I took a quick vacation to the beautiful state of Colorado from August 20th – 24th. While there, I went ATVing through the mountains, explored the small towns of Georgetown and Breckenridge, went whitewater rafting, and rode the Gondola ride in Breckenridge. On the 24th, I had time for one last adventure before heading to the airport to go home. What did I choose? A trip to the Denver Zoo. Review of the Denver Zoo Homepage | Denver Zoo The Denver Zoo opened in 1896 when an orphaned black bear cub was given to the city as a gift. The bear lived in City Park (where the Zoo is still located today), and was later joined by bison, elk, waterfowl, and other animals. Then, in 1918, the revolutionary Bear Mountain opened to the public – one of the first American establishments where people could view animals with no bars or fences. Ever since then, Denver hasn’t looked back, opening many well known exhibits, like 1936’s Monkey Island, the 1959 Pachyderm Building, the Feline complex in 1964, and so on. Today, the Denver Zoo sits on 80 acres, and is packed with a collection of approximately 600 species with a little over 4,000 specimens. I really enjoyed my 5-½ hour visit to this acclaimed establishment. Many of the complexes have well-done habitats, the collection is impressive, the conservation and educational messages are nicely done, and some of the ideas at this Zoo (Toyota Elephant Passage being a perfect example) are very cool and mostly well executed. However, it is best to dedicate a full day to visiting this Zoo; despite being only 80 acres, the collection is enormous, and needs a lot of time to be seen fully. I only had about 5-½ hours to tour the establishment, and ended up missing a couple exhibits – but we’ll get there later. For now, let’s take a look at the Denver Zoo… Predator Ridge – Talk about a great first impression! Right after walking through the new entry plaza (complete with statues of gerenuks, lions, giraffe, and other animals), visitors come across a complex focusing on Africa’s top predators, along with a few smaller animals. The very first habitat seen is a mixed-species area for banded mongoose (a first for me) and African crested porcupine (didn’t see). The habitat has large viewing windows looking into a roomy area with plenty of sand, a couple logs, and a large termite mound. Next to the small mammals is an exhibit for Kirk’s dik-dik, consisting of more viewing windows, and plenty of tall and short grass. However, the true highlight of Predator Ridge is the trio of habitats for Africa’s most well known carnivores – African lion, spotted hyena, and African wild dog. These three predators rotate between the three habitats throughout the day. On my visit, a younger pair of lions was in the first habitat seen after the mongooses, the second next-door habitat had what I thought was a wild dog laying in the back of the exhibit, and an older pair of lions was in the third exhibit. The first two habitats are long and hilly, and complete with plenty of tall grass, termite mounds, and caves. The third habitat is the smallest of the trio, is mesh-enclosed, and completely concrete. While inappropriate for healthy full-grown animals, I think it works okay for elderly animals or mother animals with babies. Visitors can get a panoramic view across sloped moats, or enter a building with up-close viewing windows to see the first two habitats. The building also has decent terrariums for African rock python, Nile monitor, and puff adder. This set of habitats has probably the best habitats for African wild dogs and spotted hyenas I’ve seen, and second best in terms of lion habitats (San Diego Zoo Safari Park still is #1 in my opinion). Overall, the entry and Predator Ridge (both completed in 2004) form probably the best first impression I’ve seen in a zoo. Central Habitats – The Zoo’s main path consists of a large oval. Within this oval are several exhibits featuring hoofstock, birds, and other mammals. Most of the enclosures are quite nice, for they are different from the typical ones with lush grass and a large shady tree; whether there is sand with some tall grasses (zebras), a whole bunch of grass and trees (okapis), or resembling the scrublands with mostly tall grass, smaller trees, and bushes (cheetahs, gerenuks, and Australian animals). Some enclosures, however, are not quite as nice, being barren or more rocky (examples include giraffe, bongo, and eland). Exhibits going clockwise consist of: Grevy’s zebra (including a foal); giraffe; okapi (a mom and 6-month old calf); a male okapi, secretary bird, and saddle-billed stork; ostrich (I saw a sign for Somali wild ass as well – maybe they rotate?); bongo (including a calf); common eland; kori bustard; warthog; lesser kudu and vulture; cheetah; red kangaroo and emu; Cape buffalo (very cool! ); and gerenuk. Felines – I will be honest, this complex, completed in 1964, was a little better than I was expecting. But, that doesn’t mean I liked it. The complex is separated into two different buildings, each consisting of a single large outdoor grotto, two small outdoor cages (consisting of a small pool, a couple climbing rocks, and a little bit of vegetation), and their indoor exhibits. In between the buildings is a maned wolf exhibit. What works - the grottos, while a bit small for striped hyenas, and way too small for the tigers, do at least have some tall trees, logs, rocks, and some grass and dirt. Also, a couple of the cages, in my opinion, work okay for the servals and fossa. They could obviously be larger, but they at least have some good vertical space, especially for the climbing-loving fossas. The maned wolf exhibit is very nicely done, with a few tall trees, some tall and short grasses, and is long and narrow. What doesn’t work - the indoor areas are atrocious! All the poor meat-eaters have inside are tiny tanks with large amounts of cement and rock. The animals don’t even seem to have any room to turn around between the rock walls it’s so small! It has to be seen to believe – it’s just awful. Outside, the cages for Amur and snow leopards are way too small for such majestic big cats. Also, I wasn’t too crazy about the mongoose and tree shrew exhibits – they were average at best. Species in the first building: striped hyena, snow leopard, fossa, and dwarf mongoose (indoor exhibit only). Species in the second building: Amur tiger, Amur leopard, serval, and northern tree shrew (indoor exhibit only – temporarily closed). Northern Shores – A complex that opened in 1987. In my opinion, I found this area of the zoo kind of underwhelming. To begin with, the polar bear exhibit is about average in size, but the land is all concrete; on the bright side, there is a nice deep pool with underwater viewing, and an interesting form of enrichment via a sunken ship for the bears to play on – strange, but pretty creative choice. Next-door is another polar bear exhibit that is almost completely taken up by a large pool, with a very narrow land area. Around the corner is a bad exhibit with a couple logs and completely mock-rock; fortunately, the exhibit was empty on my visit. The river otter exhibit is nothing spectacular, but decent, consisting of a huge pool featuring tall glass windows for underwater viewing, along with a decent land area with logs, and half-grass, half-rock terrain. A little ways up the path is the California sea lion habitat – the highlight of Northern Shores if you ask me; the large bellowing pinnipeds have a very long and narrow habitat that has a nice mock-rock land area, a couple of good-sized rock islands, and a nice-sized pool with underwater viewing. The final exhibit is behind the sea lions, and it is home to harbor seals. The seals have a small habitat that is mostly water with a rock island for sunbathing and a tiny shore area. Tropical Discovery – I was blown away by this indoor jungle! It’s not like most other indoor rainforests such as Brookfield’s Tropic World or Buffalo’s Rainforest Falls where there are mostly mammals exhibited alongside some birds and a few reptiles. In Denver, this 1993 building (the final project of a 1959 master plan!) is just about the opposite – the collection is almost all reptiles, amphibians, and fish; in fact, I believe I only saw six mammals species and no birds! There are several highlights throughout the building including: a Goeldi’s monkey habitat; a temple-themed room filled with various venomous snakes (king cobra, suphan cobra – another first, monocled cobra, fer-de-lance, and many others); a cool bat cave featuring two habitats with three species: vampire bat (their own exhibit), big fruit bat, and short-tailed bat; a hut featuring mostly amphibians (such as golden poison dart frog and I believe disguising poison dart frog); Tropical Reefs has a variety of tropical fish (like lionfish and clownfish); Dragons of Komodo has two decent all-indoor habitats for Komodo dragons, along with black tree monitor and another monitor species I don’t recall; a Siamese crocodile habitat with underwater viewing; and a South American area featuring a mixed-species habitat with howler monkeys and capybaras, along with habitats for piranha and green anaconda. Perhaps the reason I like this indoor rainforest so much is because the main occupants (the reptiles) all have mostly very good habitats, and the building's largest mammal species are the smaller howler monkeys and capybaras, as opposed to housing great apes or tapirs inside year-round. However, the feeling of immersion is what impressed me the most about Tropical Discovery. Almost the entire time, I was surrounded by forest plants or rock walls resembling a riverbank. Also, rather than having all the exhibits set alongside a path, there are a couple areas where there is a central visitor area, and one is surrounded by paths leading to a couple different animal sections – that’s a great idea to avoid overcrowding and allow one more time to see certain animals! In all, Tropical Discovery is my favorite indoor rainforest I’ve seen so far, and also does well with doubling as a reptile and aquatic facility. Toyota Elephant Passage – Once known as Asian Tropics, this 10-acre complex opened in 2012. The same mechanics that are used in Predator Ridge have been taken to the next step here. Asian elephants, Indian rhinos, and Malayan tapirs all rotate through five different habitats (one of which also serves as an amphitheater for demos) at different times of the day – one way is via a large bridge that goes over the visitors, which I think is a very awesome idea; the tapirs also have a small, shady exhibit all to themselves. The pachyderm habitats are different from other recent exhibits for the same animals; instead of being enormous and reaching back as far as the eye can see, Denver’s habitats are decently sized, having a long and narrow shape to them. They also have shady areas, a couple of bare trees, a mix of grass and sand for the terrain, and an enormous pool serving as the barrier between animal and visitor in all but one habitat. Though the Zoo has two older females, Denver is slowly moving towards the goal of maintaining an Asian elephant bachelor herd (similar to Birmingham’s revolutionary African elephant bachelor herd). On my visit, I saw all three bulls (a big, majestic one; and two younger ones), one in each habitat, and one rhino in each of the other two habitats. I didn’t venture into the elephant barn, but I assumed the two females were inside for the day. Anyway, the complex also has a lush habitat for Sarus cranes, and a good-sized meshed enclosed habitat for clouded leopards. The trio of cats I saw were adorable five-month-old cubs (two born in Denver, and another came from the Smithsonian), who were climbing around their logs, running through the lush grass, and pouncing and chasing each other the entire time I watched them. Behind the crane and leopard exhibits is a large building known as the El Pomar Pavilion. Inside, visitors first check out one of the pachyderm habitats through glass windows, followed by decent terrariums for these species: green tree python, eyelash frog, and prehensile-tailed skink. Down the hall are two different exhibits, one on each side; a fishing cat lives on one side, and Asian small-clawed otters live on the other. Both exhibits are disappointing, for they are all-indoors and the land area is all concrete; on the bright side, they have a stream that flows into a nice-sized pond, and the exhibit walls have a nice design resembling a riverbank. El Pomar’s final exhibit is an average one for Indian hornbill and another bird species that I don’t recall (it originally held several bats). The finale of Toyota Elephant Passage is, for me, the highlight of the entire complex. Visitors walk on a boardwalk that goes through an enormous pond, part of which is for one of the pachyderms. Located on the pond is a trio of lush islands for a pair of white-cheeked gibbons, but what makes these islands extra-awesome is the fact that they are connected via vines that the apes can swing on over the visitors’ heads! While I was there, the female was swinging all over one island before crossing over the crowds to the next island – yet another great idea that other zoos should begin implementing more. Before I end this very long section of the review, there’s one more aspect to the complex I want to discuss – the theming. Toyota Elephant Passage has some of the best theming and immersion I’ve seen so far. Right after going under the crossing bridge, I felt like I was at the edge of an ancient Asian tropical village. The buildings look top-notch, Asian flags blow in the wind over the visitors’ heads, and even a few educational points can catch visitors off-guard. For instance, there’s one building that looks like it was destroyed by an elephant, so the building explains how elephants and villagers are at conflict with crops – in fact, the display goes so far, that it has planted some bushes between the ruined building and the habitat behind it. Imagine seeing the elephants reaching out to consume them (I believe I once read they can)! Overall, aside from the fishing cat and otter habitats, I have no problems with Toyota Elephant Passage. Almost all the exhibits are great, the theming and immersion is top-notch, and most of the implemented ideas (pachyderm crossing bridge, gibbons swinging overhead, etc.) hit a bull’s-eye. Pachyderm Area – This building opened in 1959, and is home to Nile hippos, crested screamers, and black rhinoceros. Originally, the elephants and tapirs lived here as well, but have since moved to new, way better homes in Toyota Elephant Passage. A renovation took place soon after to give the rhinos and hippos new and improved spaces. The crested screamers had a long and narrow enclosure with plenty of long grass, and the single hippo I saw had a barren enclosure with a pool and land area that was so-so in size. I never saw any black rhino on my visit, but I assume it has access to the former elephant exhibit, as it had a sloping moat, tall grass, and a few shade structures. That exhibit, which looked average but nothing spectacular, was under maintenance while I was visiting. Primate Panorama – Seven acres on the western side of the establishment are dedicated to several species of monkeys, apes, lemurs, and a few other species. Since I was a bit crunched for time, I’ll admit I had to go through the complex a bit faster than I would have liked. The adventure begins with views of Lemur Island, a beautiful, lush home to ring-tailed and red ruffed lemurs, who rotate between the island and their indoor exhibits in the Emerald Forest building; sadly, I never saw any animals on the island. Down the path is an okay exhibit for black-crested macaque, and the entrance to the Emerald Forest. The building houses several primate species (along with a tamandua) in exhibits representing Madagascar and South America. The exhibits have plenty of climbing opportunities, but have concrete flooring. While the exhibits work fine for some species (tamandua, tamarins), they are too small for some of the larger species (saki monkeys, titi monkeys, lemur species). The Emerald Forest species include: red ruffed lemur, ring-tailed lemur, mongoose lemur, southern tamandua, titi monkey (another first), golden lion tamarin, emperor tamarin, white-faced saki monkey, pygmy marmoset (another first), a shrew species, and aye-ayes (see my “Highlight of the Day” section for more info). Back outside, a pair of great ape habitats is the next area seen. First up is the largest orangutan habitat (1-acre according to the website) I’ve seen in my life – not to mention it is packed with grass, and allows the red apes access to live trees, along with a few other climbing ropes. Sadly, I never saw any orangutans outdoors; only one male was seen in the Great Ape House, which does offer good height, but is definitely not naturalistic in appearance. The same goes for the next-door indoor gorilla enclosure, which held two males. Fortunately, things picked up when I returned outside. I saw two females in what I think is the second best gorilla habitat I’ve seen in my life (sorry, San Diego Zoo ) – it’s very large (one acre in size), and packed with grass, bushes, climbing ropes, and even access to live trees. Across the path are two great mesh habitats for red-capped mangabeys and golden-cheeked gibbons (another first). Primate Panorama’s final area is known as the Congo Basin. Two none-primate exhibits are the first to be encountered: red river hogs and yellow-backed duiker. Both species have average-sized exhibits that are decent, but nothing great. There are also three fantastic primate habitats home to mandrills (several branches that spew from a log made for quite an interesting exhibit design), de Brazza’s monkeys, and colobus monkeys. The final exhibit is a nice-sized mesh exhibit for blue duiker and hornbill (forgot the exact species). Also near Primate Panorama is the 1936 Monkey Island. Despite its age, it is very impressive in size and the fact that there are tall trees for the monkeys to climb. The species here are hooded capuchin monkeys and African crowned cranes (strange and unnatural mix). Unfortunately, only the crowned cranes were seen, while the capuchins were in one of three atrocious cages across from the island. The two other cages held spider monkeys and a langur species. Bear Mountain – When this complex opened in 1918, it was revolutionary for being one of America’s first institutions to house animals at eye-level with the public, and not have any bars or fences. Now, however, two of the three exhibits are very small and poor for the large mammals. Over the years, the trio of exhibits has held a variety of animals, including polar bears, grizzly bears, Asian black bears, sea lions, coatis, and even monkeys. Presently, the exhibits are home to grizzlies, Asian black bears, and coatis. As stated before, the bears have terrible exhibits, being very small and having a tiny pool – though at least there is a climbing log in each. The coati exhibit is interesting in that the top is a large, overhanging rock surrounded by a water moat, with the animal exhibit underneath the overhang. The neat little mammals have a few logs to climb around on in their nice-sized exhibit. Sheep Mountain - A pair of mock-rock mountains that opened in 1979. One houses Dall sheep (didn’t see any), and the other houses bighorn sheep (only saw a single female). Both habitats are very large, allow for plenty of height, and seem to have a pool at the bottom of the mountain. Other than the lack of vegetation at the bottom of the mountains, I would say Denver has the best mock-rock mountain exhibits for these majestic species I’ve seen so far. Other Exhibits – Across from the harbor seal exhibit is an enormous forest known as Wolf Pack Woods. It used to hold Arctic wolves, but is now home to maned wolves, which were nowhere to be seen. Between Wolf Pack Woods and Toyota Elephant Passage are average-sized, dusty enclosures for the following: Bactrian camel, Przewalski’s wild horse, and Dromedary camel. Across from the camels and wild horse enclosures are two small grottos for red panda and bat-eared fox. The only feature the exhibits have beside concrete is a small tree; I wouldn’t mind seeing them go. Near Bear Mountain is a tiny poor Humboldt penguin exhibit with a shallow pool (no underwater viewing) and holes in the rock wall for nesting and indoor access. Note – Because of the enormous collection and not having as much time as necessary, I was unable to check out the Bird World building or the Nurture Trail. I did, however, see some of the surrounding enclosures, including the flamingo lagoon; a so-so bald eagle exhibit; and a small but densely vegetated cassowary exhibit. I did also catch a glimpse of the African penguins from a distance, but didn’t get a chance to see the exhibit up-close. There were also a couple Primate Panorama exhibits I ended up missing as well. HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: Seeing my very first aye-ayes was by far the best part of my visit! While in the Emerald Forest building, I couldn’t find any side halls that led to them at all. Fortunately, a keeper was walking through the building. After asking where the aye-ayes were, I was told the exhibit was temporarily closed due to the female getting treated for an injury. Despite that, I was shocked when the keeper allowed me to follow her to the closed-off aye-aye exhibit! There, I got to see the breeding male, along with two younger adult aye-ayes (I believe she said they were both male), and learn more about aye-ayes in captivity overall. It was lucky, but very well worth seeing the unusual yet intriguing nocturnal primates! Overall: The Denver Zoo has long been one of the country’s most acclaimed zoos, with a rock-solid collection and many very well done complexes. Well, I couldn’t agree more! Denver has a very powerful trio of complexes with Predator Ridge (a super first impression), Tropical Discovery (a rainforest with mostly fascinating reptile species), and, of course, Toyota Elephant Passage (an immersion powerhouse with several great ideas). After that, everything else ranges from very nice or above average (Primate Panorama, Central Habitats, Sheep Mountain), to so-so (Pachyderms), to mediocre (Northern Shores, Felines), to terrible (Bear Mountain). If Denver can continue building complexes on the caliber of the big three mentioned above, then I see a very bright future for this Colorado attraction. I believe I heard on here at one point that the next project is another Asian-themed complex, only with cold-weather species like tigers and leopards. I wouldn’t hesitate at returning at some point in the future – see this zoo if you haven’t already. I would probably rank Denver at #4, which is below San Diego Zoo Safari Park, San Diego Zoo, and St. Louis Zoo (in that order).
I applaud your great, detailed review and two years ago I posted a similarly long and informative review of the same zoo. I'd put Denver in my top 10 out of the 250 that I've visited and while reading your write-up I found myself nodding in agreement on multiple occasions. Predator Ridge and the entrance are both top-notch (including a huge, two-level gift shop that you didn't mention); Northern Shores is underwhelming for sure and looking a bit dated; Toyota Elephant Passage illustrates how a zoo can spend $50 million wisely as most of the exhibits are excellent; and Tropical Discovery is a brilliant building with something crazy like 250 species, 1,000 animals and 200 plant species inside the one structure. In my review I listed almost 80 species of reptiles and amphibians, many of which are rarely found in other American zoos, 7 mammal species and tons of fish in all directions. I think that it is a vastly underrated Rain Forest building. It is a pity that you had to rush through Primate Panorama as that is my favourite part of the entire zoo. There are 20 primate species in that section (24 in the entire zoo) and to have so many active, charismatic animals in mainly very good habitats makes it an incredibly entertaining part of the huge zoo. The hoofstock paddocks are great; Bird World is average but with 70 species and 3 walk-through aviaries; and the two worst parts of the zoo in my opinion are Bear Mountain (totally unacceptable these days) and the Felines building. Lastly, I know that the British zoo author Tim Brown, who has visited around 650 zoos worldwide, also calls Denver one of the 10 best zoos in the United States.
Thank you, snowleopard! *By any chance, do you remember what primate species were in the exhibits I missed? To help you out, the ones I missed (when looking at the map) are past the Bear Mountain exhibits, and to the left of Emerald Forest. I could see the mesh fencing from the next-door pathways, but, as stated, didn't have the time to check them out.
Here is my review of Primate Panorama from my 2012 road trip: Primate Panorama – This 7-acre set of habitats features a whopping 20 different kinds of primates (from 3 different continents) and several other species in a wide-ranging style of exhibits. Before going past the main entrance visitors pass a lushly planted squirrel monkey exhibit and a spider monkey/giant anteater habitat that is green and dense with vegetation. Lemur Island features two species (red ruffed and white collared brown) across from Flamingo Lagoon that also features two species (American and Chilean). Black-crested macaques have an outdoor and indoor yard that is seen before the Emerald Forest building is entered. Madagascar is the first themed area and it features the indoor viewing areas for the Lemur Island inhabitants as well as all-indoor exhibits for ring-tailed lemurs and mongoose lemurs. Tropical Forests has all-indoor exhibits for Goeldi’s monkeys (with a southern tamandua), white-faced saki monkeys (two exhibits), golden lion tamarins (two exhibits), emperor tamarins, pygmy marmosets and aye-ayes. Indoor housing for the squirrel monkeys is also seen here. Back outside is a gorgeous, natural-looking netted enclosure for red-capped mangabeys as well as a similar habitat for golden-cheeked gibbons. Both of those enclosures are superb, and across the pathway is a large outdoor habitat for orangutans that is certainly green and naturalistic but could definitely use a lot more climbing opportunities. The 5 orangs do have access to some large trees and the same goes for the 5 gorillas next door that have one of the largest ape habitats in any American zoo. It is an acre in size and resembles a forested environment which naturally makes it difficult to locate a gorilla. There are massive viewing windows at both exhibits, indoor quarters that are loaded with wooden beams and open year-round, and even a two year-old orangutan that was adorable and drew quite a crowd. There is an exhibit for a yellow-backed duiker, two red river hog enclosures, plus more excellent, lush primate exhibits for mandrills, DeBrazza monkeys and colobus monkeys (with klipspringers). A blue duiker/silvery-cheeked hornbill exhibit ends the trail. A small walk-through aviary has these 14 species: Von der Decken’s hornbill, black-necked swan, black swan, smew, kookaburra, nene, mandarin duck, bar-headed goose, boat-billed heron, South African shelduck, scarlet ibis, cattle egret, roseate spoonbill and Egyptian vulture. Besides the 20 primate species in Primate Panorama there are also black howler monkeys in Tropical Discovery and a large troop of hooded capuchin monkeys on the outstanding Monkey Island. The capuchins have a vast network of tall trees to roam about and they fare better than the sad-sack monkeys that are stuck inside the small metal cages of the 1908 Monkey House. Wolf’s guenons, silvered leaf monkeys and the indoor housing for the hooded capuchins is also found here. In total Denver Zoo has 24 primate species, most of the exhibits are exemplary, and I think that it beats out San Diego as America’s #1 zoo for primates. Monkeys, lemurs and apes are already the most popular zoo animals for most visitors (including myself) partly because they are so active and human-like in appearance. To have 7 acres of a zoo set aside for such entertaining and interesting mammals, complete with a replicated West African village, makes this one of America’s 25 best exhibit complexes.
How many US zoos still exhibit this Big four of African Predators Lions,Hyenas,Cheetahs and Painted Dogs ? Pretty impressive ! Team Tapir223
After Denver, San Diego and Saint Louis there probably aren't too many others with those 4 particular species.
@Team Tapir223: along with the ones snowleopard mentioned, another two I found were Oklahoma City and Rio Grande Zoos.
