(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Future plans for Brookfield Zoo include a major expansion for what is already one of the zoo’s largest and most popular attractions.
Tropic World is the sprawling area at Brookfield Zoo that houses monkeys, apes and other animals in a massive enclosure.
Dr. Michael Adkesson, President and CEO of the Chicago Zoological Society, said he would like the larger primates to have the opportunity to roam outdoors.
It’s his hope that the smaller denizens of Tropic World will get that option, too.
Adkesson took over as CEO in October, but he’s been with the zoo since 2008. So, he is familiar with the zoo’s five-year master plan.
He said it’s important to make animals as “happy” as they can be in zoo settings.
“That ‘happy’ is hard to characterize sometimes,” he said. “When I come home to my dog, I know that my dog is happy to see me, and I think that’s one of the things we really want people to understand is that the bond between our care staff and our animals is such that the animals are in a good physical and psychological state and that they’re happy.”
Adkesson is the guest on “At Issue,” which airs 9:30 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. Sunday.
Related
