What's going to happen to Belle Isle Zoo

**Tig3rzhark** · July-02-09, 01:36 PM

Belle Isle Zoo as well as the aquarium have been closed for quite some time. I haven't been to Belle Isle in a long time. I'm sure a few things have changed there, but not much according to Google Earth.

I remember going there once when I was young walking on a platform until I got to the end of the zoo. Now the property remains vacant.

It's true, Detroit does have a lot of vacant property lately, and for those that object to getting rid of "assets" it seems that these "assets" aren't being well taken care of and should be sold for a good price to help the city get out of debt.

**EastsideAl** · July-02-09, 02:26 PM

Ummm, don't think there's a lot of market for used zoos these days. In case you haven't noticed, there's little or no market for any Detroit real estate right about now.

The Aquarium has a group that is working to care for and reopen it. People involved have posted here about it several times.

The Belle Isle Zoo should have never been closed, of course, and its closure was almost entirely due to corruption and favor-doing in the Kilpatrick administration. Of course, under current economic conditions there's very little chance that it'll be reopened anytime in the foreseeable future. Still doesn't mean that we should sell off the middle of our best public park to private interests in a fire sale to build goodness-knows-what on it though.

**Detroitnerd** · July-02-09, 02:31 PM

Parks department's attitude toward parks as havens of recreation isn't sterling. Remember the article where they discussed selling off almost 100 city parks? In the article, Vincent Anwunah, general manager of the recreation department's planning, design and construction management division, said, "Why do we hang onto something that doesn't produce nothing? It consumes the resources available to the city."

Oh, yeah. That's why New York sold off Central Park in the 1970s. It didn't "produce nothing."

**Gistok** · July-02-09, 02:56 PM

... and you wonder why I'm so against wasting money tearing down the relatively new Chene Park Amphitheatre [[early 1990's) only to put one on the Ford Auditorium site.....

**detroitbred** · July-02-09, 03:18 PM

While you are on the subject of Belle Isle, does anyone know the current condition of the deer confined there [[ are they still )? I read that they are sick, and being a sucker for all animals I wondered how they are, and what will eventually happen to them. It can't be good for breeding, feeding etc, to have them trapped there like that. Just curious....................

**Homer** · July-02-09, 05:40 PM

I think the BI Zoo would be a great venue to place all of the City Council candidates. We could then walk on the raised walkway and observe them debating each other. We could also toss them balony sandwiches and see the survival of the fittest in action. Of course they would have to wear their names on the their shirts to satisfy the name recognition voters. In the end those with a stable platform could use it to support themselves and climb out to be on the final ballot.

**kit1007** · July-02-09, 08:31 PM

Originally Posted by detroitbred

While you are on the subject of Belle Isle, does anyone know the current condition of the deer confined there [[ are they still )? I read that they are sick, and being a sucker for all animals I wondered how they are, and what will eventually happen to them. It can't be good for breeding, feeding etc, to have them trapped there like that. Just curious....................

Just a thought here but you may want to ask the Detroit Chapter of ASPCA or any animal welfare group. THE DNR hopefully is keeping an eye on things.