I've had Construction woes ever since I first saw the plans for the Madagascar project (post still to come). It continued with the plans for this Snow Leopard expansion, and my disdain for the designs by the architect firm were cemented with what they came up with for the Triple Grotto renovation for Orangutans. To be fair, I can't lay it all on them, because the Zoo Director has to sign off on the final plans, but seriously, their use of metal and concrete is too much for modern Zoo exhibits. I think I commented in a previous post in relation to the Orangutans prison pit home, that the architect firm MKThink should be fired. When I first started this post two years ago, I had planned to include links to the firm's website, as they had a tab for San Francisco Zoo, and pages with the design layouts for Snow Leopard, Madagascar, and the previously done Coastal project. I also made screencaps, but I have no time efficient way to find them, and curiously, SFZoo is now removed from their site. Allegedly, they are no longer associated with the Zoo. Still curious to remove those designs from the online portfolio. That said, they also had a narrative that expanded on future projects. It made me wonder if the Zoo had them on retainer, which would have been another waste of money. I did copy this text from their site before it was removed. ... "MKThink is the San Francisco Zoo and Gardens’ strategic planning partner in reimagining and strengthening its role as a center for conservation and in advancing its mission -“Connect, Care, Conserve.” The Physical Framework Plan is transforming the 100-acre campus from a collection of attractions into an integrated landscape of diverse habitats that more closely approximate species’ natural ones and amply provide for their behavioral needs. MKThink developed an implementation strategy that combines incremental improvements and large-scale renovations. Construction is already underway, ...".
I'm sorry, but those words are just a fluffy illusion of extravagance. The San Francisco Zoo is not even close to being that kind of Zoo. They do not have the financial backing to be that kind of Zoo. They do not have a staff of creative fundraisers to even get little projects done. For the time being, our Zoo needs to think like a small Zoo and do whats best for the Animals we already have, using what we already have, and spreading funds to all not just allowing Donors to lock in funds for vanity projects while others languish in holding areas inappropriate for them. Dreams of grandeur need to be put on hold.
Personally, considering funding factors, and needs over wants, I think functional modern and streamlined, are more logical than grandiose.
Sorry, I may have gotten off topic, but the architect issue is part of this, and I no longer have a dedicated post for that nonsense.
So, one of my initial issues with this project was timing. In regard to that, it's important to know the timeline. In November 2017, the Zoo acquired a new pair of Snow Leopards, Ana and Raj (both renamed). I was told that the SSP wanted SFZoo to have a breeding pair. Our Male Ghurka, had passed away, leaving Female Snow Leopard Niya without a mate. At the time, of Ghurka's passing, Niya was still of breeding age, but not much past that time, she was considered a senior. I was told that the SSP didn't care that she was a senior, and wanted to forward their breeding agenda by sending a new pair and transferring Niya out. This MO of the SSP is a major issue for me. You don't just move senior Animals out of their homes, because you want more babies. Thankfully, SFZoo said they had a place for her to live out her life, and retired her off exhibit. She lives at the former Feline Conservation Center, up the hill behind Black Rhino. Keeping her here, is one of the things I am grateful to the Zoo for doing. By June 2018, Raj was also moved off exhibit to FCC, and Ana gave birth to two Cubs. I was happy that Niya had a like species companion. Shortly after the Cubs first Birthday in 2019, Ana also moved to FCC. ... The Orangutans arrived in April/May 2019.
Let me start by saying, I got no issue with expanding Snows or any other Animals enclosure, IF every other exhibit, is "decent". Construction started on the Snow Leopard Expansion AFTER the Orangutans were acquired. Orangutans were acquired at least six years after first mention of bringing them in, and brought here with no dedicated space for them, and no funds to provide a dedicated space for them.
Why is it funds were made available for Snow Leopards, when the Orangutans were the current Animals in need? Did no Donors want to donate to a need? Was there a Donor who locked money for the Snow Leopards? I have asked many times, to many people, Where did the money for Snow Leopards come from? Apparently no one knows.
What I do know is in December 2019, seven months after the arrival of the Orangutans, the Zoo launched pleas on social media for donations to the Snow Leopard Expansion.
All I can say is that I found this truly disgusting. The Zoo Director Tanya Peterson wanted Orangutans for at least five years before bringing them in, and at no point before they got here, or since, has there even been an attempt to raise funds for an appropriate home for them. I know I sound like a broken records about the Orangutans, but the complete disregard of their needs is beyond offensive.
Like with the faux plea for a "new home for Maki", originally mentioned in a end of year 2020 post, then again in my recent fundraising post, this plea seems odd. A project like the Snow Leopard Expansion, it would seem, could only get done with huge donations locked for this specifically. So, asking the public for more, not only irks me, is curious.
I used the word "locked" in reference to Donor money, that means a Donor will give money, but only for a specific project. I find this disturbing. Most of the Donors are members of the Zoological Society. The Society is supposed to be a managing entity, yet it has not actively fulfilled that duty in at least a dozen years, but that's another issue. That all said, in my opinion, if you are part of such a group, one would think you would want to donate for needs, yet too often it seems, only the wants move forward. I completely understand people have the right to do what they want with their money, but then they shouldn't be a part of something that makes it seem like they care about Animal Welfare. That said, it's not totally their fault, as our Zoo Director should stand up for the Needs, and thank Donors for their interest in locking funds for Wants, but let them know the priority focus is on Needs first. That doesn't happen, because all indications point to that seemingly not being how Director Peterson thinks, or feels.
So, it seems no one will ever really know how the Snow Leopard Expansion was funded. Well, at least not the public. Now, let's go back to timing. Since I've already rehashed the fact that the Orangutans were here before the Expansion construction started, I'd like to know why this project wasn't then done back in 2017, before the new Snow Leopards even got here? Why does the Zoo keep acquiring Animals it has no appropriate place for? Knowing as soon as the new female got pregnant, it wouldn't be long before the male would have to be moved off exhibit. Knowing that within a year of their arrival that there would be several adult size Snow Leopards to house, the logical thing to do would have been for this project to have been at the very least started before their arrival.
Ok, so let's get started on the main reason for this post. My Issues with the Snow Leopard Expansion design and execution.
I hate everything about this project, except the scaling wall. Though even that is an issue since it's a part of the extended area that is a huge issue for me. At least I like the function it will provide. I hate the big metal pole features that hold the net. I hate the use of so much perimeter concrete. I think the use of the light wood, makes it look unfinished. I hate the walk-in viewing feature. Those aren't even what I hate the most. My biggest hate on this, is that it extends what looks to be about twenty-five feet out into the path from the Cat Grotto row. Looking west, with Cats on the left and Rhino on the right, this is an aesthetic eyesore. It not only disrupts the flow of the path, but it comes up within about ten feet from the Hippo Yard. I hate it so much, that I can't walk by it without fantasizing about a bulldozer demolishing it.
Snow Leopard Expansion Update 11.2021 pt 1
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DQ0I7VnkdZA
Snow Leopard Expansion Update 11.2021 pt 2
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=m5HCxLUxUMY
Snow Leopard Expansion Update 12.2021
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Tac_yIzLadY
In the videos, I talk about the things that I listed above that I hate about this project. I don't expect readers to watch the videos, so here's why I hate those things.
The netting posts. Too much metal! I guess that maybe its supposed to give the feeling of the mountain ledges, but in my opinion the topsy-turvy draping is unnecessary theatrics. The use of the least amount of metal should always be a forefront thought. Additionally the tri-pod base takes up too much floor space. Which brings us to the lay-out.
I mentioned that I hated the walk-in viewing area. I get it, and it works at Wolves, but doesn't work for me here. At Wolves, it puts you into the enclosure. Why it works there is that the Wolves have two large areas on either side. Here it just takes away space from the Snow Leopards. If you look at it from the far end, the space between the walk-in and the wall, make it look like a hallway.
I also get that Snow Leopards are leapers, not runners in the sense that Cheetahs are, but more topical space for any species in my opinion is best. The floor space in the hallway and beyond, is littered with boulders, and those damn metal tri-pods. The walk-in structure itself is useless. I have been saying for years that the Zoo needs to create more covered areas, to make going to the Zoo in the rain more appealing. The roof of this structure is bamboo. I love bamboo, but it does not create a flush connection. So, this structure is not a sheltered area. There is no reason this had to be a walk-in viewing area. There is a mini walk-in on the other side, this was completely unnecessary.
Too much concrete! I hate seeing flat slabs of concrete. If this was the only way, and it most likely was not, but if it was, these walls should have been textured to maybe mimic the scaling wall, or inlaid with some sort of naturalistic art. ... Theres a really nice example I took a photo of on the way south to San Mateo, of course can't find it, but something like this, yet doesn't even need to be as detailed as this.
Finally, the whole area that is supposed to allow visitors to view training, feels too unfinished. I think its the use of light colored wood. It feels like a behind the scenes area, not a public area. I find the mix of glass and mesh, curious and busy. Additionally, the space seems too big, considering the night quarters are behind it, and appear to be smaller. Overhead graphic below confirms that. I have been in the old night quarters and found them cramped. I would have hoped new ones would be more spacious. This seems to possibly be geared more towards possibly having visitor experiences in there, than it is for the Animals.
Screencaps below from a video posted by the Zoo. Viewable here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8SMrZPsOkk
Noting that I saw it long after it was posted, my opinions already in place.
Before this project even broke ground, I was told that it would have different phases. Yep, that whole phase thing, that never gets completed. I was told in other phases the expansion would move east across the path, adding another enclosure, night quarters and connecting the two by skytrail. Anyway, that said, as I rehashed this in my mind for the last couple years, I recently realized there was a better way to do this project. At least in my opinion. It would have been more logical, and among other things, allowed for the original flow of the area to remain intact, creating a better aesthetic for the future landscape of the Zoo.
This graphic I made shows an aerial view of the site.
From left to right in red.
1 Existing night quarters, in small red box. Expansion/Renovation of these quarters could go south or expand to tree area.
2 Existing enclosure
3 New enclosure. Split illustrates, extended area. Yellow line also represents skytrail.
4/5/6 Anteater/Bobcat/Therapy Horses
From left to right in yellow.
1 Unobtrusive part of new enclosure. Shown here encircled with existing. Which creates more space and no issue to west path.
2/3/4 Unused east areas. Could be configured in different ways. I see it as 2 and top half of 3, the enclosure, with 4 the night quarters and training area. The yellow line through three on either side has blue notation for skytrail that could run back of west and east enclosures and into east night quarters.
In my opinion this project as it was done, is not only a big fail in design, its a fail in execution. Maybe no one will agree with me, and I don't know every aspect of why things get done the way they do there, but I'm also not stupid, and I form my opinions based on what would seemingly be best for the Animals and the future of the Zoo. This project seems to have been done ass-backwards. In my opinion it would have been better to have constructed the east phase first.
If they had constructed a new enclosure and night quarters on the east side of the path first, this is how it could have seemingly played out. There would have been a new enclosure, night quarters, training area, and a skytrail built going west, to later be connected to another new enclosure. That west enclosure could have eventually been an expansion of the existing/original enclosure, that would run the length, stopping at the Cat Grotto row wall without extending out into the path. The size is seemingly larger than what they have done. It could also include an expansion of the existing night quarters. That west enclosure would then connect to the east one via the skytrail, creating an cool experience for the Cats and Visitors. As well, there would be a way to manage and rotate the sibling Snow Leopards and the parents. At least it seems doable and like a more logical plan.
We could have had what was done at San Antonio Zoo. ... Side note about skytrails. I've also put forth different ideas over the past two years for the Orangutans in Triple Grotto. Most recent considering the mess that has already been made, they could still fill in the moats, and net them over, even one at a time. Demolish that skyscraper and create a walk-in viewing area in that space, where the Orangutans can go over Visitors via a skytrail.
Ok, I'm done with this. My brain is exhausted by this mess, and this enclosure makes me sad. At least I can delete it all from my mind now. Unfortunately, can't delete this enclosure from its permanent existence.
This post is related to the previous one. I am publishing together, so best read that way.
https://iamnotananteater.blogspot.com/2022/01/what-will-become-of-hippo-enclosure.html
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For Full Statement see this post:
https://iamnotananteater.blogspot.com/2018/09/my-zoo-status.html
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