The Caldwell Zoo in Tyler, Texas is a large ‘small’ zoo located in a small town. Drawing 250,000 in annual attendance from a drive time of about 1.5 hours, the family zoo is a great example of the best of small zoos—lovingly and thoughtfully designed using a blend of modern, innovative zoo design techniques with clean, timeless designs and light touches of theming set in a lush landscape with water features. A timeless, beautiful zoo borne from love—and a desire to be a community asset.
Austin Zoo: Keeping it Weird-ly Underperforming
The 20-acre private zoo tucked into the hillside on the outskirts of growing Austin, Texas metro has plenty of challenges to tackle, but the beauty of the site and its proximity to Austin (and being the only zoo within an easy drive of the city) means the Zoo has almost unlimited untapped potential to become very successful—and a “weird” little gemstone to the community.
John Ball Zoo's New Lion Exhibit
John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids, Michigan, opened a new $4 million lion exhibit, Lions of Lake Manyara, on June 14th. After several years without lions, the zoo has brought them back due to public demand for the beloved cats. Three lions, two female, one male, are now living in the large enclosure designed by Jones & Jones. Taking lion behavior into consideration, the designers incorporated elements not normally seen in lion exhibits. Large areas of grass, natural trees and climbing rocks are seen throughout, plus a 30 foot tall artificial tree for climbing and lounging. The tree will be cooled and heated, as well as some of the rocks.
Historically, large cat exhibits have lacked interest and elements appealing to cats. Use of verticality for all types of cats is essential, and since most cats are daytime sleepers, providing unique perching and sleeping areas is key for both the cats and the visitors. With the opening of Philadelphia Zoo's Big Cat Falls last year, hopefully, this trend for revamping cat exhibits will catch on nationwide.