TIME TO GROW: A baboon peers out from its chain-link enclosure at Micke Grove Zoo earlier this year. County supervisors will consider a master plan for expanding the 51-year-old zoo later this month.

Antiquated animal exhibits in cramped quarters, adequate domestic water, marketing and a greater diversity of animals were among the challenges cited for Micke Grove Zoo at Tuesday’s meeting of the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors.

In an update on the zoo’s future expansion, Craig Ogata, the county’s facilities management director, gave supervisors an overview of issues cited by the county Zoological Society, county officials and members of the public who attended meetings this year about the zoo master plan.

The full master plan will be submitted for the board’s consideration on May 20.

In reviewing the 51-year-old zoo in south Lodi, Supervisors Leroy Ornellas and Larry Ruhstaller said they are concerned about zoo animals’ quality of life.

“I’d almost rather see one animal on 100 acres than 100 animals on one acre,” Ornellas said.

Other issues cited by zoological society and county officials include:

• The desire for a greater variety of animals.
• Adequate domestic water and sewer.
• The need for a second fence separating people and animals.
• The need for a more visible zoo entrance.

The Board of Supervisors faces another tough decision — whether to continue Micke Grove’s popular sea lion exhibit.

The county faces hundreds of thousands of dollars for upgrades to care for the sea lions, county Parks and Recreation Director Dave Beadles said earlier this year.

The biggest expense in keeping the sea lions is to construct a sewer system just for them. Micke Grove currently relies on a single septic system to serve people and other animals, but federal authorities now require a sewer system for sea lions.

Zoo officials were already thinking about whether to continue the sea lion exhibit, but they put the issue on the front burner with the death of Buster, the 26-year-old sea lion who died on Feb. 11. McDyver, 20, now lives at the zoo without any company.

Some of the zoo’s more unusual animals include the radiated tortoise, Chinese alligator, golden lion tamarian and the pudu.

Ogata also announced that a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the expansion of Micke Grove Park will be at 11 a.m. June 19.
 

The expansion, at the park’s northwest corner fronting Harney Lane, will include a new park entrance, a man-made lake with a large fountain, a children’s water “tot lot” and a group picnic area seating 250.

Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting, normally held at 9 a.m. in downtown Stockton, was held at night at the Lodi Grape Festival grounds.