After visiting the Cincinnati Zoo today, I am very proud to say that I enjoyed my visit immensely. After just visiting the Henry Doorly Zoo, which is rated higher than Cincinnati Zoo, I'd say that I enjoyed the Cincinnati Zoo a little more. I was so shocked to see how the zoo looked compared to how I saw it in my mind. After watching videos about the zoo and seeing photos, they all looked very different then how they actually appeared. These aren't in the order of what I saw, it's in the order I'm viewing them off the website. (Which allows me to make sure I cover everything, the zoo is quite big.) My parents, as well as my best friend, came to the zoo with me. My friend and I split from parents a few times, but also show a few exhibits with them as well. My pal is very fun to view zoos with, he's such a fun person to be around. I'll be going through all the exhibits and expressing how I felt about them and how my encounter with was. Gorilla World Gorilla World is defiantly a state-of-the-art gorilla exhibit. I'd rate it over Henry Doorly Zoo's gorilla exhibits. (They are both very good, though.) The beautiful outdoor exhibits, as well as the stunning new indoor exhibit, all add up to some lovely viewing for some lovely animals. To my surprise, the gorillas were all outdoors instead of indoors. The keepers spread some scatter feed and browse around the indoor exhibit, but none of the gorillas seemed interested in foraging. Jomo had some nice interactions with the public along the glass, striking a few poses that took the viewers breath away. Gladys was also strutting her stuff around the exhibit, which was extremely fun to watch. Both exhibits are very well made, Cincinnati should take pride in them. I was surprised to find the Black-and-White Colobus seemed to enjoy the smaller side exhibit then the larger main exhibit. The babies were very, very cute. It was a first for me to see babies of this species. They no longer have the white coats, they now just look like small versions of the adults. Rhino Reserve My experience with Rhino Reserve was great, I couldn't have asked for a better viewing of the species. When my friend and I were walking around, we were the only ones near the exhibits. This left only us and the animals, no loud noises or obnoxious movement to disturb us or the animals. The first exhibit we visited was for the Indian Rhino. After hearing she was hard to view, I didn't expect to see her, but she was out taking a dip in her pool. I was already excited to just see her, but then someone, who I'm not sure if they were a keeper or volunteer, strolled up to the exhibit and began to speak to her. "Hey! How's it going? I haven't seen you in a year!" He called out, "Come over here and see me!" I was very amused, as she actually got up from the pool and looked at the man. The man told us that she use to come up to the fence daily to see him. He also said that his stand burnt down, which I didn't understand. Did Cincinnati have some stand burn down recently? I don't blame the Indian Rhino for being interested in the man, he had a loud, booming voice that would've caught anyone's attention. After our encounter with the man and the rhino, we didn't take much time seeing the exhibits housing Okapi, Yellow-Backed Duiker, and Bongo, as none of them were outside. The exhibits they had seemed to fair well enough for the species. Next was the exhibit for flamingos, I don't remember what species exactly, but they had a newly hatched chick that was very cute. The location of the exhibit was also unique, it's wasn't one of those "everyone come look at the pretty flamingos" exhibit. It wasn't out in the open in the center of the zoo entrance, it was a sweet little exhibit that was tucked away, giving them a little privacy. Around the corner was the exhibit for Plains Zebra, which seemed very intrigued with us. Of course, I was speaking to the animals and praising them for being adorable, as they just walked near the edge of the exhibit and watched us. All three zebras were out. Next to the zebras was the first exhibit for Black Rhinos. It was housing the zoo's male. When we arrived, he had his head inside the access door to the off-show area. Yet, after a few friendly calls to him, he peeked his head out for a few brief moments to see who was watching. The final exhibit was a much larger yard, housing the adult female and her calf, Kendi. The female was active, kicking up some dust as she moved near the back of the enclosure. Kendi was taking a nap near the back wall, allowing the shade to protect her from the merciless sun. Cat Canyon Overall, Cat Canyon is a well-made area, serving the guests with good looks at some beautiful cats. The only problem I had was the viewing for their Malayan Tigers. It was very difficult to see into the exhibit, being so high up in the air. It doesn't allow you to get the same feeling of the face-to-face experience with a tiger that some other zoos allow you to get. (I'm not sure on when the exhibit was made, though, so I cannot complain too mush about it.) The Mountain Lions were gnawing on some, presumably, rabbits when I gave them a visit. Their exhibit was well-made with a beautiful water feature. The Snow Leopard exhibit was also appealing. The pair was sleeping on the back wall of their exhibit, as cats usually do, but it was slightly difficult to see them at first due to the way their fur camouflaged with the stones that the zoo wisely chose to place. Africa (Including Hippo Cove, Giraffe Ridge, Meerkats, and Painted Dog Valley) The Africa exhibit was defiantly a must-see exhibit, the plethora of different species allows it to have something that guests can connect with. We visited this exhibit at the end of the day, so many people weren't there. (We visited on a Thursday, so we really didn't have many people bothering us for many parts of the trip. This allowed me to get nice encounters with all the beautiful animals.) The first enclosure we encountered was an exhibit for Cheetah, the two visible cats on display were resting in the back of the exhibit. One was on a small, white platform and the other was sitting under the thin shade of a bush. Following that was the mixed plains exhibit. It was big, but not nearly as big as they make it look in photos. Pink-Backed Pelicans were sitting on the edge of the exhibit near the water, a Rüppell's Vulture was sitting next to them on a log. A Saddle-Billed Stork was also very close to them, standing on the edge of the water. It was a first for me seeing this species. Running around the grassy area was Walter the Warthog, who is indeed still on exhibit. Joining him was a small flock of Guineafowl, two female Ostriches, a single Wildebeest, two Impala, a Lesser Kudu (which was only out for a few moments before vanishing, but have me enough time to snap a photo), a pair of Grey-Crowned Cranes, and some Lappet-Faced Vultures. The Thompson's Gazelle were not outdoors. The African Lions were all out sleeping in the enclosure. A male and two females were out in the open, but one lioness was pacing through the rotation door of the exhibit. One of the lionesses was taking a snooze near the glass, so I sat next to her and managed to take a few photos. She didn't seem to mind my companuy, as I wasn't some loud, glass-banging child. The Meerkats were not in the outdoor section of their enclosure, two of them were only visible in a dimly lit indoor section. Sadly, I didn't get to see the African Wild Dogs, making me 0/2 for seeing them at facilities that actually house this beautiful canine. A sign next to the exhibit said: "Please know that the dogs may not be outside as we having an injured female, so the pack may be inside with her." (Not an exact quote, but it was along those lines.) Does anyone know what happened to the female? Hippo Cove was a fairly nice exhibit. It isn't the best hippo exhibit I've seen, but I wouldn't consider it bad on any means. Fiona was sitting in the pool, dipping her head in and out of the water every few moments. Her mother was taking several laps along the glass, giving me great idea on how big hippos actually are. We didn't pay a visit to the giraffes, as we had to make our way towards the zoo entrance fairly quickly. We did take a few brief moments to say hello to the flamingos, though. Kroger Lords of the Arctic I didn't get to see this exhibit to its full potential, which is a real shame. The first exhibit I visited was for the Arctic Fox, but no foxes were out and about. The glare on the glass also made it extremely hard to see through them. No Polar Bears wanted to say hello was well, but despite their exhibit being old, it wasn't a complete mess. The zoo actually does fairly well maintaining the older exhibits. (I'm not saying the exhibits don't need a revamp, though. The new plans the zoo has for this area will make it look much better.) The American Black Bears were the only species I successfully saw in this area. One of the Bears was sitting in some straw as the other paced along the edge of the moat. Sadly, this means I didn't see the Andean Bear. Which means I have to make my way over to another zoo housing this species. I cannot say I only have one bear species left to see. Night Hunters Night Hunters was an interesting exhibit. It's the best nocturnal building I've ever been through at a zoo. My first encounter with the Soectacled Owl was delightful, yet stinky, encounter. It was perched at the top of its tree, staring down at the guests. I'm very happy to be able to say I've see this species. The Clouded Leopard they had on exhibit was also very active. It climbed down and sat along the edge of the glass, cautiously watching back though the rotation door to see what the keepers were doing. It was very entertaining to watch the leopard be so amused by a keeper doing some work. To my delight, the Aardwolves were running around in their exhibit! The pair kept running in and out of the rotation door area, I'm assuming they were excited by the same keepers that the leopard was watching. One of the aardwolves ran along the glass, which allowed me to make the statement that aardwolves aren't that big. They're actually quite small critters. I wasn't fortunate enough to see the Pallas' Cat, though. We didn't even see one sleeping in a corner of the exhibit. They old exhibit that use to house armadillos was empty, the Potto exhibit was also empty. The Vampire Bats were very active, as they always seem to be. One of the exhibits housed Aardvarks, Greater Bushbaby, and Giant Fruit Bats together in the same exhibit. Some of the bats actually flew around the exhibit, showing off their massive wingspan. The Greater Bushbaby were also hopping around, I didn't manage to get any good photos of them. (It's difficult taking pictures off an iPhone in a nocturnal house.) While I was watching the animals, a keeper came out and put some dishes out for the aardvarks. Mother and baby, Winsol, both came out to eat, getting affectionate scratches from the keepers. (I was able to get a few cruddy photos of it.) The Ocelots were not out, which was a real shame. My parents saw them, but I was too occupied by the aardvarks. The Pygmy Slow Loris was very active in its enclosure. They seemed so much bigger at Cincinnati then they appeared at Brookfield. I'm checking the website to make sure I include all species when I talk about the exhibits, and it claims the exhibit houses Burmese Python, which I did not see. (Could it be the one that was in the Manatee Springs exhibit?) The Sand Cat was sleeping in the top of its exhibit, so I didn't get to see it active. The Black-Footed Cats were also sleeping, one in the back and one in the log. One of my favorite moments of the entire visit was when the Binturongs, my second favorite species, were actually MOVING. I have never been able to see Binturongs being active until today. I got some adorable photos. I don't recall seeing signs for a Bat-Eared Fox, which is listed on the site. The Ringtail was very active in her new home, they're an incredibly agile species! She was bounding all of the exhibit, vanishing into several different holes. What a fun way to be introduced to this species in person! The three-legged Fishing Cat was sleeping in a bowl-shaped bed. She was defiantly feeling the "cat-snooze" that almost all cats have. The Fennec Fox were also very active. One of the foxes was pacing along the glass, which all the little camp kids seemed to enjoy. I was surprised when one of the kids scolded another for tapping the glass. (I was so proud of the little bugger, haha.) The other fox was in the top portion of the exhibit. Next to them was the Three-Banded Armadillo, which was scurrying around its exhibit. It has a VERY large exhibit for such a small species. The last species I saw in Night Hunters was the Common Genet, which was sleeping in the top of a man-made stump in its exhibit. Manatee Springs Manatee Springs was a decent exhibit. It looked very nice, but it wasn't the most interesting exhibit the zoo had. When you enter, the first exhibit you see is for American Alligators. You then cross over to see an exhibit for American Crocodiles. I thought I wasn't going to able to see this species, but one of the crocs poked it head out for the water before we moved it. This area also had a few species that weren't confined in small exhibits. Some of them being smaller birds and House Geckos. Going through a set of doors leads you to a tank that houses Cichlids and a Piranha. A little past them is two smaller exhibits that housed a Basilisk and some sort of frog/toad species. The exhibit has no sign indicating what if was. One side of the room housed a tank for the Manatees, who have a large tank that also houses several fish species, one of them being the impressive Gar. It was also interesting to compare the manatee skeleton to the living specimens. (It's so weird to think that manatees actually have weird toe-like bone structures in their fins!) The other side of the room had many smaller exhibits for several species of reptiles and amphibians. The Cane Toad was among them, which is a very interesting species. The Cincinnati Zoo doesn't have a Cane Toad that is as impressive as Henry Vilas Zoo's. Next to the Manatees is a large tank that houses some fish species, as well as a few Common Cooter. Around the corner was an exhibit for the Burmese Python. Before my friend and I were able to see what actually what WAS in its exhibit, we heard a little girl start crying. It was quite comical to see that she was crying over a python. NEW Galapagos Tortoise and Bald Eagle Exhibits The newly renovated Galapagos Tortoise and Bald Eagle exhibits are very nice. I've got photos of the Bald Eagle exhibit, which is pretty much complete. I'll post them later. The Galapagos Tortoises also had a huge area for only having four tortoises. It has a waterfall feature and everything. My friend and I participated in the tortoise encounter, which was at 2:00, where at least seven keepers were in the yard educating people. (Fun Fact: The genders of the tortoises cannot be determined until they are 20-25 years old!) All of the tortoises also had Harry Potter themed names. Dragons! + Ring-Tailed Lemur Exhibit To get to the Dragons! exhibit, you have to go around the Ring-Tailed Lemur island. It's very large, thick with foliage. I didn't get to see the new babies, I only saw two of the adults for a few moments before they disappeared into a dense cover of plants. Dragons! was an interesting exhibit. It seemed much smaller on the outside than it was on the inside. The Quince Monitor was a first for me. The zoo also must only have one Komodo Dragon, as there was only one on exhibit between the connected indoor and outdoor exhibits. The dragon was sitting outdoors in the back of the exhibit during my visit. It was somewhat difficult spotting it at first, it took us a few moments before we spotted it. Elephant Reserve Elephant Reserve was the last exhibit I visited during my trip. It wasn't a big as I thought it was going to be. My parents visited it before we did, my mother claimed the bull was the largest elephant she had ever seen. I, sadly, didn't see him. I only saw two of the cows in the indoor portion eating some browse from hanging rain barrels. I got some photos of one of the cows looking very funny as she ate. The bull yard wasn't large at all. I don't blame the zoo for wanting to build a new area for its elephants. A large family unit wouldn't be recommended by me for Elephant Reserve. But, if the zoo wanted to move the Indian Rhino to Elephant Reserve's old exhibits, I think it would be a great idea. (I just realized while typing this that I should've asked that man about where the Indian Rhino will be moved to!!) Gibbon Islands Sadly, I didn't have enough time to visit the Gibbon Islands. The Siamang and Buff-Cheeked Gibbons were only seen by my parents. Jungle Trails The ambiance of Jungle Trails is wonderful! The surrounding bamboo enclosures the area very nicely. The Mueller's Gibbons didn't appear to be out exhibit. They did have some beautifully lush foliage in their enclosure, though. I didn't get a great viewing of the Sumatran Orangutan, all I could see was the female sleeping in a hammock. She only turned to look at us when she heard me making some gibbon calls. (Just mentioning the word 'gibbon' makes me want to make the calls. I can't help it.) A smaller side exhibit you can visit is home to a pair of Victoria Crowned Pigeons, one of my favorite bird species. After that you go into the indoor Asian portion of Jungle Trails. You're entered by a few lovely nocturnal exhibits as you enter, a theme both buildings have. You then walk down a more slim path that brings you to an exhibit for the White-Handed Gibbon, a superb species in my opinion. They've got a spacious enclosure that has many climbing features for them. I only saw the two adults, I didn't see any young. The sign claimed that the pair had a young baby named "Possum" with them. I believe it was the Asian building that housed the Golden-Headed Lion Tamarins as well, they were a species I had never seen in person. They had such a large exhibit, I was impressed. The sign said they also had White-Faced Saki with them, but they were outdoors in their own exhibit. They also had exhibits for Turaco and Black Howler outdoors, along with a few activities for guests to do. My friend and I enjoy the shoe-tying and rope swinging games. There was also an outdoor exhibit for the Angolan Colobus, not as impressive as its Black-and-White counterpart at the zoo, but still a nice species. Before you enter the African building you can see the zoo's outdoor exhibit for Bonobos. Two adults and two juveniles were visible. The two adults groomed while the younger members harassed them. Once I entered the building I got to have the most enchanting encounter with a Potto. It was climbing along the branches next to the glass, but then it latched onto the portion where the two glass edges meet and climbed to the top of the exhibit. I got to look into its precious eyes and it climbed. The exhibit next to it was empty. The other nocturnal exhibits were home to a Dumeril's Ground Boa, as well as species like the Aye-Aye. It was my first time seeing the Aye-Aye, and I was not disappointed. They're much larger than I expected. The Coquerel's Sifaka was also a first for me. Two of them were sitting extremely close to the glass and I got great viewing of them. The only suggestion I would have to the zoo would be to replace the bottoms of the enclosures with a more natural substrate. I understand the current floors are much easier to clean, but it would be more pleasing to the eye to have things like mulch in the exhibits. They also had a mixed aviary and some smaller beetle exhibits next to the sifaka. We also had an... interesting encounter with the indoor group of bonobos. One of the adults was taking a little sample of its own feces as a group of teenage girls and my friend watched. I wasn't really paying attention as I saw the youngest member of the troop posing for some adorable photos. The Reptile House The Reptile House was much smaller then I imagined. It looks bigger in photos and videos. They had some interesting species inside. The unique Chinese Crocodile exhibit is a real treat to see. The Cobras and Gaboon Viper were also a first. The also had a California Kingsnake that almost appeared to be albino. They had a sign talking about the baby Cobras, but I didn't see any during my visit. Sea Lion Exhibit I did not have enough time to visit his exhibit, sadly. Spaulding Children's Zoo This was one of the final exhibits I visited during my trip to the zoo. I saw the Ambassador Building/Nursery. The only species I actually saw were the new owls that could barely been seen through a box they were being housed in, as well as Lucy the Binturong. We also saw the Penguins, including the adorable Little Penguins. We also saw the exhibits for the goats and the other domestic critters. On the map it said they had Red Pandas somewhere, but we weren't able to see find the exhibit in time. World of the Insect This exhibit area is incredible. It's defiantly one of the attractions I suggest people see no matter what. If you find insects gross, see it anyway. It had some of the most unique insect species ever. It's also got the coolest Leaf Cutter Ant exhibits. It's HUGE. My friend and I spent a very long time catching them transport the little leaf bits around. Trust me, when I saw the exhibit is huge, I mean, it's HUGE. The attraction also had a Naked Mole Rat exhibit, which was extremely funny to watch Carter react to them for the first time. Wolf Woods I was not able to visit Wolf Woods during my visit. I sadly ran out of time to loop back around to it. Wings of the World + Bird Show If you're going to Cincinnati Zoo, see the bird show. Moebelle suggested that I see it, which was no mistake on my end for listening to him. The Wings of the World attraction is smelly, yet satisfying. One of the first exhibits you see when you entire has an alpine theme, and the bird inside was what I believe to be an Amazon of some species. But, I had to bright idea to just say "Hello!" to her, and she actually responded to us. We sat there for a good ten minutes speaking with her. We couldn't get out anything besides hello. The Guam Rail was defiantly my favorite bird to see in the aviary. It's mixed species exhibit had some of the most beautiful birds, as well as a Giant Fruit Bat. We also got to witness the brawl between a King Penguin and Rockhopper Penguin. The new free-flight aviary was closed when we made our way over to it, sadly. Overall, if you look past the smell, the aviary is defiantly something everyone needs to see. Passenger Pigeon Memorial, P&G Discovery Forest, and Wetland Trails & Swan Lake Besides the reading we did in the Passenger Pigeon Memorial, we didn't have time to explore the other exhibits. Wildlife Canyon and Steller's Sea Eagle + California Condor Exhibits Wildlife Canyon was the first attraction we exploded during our visit. I didn't know the exhibits had the large shading structures before I visited. The first exhibit we visited was for the Emu. The Emu was exploring near the fence closest to the visitors, interested by something in the bushes next to it. The next exhibit was for Capybara. Only one Capybara was visible. Next to them was the Visayan Warty Pig. There was only one pig on exhibit, it was sitting in a pile of mud, keeping itself cool. I was surprised that more pigs weren't enjoying themselves in the mud. After that was the exhibit for the Sichuan Takin. Only one takin was visible. It was sitting back in its shelter, a misting system was keeping it cool. Wildlife Canyon's final three exhibits were all connected. They housed Przewalski's Horse and Bactrian Camel. Two camels and one horse were visible. The horse enjoyed the company of the camels, following them around when they moved. It seemed bias to one camel over the other, though. Next to Wildlife Canyon was the Steller's Sea Eagle and California Condor exhibits. I saw both species. I saw on the website that they will soon be expecting offspring. White Lion Exhibit Overall, the White Lion exhibit itself is nothing special. I think it'd be best to replace it once the new elephant exhibit is built. The lions were beautiful, don't get me wrong, but the land has much more potential. Overall, I give the Cincinnati Zoo 10 out of 10 stars. Not only does the zoo have impressive species, it's also got the most beautiful architecture and all-around ambiance I've ever seen in a zoo.
Just skimmed through the whole thing, will read it all later. I'll be editing this post with more to say the further I read. I'd like to mention something from the last section - though not confirmed, the white lion exhibit will be converted into a primate island as part of Elephant Trek. If you're referring to the alpine exhibit in Wings of the World, then it was a Thick-billed parrot. All of the zoo's parrots do say hello to guests but they say "I love you" to their keepers. The Red pandas are located to the right of the Gibbon Islands. You didn't see the cobra eggs because they just hatched That "baby gibbon" is now 8 years old Thanks for mentioning that there's a Loris in Night Hunters, they haven't been on display in there for a few years. The Skyline, and ice cream stands were burnt down. Across from the 4D theater. The Cat Canyon exhibits were revamped in 2012. The juveniles rotate between the two yards but my guess is they prefer the exhibit with above viewing.
That explains a lot. I thought the red pandas were part of the Children's Zoo. I didn't know they were so close to the Gibbon Islands.
I’m surprised that you liked Cincinnati more than Omaha! I’m even more surprised that you liked Night Hunters more than Omaha’s Kingdoms of the Night, as I’ve heard many positive comments about the latter, while only negative comments about the former.
I had much better success viewing animals at Cincinnati then Omaha. I was about 70-75% lucky with viewing animals at Omaha, but I was around 90-95% lucky with viewing at Cincinnati.
Night Hunters does not house a loris those were Pottos in the old Burmese python exhibit. Also the armadillo is in the old bat eared fox/palm civet exhibit.
