- Written by Lajos Endrédi
- Category: Design
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The Seven New Wonders of Zoos
Making a zoo is not a cheap business; operating and developing projects have required huge amounts of money since the earliest ages. Zoos have to meet the demands of their respective societies; in the modern age they have to attract visitors to achieve their goals and to make a profit. The newly established complex exhibition systems of the recent decades are not only spectacular but also provide suitable habitats and an emphasized natural atmosphere for the animals. The original idea behind this kind of versatile exhibition is not new of course; it came from Hagenbeck’s zoo in Hamburg, but in the modern era it has been refined to be even more perfect and interactive. However, these new developments are more expensive than anything before. Usually the zoos cannot raise enough money from their operating budgets to accomplish these grandiose projects by themselves, so they need financial support in addition to their annual budgets. The governments are often the sources of this support, so eventually the taxpayers who may visit these zoos in the future finance their development. This is especially true for the United States, where sponsors play a crucial role in raising funds. In exchange, the zoos indicate the main sponsors in the names of the new exhibits. Finally, there is an adventurous kind of investment: taking loans… in this case I don’t envy the managers during the early years.