Private Zoo Planned for Local Shopping Center

According to data provided by Colliers International, the proposed indoor animal park will allow visitors to not only observe the animals but participate in their feeding as well. Miniature hippopotami, crocodiles, monkeys, birds, reptiles, and large wild cats will inhabit areas designed to replicate these animals' natural environment as closely as possible.

"This is the first time an exotic park has become part of a shopping complex and we consider this unique to St. Petersburg," said Anna Nikandrova, head of the Retail Real Estate Department at Colliers International, St. Petersburg. "The park will attract visitors from throughout the city to Rio."

Colliers International estimates that the park will attract anywhere from 2.5 to 3 million visitors a year with a volume of 1,000 guests an hour staying for an average of 40 minutes each. Tickets to the park will be approximately 500 rubles ($15.30).

The Tashir Group, a Russian holding company based in Moscow, plans to open a similar park in Moscow's Rio Shopping and Entertainment Center. In 2011, Tashir opened the Moscow Oceanarium in Rio thanks to $18 million in investments and the number of visitors to the shopping complex increased by 50 percent.

"We are developing the exotic park [in St. Petersburg] in a certain way to make it interesting for visitors of all ages," said Aik Ignatyan, Vice President of the Tashir Group. "The flexibility of the format is its advantage. We aim to create an environment for the animals similar to their natural one."

Since leisure pursuits within shopping and entertainment centers have never been actively developed in St. Petersburg, real estate analysts believe unique projects such as the proposed exotic park in St. Petersburg's Rio will increase the number of visitors.

"The new function will make the project stand out among the large number of shopping centers in the city with similar profiles," said Igor Kokorev, the Deputy Head of the Strategic Consulting Department at Knight Frank, St. Petersburg, an independent property consultant.

"Yet, similar projects don't positively influence all parts of the shopping center," Kokorev continued. "A disadvantage of the park is its comparatively low repeat attendance in contrast to more common forms of entertainment, like movies and skating rinks."

Experts fromMaris, part of the CBRE Affiliate Network, agree with Kokorev's analysis that revenues drop quickly after the initial popularity begins to fade.

"The interest in such forms of entertainment decreases with every visit since the experience is always the same and visitors already know what to expect," said Yelena Prozorova, a consultant at Maris, speaking to The St. Petersburg Times."Usually, the person who generates the idea of visiting is a child.

" Mini-zoos are often seen in places designed for rest and leisure," said Kokorev. "Shopping and entertainment centers often play this role in the modern city environment, so the addition of a mini-zoo is not surprising."

Yet putting wild animals into what is essentially a commercial space can be problematic.

"While building a zoo in a building with other commercial uses, one needs to meet lots of construction requirements and guidelines as well as sanitary ones," Prozorova explained.

There are very few examples of zoos incorporated into commercial real estate. A zoo in a Bangkok shopping center has been the focus of protests due to the inhumane condition the animals face, according to Maris.

"There are a lot of protests among animal welfare organizations against this zoo," said Prozorova. "That's why it's very important to care about the animals' living conditions as well as profit. A positive example would be the oceanarium in one of the largest shopping centers in the world in Dubai, which is popular among visitors from all over the world."

At Las Vegas' MGM Grand Hotel, there used to be a lion habitat in the main lobby of the building. It was a large, glass-encased structure where guests could look at the lions from the edge of the habitat or from a glass tunnel that went through the exhibit. Although the exhibition is no longer there, the way it was maintained differed significantly from Russian zoos.

"The lions never lived in the hotel, they only visited it for their shift," said Keith Evans, the designer of the lion habitat in the MGM Grand and the owner of the Lion Habitat Ranch in Las Vegas, speaking to The St. Petersburg Times. "All the lions have always lived at the ranch, which is now open to the public. The habitat was a great place for the lions to visit, but not to live full time.

"We do not know the reason the hotel decided to close the habitat."

Evans didn't have any strong feelings for or against Rio's proposed park. "I would have to see the design of the animal's living and display area to make any comments," he said. "If they had plenty of room and were not on display more than off it might work."

The Leningrad Zoo gave The St. Petersburg Times a similar answer. A press representative with the Zoo was unable to make any specific comments about Rio's project since they did not know the exact conditions for each animal. The representative confirmed that the Zoo was often asked about the exotic park but responded to such questions by saying they would only comment once they knew what condition the animals would be kept in.

VITA, an animal rights organization, was direct in their thoughts on the proposed park.

"Such projects are a step back in human progress," said Dinara Ageeva, head of the St. Petersburg branch of the VITA animal rights center, speaking to The St. Petersburg Times. "We are definitely against such constructions in shopping centers.

"The animals do not even have the opportunity to see the sky there. They do not have any joy in their lives. Despite whatever special conditions are provided, animals get sick and suffer psychologically when they lose their natural habitat.

"People constantly come and look at them," Ageeva went on. "We think it brings a consumer attitude to the surrounding world. Children understand that such an attitude is the norm and then they will treat people in this way too. We are strongly against it."

VITA's suggestion to the exotic park's designers is, rather than showing many animals, why not fill the area with exotic flowers?

"It could be designed in an unusual and interesting way with rare flowers and plants of various colors and forms and with unique smells that could hardly be found anywhere else," said Ageeva.

There are a variety of opinions about the idea of a zoo in a commercial space but if there is anything to be worried about, it's that the animals receive the care and treatment they deserve.