Ohio Zoo Trip Minireviews- Cleveland Zoo- Ah, my home zoo. The Rainforest is the best, with orangutans, capybaras, Francois langurs, Prevost (tricolor) squirrels, many herps on the lower level, gharial and dwarf crocs on the lower level, many (at least 4-5) tarantula species, etc. The anteaters pace incessantly, and the two cat species (fishing cat and ocelot) do as well. There are also more fish and turtles on the upper level, moues deer and mynas sharing an enclosure (where the tarsier was until it died in 2006), Asian small clawed otters, and more. Northern Trek is an atrocity. The wolf wilderness exhibit is nice, but the wolves pace and there are tons of coins dropped in the wetlands exhibit, with beavers, fish, ducks, turtles, a male Lady Amherst's pheasant, a magpie, and I think a bald eagle. The camel (Bactrian) looks weird, with matted hair. The bears and tigers live in outdated grottoes. The seal/sea lion exhibit is also bad, and the Penguin Shores, a temporary penguin exhibit, is a joke. 6 penguins in a tiny box not good enough for 1. African Savannah- This includes the $25m African Elephant Crossing, which opened on May 5, 2011. The elephant barn is OK, and there are naked mole rats, meerkats, African birds, and a rock python (African). The elephant yards, Mopani and Savanna Range, are very nice. A lion exhibit (outdated), a lemur cage that has 1 ruffed lemur (formerly holding a Persian leopard), an atrocious island with klipspringers and colobus monkeys, a mediocre rhino exhibit, and an African plains with ostrich, zebra, giraffe, Waldrapp ibis (I think), white stork, and bontebok. A new giraffe feeding deck is being built. Australian Adventure- A koala/magpie goose (a tree kangaroo- Goodfellow's- formerly where the goose is now died recently- early 2015 perhaps?), building is OK, with an outdoor koala/goose exhibit. There is a very nice (5-10 species) aviary for lorikeets (you can feed them for $2), and kangaroos, wallabies, and wallaroos. A lone sulphur-crested cockatoo perches in a tree across from a swan/duck pond. A dusty petting zoo has sheep and goats, along with these thin camels used for rides. The sheep are awful and matted, in a small enclosure not good enough for 1 (and they have 6 or 7!). European rabbits and a good dingo enclosure, as well as emus, round out this decent area. A Yagga Tree no longer has any live animals- it's a treehouse (kind of) with an animatronic croc (Wooly Bill), and a snake slide for kids. Lizards and snakes used to be here, as well as cane toads, White's tree frogs, bettongs and bats. Primate, Cat & Aquatics (PCA)- PCA is a disaster. Carpeted hallways lead to dying fish, concrete monkey and gorilla enclosures... gosh. They have a fossa, a bad shark exhibit, a good lemur exhibit, an outdoor tortoise exhibit, outdoor cheetah exhibit... Waterfowl Lake- A carousel, trumpeter swans and a few waterfowl round out this area. Chilean flamingos used to reside here, but they are now in a flamingo and Egyptian goose pond near the front entrance, along with a spur-winged goose/leopard tortoise exhibit near the flamingos, near the food court. Noah's Lost Ark, Berlin Center, Ohio- This hidden gem is near Youngstown, Ohio, in the southwest part of Mahoning County, Ohio, about 60-70 minutes east of Cleveland. It is 23 miles west/southwest of Youngstown, and 35 miles east of Canton, Ohio. It is a non-AZA rescue sanctuary, with lions and tigers brought there in horrible cages and small enclosures. Lionus is a magnificent lion that was kept with little food and little water in a horse stall for 3 months. They have lions, tigers, a jungle cat/house cat hybrid, a black bear, an amazing wolf habitat, a blind cat (Alfie!), capuchin monkeys, binturong, and a petting zoo area with fallow deer, reindeer, a camel (Jellybean- a female dromedary- I think it's a female), zebras, llamas, horses, donkeys, goats.... They have a bison, too. It's in the top 5 of my favorite zoos. #1- Columbus #2- Living Desert #3- San Diego #4- Noah's Lost Ark #5- National Zoo
