What if you were starting a zoo from scratch, but had no money?
How might you persuade some external authority to provide some of the capital investment…?
And since we are going to change ‘the zoo’, we had better define the widest possible common denominator definition. So whatever else this new zoo might be, this is a public site allowing access to animal species maintained ‘ex situ’, okay..? It will make real contributions to conservation and have the higest possible welfare standards. But it is also going to have to be exciting in a very basic way and not just ‘worthy’. Otherwise nobody will come, and it won’t be economically sustainable.
So where is this extra cash going to come from?
Perhaps by somehow keying into some important overall social agenda or overarching unique theme currently promoted by your government? You might react that this is just cynical opportunism, but I feel that all such issues are good, admirable, ethical outputs that we should be pursuing anyway.
You could also sigh at the extra hassle ( …and I do have some sympathy here). You work in the ‘zoo field’ because you find the natural world beguiling. YOU LIKE ANIMALS, dammit! Why do you have to artificially shoehorn what you want to do anyway into ‘community’ or some other vaguely do gooding expresssion?
Perhaps because, in addition to the funding, and in addition to the fact that is a good thing to do anyway, the creative, imaginative stretch demanded is ultimately stimulating and worthwhile in itself..? We may originally re-conceptualise the new zoo ( or, for that matter, a new exhibit or other project) solely for down to earth, economic reasons, but nonetheless be delighted with what we end up with for completely different reasons. It is the ‘grit in the oyster’ idea.
So might be some of the themes we could be rewarded for adopting? What might be new ‘hybrid zoos’ look like?
Here are just a couple of brief ramblings because of time constraints:
The most important activity for our governments is economic development, and environmental businesses. are the future. So where is the ‘new zoo ’concept that envelops small incubation units for thematically aligned embryo businesses? ( the arts, media, sports have all already done this). Business will pay for a premium address, for a unusual backyard for corporate entertainment, for a collegiate atmosphere, for communal facilities, etc. And Government may pay you for creating the facilities in the first place.
What about cross fertilising with the contemporary arts (massively subsided by the Arts Council). Environmental art is very much in the air. Could we break into a entirely new level of ‘interpretation’ by hybridisng the animal park with the sculpture park?
Returning to science world, how come nobody every talks of the Evolution/Genetics zoo? An entire zoo site themed specifically around one of the most fundamental ideas and debates of our society and a field with practical scientific and economic outputs.
What about the first zoo that really acts as shop window for a regional university?
John
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