First opening its doors in 1948, Black Ridge Zoo has expanded from a mere 60 acres to 189. What opened as a small Natural History Museum with an attached animal park has spread into a sprawling zoo with 5 main areas: Africa, Asia, North America, The Islands, and Australia. Africa To the left, Africa begins with a true blast to the past, The Pachyderm Barn. Formerly home to African Elephants, the main yard of this 1960’s building is currently serving as a retirement home for Juba, the zoo’s remaining elderly White Rhino. While the main corridor of the Pachyderm Barn is closed to guests, visitors can look down the aisle at the former home of the zoo’s Nile Hippos, Malayan Tapirs, Pygmy Hippos, and Red River Hogs until 2007. A small display discusses the history of the barn and the advances made in animal hospitality since it opened. Across the path from the barn is the Nile River Trek. Opening in 2006, this sprawling complex is home to parents Red and Jiko, and their son Johan, the zoo’s three Nile Hippos. The hippos have access to a 8 ½ ft deep by 100 ft long recreation of the Nile River. Swimming along with the hippos are Nile Perch, African Softshell Turtles, and various other fish. Three small research huts contain displays about the reptiles that call the Nile home. Exhibited here are Egyptian Cobra, Nile Monitor ,and African Rock Python. A smaller section of the river contains the legendary Nile Crocodile. Don't worry, they cannot reach the hippos. Nestled in between these exhibits is the Rocky Ledges exhibit, a rocky grotto which was formerly part of the Cat Grottos, a ring of small rocky grottos formerly containing Lions, Jaguars, Cheetahs and Mountain Lions. In 2005, three of the four exhibits were bulldozed and the fourth was converted to a rocky ledge for Klipspringer and Rock Hyrax. A small yard also contains a family of Meerkats. At some point in the near future, Rocky Ledges and The Pachyderm Barn will both be demolished to make way for Majesty of the Gorilla and Cheetah Racer. Down the main path from the Pachyderm Barn is the staple of Africa, African Elephant Savannah. Opening August 2009, and replacing a food court, gift shop, a bathroom building, and several outdated bird exhibits, this 3 ½ acre savannah provides a spacious, multi-terrain home for and the zoo’s 4 African Elephants. The left side of the exhibit features a 8 foot deep pond complete with a waterfall, perfect for wallowing on hot days. The farthest right side replicates the African forests. Trees provide shade for the pachyderms, and occasionally activated underground sprinklers provide mud at all times. Inside the elephant care center are 3 night stalls, each large enough to hold 3 elephants at a time. The two bull elephants, Simba and Tungi, have a third smaller indoor stall for when they need to be kept away from females Frieda and Lady. Inside the building, guests have access to a restroom, and a small classroom for educational programs. Across from Elephant Savannah is The Boma, a secluded dining area surrounded by artificial thorn walls. Diners at the café, as well as visitors on the path can get amazing views of the 1 ½ acre Savannah exhibit featuring Grant’s Zebras, Reticulated Giraffes, Bonteboks, and Thompson's Gazelle. Next to the Boma is The Lion Exhibit. The zoo’s two Lions (Formerly kept at Cat Grotto), Mufasa and Nala, have a large rock formation to either sunbathe or seek shade from the sun. While the lions are next to their prey, they cannot reach them due to a moat that surrounds the exhibit. The final open part of Africa is 2016’s The Forest. The Forest begins in a walkthrough aviary containing several African birds flying overhead, with glass fronted but open top exhibits for Kinga, the Pygmy Hippo on one side, and on the other side, in their first appearance at Black Ridge, brothers Tibi and Wuhu, a pair of Okapi. Their exhibit is full of natural trees so the naturally shy animals can hide if they wish. Both these exhibits also have access to an outdoor yard if weather permits. Passing through a pair of double doors, visitors find themselves in the midst of lemur territory. Several floor to ceiling exhibits contain Ring Tailed Lemurs, Red Ruffed Lemurs, Aye Ayes, Black Lemurs, and Sifakas. Each exhibit features a glass walk-in portion where visitors can come face- to- face with the lemurs. Before we move along, we can find a small exhibit home to a Fossa. The final part of the Forest is the reptile room. This exhibit contains two walls of exhibits containing: Black Mambas, Cape Cobras, Boomslangs, Dwarf Crocodiles, African Rock Pythons, Desert Monitors, Leopard Tortoise, and more! Between the Forest and Elephant Savannah is Kalahari Safari, which is currently under construction and willl replace the original 1970’s Great Ape, Rhino, and grassland exhibits. When Kalahari opens in 2023, it will be home to Black Rhinos, Warthogs, and several small bird exhibits. Originally a Cheetah exhibit was planned for the land, but it has been changed to become one of the two exhibits replacing the Pachyderm Barn. And that’s it for Africa. Next we’ll be traveling to North America!
The exhibits look a bit small when compared to the total surface of the zoo, and given that they display some of the largest species on Earth (3 1/2 acre for Elephants, 1 1/2 acre for Giraffes and other ungulates...).
North America Passing under the transition arch from Africa, we’ve reached North America. Like Africa, this area of the zoo is broken up into three sections. The first section is “Camp Gray”, a recreation of a northern National Park which has been overrun by animals. The first building is the Ranger’s Cabin. It’s here that Camp Gray gets its name, as visitors go inside the cabin to get a good look at the forest, which is home to the zoo’s pack of Gray Wolves. In another forest next to the wolves, the canines can see but not reach Melvin, Max, and Buff, the zoo’s herd of Moose. Across from the Ranger's Cabin is Eagle Quest, an outdoor glass fronted exhibit home to Giant Pandas of course. No, it’s home to Powell the Bald Eagle. Outside the Ranger’s cabin visitors reach The Streamside, a stretch of river themed around a Tube Rental Shop and push off dock. Now that it’s permanently the off-season, the river is now home to a family of River Otters. The zoo’s 15 otters have access to the entire stream, and a storage-shed themed indoor holding area. A small wire fence, and a large wooden dam create a separate section of the stream home to Vinny, the North American Beaver. Above the pathway of Camp Gray is Klondike Kafe, an elevated dining establishment accessible by either the two staircases or totem-pole themed elevator. The dining area gives a great view of all of Camp's inhabitants. Passing under the deck of Klondike Kafe, the grand finale to Camp Gray is named The Campgrounds. Here it’s always two seasons at once at the “Campsites” on either side of the path. On the left is the “Frozen Ridge” habitat, simulating a winter campsite which overlooks a large pond. This exhibit, formerly home to Polar Bears, is home to a pair of Black Bears. On the right is the “Forest Stream” exhibit, which is a rushing Springtime river (Stocked with salmon at select times of the day), home to the zoo’s three Grizzly Bears. Camp Gray ends with The Trading Post, and visitors find themselves transported to the Midwest Plains, which we’ll explore next time!
I had mentioned a grouping of six adult North American river otters kept together. You'd said that it was only possible to keep two together. I'd clarified that the grouping I mentioned was established in the 1980s, before a lot of husbandry parameters for the species had been formalized, certainly before Animal Care Manuals were in existence. What was confusing you?
I've seen three same-sex adult otters from the same litter maintained together up into adulthood. Like all times keeping multiple animals together, though, it depends on the individual temperaments and histories- and know that just because something worked for one zoo, doesn't mean it will work everywhere. I agree that 15 is too much though, if a zoo wants to keep a large group of Otters, they'd be better off getting Asian small-clawed Otters.
Asia (I know I said Midwest would be next but that area’s taking a little longer to develop than I’d like) Leaving Africa, this time past the Boma and Savannah, we pass under a bamboo arch and find ourselves in the middle of The Village of Mystery. This 2019 overhaul, which brings us to the base of the legendary Heaven Staircase Mountain, completely replaced several outdated exhibits and an unused employee parking lot. The first thing we encounter is a crowd-pleaser in any Asian themed area, Red Panda brothers Po and Mo. These two will keep visitors delighted as they watch the pandas make the most of their two level exhibit, complete with a climbing tower made entirely of fallen trees. The path forks up ahead, with a path to the left and right. We’re going to be going to the right, saving the best for last. On the right, we find a mesh-topped exhibit which is home to a family of Siamangs. Much like the pandas behind them, the apes are a sure crowd pleaser as they climb, swing, jump, and run all around the enclosure. Across from them are two animals who you won’t find climbing trees, but instead wallowing in their creek, and that is a pair of Malayan Tapirs. When Brock and Mabel aren’t in their pond, you’ll most likely catch them taking a snooze in the shade. More primates await in another mesh topped exhibit as we move around the circle. This time, say hello to Bucky, Misha, and Dana, a family of White Cheeked Gibbons. The exhibit’s three trees and rope course ensure that no matter what time of day, you’re likely to see the three engaged in athletics of some sort. Reaching the top of the circle, we leave the cuddly behind and meet the carnivorous. A rocky ledge and small pond give us a pretty clear sign we’ve entered the domain of Tai (Yes, named after the movie character) and Yeti (named for the mythical snow monster itself), the Snow Leopards. These cats can be seen either lounging on the rock walls of the exhibit or patrolling the ground, particularly near the glass viewing, giving visitors a chance to get nose-to-nose with the cats. Crossing the pathway that takes visitors to Australia, we find our final exhibit of the circle. Two nearly identical grassy yards complete with several tall trees and climbing structures. A small running creek and waterfall bring an almost calming feeling to these exhibits. This exhibit has two sets of inhabitants that rotate between the yards. First up is Pooh, the 27 year old Malayan Sun Bear. He can usually be found lounging in his hammock, resting in his favorite tree-stand, or walking in his creek. His neighbors, on the other hand, are a lot more active. Meet Winston and Baloo, twin Sloth Bears. These two are always active. Whether it's wrestling or splashing in their creek, the brothers are sure to put on a show for visitors. Our final exhibit in Asia is truly fit for a king. King of the jungle, that is. In the center of the land are two exhibits, complete with pools, climbing rocks, sunning spots, and more for siblings TC, Shere Khan and Tigger (All guest-named), the zoo’s Bengal Tigers. Cutting through the two yards is a temple themed pathway for visitors. While both sides of the temple have glass windows to see the cats, one side features educational displays about Tigers, and the other features a behind-the-scenes look at the tiger’s indoor quarters. Above the path are two wire-caged walkways which the tigers can use to cross from one yard to the other at their leisure, or to keep them apart in separate yards if need be. The Village of Mystery took a relic from the 1970’s that was just plain out of date and transformed it into a state of the art home for many of Asia’s most interesting animals. Join us next time as we travel up the path (or down the globe, depending on how you look at it) to AUSTRALIA.
Hello, do you know if there are pure Bengal Tigers in American Zoos ? I think about it for my future speculative zoo plans, but it seems that there aren't no longer pure Bengals in Europe for decades (even if, in my opinion, many unspecified Tigers may have Bengal blood).
There are no pure Bengals outside of India. Unless something has changed but this has been discussed ad nauseum at various times.
Okay cool. I’ve seen other people who do the same sort of thing (tho I think some draw theirs out and then do a MS Paint version)
