St. Louis Zoo releases plans for safari-like park - St. Louis Public Radio

The newest residents at the newest campus of the St. Louis Zoo won't live in cages or even enclosures — they will be able to roam around freely on more than 400 acres of land while being observed by visitors.

The zoo released details of the planned WildCare Park on Tuesday morning. The projected $230 million safari-like park project will be home to well-known animals like zebras, giraffes and rhinos, but also lesser-known beasts such as addax, kudu and the Scimitar-horned oryx.

"There are a lot of complexities associated with building a large zoological park like this," said Jo-Elle Mogerman, St. Louis Zoo WildCare Park director. "We want to do this right so that it's sustainable for generations to come."

Visitors to the new park will have several options on how to take in animals and their surroundings, including riding through the park in bus-size vehicles, walking through designated forested areas and even looking out over the park from an 11-story observation tower.

The new park will also have a strong research, conservation and education mission. Many of the species at WildCare will be endangered, and staff will support species recovery programs and population sustainability projects.

"When we selected species, we favored ones that are priorities for the St. Louis Zoo WildCare Institute, which encompasses our field conservation programs," said Martha Fischer, general curator at the park. "We hope to grow the number of species as time goes on to include birds, reptiles and amphibians."

The park will also include a "zooseum," an indoor zoo-museum-science center that will use technology including virtual reality to simulate animal experiences.

Zoo leaders said the money for the expansion will come from donations, a loan and existing revenues and cash reserves. The first animals will arrive next year in a pilot pasture, and the full public opening is slated for 2027.

St. Louis County residents will get free admission to the park in Spanish Lake, as county voters passed a tax increase in 2018 to help fund the zoo.

Follow Jonathan on Twitter: @JonathanAhl

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

This fish is worth $300,000 - New York Post

This fish is worth $300,000 - New York Post This fish is worth $300,000 - New York Post Posted: 05 Jun 2016 12:00 AM PDT With exacting precision, the surgeon inserted the scalpel above the eyeball and cut out a snotty deposit of fatty tissue. The routine eye-lift was nearly complete when suddenly the patient awoke, suffocating, and began to flop about on the table. The audience gasped. Knowing time was of the essence, the surgeon scooped up the patient in his arms, raced across the stage, and dropped her into a tank of water. She revived. Because she was a fish. Yes, fish eye-lifts exist. As do fin jobs and tail tucks. The operating theater was a mall in Jakarta, Indonesia, where a pet expo was under way. As for the patient, she survived, her formerly droopy eyes now bright and perky. A good thing, too, as this was no ordinary goldfish but rather an Asian arowana, the world's most expensive aquarium denizen, rumored to sell for as mu
Read more

NilocG Launches New Website for the Only All-in-One Thrive Fertilization Solution for Planted Aquariums - PRNewswire

Image
NilocG Launches New Website for the Only All-in-One Thrive Fertilization Solution for Planted Aquariums - PRNewswire NilocG Launches New Website for the Only All-in-One Thrive Fertilization Solution for Planted Aquariums - PRNewswire Posted: 11 Mar 2021 02:00 AM PST ALBANY, Ore. , March 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- NilocG launches a new website for planted tank enthusiasts to gather and make THRIVE, a plant fertilizer that assures planted tank aquascapes flourish while eliminating the need for multiple products more readily available online. The company also takes it a step further in the industry, making its flagship product easy to dose, super-concentrated, and an all-in-one solution based on an effective EL dosing method with all essential micro and macronutrients. Continue Reading Thrive fertilizer: North America's most trusted aquarium plant fertilizer Colin Grice , CEO, a self-described planted tank lover, re
Read more

Catching Dory: selling aquarium fish supports coastal livelihoods in Indonesia | npj Ocean Sustainability - Nature.com

Image
Abstract The global marine aquarium trade has created new local markets across the planet, including in Indonesia, now the second-largest exporting country of marine aquarium fish in the world. Participating in the global aquarium trade has been touted as a potentially sustainable addition to fisher livelihoods, but scant data exist showing the numbers of fish coming off the reef and how those fish contribute to income. To determine how participants in the trade incorporate aquarium species in their livelihoods, we examine source-level aquarium fish collecting and trading data in the Banggai Archipelago, a region in Central Sulawesi that has become a significant source for popular aquarium, also known as ornamental, fish species. Using a sustainable livelihoods lens, we examine this data to understand how participants in the aquarium trade both contribute to as well as benefit from the trade and consider how their participation relates to emerging Blue Justice principles. From one year
Read more