Viewing page 36 of 95

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

34

Since the Panda exhibit has been opened to the public, it is estimated that the average daily attendance at the Zoo has increased more than 10,000 persons per day. 

It was observed that because the congestion of the unprecedented crowds has been extreme we may have to institute entrance control. Mr. Ripley commented that we may arrive at a point of saturation. In another twenty years we may have to have an outlying zoo. Pollution is a problem.

Mr. Greenewalt remarked that the San Diego Zoo has a new operation thirty miles outside the city and that it is very impressive. The animals are visible in their natural habitat. He suggested that the Regents should go there to see it. He also suggested that we might consider looking for a location outside the city of perhaps 30-40 acres. 

Status of Paid Parking 

Based on the agreement of the Smithsonian Regents on January 28, 1971, to inaugurate paid parking at the National Zoological Park, the staff and consultants are reviewing the criteria for the design to modify the existing parking lots to maximize usage and minimize operating overhead. Generally, the Wilbur Smith and Associates recommendations of September 1970 will be used as guidelines for development.