Ranking zoos is a subjective exercise but one that always interests many ZooChatters. Tim Brown, chairman of the IZES, emails with me back-and-forth at least twice a week and he just told me this morning that he has now visited exactly 763 zoos and he would put Omaha in the world's top 5....with Berlin at #1 and then San Diego, Bronx, Berlin Tierpark and Omaha rounding out the list. Other than Jonas Livet, I've never known of anyone having visited more zoos than Tim and so I think that his view holds a lot of weight. However, each to their own and I can respect many other opinions on the matter as zoos such as Leipzig, Vienna, Saint Louis and Singapore also get a lot of attention. The crazy thing about Omaha is that it was already an extraordinary zoo (with some serious flaws, much like all zoos) before the $73 million African Grasslands, $27 million Children's Adventure Trails/Bird Amphitheater (opening in August) and next year's $21 million Asian Highlands complex. Other zoos around the world must be astonished at the rate of progress in a zoo found in Nebraska...of all places!
Visiting 763 zoos is certainly a great achievement and puts him indeed in the position of drawing a personal top 5, this is as you say however completely subjective and I would not put to much emphasis on such lists, interesting as they can be. Personally I would not put the both Berlin zoos in my top 5, even though I visited "only" 115 zoos or so. Rankings are just too subjective to take too seriously, be it from you, Sheridan, Tim May or myself or anyone. I find them interestig to hear, but do not put too much value in them and it is very feeble ground to base any claims on, especially when masked as something objective.
Here is a brief news segment about the new Asian exhibit (though it adds nothing to the article linked earlier).
Any plans for the Amur leopards to join the snow leopards and Amur tigers in the Asian Highlands exhibit? Seems that they would fit in well.
The newly updated zoo map includes 2016's African Grasslands complex ($73 million), 2016's Alaskan Adventure Splash Park ($14 million), 2017's Children's Adventure Trails and the Free-Flight Bird Show Theater ($27 million) and even a vague outline of the 2018/2019 Asian Highlands zone ($20 million). At this rate the zoo is becoming very difficult to see in a single day and all of those projects equal $134 million spent over the course of only 4 summers. Wow! It is interesting to note that the North Entrance allows visitors to come into the family-friendly south-west corner of the zoo. In that general area will be the new 5-acre Children's Adventure Trails and the bird show amphitheater that will be joining the existing Alaskan Adventure Splash Park, stingray touch tank, carousel, train station, goat petting yard, etc. Most of the zoo's attractions that are geared towards youngsters are all in that one area. Here is the map: http://www.omahazoo.com/Post/sections/22/Files/zoo map 2017_website.pdf Two major projects for the long-term future will be Coastal Shores and Equatorial Africa, essentially replacing the Bear Canyon and Cat Complex areas. Master Plan summary: Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium
When did Omaha have dwarf lemurs? From what I know, they no longer have the species. ANI051-00022 - Joel Sartore
Yesterday I visited the zoo and interviewed its director Dennis Pate for my blog Zoophoria, which should be up shortly. I visited again today before flying out of Omaha. I have posted several pictures to the gallery including ample ones from African Grasslands (which is beyond exceptional and transcendent.) A full review is coming soon but here are a few notes: - Gray Gibbon is in the first habitat in Lied Jungle. - No sign of blue monkeys. Have they been phased out? - Wolf's Guenon in side habitat in Lied Jungle. - I saw the Malayan tapir using the upper part of the land area, not just the bank - I saw all six elephants on my visit. When I was there they were in the family quarters and south habitat closest to the barn. Zebras and impalas were in the larger elephant yard. - The white rhinoceros was in a part of the savanna closed off from the giraffes, impalas and ostriches. - Komodo dragons and squirrel monkeys can now be fuond in the Cat Complex. Amur tigers live in the habitat that once featured lions. - Construction on Asian Highlands is well underway.
I was there on Wednesday. Blue monkeys (saw 2) were on exhibit in Gorilla complex, right next to black macaques.
A candidate for breeding (if ... a little youngish given that wild bulls normally are 20-25 years when joining the fray). Hopefully, this will produce good tidings in a year or 3 from now!
The new Children's Adventure Trails, another ultra-expensive development at the zoo, is now open and as a father of 4 young children I have to admit that this children's section looks awesome. There aren't many animals in that part of the zoo but to have a single entrance/exit is important for parents, and this multi-acre, nature-based playground is something that my kids would likely want to stay in all day long. The downside is that I'd want to leave to see the rest of the zoo! For those that have access to Facebook...here is a 3-minute video that gives a great overview of the new area (just scroll down a little bit): Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium
Cool. What I am missing is pictures and cut-outs of animals, so children soak some education. And showers, after the child runs under that waterfall and then rolls in the sand.
Louie, the newly arrived bull African elephant, is doing very well - he even has already been introduced to the other elephants! Zoo's Louie is settling in with herd at Omaha
