The gorilla exhibit features forested areas at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, Washington
need for them to perform their natural behaviours as well as stimulate them. At the elephant exhibit at Dublin
Zoo, the zookeepers manipulate the environment, moving huge mounds of sand and dirt to vary the environment for the animals. Zookeepers have to be ahead of the game, anticipating how they can challenge these animals and create interactions so they don’t get bored. Husbandry is moving beyond just
providing for the animals’ basic needs and veterinary care to making sure the animals have constant stimulation for the behaviour they normally would have and the way they would be discovering new things in the wild. That’s still evolving.
What other design elements are important? We use cultural references to show positive interactions between traditional cultures and habitats and animals. Take Asian elephants as an example of animals who have had relationships with humans for thousands of years. If you show evidence of the people who live alongside the animals in their natural environment, it shows visitors that it’s possible to coexist with wildlife with respect and understanding.
©CYBERTREK 2015 AM 3 2015
“Visitors learn that animal preservation is entirely linked to
conserving the habitat” Can you give an example?
The use of cultural reference in an exhibit can be as simple as a piece of art, or a sculpture, or a sign or architectural detail. At Detroit Zoo in Detroit, Michigan, we did a polar bear exhibit and placed inuksuit – markers that the Inuit leave in the Arctic to guide their routes – on the exhibit’s tundra to remind visitors that people live there alongside polar bears.
What will a future zoo be like? In the future, zoo design will be increasingly defined by the wellbeing of the animal and modern husbandry. Animals are intelligent beings and they need to be challenged. Our exhibits also need to get much bigger, but it’s becoming very demanding
in terms of land. Zoos need to be more generous with the land that they allocate to the animals and to focus more on the types of animals that suit the climatic conditions where that zoo might be. Many zoos could think about having fewer species and doing more with them. Finally, zoos could become more like incubators for animals, whereafter they would be transferred to a sanctuary.
Can you tell us about your latest project, the penguin conservation centre at Detroit Zoo? We broke ground on the penguin conservation centre last year, a very large habitat, with different galleries and the deepest penguin pool in the world, with a huge viewing window so visitors can observe their behaviour underwater. The cultural references and the visitor experience are inspired by the notion of exploration in Antarctica. The visitor goes on a journey, which begins with a 4D theatre experience telling the story of crossing the Drake Passage by boat, with wave, wind and frost effects. It’s about understanding the challenges of surviving there. The penguin centre is expected to open in spring 2016.
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PHOTO: DAVID HANCOCKS
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