The Wildlife Habitat is a group of four adjacent mixed-species exhibits for birds, reptiles, and fish in the outdoor garden courtyard of the large Flamingo Hotel and Casino on the Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is a pleasant lush setting for nice average exhibits. I do not know when it was built in its present form, but I have read that the original hotel building from the 1940’s was demolished in 1993 and the garden replaced it so it may date from that year. Over the years, several plain slabs of highrise buildings were built from the late 1960’s to early 1990’s to expand the property, and these form the enclosure of the garden courtyard where the exhibits are located, as well as lawns and swimming pools and a small wedding chapel. The courtyard is reached from the Strip by walking through the interior of the casino and restaurant area. Much of the courtyard is in shade cast by the surrounding buildings most of the day. The largest habitat is the manicured tropical courtyard itself, which visitors can walk around. It is a multi-acre area planted with clumps of palms and thick stands of shrubs on the edge of flat green spaces with a central fountain in the courtyard surrounded by four flamingo statues, two of which spit water out their bills. Signs identify the few free-roaming inhabitants: helmeted guineafowl, golden pheasant, and Lady Amherst’s pheasant. I did not see any of them, but they certainly have a large area to explore and plenty of hiding places. Flamingo fountain in free-roaming bird area: The other three exhibits are not entered by visitors; instead, they are viewed from paths in the courtyard. The paths separate the three exhibits, which share a common waterway that connects beneath several bridges along the paths. Whether the waterways beneath the bridges have barriers or not, I am not sure; therefore, the species signs in front of the exhibits may or may not pertain to each exhibit separately. For instance, Japanese koi are signed in one exhibit but I thought I saw a few in another exhibit as well. The signs are rather crude and appear to be old, so I am not sure how accurate they are. I will describe the three exhibits according to the signs. The feature exhibit is the Chilean flamingo exhibit, which is a small island lined with simulated rock. Its sloping banks are covered with lawn and punctuated by clumps of Mediterranean fan palms and a small rocky waterfall into a shallow pool. There are about 15 of the birds here. The island is surrounded by an attractive waterway with a depth that is probably shallow but difficult to see. The waterway is freeform and lined with simulated rock, and a thin barrier of similar landscaping and railing separates the visitor paths from it and the island. The other side of the exhibit is contained by three large glass building protrusions that house an indoor buffet; from here, patrons can sit at tables next to the windows and look out across the ten foot wide waterway to the back of the small flamingo island. The waterway is home to Japanese koi; also sharing this exhibit’s water and land are sacred ibis, red-crested pochard, hooded merganser, ringed teal, and Australian black swan. Flamingo Exhibit: The next exhibit is another waterway that abuts the indoor buffet pavilion, this time with a large lower pond and a smaller upper pond that spills into it. The upper pond has a small rocky island, densely packed with palms. The backdrop to this area is Paradise Falls, an impressive line of simulated rock outcrops that are about 10 to 15 feet high and feature multiple waterfalls spilling down them into the waterway exhibit and dotted with palms tucked in the nooks. The water is home to grass carp, which the sign identifies as infertile since they can be a very invasive species in non-native waters. The land areas of this exhibit are rather few and small, and only one species is listed here: hybrid whistling duck, a cross between the white-faced and Eyton species. This exhibit emphasizes the scenic setting of its waterfalls more than its inhabitants. Paradise Falls Exhibit: The last exhibit is another waterway, this time a smaller one in front of a low rocky backdrop that is not an island. At one time this was a penguin exhibit, but no longer. Their rocky ledge and shelf featured small burrows, which are still there but mostly unused now. The rocks are backed by a lush stand of shrubs and palms, and to one side is a small rocky water cascade. The current residents of this exhibit are black-necked swan, common shoveler, Northern cinnamon teal, wood duck, Mandarin duck, water turtles (unidentified), and albino channel catfish. Former Penguin Exhibit: The Wildlife Habitat at Flamingo Las Vegas does not offer much to review and is not impressive, but it features a quirky little collection and a pleasant setting of attractive habitats. It is too small to list and rank on my list of zoo facilities I have visited, but would be a nice little addition to any zoo. The price is right - it is free! I have posted additional pictures in the United States - Other gallery.
