Inside Brookfield Zoo's $500M plan to reinvent itself, upgrade animal habitats

(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Brookfield Zoo Chicago recently unveiled a $500 million plan to remake itself over the next 15 years. The head of the zoo told WBBM the changes won't only be physical, but will also include a philosophical shift in how animals are cared for.

The zoo will turn 100 years old in 2034, and Brookfield Zoo President and CEO Dr. Michael Adkesson said their Next Century Plan — which is already underway — promises to bring change, upgrades and expansion.

“We sit on 235 total acres of land within the forest preserves of Cook County, and about half of that is really the developed footprint of what the regular zoo guest would experience as they spend time at the zoo,” he said. “We’re really looking to fill out that whole footprint, so it’s about 100 acres’ worth of space that we’re looking at [for] redevelopment.”

The new habitats for the animals, he said, will be expansive. These so-called “Ecoregions,” of which the zoo plans to build over a dozen, will feature landscape-based experiences that better mimic an animal’s natural environment. Adkesson said the result will be an “immersive and exciting experience” for visitors, but he added that it will better serve the zoo’s animals.

“We think that, with this new way of housing our animals, it not only provides a better state of wellbeing for our animals in terms of the size of habitats and the interactions they have with other animals and the environment around them,” he said.

Adkesson said this reflects the evolution of zoos being more concerned about animal care, climate change and more.

The largest of the Ecoregions will be called Gateway to Africa, and it will be massive — some 35 acres. Another region, at the North Gate, will be devoted to Australia.

“This is a chance for us, again, to just open that space up outside and replicate what you would find in southwestern Australia,” he said.

The planned brushland habitat will feature a wide variety of animals, he said, including: kangaroos, wallabees, koalas, echidna and more.

The big plans for Brookfield Zoo Chicago are this week’s topic on WBBM’s At Issue program, which airs every Sunday at 9:30 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. Listen to the full interview below.

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