SANTA ANA : Discovering Zoo’s Niche Is His Job

Ron Glazier, a 20-year zoo veteran, has begun work as the Santa Ana Zoo’s new director and is expected to oversee its $10-million expansion program into the next century.

Under his guidance, the 10-year expansion program will transform the zoo into a showcase of South American animals. Although the 21-acre zoo won’t increase in size, its animal population will double to about 600.

“Our goal is to develop a niche that’s unique for our zoo. We can’t compete with Los Angeles and San Diego in terms of scale of what we do, but we certainly can in terms of the quality of the presentations we make,” Glazier, 47, said.

Construction on the $800,000 first phase of the expansion program, “Amazon’s Edge,” will be underway soon and will include a simulated river bank teeming with black howler monkeys and capybaras--large, semiaquatic rodents that can weigh up to 100 pounds.

A Seattle native, Glazier is now responsible for all administration and management of that city’s 40-year-old zoo, but he said he wanted to work at a smaller zoo, which would allow him to remain directly involved with the exhibits.

“That’s one of the advantages of a smaller zoo: There’s a little more hands-on approach,” he said.

The exhibits will emphasize natural environment over plain cages and may include llamas, jaguars, parrots, penguins, macaws and monkeys.

“It could be one of the finest small zoos in the country,” he said. “It will allow the public to really appreciate the animals for what they are by really putting them in their environment. It’s hard to truly appreciate a monkey in a small sterile cage; (you have to) see them in a natural setting, swinging from the trees.”