Unleashing the Zoo Of His Dreams

Director Envisions Modernized Exhibits In D.C., Safari Tours at Front Royal Annex

The new director of the National Zoo wants to open some areas of its sprawling Front Royal annex for regular public viewing of exotic animal herds, one facet of his ambitious plan to elevate the animal park's exhibits, research and operations to the "gold standard" over the next decade.

John Berry said he hopes to create a Northern Virginia attraction, with safari tours in open vehicles, that will outshine the San Diego Zoo's renowned Wild Animal Park. His vision also includes modernizing the zoo's exhibits and boosting its scientific research and education programs.

Set to open in September is the zoo's Asia Trail exhibit, featuring more space for the popular giant pandas and cub Tai Shan. Berry then hopes to break ground on a $60 million elephant facility, a three-year project to replace the 1930s-era Elephant House that would have six to eight different outdoor habitat areas.

"I don't want just a pretty zoo. I want to build the gold standard," said Berry, 47, who took over full time in October. He said his 10-year vision for the zoo, part of the Smithsonian Institution, would require major renovations and rebuilding the aging infrastructure "from top to bottom."

Berry, former executive director of the congressionally chartered National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, was the top choice of a search committee to replace Lucy Spelman, who resigned as zoo director in 2004 amid concerns about management, animal deaths and deteriorating facilities.

A National Academy of Sciences committee, which reviewed animal care and zoo management at the request of Congress, reported last year that there were problems with record-keeping, preventive medicine, training and long-deteriorating facilities but concluded that most animals whose records it examined received appropriate care. The panel said the zoo had made important strides in correcting weaknesses but needed to do much more to regain its reputation as a first-class animal park.

Berry said his goal is to make the zoo the finest in the world by 2016. He said he will stress conservation concerns in zoo programs and adopt the latest environmentally friendly recycling technologies and alternative energy uses in everyday operations.

He also wants to make the park more user-friendly, perhaps by adding trams or a "skyway" to help visitors travel between the bottom of the zoo and the top. The three-quarter-mile hike, he said, is akin to climbing an 18-story building.

In an interview, Berry said he was not ready to put a price tag on the proposed 10-year overhaul of the zoo. "It's going to take a lot more resources," he said, adding that he hopes to persuade Congress, as well as private donors, to help.

The zoo, founded in 1889, is home to about 2,400 animals and has 365 employees. It has an operating budget of $31.7 million from Congress and capital funds totaling about $12.5 million and received $7.7 million last year from Friends of the National Zoo, its nonprofit support organization. It does not charge admission.

Berry said he is committed to a National Zoo with two campuses, the main 163-acre facility in Northwest Washington's Rock Creek Park, which draws about 1.8 million visitors a year, and the 3,200-acre Conservation and Research Center in Front Royal. The Virginia facility offers summer camp programs for children and is open to the public only one day a year. Smithsonian Institution Secretary Lawrence M. Small once proposed closing it to save money but backed off after widespread protest by scientists.

The center, Berry said, has been doing "Noah's ark" work to help build populations of highly endangered species and reintroduce them into the wild. These include the Scimitar-horned oryx, Przewalski's horse and Guam rail.