Imagine Honolulu Zoo
as world-class attraction...It could come true...Our good zoo could be
By Ken Redman
a great zoo if we move ahead
with master planIconsider myself one of the most fortunate people in Hawaii.
Every day, as director of the Honolulu Zoo, it is my privilege to walk around our grounds and enjoy one of the most beautiful settings for any zoo in the world. Who cannot appreciate the combination of animals, plants and culture in a tropical paradise? We attract more than 650,000 visitors each year, and that, in itself, is an indication that we are important to the community.
It concerns me, however, that we have not been able to make substantial progress toward developing a world-class facility. We're good, but we're not great. And we have the potential to be one of the greatest zoos in the country.
Some people believe we're too small, that 42 acres is not sufficient space for a major zoo. Others say, if we become too good, we'll draw so many visitors that the surrounding area will be overwhelmed.
Some believe we may become too commercially oriented. Other critics say that spending money on the zoo should not be a priority. Zoos are anachronisms, and we should place resources toward social programs.
It seems that there is a pervasive tendency to seek out negatives. Enough already! I believe it is time to focus on the positive. Let's become proactive and examine what a great zoo can mean to Honolulu.
The heart of the mission at the Honolulu Zoo is to "foster an appreciation of our living world." In our urbanized society, zoos are more important than ever. People have a desire to escape the hardness of concrete and steel. There is absolutely no substitute for experiencing animals and plants in a natural setting.
So we must make it clear from the outset: The zoo is not an amusement park, it is not a circus, and we will not prostitute Kapiolani Park in any way. We are a living museum for recreation, conservation and educational activities.
We began to modernize our zoo by building the African Savanna. In the savanna you become immersed in an environment not unlike that of East Africa. You are participants in a scene complete with free-flying birds, lions, cheetah, giraffes, monitor lizards and rhinos. You can see chimpanzees living in one of the finest exhibits anywhere. What an opportunity!
As we continue to make improvements, you'll be able to experience how native cultures and botanical features link with animals to form the web of life. Our plans for exhibits called Tropical Forests of Asia and South America and the Island Ecosystems of the Pacific offer direct learning opportunities that transcend books and television. We can do this at our present site, and we can do it extremely well. I simply cannot believe there is anything wrong with having a world-class zoo.
Building the African Savanna was our first step. It opened four years ago. We need to address the rest of the zoo and convert our obsolete, marginally acceptable exhibits into natural habitats.
The Hawaiian and Islands of the Pacific exhibits will illustrate how special our environment is. Of immediate importance, however, are Mari and Vaigai, our two female Asian elephants. They represent a species that has little hope of surviving in the wild. We need to provide these magnificent animals the best life possible. That means building a new exhibit in the Asian Tropical Forest which replicates their natural habitat and is capable of holding a mature bull elephant.
We hope that Mari, Vaigai and their babies will still be residing here in 2020. I think it is important that our children andgrandchildren have the opportunity to enjoy them. We must never have to tell our children, "There used to be an animal called an elephant; it's too bad you couldn't see one."
If we act now and complete the rest of the master plan, we will have a zoo that is the showcase of the Pacific. The cultural, social and economic benefits will be enormous. We can easily accommodate more than a million visitors every year. We can become one more reason why we are so lucky to live in Hawaii.
So let's develop "2020 Vision," address the issues brought forth by detractors, resolve them expeditiously and move the zoo ahead. Let's build a zoo that is the pride of this city and state. Our residents, our guests and our animals deserve nothing less.
Ken Redman is director of the Honolulu Zoo.
