Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium

[nebugeater]

Certificate of Occupancy for the Elephant Family Quarters is almost done.

Good news

Any update on a scheduled date for transport?

[Spatial77]

The comment period with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service closed at midnight on November 23. FWS is now reviewing public comments. With federal holidays and end of year vacation time I would be surprised if a decision is made before the new year.

[nebugeater]

The comment period with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service closed at midnight on November 23. FWS is now reviewing public comments. With federal holidays and end of year vacation time I would be surprised if a decision is made before the new year.

Thanks!

I believe at one point I had read that transport could be by the end of the year and then the on site quarantine. Sounds good on any time frame though. Good addition to see elephants back in Omaha

By the way, Welcome to the Forum!

[Joe_Sovereign]

I selfishly want these Elephants in Omaha for the zoo but this whole deal is as shady as it gets. The Omaha new Elephant enclose is top of the line by modern Zoo standards but it is still a small pin for animals that walk miles and miles everyday in the Wild. The claim that these Elephants would be killed if they stay at their current reserve in Africa is simply cover for the Zoos. We are taking these intelligent animals out of the wild and putting them in a small couple acre pin for the rest of their very long lives simply for our viewing pleasure.

[RNcyanide]

I selfishly want these Elephants in Omaha for the zoo but this whole deal is as shady as it gets. The Omaha new Elephant enclose is top of the line by modern Zoo standards but it is still a small pin for animals that walk miles and miles everyday in the Wild. The claim that these Elephants would be killed if they stay at their current reserve in Africa is simply cover for the Zoos. We are taking these intelligent animals out of the wild and putting them in a small couple acre pin for the rest of their very long lives simply for our viewing pleasure.

Zoos truly are a double-edge sword. I like animals and I like getting to see them, but I don't like keeping them in cages.

[PotatoeEatsFish]

Zoos are more good than bad. They usually save an animal that has something wrong with it or is threatened. I would rather have the Elephants not killed over being killed. Maybe thats just me.

[Spatial77]

I selfishly want these Elephants in Omaha for the zoo but this whole deal is as shady as it gets. The Omaha new Elephant enclose is top of the line by modern Zoo standards but it is still a small pin for animals that walk miles and miles everyday in the Wild. The claim that these Elephants would be killed if they stay at their current reserve in Africa is simply cover for the Zoos. We are taking these intelligent animals out of the wild and putting them in a small couple acre pin for the rest of their very long lives simply for our viewing pleasure.

Zoos truly are a double-edge sword. I like animals and I like getting to see them, but I don't like keeping them in cages.

Joe and RN,

I certainly have wrestled with this issue of the negative and positive aspects of zoos, especially when I see a poorly managed facility. Fortunately, Omaha has one of the best managed zoos in the country (although there is still room for improvement).

Conceptually, I think it would be great for wild animals to be able to go about their daily lives as they have evolved to do so. Unfortunately this is no longer the case on the majority of the planet.

I also know that without the Henry Doorly Zoo, Fontenelle Forest, the old YMCA day camp that was adjacent to Fountenelle Forest (now houses), and the Hummel Park day camp, my life would have taken a much different path. The zoo provided me with an opportunity to see, smell and hear real animals and opened up my eyes to the larger world, a world that most of “the great unwashed masses”, me included, will never get to see. The animal ambassadors (not by their choice) provide education, inspiration and enjoyment to those who visit the zoo. They may even help to save their kin in the wild places that still exist

Certainly the 15 elephants that are to be brought to the U.S. zoos won’t make a short term difference in saving the species, as almost 100 elephants are killed each day for their ivory. It may make a difference in the long term through making a visceral connection with people and getting them to support conservation efforts.

So ends my (sorry for all the parenthetical statements) sermon.

[Brad]

Here is an aerial of the work going on, on the north end of the zoo. Looks like they have improves some grades.

[Spatial77]

Does anyone know if this is the area that the Zoo is building the "Alaskan Adventure" (Thanks Brad for the recent aerials)?

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Several permits were pulled in June for a pumphouse and fountain and filter building, and several plumbing permits were applied for in mid August.

[MTO]

I selfishly want these Elephants in Omaha for the zoo but this whole deal is as shady as it gets. The Omaha new Elephant enclose is top of the line by modern Zoo standards but it is still a small pin for animals that walk miles and miles everyday in the Wild. The claim that these Elephants would be killed if they stay at their current reserve in Africa is simply cover for the Zoos. We are taking these intelligent animals out of the wild and putting them in a small couple acre pin for the rest of their very long lives simply for our viewing pleasure.

Zoos truly are a double-edge sword. I like animals and I like getting to see them, but I don't like keeping them in cages.

That's what chicks tell me more and more it's getting harder to get them to the zoo.. But that recent article about the elephants says the zoo is a nonprofit with ticket and other sales going back to conservation. That'll help my conservation efforts too.

[nebugeater]

According to a story in the OWH the Zoo is raising it's admission prices for 2016



http://www.omaha.com/news/metro/zoo/oma ... c7db3.html

Under the new pricing, adults (12 and older) will pay $18.95 for summer zoo admission, while children (3 to 11) will pay $12.95 and senior citizens (65 and older) will pay $17.95.
Most of the year, adults and seniors will pay $2 more in admission than they did in 2015, and children will pay $1 more. Each season comes with different ticket prices, however.

Membership prices also have increased. Rates went up $5 for individual memberships, $9 for dual, $11 for household, $11 for grandparent, $9 for military and $5 for the Lee G. Simmons Conservation Park and Wildlife Safari add-on.

[skinzfan23]

Also from the article:

Omaha’s zoo set attendance records in January and March last year. The 2015 yearlong mark of 1,677,434, the zoo’s third-highest total, fell shy of its record of 1,719,925 in 2012. The lower attendance might be partially attributed to ongoing construction in the African Grasslands that kept many animals off-exhibit for all of 2015. The $73 million project is expected to be completed this summer, which could lead to a surge in traffic for 2016.

[Brad]

I also saw yesterday that Lake McConaughy over took the Zoo as the state;s #1 Tourists Attraction.

[skinzfan23]

I also saw yesterday that Lake McConaughy over took the Zoo as the state;s #1 Tourists Attraction.

Wow that is crazy, although there could be some speculation based on their numbers"

Adams estimated that several hundred thousand people visited the lake last year, although it’s impossible to get an accurate head count. People from 48 states signed a guest book in the Lake McConaughy Visitor-Water Interpretive Center, he said, but there is no headcount because there is no entry fee and often no volunteer present to guide visitors through the interactive exhibits or make sure they sign the book.

[Spatial77]

A Building Permit was filed today for an Education Building, 42,007 Sq. Ft., at the zoo.

[Coyote]

A Building Permit was filed today for an Education Building, 42,007 Sq. Ft., at the zoo.

This soon? I thought it would be a few years off... How many classrooms could theoretically fit in a 42k sq ft building?

[Spatial77]

It seems the zoo is moving foreword rapidly on the Master Plan projects. The Africa exhibit was originally planed for a 2017 completion date, and it will be entirely completed around Memorial Day this year. I think the Alaska Adventure that is being built (water park) will be open this summer. The zoo removed the South America area from the Master Plan early last year, and will be building a larger Asian exhibit so planning is going on for the next big thing.

Not sure how many classrooms the new education building will have, or what the projected student population will be. With a STEM emphasis, natural sciences, I would expect to see many lab classrooms. Also, much of the education will continue to occur out on the zoo grounds and animal care facilities. It will be difficult to compare this to a typical school building. Hopefully they will do a ground breaking ceremony and have renderings to display.

[Coyote]

Not sure how many classrooms the new education building will have, or what the projected student population will be. With a STEM emphasis, natural sciences, I would expect to see many lab classrooms. Also, much of the education will continue to occur out on the zoo grounds and animal care facilities. It will be difficult to compare this to a typical school building. Hopefully they will do a ground breaking ceremony and have renderings to display.

There were plans on creating a new OPS HS here that 'specialized' in biology/zoology. OPS and Papio-LaVista and others already signed off in this. I thought that this was 2-4 years away in development... I can't even imagine what standard biology class room sizes would be needed to blow this place up. If a standard class room sq ft size isis 1.03k ... That may mean they are really pushing this new HS concept forward. I know they have college interns that live in houses nearby... This now may be the beginning of an educational system that will make national news...

[Spatial77]

Not sure how many classrooms the new education building will have, or what the projected student population will be. With a STEM emphasis, natural sciences, I would expect to see many lab classrooms. Also, much of the education will continue to occur out on the zoo grounds and animal care facilities. It will be difficult to compare this to a typical school building. Hopefully they will do a ground breaking ceremony and have renderings to display.

There were plans on creating a new OPS HS here that 'specialized' in biology/zoology. OPS and Papio-LaVista and others already signed off in this. I thought that this was 2-4 years away in development... I can't even imagine what standard biology class room sizes would be needed to blow this place up. If a standard class room sq ft size isis 1.03k ... That may mean they are really pushing this new HS concept forward. I know they have college interns that live in houses nearby... This now may be the beginning of an educational system that will make national news...

The zoo and OPS have been running the Zoo Academy for many years. This school year the have 85 high school students enrolled (plus kindergarten and preschool). Here is the link to the OPS page that describes the program and courses http://ccenter.ops.org/COURSES/ZooPartnership.aspx

[Coyote]

Yes, I have known about this program for some time, but there are plans on creating a new school with a unique curriculum at the zoo...

[Brad]

Alaskan Adventure splash park to open this summer at Omaha zoo

http://www.omaha.com/living/alaskan-adv ... 2dc90.html

The Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium has accelerated a project that will create a children’s splash park, set to open this summer.

Alaskan Adventure, as it’s being called, broke ground recently at a vacant site previously occupied by camels two years ago, across from the bear canyon. The project was initially planned for years down the road as part of the zoo’s Coastal Shores project — a smaller region-themed exhibit along the same lines as the African Grasslands — but donor interest caused it to be moved up.

[skinzfan23]

I am thinking with the opening of the African Grasslands and now this in the upcoming year, the zoo should break their attendance mark this year.

[MTO]

And climb back up the rankings..

[vvindows10]

If the zoo is going to invest in displays of animals they don't actually have I would like to suggest the following...
Let's have a "fun raiser" for the Cryptozoology expansion. We can add all of the mega fauna darlings like Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monsterer, and the Yetti. Businesses can donate to provide the food for a year. "The spaghetti works Yetti for example. Less costly to obtain specimens like unicorns, giant squid, Chupacabra's can be added later.

Really! what other zoo has these? We should get them first!

[Stargazer]

Anyone been to Busch Gardens Tampa? I just got back from over the holidays. Wow, there are so many portions of their zoo component, which makes HDZ look pretty sad. The Serengeti plain is really impressive, with large herds of each species on 65 acres (half of HDZ acreage alone), rhinos, zebra, giraffe, antelope, wildebeest, all co-existing together. Just much more wide open, animals look so much happier, realizing they have the benefit there of not having to house these animals during the winter. Their cat, gorilla enclosures look much more spacious, 'natural' as well... full size hippo swimming around. If you factor in our year round exhibits, in a winter geography, HDZ is among the very best. But if I were a captive animal, I'd want to be at Busch (I haven't been there, but I imagine that San Diego Zoo is similar to Busch). Hopefully the new African Grasslands exhibit provides a little more of that.

Oh, and forget about the splash park, how about we acquire/level that neighborhood to the east... and build a HDZ amusement park, with animal theme coasters. ;)

[youtube][/youtube]

[nebraska]

Revised cost prompts Omaha zoo to drop Andean Foothills from master plan

The decision to delay the project happened months ago, Pate said, but the zoo just recently removed the project from the master plan on its website. Utility costs, which rose to $9 million, were the deciding factor.

But we already knew this, didn't we?

Henry Doorly Zoo master plan, just in case you like to keep tabs.

[Spatial77]

Revised cost prompts Omaha zoo to drop Andean Foothills from master plan

The decision to delay the project happened months ago, Pate said, but the zoo just recently removed the project from the master plan on its website. Utility costs, which rose to $9 million, were the deciding factor.

But we already knew this, didn't we?

Henry Doorly Zoo master plan, just in case you like to keep tabs.

The Andean Foothills portion of the Master Plan disappeared from the HDZ webpage back in July 2015. I asked what had happened to the exhibit and the response was "Yes, this exhibit is no longer in our Master Plan, as we have decided to focus our efforts elsewhere. What you see on our Master Plan webpage is what our focuses will be."

So... No South America representation in the new zoo, unless some wants to donate a butt-load of money to build new sewers. Thinking about the neighborhood that sewer serves: it would probably be cheaper to just buy up the remaining residences there and bulldoze them, than replace the sewer line.

[Spatial77]

So... I am wondering if Pacific Life put in some money for the Alaska Adventure project??

Although from the zoo's rendering the whale is jumping the wrong direction:

download.jpg (2.85 KiB) Viewed 4246 times

I guess that depends on ones viewpoint though

[Greg S]

Going to be interesting to follow the zoo's progress going forward. I can't every remember them announcing projects and then cancelling them like they have been recently. First they dropped full size hippo's from the current expansion (along with I believe salt water crocs), and now the Andean foothills. Hopefully everything else works out.

Greg

[skinzfan23]

They also have never undertaken so many big projects within such a short period of time.

Previously, the most expensive project was the Desert Dome, which was $31.5 Million. The African Grasslands project alone is $73 Million. (more than double the cost of the desert dome)

[Greg S]

They also have never undertaken so many big projects within such a short period of time.

Previously, the most expensive project was the Desert Dome, which was $31.5 Million. The African Grasslands project alone is $73 Million. (more than double the cost of the desert dome)

Very true. It seems like we went through an extended down time (as far as major projects) then maybe tried to make up for lost time. This is also our first round with the new zoo director. Hopefully things get settled going forward.

Greg

[MTO]

Maybe, hopefully, the zoos entering a state of perpetual construction.

[Greg S]

Maybe, hopefully, the zoos entering a state of perpetual construction.

They need to be something close to that. Almost like a theme park, you always need to be working on the next great exhibit. We had that killer run with the jungle/aquarium/desert dome/gorillas. Hopefully getting back to that. KC was so far behind us but they are kind of in a perpetual construction cycle right now.

Greg

[Spatial77]

The FONSI (Finding of No Significant Impact) was issued this morning by the US Fish and Wildlife Service for the importation of elephants from Africa to zoos in Dallas, Kansas and Omaha. Now the Federal hurdles are over with. We shall see if lawsuits are brought by outside organizations.

[nebugeater]

The FONSI (Finding of No Significant Impact) was issued this morning by the US Fish and Wildlife Service for the importation of elephants from Africa to zoos in Dallas, Kansas and Omaha. Now the Federal hurdles are over with. We shall see if lawsuits are brought by outside organizations.

Thanks for that update

[Coyote]

Now the Federal hurdles are over with. We shall see if lawsuits are brought by outside organizations.

Animal rights group's lawsuit could delay arrival of elephants at Omaha zoo

The lawsuit alleges that the wildlife service violated the National Environmental Policy Act. Friends of Animals, which is headquartered in Connecticut, argues that the service should have done an analysis examining the emotional and physical well-being of the animals before granting a permit.

[PotatoeEatsFish]

Now the Federal hurdles are over with. We shall see if lawsuits are brought by outside organizations.

Animal rights group's lawsuit could delay arrival of elephants at Omaha zoo

The lawsuit alleges that the wildlife service violated the National Environmental Policy Act. Friends of Animals, which is headquartered in Connecticut, argues that the service should have done an analysis examining the emotional and physical well-being of the animals before granting a permit.

These people again You aren't an animal rights group if you'd rather have the elephants killed than be saved.

[skinzfan23]

Omaha zoo's new splash pad gets 800-pound sea lion sculptures and more

The 28-acre African Grasslands is scheduled to open in its entirety in time for Memorial Day weekend, with more exhibits ready for debut than previously expected. The Alaskan Adventure splash ground is set to open a few weeks later, in June. To complete all of that — more than $85 million worth of projects — construction workers have been busy.

Initially, the zoo planned to open only its African Grasslands exhibits on the southwest side of the lagoon first, then complete the remaining exhibits on the other side of the lagoon shortly thereafter. Pate said that plan has changed.
Now, those exhibits beyond the lagoon — lion, cheetah, bongo, sable antelope, spur-thighed tortoises, a children’s kopje, or hill, a camping area and educational facilities — will open at the same time as the rest of the African Grasslands, in just a few months.

Pate said the entire African Grasslands and the Alaskan Adventure splash ground were fully funded ahead of schedule. That funding, plus some unseasonably nice weather, has allowed them to get a head start.

That weather also provided another positive for the zoo: A few 60-degree weekends led to a record-high attendance for the month of February. More than 72,000 people visited the zoo last month, Pate said.

[Spatial77]

Building Permit review almost complete for the Education Building.

Any guesses as to how long after the African Grasslands exhibit and Alaskan Adventure are completed until they announce the Asian Highlands exhibit starts construction?

[nebugeater]

Any update on the elephants