Zoo takes new direction

June 29th, 2009 • Related • Filed Under

By Robbie Evans • The News Star

New Louisiana Purchase Gardens and Zoo director Joe Clawson has a vision that visitors will feel like they are visiting far-away places when they walk into an exhibit.

Over the next year or more, visitors will notice an evolving change in the zoo’s appearance, said Clawson, who became zoo director in January. Gone are the days of manicured exhibits that look more like golf courses than settings for an exotic animal, Clauson said.

Clawson wants to follow a trend in zoos that calls for more natural exhibit settings, hopefully giving visitors a more complete experience.

“To me, whenever a visitor is in front of an individual cage, I want them to feel like that’s the only cage at the zoo and they would only be able to see that animal in its natural setting,” Clawson said. “I want the people and the animals to be in a setting where they believe they’re in Africa or on the plains looking where bison are.

Margaret Croft/The News-Star New directorJoe Clawson has big plans on a small budget at Louisiana Purchase Gardens and Zoo.

“Some of that we’ve done well, and some we need to improve on.”

Renovation of the animal exhibits will be an ongoing project.

Clawson also is working to get the train ride back to the zoo. In 2007, the Louisiana Purchase Zoological Society began an initiative to bring back the train ride, which was discontinued in 2003 because two bridges failed state inspections. The train was privately owned, while its tracks are owned by the city.

Clawson is trying to get an engineer involved in examining the bridges to determine the cost of repairs.

“Getting the train running again is important for a number of reasons,” Clawson said. “It was so popular when it was here. The number of people it could bring to the zoo makes it a priority, and the value of the ride makes it a priority.”

The zoo’s gardens are another area that will get more attention over the next year. Although budget constraints place many limitations on garden exhibits, Clawson forged an alliance with a local garden club to improve the greenery.

“With the help of the Monroe Garden Club, we’ve established a new greenhouse on the grounds,” Clawson said. “The garden is something that we’re proud of, but it hasn’t received as much specialty attention as it has deserved.”

Clawson acquired a major insect exhibit scheduled to be in place by October. The City Council approved $50,000 in economic development funds to bring the exhibit, and the city spends just under $2 million a year on zoo operations.

“I don’t see any significant budget increases at the zoo,” Mayor Jamie Mayo said. “What I do see is us putting more money over there perhaps from other sources like economic development.

“It is an enterprise fund, and if the number of patrons increase, their revenue would increase.”

Mayo said some buildings need to be restored, “and we’ve done some things already to make improvements.”

“Since Joe has been back, there is an exhibit he’s bringing to the zoo that we feel will attract people, and he’ll be able to be creative and help restore some of the buildings on site to ultimately improve the aesthetics of the zoo.

“I think you’ll see major improvements and increased attendance.”

Clawson is focused on growing attendance and making sound pitches for extra funding to the City Council.

“We get generous support from a dedicated tax, and the lion’s share of the remainder of our funding comes from actual attendance,” he said. “The city has been very generous and supportive of the zoo.”