a real shame if this lasted long term. Such a great place to spend a hot summer day.

It's probably top ten in North America to be honest. The obvious ones like San Diego, Toronto and Bronx Zoo beat it but Calgary Zoo is a real treasure. One of the things that sets it apart is the Botanical Gardens, that's a real treat.

I hope they can bounce back, I'm sure they will... but this is a tough tough thing for them.

[Bigtime]

Continuing to hear the struggles the zoo is facing day after day post flood is really the crap icing on this cake.

[Rathji]

As much as it is terrible news, I think that is the one building that my kids least liked to visit when we go, so I guess that is one bright spot in that crappy mess.

[WhiteTiger]

I remember this sign from when I was honeymooning in Honolulu...

[Rathji]

nm wrong thread

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by Rathji

As much as it is terrible news, I think that is the one building that my kids least liked to visit when we go, so I guess that is one bright spot in that crappy mess.

That's like the guy who said the bright spot in the Saddledome being effed up was that they had to replace all the old equipment.

It's not a bright spot, all those animals now have to be moved (at short notice) which isn't good for them. It's bad for the Zoo to lose all those animals too that they've worked with for so long. Losing an entire building is just brutal.

Also... my favourites are the Sloths, so... that sucks

[HockeyIlliterate]

The whole zoo matter is pretty discouraging. At the same time, however, perhaps the zoo should use this time (if it isn't already) to do a complete re-evaluation of its program and consider what kind of zoo it wants to be and revamp its entire operations.

I gotta admit, when I first visited the zoo a year or so ago I was shocked that it didn't have any polar bears. I honestly expected a big-city Canadian zoo to have a pretty well known Canadian animal.

Maybe the zoo could refocus its collection and become the go-to destination for Canadian and polar/cold weather animals. Let all the other zoos have the usual gorillas and flamingos and meerkats, and I'm not saying that Calgary shouldn't have a few of them for good measure. But let Calgary have the unparalled collection of artic animals and it will soon become truly synonymous with the great zoos.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by HockeyIlliterate

The whole zoo matter is pretty discouraging. At the same time, however, perhaps the zoo should use this time (if it isn't already) to do a complete re-evaluation of its program and consider what kind of zoo it wants to be and revamp its entire operations.

I gotta admit, when I first visited the zoo a year or so ago I was shocked that it didn't have any polar bears. I honestly expected a big-city Canadian zoo to have a pretty well known Canadian animal.

Maybe the zoo could refocus its collection and become the go-to destination for Canadian and polar/cold weather animals. Let all the other zoos have the usual gorillas and flamingos and meerkats, and I'm not saying that Calgary shouldn't have a few of them for good measure. But let Calgary have the unparalled collection of artic animals and it will soon become truly synonymous with the great zoos.

They used to have polar bears as I recall them when I was young but yeah they haven't had them for a while. I don't know the history of why they no longer have them.

We get zoo passes every year as the kids love it and it's going to be wierd not going to the zoo this summer.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

They used to have polar bears as I recall them when I was young but yeah they haven't had them for a while. I don't know the history of why they no longer have them.

We get zoo passes every year as the kids love it and it's going to be wierd not going to the zoo this summer.

Depression, they were eating prozac popsicles, IIRC

[PsYcNeT]

Polar bears have been deemed incompatible with living in zoos (they literally go insane), and most if not all responsible zoos no longer keep them.

[photon]

Seaworld still has polar bears don't they? Do they just do a better job? Or pre-screen and only capture already insane polar bears?

[MrMastodonFarm]

Polar Bears can be kept in captivity but in recent years it's found that they need to have very well designed habitats for them.

The Calgary Zoo had planned a large arctic exhibit but that was put on the back burner after the economy went in the crapper back in 2008. The only thing that survived those big plans was the Penguin exhibit.

Back in April of this year the Calgary Zoo again announced plans for Polar Bears...but with all the money lost during the flood I bet those plans are once again up in the air.

[Zevo]

The polar bear enclosure was tiny and completely inadequate considering the size of the animals. They need a huge enclosure. They used to pace back and forth and swing their heads from side to side, which everyone thought was cool and liked to watch as they were more engaging than a lot of the big animals that just laid there.

Then they realized that was abnormal behavior and likely due to stress and depression...it really was a tiny enclosure.

They were cool but I'm glad they moved them.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

We get zoo passes every year as the kids love it and it's going to be wierd not going to the zoo this summer.

They're going to open in a tiny way again July 31st. If you have Zoo passes I'd atleast try to get out, see then Penguins, buy a toy or two in support.

Originally Posted by PsYcNeT

and most if not all responsible zoos no longer keep them.

That's not true, at all.

The San Diego and Toronto Zoo's both have Polar Bears. Wildly inaccurate to suggest they are not responsible places.

Originally Posted by Zevo

They were cool but I'm glad they moved them.

The last one died in '99, they made the right call in not bringing in any others and just shutting down the exhibit until they could do it properly.

[GoinAllTheWay]

Originally Posted by Zevo

The polar bear enclosure was tiny and completely inadequate considering the size of the animals. They need a huge enclosure. They used to pace back and forth and swing their heads from side to side, which everyone thought was cool and liked to watch as they were more engaging than a lot of the big animals that just laid there.

Then they realized that was abnormal behavior and likely due to stress and depression...it really was a tiny enclosure.

They were cool but I'm glad they moved them.

The entire arctic enclosure was inadequate. I remember the seals they used to have in there (right beside that big plaque of coins and bits of metal they've removed from seals they caught) and all they had was a roundish type enclosure to swim laps in over and over again. Terrible.

That zoo has come along ways over the years.

[Zevo]

Originally Posted by GoinAllTheWay

The entire arctic enclosure was inadequate. I remember the seals they used to have in there (right beside that big plaque of coins and bits of metal they've removed from seals they caught) and all they had was a roundish type enclosure to swim laps in over and over again. Terrible.

That zoo has come along ways over the years.

Ya, it's been a long time but I vaguely remember that as well. It would be cool if Calgary could eventually get an arctic exhibit, but only if they do it right. If I remember correctly parts of the zoo are done really well with large areas for the tigers and the wolves(North American exhibit?). The days of animals in cages should be over. Vast fenced in areas I think are fine but not cages or enclosures with cement floors.

When I first moved to the coast we went to see the killer whales in Vancouver. It was terribly depressing, I couldn't understand how people could go there and enjoy it. They had no room at all. Tiny, tiny pool. I decided then and there I would never go to an aquarium again. Not sure you can build an exhibit big enough for whales.

[Minnie]

The Tamarins were our favorites. We always called them the Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome monkeys - reminded us of some of the characters in the movie, with their wild heads of hair. We 'babysat' a Squirrel monkey for 6 weeks, for family friends, when I was a kid - always liked seeing those guys too.

I remember the Polar bears and seals from when I was a kid. We used to go every year when I was little and we came down to TV to visit my grandparents. When they talked recently of bringing the Polar bears back, I was kind of excited - brought back a bunch of memories.

Really kind of glad now, that we went to the zoo not even 2 weeks before the flood.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by Zevo

Ya, it's been a long time but I vaguely remember that as well. It would be cool if Calgary could eventually get an arctic exhibit, but only if they do it right. If I remember correctly parts of the zoo are done really well with large areas for the tigers and the wolves(North American exhibit?). The days of animals in cages should be over. Vast fenced in areas I think are fine but not cages or enclosures with cement floors..

That sorta kinda is the plan. The horrible Prehistoric Park (the one place totally isolated from the friggin flood) is going to be phased out and that area is going to be redone properly with actual animals. A big Seal exhibit is/was planned. IIRC they were planning a huge glass tunnel under the Seal's enclosure where they could swim all around you. Presumably with Kiss from a Rose playing on a loop.

Who knows where this all stands now, they lost an old building, but a building that housed a lot of creatures. I hope they try to get all those guys back but all these plans could be put on the back burner because it really seems the Calgary Zoo is in dire straights here.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by mrmastodonfarm

that sorta kinda is the plan. The horrible prehistoric park (the one place totally isolated from the friggin flood) is going to be blasted from the face of the earth until there is no record of this waste of money and that area is going to be redone properly with actual animals. A big seal exhibit is/was planned. Iirc they were planning a huge glass tunnel under the seal's enclosure where they could swim all around you. Presumably with kiss from a rose playing on a loop.

Who knows where this all stands now, they lost an old building, but a building that housed a lot of creatures. I hope they try to get all those guys back but all these plans could be put on the back burner because it really seems the calgary zoo is in dire straights here.

fyp

[RougeUnderoos]

They had the POTZ (President of the Zoo) on the news and he said the South America building was scheduled to go within the next five years...

"We planned on demolishing it anyway, so it didn't make sense to fix it now just to tear it down in a few years..." (<----he said something like that<---).

Don't know if that means it was going to be replaced and all those animals would have stuck around...

Goddamn what a mess. It's been three weeks and the bad news just keeps coming in.