DIY Exhibits

When I pointed out a few exhibits at ZooAmerica that I wasn't crazy about, I wasn't trying to be hard on them.  Every zoo has one or two that the keepers can't stand.  The best solution would obviously be to rebuild them.  Depending on the size, scale, and species involved, that can be a project that either A) you need a major new capital campaign, a team of architects, and a few years of dedication to achieve... or B) you and some of your buddies knock out with some 2x4's and wire in between other jobs.

Sometimes you start with Option A, get frustrated when nothing happens, and then move onto Option B.  Sometimes you start with Option B, realize that you are dangerously in over your heads, and slink back to Option A.

We are all Homer Simpson, on some level... and not just the love of donuts.

I've always liked Option B because of the level of control and ownership that it gives you over your project - there are so many details that go into making a habitat for an animal that its nice to plan each one out yourself and not worry about what someone else might put into place.  

The problem, of course, is that I am awful at building things.  I have a perfectionist mind, but completely lack the skills to back it up.  I know exactly what I want the finished product to look like.  I just can't make it happen.

I've built (or at least helped more competent builders) on several exhibits over the years.  I've greatly enjoyed each project - though some, admittedly, took much, much longer to accomplish than I expected.... sometimes years.  That's not surprising - a professional contractor is building the enclosure as their actual job.  We keepers were hammering in a few nails and sawing a few boards between other jobs, all dependent on the animals.  Sometimes, weeks passed without us making an real progress.  Plus, we don't always know what we're doing.  I remember shamefacedly spending a morning taking down an entire row of boards that I'd put up just the day before after having it pointed out to be how crooked they all were.

I do always feel a tremendous amount of pride when I see an animal turned out into an enclosure that I just built.  There's always also a sense of dread and suspicion, like is it even possible that something that I built could actually keep an animal contained?  Am I sure that I put the wire roof up before letting the birds into the aviary?

Which does bring up one final aspect of DIY enclosure construction, though I'm not sure if I'd count it as a plus or minus -  you have no one else to blame if things do go wrong.