Indianapolis Zoo

INDIANAPOLIS ZOO JULY/AUGUST 1984 New Zoo land preparation becomes visible By Roy Levin, Project Director In early May, Governor Robert Orr will be planned in detail, and features areas of the zoo will have rock and Mayor William Hudnut turned such as landscaping, traffic patterns, features; the amount and locations the first shovelsful of ground for the and food services will be identified are now being studied. The designers' rerouting of West Washington Street and developed into a workable plan. challenge is to achieve economical, and the construction of a new bridge In many cases, working models will aesthetically-pleasing exhibits that over White River. Thus began a giant assist the designers in evaluating provide animal comfort as well as step toward the development of space requirements and their natural settings for viewing. White River State Park and the New relationships with animals and Other consultants are advising us Indianapolis Zoo. visitors. Attention will be given to the on the amounts and depths of water The new highway and bridge are animal keepers and their needs in needed for sea lions, sharks, polar necessary ingredients in making the caring for their charges. Visitor needs bears, etc. Consideration must be site available for the zoo. This first for food and snack services, rest given to the treatment of these major piece of construction will be areas, souvenir and gift interests will waters — filtration, salt content, located approximately two blocks be factored into the final design. temperature. We also must consider south of the present thoroughfare Consultants now are researching both winter and summer operations. and is expected to be completed by tree and shrub species which are Input from all these studies and August, 1985. The project is under hardy to Indiana's climate while consultant advice will be tied together the direction of the State Highway providing a suitable variety to help in this next design phase. We'll keep Department. depict the various biomes. Many our members posted on the progress. The existing bridge will remain for pedestrian use and will become part of the entrance to the zoo from the downtown area. Noontime visitors will be able to walk to the zoo's entrance plaza to eat lunch while they enjoy the sea lion exhibit. The relocation of the Metro bus garages is another major construction project now underway. The present facilities are located on Washington Street just west of White River and are easily identified by the large semi circular garage roofs. Demolition has begun in preparation for the new facilities, to be located on the southwest corner of Washington and Harding Streets. This relocation is another vital step in preparing the site for our new zoo, as the exciting waters biome will be located there. Meanwhile, the New Zoo design This working model of the New Zoo entrance and waters area features the California sea lion exhibit in the center of the circle. Sharks, penguins, and polar bears will be included in this team has finished the schematic portion of the zoo. design phase of their work. James Associates Architects and Geupel For members only DeMars, construction managers, On the Cover: John Mitchell, have been evaluating the various Plans are now being made for the Indianapolis, won second place, features and presenting alternatives Indianapolis Zoo's annual Members color division, with a photo of the and costs so that decisions can be Appreciation Night, to be held Zoo's Siberian tiger in last year's made as to what features should be Saturday, September 1, from 5 to 8 Photo Safari Contest. The 1984 included. During the next design p.m. Back by popular demand will be competition continues through phase, which will take approximately Jug Eckart and his Zoopendous Labor Day. For further details, six months, the details of each animal chicken dinner! phone the Zoo's Public Relations exhibit will be defined. Building Mark your calendars and look for Department. structures and internal layouts also additional details in the mail! Zoosletter—2 Siberian tiger odyssey we had received Astra (Russian for the flower, aster). Of the three tigers, From Moscow to Indy Astra's personality, in the words of By Julian J. Duval, Curator Dr. Seal, was certainly much more Nearly a year ago, on August 23, a to Indianapolis and Omaha, but zoo "responsive" than that of her brother two-year-old female Siberian tiger personnel couldn't honestly and sister. So responsive was her arrived in Indianapolis from the remember which female we would personality, in fact, that we had to Moscow Zoo. Her brother and sister receive. They did indicate, however, remind ourselves she wasn't down were imported at the same time and that the name would be written on right nasty. Astra took quite well to took up residence at the Henry the shipping crate. Satisfied, I figured the other residents in the cat Doorly Zoo, Omaha, and the Bronx it would add a little drama to the building, but her reaction to human Zoo, respectively. Their arrival in the arrival. Naturally, as the cameras beings was quite another story. US was the result of years of work in turned and the mikes were shoved At first, our approach was to dealing with a myriad of government toward me, there was no name to be provide her as much privacy as agencies. While presently there is no found on the crate... or anywhere possible and to limit the number of shortage of Siberian tigers in US among the paperwork! A forgiving persons with access to her quarters. zoos, the three from Moscow press gave us front page coverage All the while, the media wanted to represented a needed new blood line the next day and told of our know when she would go on view. It critical to saving the species, which marvelous feats, even if we didn't was a question we could not answer may be extinct in the wild by the year know our lady's name! since we didn't know how long it 2000. (See Zoosletter July/August 1983) As it turned out, the media in New would be before we could trust her The importation of the tigers York and Omaha had a good deal not to injure herself or frighten received significant media attention. more to report. The male tiger which visitors at the exhibit yard. A "Smithsonian World" film crew was supposed to stay in the Bronx accompanied Dr. U.S. Seal, species ended up in Omaha, leaving Omaha's After several months passed and coordinator to the Siberian Tiger female at the Bronx Zoo. The actual very little improvement was seen, we Species Survival Plan, to Moscow to disposition of the three had little began to question the methods used cover the transportation process. The importance to the importation, as all to settle Astra down. Her contact program, entitled "Crossing the our tigers are managed collectively as with our keepers took place only as Distance," was televised last spring one population. Eventually Omaha they were cleaning the premises or and will be repeated at 7 p.m. and the Bronx were to switch tigers shifting other cats, activities which Monday, July 2 on Channel 20. for different pairings anyway. But due Astra might determine as aggressive. Newspapers and television also to the mixup, the Henry Doorly Zoo She had had no chance to see any showed a great deal of interest in the had front page coverage for three human in a relaxed state. We altered event. In Indianapolis, we held a news consecutive days. Zoo Director Dr. our approach and initiated our conference at the airport prior to our Lee Simmons said it was the best "Lunch with Astra" program. publicity his zoo had ever had! tiger's arrival — really big time! My Each day one of our keepers would phone started ringing early that Locally, media interest in our tiger spend at least 30 minutes eating morning with calls from the media continued, even after we determined Continued on page 4 and invariably the first question asked was whether our tiger had a name. As knowing the tiger's name was not important to travel preparations and safe housekeeping, I had not taken time to research the question. Eventually I was called by a UPI reporter in New York who had access to a news release issued in Russia announcing the names as Elisa and Astra for the females and Tulipan for the male. While it didn't make any difference to us, I surmised I'd better try to determine which female we were about to receive so as not to appear too foolish before the reporters at the airport. From the Bronx Zoo came word that the two Curator Duval scans the shipping crate for a clue to identity upon the Siberian tiger's arrival at females had been sent on their flights Indianapolis International Airport last August. Zoosletter—3 Tiger Make your visit lunch in front of Astra's enclosure. It waiters served an impecable repast, a learning experience wasn't too long before we noted despite the logistical problems of By Judi Reames, Early Childhood Specialist some improvement. As things working in a narrow runway "Hey, look," said the preschooler, progressed, we invited other zoo staff surrounded by three very large cats. pointing to the Emu. "What's that?" into the program and eventually One waiter, to avoid stepping too Responded the parent, "I don't know. "invited" more than one person at a near Astra's cage, repeatedly Look at the kangaroo." "But Mom, time for a meal.

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