As the Henry Doorly Zoo's new African Grasslands opened to the public today and several new "savannas" have opened up across the country, I thought it would be interesting to see what the consensus best exhibit there is. Personally, of the ones that I have seen, I am partial to ones at Kansas City, DAK, and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. So, what are the best African exhibits out there and what makes them the best?
The new one at Fresno Chaffee Zoo is quite impressive. Giants of the Savanna at Dallas Zoo is still hard to beat, though. What I like about both is that there are visitor viewing areas stretching all along for multiple vantage points and a central area with chairs to just sit and watch. What is nice about Fresno is this is directly in front of a new café with several food options and a sprawling covered dining area. Also, Caldwell Zoo (Tyler, Texas) is nice because it is very lush and in addition to the antelope and zebras there are warthogs roaming the expanse. Plus it has an invisible moat between the lions and the savanna (whereas at Fresno and Dallas the lions are in distinctly separate areas).
My Top Ten (No Particular Order) 1. San Diego Safari Park 2. North Carolina Zoo 3. Kansas City Zoo 4. Dallas Zoo 5. Columbus Zoo 6. Fresno Chaffee Zoo 7. Bronx Zoo 8. Disney's Animal Kingdom 9. Busch Gardens 10. Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo Honorable Mentions: Jacksonville Zoo, Brookfield Zoo, Binder Park Zoo, Caldwell Zoo, Phoenix Zoo, Woodland Park Zoo, Honolulu Zoo
