Bronx Zoo Bronx Zoo Walkthrough

Well I suppose it was only a matter of time before I eventually made one of these Two members so far have requested I write this up and one (a certain chatroom-dwelling mod) has asked several times so here I go!

I suppose I shall take a page out of TeaLovingDave’s book and write this section-by-section since Bronx is so huge. Also, please excuse me if this reads a little biased in the end! I’ve been visiting Bronx since I was a small child and enjoy the place very much so I can’t exactly help it if I sometimes glorify the place.

My walk-through will go section-by-section along the path I generally take when visiting the zoo and will be written as of the current species line-up as of my last visit (December 27, 2014) but I may update any major things as time goes on.

Lastly before I begin, make sure to tell me what you think and ask any questions if you have them!

NOTE: Being as the second floor of World of Birds and the Children’s Zoo are currently undergoing large renovations I will refrain from talking about them until they reopen.

*General Info.
The Bronx Zoo is located within the Bronx Park, within the Bronx borough of New York City, New York. The zoo is one of the five New York City collections run and maintained by the Wildlife Conservation Society and it functions as the main base of operations for the organization. The zoo is 265 acres (107 ha), making it one of the largest metropolitan zoos in the world and one of the largest in North America. Much of its land is covered in large forested sections and a small portion in the Northeast of the zoo is sectioned off as the Mitsubishi Riverwalk, which is a large trail through a natural forested environment along the Bronx River which flows through the zoo. Pricing is generally around $23 for adults, $16-19 for children ages 3-12, and $21 for seniors ages 65 and up. On Wednesdays the zoo is free of charge, although I wouldn’t suggest visiting on Wednesdays as the zoo becomes insanely crowded. Certain exhibits such as Congo Gorilla Forest (except during the winter months), JungleWorld, the Children’s Zoo (as of before the renovations), the Bug Carousel, and the 4-D Theater require an additional fee of $5 to enter, though an all-experience ticket can get into all of these for free (last I checked buying one of these online isn’t much more expensive than a regular ticket at the gate so really it’s a good deal if you ask me). Parking also costs extra. Currently, the zoo is open from 10am to 5:30pm from April 4th to November 1st, and from 10am to 4:30pm (though most indoor exhibits close down at 4pm) from November 2nd to April 3rd. It should be said that it’d likely take the average ZooChatter two days to complete this zoo to their liking.

*I do realize most of those reading this will already know this information but I felt this was a necessary section to include.

Bronx River Parkway Entrance-Northern Ponds
When you enter the zoo from this entrance (one of three), first you’ll find yourself walking along a nice forested stretch next to the Bronx River for a short period. After moving up a bit, you’ll find yourself looking at a nice large herd of American Bison (Bison bison) along with a small plague talking about the American Bison Society which, largely working from the Bronx Zoo, worked to breeding this species in captivity and release animals back into the wild.

Just about across the path and up a pretty steep hill from the bison, you’ll find World of Birds. This huge, two story building features dozens of often changing species of birds and monkeys in many large, naturalistic enclosures. Now as mentioned earlier I’ll only talk about the first floor while the second floor undergoes renovations. The first floor displays several different habitats in various enclosures ranging in sizes from tall but a tad thin to extremely large. Some enclosures could even be viewed from both floors pre-renovation. As with most bird exhibits I’ve encountered, most of the enclosures are set in a rainforest scene representing species from both South America and Asia in general. However, there are also enclosures which have a dry African scrubland and European forest as their settings as well. Along with these enclosures, the first floor of World of Birds also features several wonderful educational displays. These range from signage talking about the effects of Domesticated Cats on wild bird populations to subtle nods of poaching/deforestation with a chainsaw on a stump or a “no hunting” sign riddled with bullet holes in an enclosure to dramatic displays of fake cut down trees or fake birds in tiny cages to stress the effects of the exotic pet trade and deforestation. My favorite and probably the most famous of these educational displays is the large room in which the walls are covered with small illustrations of bird species driven to extinction by people. These species include everything from the more infamous Dodo and moa to the more unknown species such as the Mysterious Starling and Chatham Island Rail. The hope is that, when visitors enter this room, they’re struck with all the hundreds of amazing birds that have gone Extinct in Human hands and are moved to at least think about the endangered species still alive today. Now as for the living species within the exhibit, the most notable species include:

Western Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus)
Blue-Billed Curassow (Crax alberti)
Sulawesi Dwarf Hornbill (Penelopides exarhatus sanfordi)
Grand Cayman Amazon (Amazona leucocephala caymanensis)
Blue-Fronted Amazon (Amazona aestiva xanthopteryx)
Green Junglefowl (Gallus varius)
Lesser Bird-of-Paradise (Paradisaea minor)
Red Bird-of-Paradise (Paradisaea rubra)
Raggiana Bird-of-Paradise (Paradisaea raggiana)
Maleo (Macrocephalon maleo)
Common Hoopoe (Upupa epops)
Haitian Bananaquit (Coereba flaveola bananivora)
Spur-Winged Lapwing (Vanellus spinosus)
Egyptian Plover (Pluvianus aegyptius)
White-Throated Bee-Eater (Merops albicollis)
Northern Carmine Bee-Eater (Merops nubicus nubicus)
Beautiful Sunbird (Cinnyris pulchellus)
Golden-Headed Quetzal (Pharomachrus auriceps)
Crimson-Rumped Toucanet (Aulacorhynchus haematopygus)
Racquet-Tailed Roller (Coracias spatulatus)
Kenyan Crested Guineafowl (Guttera pucherani pucherani)
Malayan Great Argus (Argusianus argus argus)

Other species include:

Grey-Winged Trumpeter (Psophia crepitans)
Plum-Headed Parakeet (Psittacula cyanocephala)
Bali Mynah (Leucopsar rothschildi)
Guira Cuckoo (Guira guira)
Elegant Crested Tinamou (Eudromia elegans)
Inca Jay (Cyanocorax yncas yncas)
Blue Dacnis (Dacnis cayana)
Blue-Grey Tanager (Thraupis episcopus)
Tawny Frogmouth (Podargus strigoides)
Falcated Duck (Anas falcata)
Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos)
Smew (Mergellus albellus)
Victoria Crowned Pigeon (Goura victoria)
Green-Naped Pheasant Pigeon (Otidiphaps nobilis)
Cut-Throat Finch (Amadina fasciata)
Southern Red Bishop (Euplectes orix)

In addition to all these fascinating birds, the exhibit also currently features three mammal species- Golden Lion Tamarin (Leontopithecus rosalia), Bolivian Grey Titi (Callicebus donacophilus), and Cotton-Top Tamarin (Saguinus oedipus). Outside of the building, there’s also a large enclosure for Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) on the side.

After World of Birds, you’re in for a bit of a walk (something you’d best get used to if you’re planning on visiting Bronx!) through some of the natural landscaping again until you come across the next exhibit- Tiger Mountain The first animals you’ll see will be on your right, where there’s a very large enclosure for a herd of Père David’s Deer (Elaphurus davidianus) and a pair of Whooper Swans (Cygnus cygnus). This enclosure is very wide and deep as it gradually goes uphill towards the back. There’s also a large pond/stream set-up along the front that often attracts wild waterfowl such as Canada Geese and Mallad ducks. For viewing it varies- at some points there’s an unobstructed view, at other points a bit of fencing in the way, and at one far end there’s a little wooden viewing hut. Now on the other side of the path, you’ll have to start up a bit of a climb (something else you’d best get used to!) along a trail that branched off from the main path. Tiger Mountain features two viewing areas for the zoo’s Amur Tigers (Panther tigris altaica) and, occasionally, Malayan Tigers (Panthera tigris jacksoni), though I wouldn’t count on seeing the later on a regular visit. Each viewing area is a large, covered space with glass barriers between you and the tigers. Each area offers a little bit of education on tigers and some fun activities such as a fake log with a chained ball inside that guests are suppose to try and pull out, just as the tigers would with the ones inside their enclosures. The two enclosures are both quite large with living trees within them. The first enclosure has a large mesh section of the viewing where keepers can go over with food and get the tigers standing up right in front of you while second enclosure has a small but deep pool with underwater viewing. Apart from the animals, this exhibit also has several stations talking about tiger conservation in the wild and what the WCS is doing to help. Towards the end of the trail, there’s even a fake poacher’s truck filled with crates and such that visitors can climb aboard and learn a little about poaching.

Now just past Tiger Mountain, you’ll find the main path goes off in two directions. One path heads Northwest up towards Astor Court (which is where I’ll backtrack to after this part) and the other heads East along Northern Ponds. This exhibit is more or less just three large natural-looking ponds with various bird species within. Now the species list can get pretty confusing due to the loads of wild species that like to hang within the ponds so I can only give you what I know is 100% suppose to be there. The first enclosure contains a pair of Trumpeter Swans (Cygnus buccinators), the second and largest is home to Redhead ducks (Aythya americana), American Ruddy Ducks (Oxyura jamaicensis jamaicensis), Black Swans (Cygnus atratus), and Barnacle Geese (Branta leucopsis), and the final enclosure contains Red-Breasted Geese (Branta ruficollis), Lesser White-Fronted Geese (Anser erythropus), and a Black-Necked Crane (Grus nigricollis).

(Below are images for Golden-Headed Quetzal, Black-Necked Crane, Amur Tiger, the plague for the American Bison Society, Maleo, and Golden Lion Tamarin)

~Thylo

 

Excellent post! I also started going to the Bronx Zoo as a toddler so I enjoy reading your post so far. It is too bad the 2nd floor of the World of Birds isn't open yet since they have some spectacular species in it! As for Northern Ponds I feel like more Duck species (black duck, wood duck, red breasted merganser) are displayed and on signs and the entire fall season the black swans were in one of the ponds.

I know this has to be hard too since species change often; especially in the World of Reptiles, World of Birds, Mouse House and Aquatic Bird Building! Good luck!

 

Thank you! Yeah the second floor has/had species like Kea, Capuchinbird, Andean Cock-of-the-Rock, Plate-Billed Mountain Toucan, Oriental Pied Hornbill, and Great Blue Turaco among others.... Fingers crossed the best species are still there. Yeah I know there are more waterfowl species but I often become confused with what's suppose to be in there and such so sometimes drop species. I do recall the swans now so will add those, though I imagine they'll go back to the Children's Zoo where they came from once it reopens.

Indeed but I'll try to keep it as up to date as I can. And thanks!

~Thylo

 

This is amazing! Thank you so much for doing this. It really feels like I'm walking through the zoo even though I've never been there. My friend went to the Bronx Zoo on his trip to New York last week and said it was excellent and highly recommended it to me. This thread it just making me want to visit this zoo even more. Keep up the great work!

 

This is great TA, so far I've learnt I want to go to Bronx to see Maleo. Looking forward to the next installments!

Just don't take any more pages - we don't need months between the sections!

 

Seriously? They kept kea inside? Are the Emu outside displayed year-round?

 

Not for just one little zoo!

 

Yeah they do, and it's weird. That's a sore spot for the zoo (unless the renovation is getting rid of it) as it's a pretty small enclosure, especially for such an energetic bird. Yes the Emus are out all year.

~Thylo

 

Just occurred to me that I forgot Racquet-Tailed Roller so that's been added.

~Thylo

 

It does seem bizarre that you would keep a hardy, cold-adapted species inside when a) they would have a more stimulating life outside, and b) there are few year-round outdoor bird species suitable for northern zoos, especially among the parrots. But hopefully this will be rectified!

 

Well, I look forward to reading your conclusions!

 

For anyone waiting for the next post, it's finished but I'm just waiting on the ID of one species!

~Thylo

 

Can't wait

 

My cichlid is still left unidentified! If no one IDs it by tomorrow night I'm just going to post the next section as it is. Sorry for the wait guys!

~Thylo

 

Alright guys, you've waited long enough for the second part! Unfortunately no one has IDed my mystery cichlid yet so I won't be able to give you that but the rest should be good:

Astor Court-Zoo Center
At the path division past Tiger Mountain, if you head up the Northwest path, you’ll find yourself in Astor Court. Astor Court is the most historical part of the zoo and is more or less intact building-wise from the zoo’s opening in 1899. These buildings include the old Ape House, Big Cat House, Elephant House, and Monkey House. Unfortunately, though, most of these buildings are now closed to the public. Apart from buildings, there are several other historical aspects to the area including the original entrance and parking lot, an old fountain that’s been at the zoo since its opening, a sea lion pool located in the same location as the original, and, my personal favorite, an old nuclear fallout shelter sign on the side of one of the old buildings. The set-up of Astor Court is more or less three buildings falling on three sides of a large, rectangular lawn. These buildings are the Zoo Center to the South, Madagascar! to the West, and the now closed Monkey House to the East. The North side of the lawn is where you’ll find the sea lion pool. On the West and East sides of the pool, you’ll find three of the zoo’s now closed buildings. Behind the sea lion pool on both sides, you’ll find two large stairways leading down to the original parking lot- a small, round area of pavement surrounding the old fountain. Just a little further North than that is the original Bronx Zoo entrance, although neither the entrance nor parking lot are generally in use today. Despite this area being the main nucleus for animal activity at the zoo in year’s past, nowadays only a few species can be found outside of the houses. The main stars of the area are the California Sea Lions (Zalophus californianus), a species which has been at the zoo for much of its history. Along the side of the closed building to the West of the sea lion pool are two small bird aviaries. The smaller of the two is a long but low caged enclosure home to Himalayan Monals (Lophophorus impejanus) and White-Crested Laughingthrush (Garrulax leucolophus). The second aviary is a mostly round and quite tall enclosure whose occupants change quite regularly so I couldn’t necessarily give an even almost definite species list for it. However, over the years I’ve found Blue-Eared Pheasant (Crossoptilon auritum), Chinese Bamboo Partridge (Bambusicola thoracica), and Red-Billed Blue Magpie (Urocissa erythrorhyncha erythrorhyncha) in there the most. The final species you can see in the main area of Astor Court is actually quite hidden. While the old Monkey House is closed today, behind it are a trio of old, outdated cages with concrete floors and such. The two round ones near the two old entrances/exits to the house sit empty, although the long, middle enclosure is home to a small group of White-Throated Capuchins (Cebus capucinus). While I’d like it if this enclosure could be a bit more naturalistic, it seems to be quite fair to them in terms of climbing opportunities and such.

On the West side of the center lawn in Astor Court sits the zoo’s old Big Cat House- once home to animals the Barbary Lion and Indian Leopard. Today, this building is the Madagascar! exhibit. While the entire available space such as a large portion of the indoors used as a gala room isn’t used, this exhibit is a pretty fantastic representation of Madagascar. Inside the building, you’ll walk through a one-way path and visit several areas representing different habitats/regions of Madagascar. These areas- in the order that you find them- are Tsingy Cliffs, Tsingy Caves, “Small Wonders, Big Threats”, Spiny Forest, and Masoala. In Tsingy Cliffs you’ll find two enclosures- the first being home to Coquerel’s Sifaka (Propithecus coquereli) and Crowned Lemur (Eulemur coronatus), who alternate being on-exhibit. There enclosure is designed to look more cliff-like and while it doesn’t have all that much depth or length, it has some good height to it. The second enclosure is a small one for Malagasy Giant Hognose Snake (Leioheterodon madagascariensis). In Tsingy Caves is only one enclosure for a pair of South African Crocodiles (Crocodylus niloticus cowiei) and Pinstripe Menarambo cichlids (Paretroplus menarambo). This room is darkened quite a bit from the previous one and is designed to look like a cave with stalactites hanging from the ceiling and such. The room also dips down a tad to give visitors an underwater view of the huge crocodiles which are between 13 and 15 feet in length. Personally, I find this enclosure to be pretty small for two crocodiles of this size. Next you go around a corner into Small Wonders, Big Threats. This room is a small, nocturnal room with a bit of the twist to it. The general lay-out is two small enclosures and a tank to the right of you, one skinny but tall enclosure to your left, then past that another small one to your right, and another skinny but tell one directly in front of you. The inhabitants of the first four enclosures- in the order that I listed them- are Lesser Hedgehog Tenrec (Echinops telfairi), Madagascar Leaf-Nosed Snake (Langaha madagascariensis), Sakaramy River Killfish (Pachypanchax sakaramyi), Madagascar Ground Boa (Acrantophis madagascariensis), and Madagascar Tomato Frog (Dyscophus antongilii). Now the last enclosure in this room usually holds Henkel’s Leaf-Tailed Gecko (Uroplatus henkeli), however, on my last visit I noticed a small nest box, water bottle, and food dish added to it, making me think that it now exhibits the previously off-show Grey Mouse Lemurs (Microcebus murinus). But the coolest thing about this room is not its inhabitants, but the conservational message. Now if you refer back to my layout of the room, you’ll notice that all of the enclosures are on the right side of the room except the ground boa. This is because, just about directly across of this enclosure and slightly elevated towards the ceiling, a video plays. This video shows multiple scenes of trees in Madagascar being cut down and key habitats being destroyed before moving on to talking about conservation. It’s really a pretty cool effect if you ask me. After this, you walk through a door into the largest section of Madagascar!- Spiny Forest. This section features a very large, mixed-species enclosure filled with live plants and is designed to look just like a dry, scrub forest. The species you’ll find here are:

Collared Lemur (Eulemur collaris)
Ring-Tailed Lemur (Lemur catta)
Grey-Headed Lovebird (Agapornis cana)
Lesser Vasa (Coracopsis nigra)
Crested Coua (Coua cristata cristata)
Red Fody (Foudia madagascariensis)
Malagasy Turtle-Dove (Nesoenas picturata)
Radiated Tortoise (Astrochelys radiata)

You can often even see wild House Mice running around inside as well On the right side of this enclosure, you can also find a small area filled with fake statue animals in a rock-like environment for kids to play in. As you head further into this area, there’s also a small cave that you can go into. This cave is surrounds you with glass walls on all sides but the exit and even part of the floor is made of glass as well. It’s here that you’ll find hundreds (probably more) of Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches (Gromphadorhina portentosa). Past this still, you’ll find one last viewing into the main enclosure and a neighboring, similarly-designed enclosure to the left, and another one to the right. In the enclosure to the left, you can find two very energetic Eastern Ring-Tailed Vontsiras (Galidia elegans elegans)- the only two in the United States. In the enclosure to the right, you’ll find Common Spider Tortoises (Pyxis arachnoides arachnoides), Merrem’s Madagascar Swift (Oplurus cyclurus), Collared Iguanid Lizard (Oplurus cuvieri), and Four-Lined Girdled Lizard (Zonosaurus quadrilineatus). Past this is Masoala, the final section of Madagascar! Here the theme is more of forest with lots of branches and height inside each enclosure. The first enclosure you come across is on the right and is home to a pair of Fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox). Unfortunately, while their enclosure is very nice and of a good size for the pair, it’s in a diurnal setting and, as a result, I’ve never seen the pair not sleeping. The other enclosure you come across on the left side of the room is home to a couple of Red Ruffed Lemurs (Varecia rubra). In addition to the lemurs, the lower right corner of the enclosure has a small pool home to several highly endangered cichlids, although the zoo does not specify the species after that for some reason.

Now on the South side of the lawn, which is where the path I had us on earlier puts you, you’ll find the Zoo Center. This historic building used to be the zoo’s Elephant House and over the years has held all three elephant species multiple times, several rhinoceros species including Sumatran Rhinoceros until 2005, camels, hippos, babirusa, tapir, and has even displayed amphibians like the Common Mudpuppy in its ancient walls. After recently going under a very nice renovation, this building currently has five indoor enclosures and, I think (I don’t know because they opened after my last summer visit and are blocked off during the winter), four outdoor enclosures, although two of the indoor enclosures act as indoor housing for species displayed outside. Additionally, two large, old statues of Indian Rhinoceros stand outside the entrance. Following the path that led from Tiger Mountain, you’ll first come across a quite large and grassy enclosure for a pair of male Southern White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum). Inside the building there’s also an unfortunately pretty small, concrete enclosure for them. On the other side are the brand new enclosures for Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis) and Aldabra Giant Tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea). I can’t exactly comment on these enclosures, though, being as they’re the ones that are blocked off during the winter. However, from what I’ve seen, I fear they may be quite on the small side. That said, the Komodo Dragon enclosure that’s on the inside is very nice. It’s quite large and has some very good natural design, yet still has a feel of being inside an old, antique building with its high brick walls. Australian Zebra Finches (Taeniopygia guttata castanotis) and Java Sparrows (Lonchura oryzivora) also share this enclosure which adds a nice bit of color and life to it. Now in addition to the Komodo Dragon enclosure, there are three other monitor enclosures inside the Zoo Center. However, before I talk about those I should give you the layout of the inside for you have an idea of where you’re looking. When you first walk into the Zoo Center from the rest of Astor Court, you’ll be in a large, very high ceiling room with two doors on the left and right sides. If you go to the left you’ll find yourself at the rhinoceros enclosure with an information desk to your right. If you head left, first you’ll find yourself looking at a nicely sized enclosure with multiple rocky outcrops all throughout. Inside are Ackies Dwarf Monitors (Varanus acanthurus brachyurus) and Black-Headed Monitor (Varanus tristis). On both sides of this enclosure are two doors, go through either one and straight ahead there’s the Komodo Dragon/finch enclosure and to the left and right are two additional monitor enclosures: to the right sits a Merten’s Water Monitor (Varanus mertensi) enclosure and to the left one for Blue Tree Monitors (Varanus macraei). The water monitor enclosure is maybe a bit small for the lizard but has some very nice underwater viewing as well as decent land areas and the tree monitor enclosure suites the species quite well with lots of climbing opportunities and such.

(Below are images for an Eastern Ring-Tailed Vontsira, a California Sea Lion pup, a Komodo Dragon, a Merten's Water Monitor, a Madagascar Ground Boa, and a Coquerel's Sifaka)

~Thylo

 

The Aldabra Tortoises are wintering in the Monkey House common area. Abdul and Rocket enjoy the rubber mats where they drop fecal bombs.

 

Great review of this historic section of the zoo. I always feel sad that so many of these buildings with such rich histories are used for administration, education or in the case of the Monkey House as behind the scenes animal holding. I remember reading a plan William Conway had of making a "Winter Zoo" in this area utilizing all the old buildings for new habitats including a penguin area in possibly the old Bird House. Logistically it would be incredibly expensive; but would be great to see.

As for Madagascar; I do hope the wedding/special event venue brings in a lot of money because that area could have greatly expanded Madagascar. I would have loved to have had a larger rainforest at the end (maybe also exhibit additional lemur species) and at least had aye ayes and more reptile/amphibian exhibits. I still can't believe an entire building dedicated to Madagascar and not a single chameleon species.

As for Zoo Center; I think it is hard to judge the size of the outdoor spaces. The komodo dragons are not full grown so the indoor exhibit seems incredibly spacious so I feel the outdoor ones will look so too. And they are beautifully landscaped.

Great job so far capturing the different species. I would ask...what would you display in the old Astor Court buildings (Monkey House, Bird House, Large Bird House and the Horn and Hoof Museum)?

 

Why thank you Hmm, that's an interesting idea.

Yeah I'd love it if they made that event area a proper nocturnal area with Aye-Aye, Fossa, tenrec, Grey Mouse Lemur, ect. Then they could turn the current enclosures in the main area over to other species.

Perhaps, as I said I did not get a good enough look at it to say for sure.

I'm not sure exactly. I'd probably want the Monkey House to be reopened as a monkey house again, though. And maybe one of the larger buildings be turned into a nocturnal house if they're truly done with World of Darkness. It'd probably be cool to see a small aquarium there too, so they cover all the bases even with the New York Aquarium being not too far away.

~Thylo