Several thousand animals are currently
crammed into the zoo's 40 acres while
there's little room for expansion.
There is plenty of room for improvement.
We found city officials poring over site
maps with zoo designer.
A story today, the first step
in updating the zoo's 15 year old
development plan.
Zoo director Elvie Turner says in many
cases it's a matter of fixing the
facility or letting the animals go.
The people around here really like the
zoo. They don't want to do away with any
of the exhibits, but about 50 percent
of those who has to come out and
be replaced.
First on the list is the cat and bird
cage already approved in the latest bond
election. A new aviary has high
priorities, as do new exhibits on
the site of the old hippo and elephant
homestead.
The former residents have already moved
to a new, more natural habitat,
which, according to Tauri, is the key
to all future planning.
The cage needs to go.
So our real goal is to create these
naturalistic environments,
promote additional research, reproductive
activities and so forth.
We're looking to give the
animal comfort and give the experience
to the viewer of being somewhere
other than right here in Fort Worth.
Right now, Fort Worth Zoo averages 700000
visitors a year before long.
The director expects to see a million a
year. He says the zoo has to be updated
to accommodate these visitors and the
animals that attract them.
And the time to do it is now.
Ron Phumla, Channel 5 News.