Turtle Back Zoo may expand African Adventure, add camping

How would you like to sleep with wild animals?

Well, at least near them.

Overnight camping is one of the amenities being proposed for the Turtle Back Zoo in the preliminary stages of its master plan revision.

A master plan update is required every 10 years to keep the West Orange attraction’s five-year accreditation with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the Zoological Association of America, and the American Humane Association, said Zoo Director Mike Kerr.

“We’re just in the conceptual phase,” Essex County Parks and Recreation Deputy Director Kate Hartwyk told a gathering on Thursday, in the zoo’s Education Building. The meeting’s purpose was to solicit the public for ideas that could possibly be included in the plan.

“Creating a master plan will help us establish a blueprint for future development and improvements,” Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo stated before the meeting.

According to the DiVincenzo, his administration has spent $70 million in upgrades to the facility since 2003. Each of the past 13 years has set an annual attendance record, including 2017, when 907,522 people visited the zoo, he added.

Studies

“Elevating our commitment to animal care forms the basis of everything we do,” David Walsh of Zoo Advisors stated as the attraction’s top priority.

Consultants are also exploring ways to enhance the zoo’s conservation mission, make it a regional destination, build to capacity to support growth, and improve the visitors’ experience, he added.

Mark Beauchamp presented a conceptual rendering from CLR Design, a Philadelphia-based firm that specializes in zoo master plans.

The design included expanding the African Adventure Exhibit on the southwestern part of the park. More animals could be added to mix, already populated with giraffes, lions and hyenas, Beauchamp said.

Proposing a cheetah run, “imagine if visitors could see a cheetah run at full speed,” the designer suggested as one exhibit.

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More animal attractions at the zoo’s entrance could create better “first impressions,” and indoor exhibits, such as one representing the tropics, could enhance rainy-day visits or special events, according to the design.

The overnight camping, in the southeastern corner of the park, could accommodate Scouts and other youth groups.

The company proposes a café in the African Adventure vicinity, in addition to the Savanna Café near the zoo’s entrance. It would be part of a hub where visitors gather for food, restroom and shopping breaks.

The design proposes four of these hubs, versus just the one already near the front of the zoo.

Much of the proposal concentrates on improving visitor flow and capacity, improving pathways and ensuring they are ADA-compliant on the hillsides. It also demonstrates a path along the outer borders for easy access for service staff or first responders throughout the park.

To meet demand for parking, CLR Design suggests one of the South Mountain Recreational Complex’s garages could add a floor. It also presents possible new spots for overflow parking, from which visitors could walk or shuttle to the zoo.

Public input

About 30 people attended the meeting.

Public suggestions for the zoo’s interior included adding a mounted patrol and improving the food quality for visitors.

Sgt. John Longo, retired from the former Essex County Police Department’s Mounted Unit, said officers on horseback would be an affordable security option, about $5,000 per horse, and contribute to the zoo’s animal theme.

Millburn resident Judy Rosenthal expressed concerned about the animals’ well-being. She noted the giraffe that died last May.

“Giraffes belong in Africa,” Rosenthal said, adding they cannot take New Jersey winters.

“He was a 10-year-old giraffe that came to us from another facility,” Kerr said after the meeting. Hodari had lost his appetite and had “an adverse reaction to sedation” to assist in an examination, he said.

He was diagnosed with an oral abscess after his death, the director said. Three other Masai giraffes remain in the exhibit.

Other comments focused on the zoo’s impact beyond the gates.

Rosenthal contended each expansion adds impervious surfaces that lead to flooding, and takes away from the natural reserve, which she said the park was intended to be.

Robert Rashkes, who lives on a nearby West Orange hillside, complained about hearing the zoo’s train whistle all day, followed by concerts at night. “The hills are alive with the sound of music,” he told a reporter.

“Exhibit expansions should not happen until [area] traffic issues are under control,” he added.

Beauchamp said a traffic study would be conducted as the master plan moves forward.

‘Something special’

“Nothing here is concrete,” County Executive DiVincenzo said of CLR’s design at the meeting’s conclusion.

The park encompasses 2,000 acres of Green Acres space, with the zoo accounting for only 25 acres, he said.

“We’re going to agree to disagree,” DiVincenzo said, regarding some of the criticisms.

“I understand it’s in the backyard of residents,” he said. “Our number one problem, we all know, is parking, but we have something special here.”

Overall, the South Mountain Recreational Complex, including the zoo, is good for economic development and improving the quality of life for residents, he added.

Email: proctor@northjersey.com