Sacramento Zoo - NIMBY/YIMBY?

Earlier this year, the Sacramento Zoo, faced with the familiar challenges of an older, crumbling campus, announced its desire to pull up its stakes and relocate.  Over the years, the zoo has had to phase out many of its iconic animals - gorillas, hippos, tigers - due to space constraints.  Exhibits that once seemed state of the art now seem inadequate.  It's the story of every zoo - we do the best that we can, and once we know better, we do better.  Sometimes, it's easier to start over on a blank canvas.


Melissa McCartney, an ungulate zookeeper at the Sacramento Zoo, shows Goody her new boot.COURTESY OF THE SACRAMENTO ZOO


With that in mind, the Sacramento Zoo is looking for its new home.  The question is where?

Sacramento Zoo is looking for its new home. These three neighbors lead the pack

Having a zoo as your neighbor can be a major change.  A lot of folks are wondering what the impact of this move might be - on traffic, on property values, or safety.  For some folks, it's a big "Not In My Back Yard."  For others, the thought is a very attractive one.  As a result, we're seeing dueling visions, some folks smelling opportunity and adventure and trying to lure the new Sacramento Zoo to their location... and others just smelling lots of manure.  There's even a quixotic push to have a new "West Coast Smithsonian Institute" based out of Sacramento - maybe the new zoo could be part of it?

Hopefully, a site will be selected soon and we'll find that rarest of species - the decision that pleases everyone.  The zoo will get a new home, the city will get a great new facility, and the various members of the public will have it as close or as far away as they desire.