Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum » Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
24-05-2008

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

This establishment is actually regarded as one of the best, most naturalistic zoos in North America, and was founded in Tucson, Arizona in 1952. It is a zoo, museum and botanical garden all rolled into one, and has over 500,000 annual visitors.

There is a gem, mineral and fossil collection totalling 14,000 specimens, 6,000 books on desert ecology, 40,000 plants including over 1,300 species, and...

106 mammals of 31 taxa
241 birds of 72 taxa
361 reptiles of 86 taxa
122 amphibians of 23 taxa
10,700 fish of 9 taxa
840 arthropods of 78 taxa

Exhibit

This AZA award-winning exhibit is renowned for its natural ability to blend in to the surrounding desert. Javelinas (peccary pigs) are exhibited here, and this is just one of many noteworthy enclosures within the park.

There are other famous exhibits: Mountain Woodland, Desert Grassland, Cat Canyon (bobcat, margay, jaguarundi, ocelot), Desert Loop Trail, and the aquatic Riparian Corridor set of fish, beaver and river otter enclosures.

P.S. For you Aussies, this park is extremely similar to the brilliant Alice Springs Desert Park, which is found in the direct center of Australia.

28-05-2008

The absolutely most astouning zoo exhibit I have ever seen, is at the ASDM. This facility overall is amazing, but the highlight is the desert loop trail. It takes you on a dg trail through real upland Sonora desert, the javelina habitat is so thoroughly hidden in the landscape that as you are walking, the peccaries seem as though they could literally be anywhere. The invisinet fencing is held up by artificial plant stems and branches hidden within real plants. Through a series of bridges over washes you cross over the exhibit a number of times. I've seen javelinas in the wild before, but this was as close to that experience as possible.

Historical Timeline
22-06-2008

1952 - Groundbreaking April 1st; ASDM opened to the public Labor Day on its original 10 acres; Founded by William H. Carr, operated by the ANA
1953 - Admission charge of 50 cents instated; Papago dwelling built; “Desert Trails” (a weekly television program) created
1954 - Photographic Wildlife Blind
1955 - Incorporated as a non-profit educational corporation
1956- Original Aquarium exhibits opened in the East Wing of the Main Museum
1957 - Tunnel Exposition
1958 - Amphibian Room
1959- Water Street, U.S.A.
1961 - Main Entrance expansion (admissions, offices, conference room, library)
1963- Demonstration Desert Garden (1st section opened)
1964 - Gift Shop
1965 - Refreshment Area
1966 - Orientation Room
1967- Riparian Corridor (Otter-Beaver-Bighorn Complex)
1968 - Main Entrance expansion (executive offices)
1969 - Aquarium Hall
1971 - Demonstration Desert Garden (completed)
1973 - Cat Canyon
1978 - Tunnel Exposition closed
1986 - Mountain Woodland Habitat
1989- Life Underground (renovation of “Tunnel Exposition”)
1992 - Desert Grassland
1998 - Olsen Building (Off-exhibit holding of reptiles, amphibians, etc.); AZA Significant Achievement Award for Hummingbird Propagation and the Javelina Exhibit
2007 - Life on the Rocks
Future - Education Center, Jaguar/Mountain Lion Exhibit, Animal Retirement Facility

22-06-2008

I had heard many years ago that the jaguar exhibit was permenantly shelved. Have they revived it? The tropical deciduous forest exhibit that they once planned was to be amazing.

22-06-2008

I gleamed the future plans from the museum's website on its history page:

I also understand that the local (Tucson) organization to build an aquarium in the area is working with the Desert Museum and may possibly build an aquatic facility near the Museum, but this (I heard) was still may years away.

22-06-2008

Yeah, the Sonoran Sea Aquarium they are calling it. Interesting plans. High time AZ had an aquarium. I'm not putting too much stock in Mickey Olson's plans going up in Litchfield Park.

23-06-2008

Great timeline, but a few of the most significant exhibits at ASDM were not mentioned:

The Cave (late 70s)--still the most realistic cave experience ever created in any zoo or museum. Signalled the beginning of the Larson Company, the for-profit rockwork venture founded by the former director of ASDM, that went on to do zoo work around the world.

Walk-through Aviary (early 80s?)

Hummingbird Aviary (late 80s?)

Desert Trail (groundbreaking, AZA Award-winning sequence featuring javelinas, coyotes, lizards in a brilliant immersion exhibit)--1996?

Coati exhibit (expansion of Riparian zone)--1998?


Brilliant place--one of my very favorites

24-06-2008

thanks reduakari. I'm waiting for my budget to allow me to purchase a more current history book of the musuem that might hold dates for those exhibits. I believe the hummingbird exhibit opened at sometime in the 90s, I think it also received an AZA award.

13-03-2009

I would add that they have the best cafeteria I've seen at any zoo (as well as an upscale restaurant that I've never eaten in because it's pricey and because the food in the regular cafeteria is so good). One of my major complaints about zoos is the lack of healthy food choices at some zoos. If they can consult a nutritionist for their animal diets, why can't they provide a good diet for visitors?!! Arizona Sonora Desert Museum provides a full day's pleasure, including a nice lunch (or dinner during summer Saturday nights).

3 Weeks Ago

Latest update is that they plan to renovate the black bear exhibit this Summer and hopefully have a new black bear on exhibit this Fall. (Last two black bears, both quite old, have been permanently retired and exhibit has been empty for at least a year). Renovation includes combining night houses into one larger house, so they can only have one bear (which is fine, since they're solitary by nature).