Philadelphia Zoo is the USA's first zoo and is to celebrate it's 150th birthday soon. I'm surprised there are no threads or photos uploaded for this zoo. I've just uploaded some pics I took on my visit there in 1987, so it would be interesting to see some more recent pics of what the zoo looks like now. I'm sure there have been lots of changes. Hix
And the only zoo in the US with a breeding group of giant river Otters and the only two publically visable red-shanked douc langurs I visited their site a lot about giant river otter news, where the first birth was a huge sensation (even on their site) and the last one was barely mentioned... funny
First zoo to be incorporated, Central Park Zoo actually opened its doors first. I have some pictures taken last year and couldn't find a Philadelphia section to put them in. I'll add them and all the other zoo photos I haven't yet had a chance to upload!
I was also surprised that there wasn't any photos from this zoo. Another zoo that has no photos is the St. Louis Zoo.
For those of you who have been here, how many hours would you allot to the zoo? I'd like the visit next week but on a very limited schedule so I'd like to see how tightly I can fit the trip in.
At this time of year 3 hours should be plenty. It is half the size of Cincinnati (I'd do it in less but I've been there many times).
Oh good, that's good to hear! In December, Cincinnati took me 3 hours and I felt like I missed a good portion of the zoo and I go through Bronx (which I go to 40+ times a year) 3 to 4 hours so it's good to know Philly won't be that big of a time restriction. Thanks!
New to this forum I am kind of surprised that there weren't really many threads on the Philadelphia Zoo. I go to college down near Philadelphia so I tend to visit this zoo a lot! There really are no zoos close to my hometown in Upstate New York so I bought a membership to Philly Zoo! I have tons of pictures from all of my visits (just shy of 800 to be exact) so I'll have to start posting some of them for you all! I'd be happy to answer any questions about the zoo that any of you might have.
Philadelphia Zoo Photos and YouTube channel I will try to upload some recent photos taken at my favorite zoo soon. But, in the meantime, anyone who wants to see some of what the Philadelphia Zoo looks like now can visit my YouTube channel devoted entirely to this zoo. YouTube - ZooVisitorMM's Channel My videos record sights (of animals and exhibits) and sounds (of animals and visitors) at the Zoo. All the videos have been recorded recently (beginning in August 2008). For ten years, I have also maintained a website devoted to the Philadelphia Zoo. This website has many photos taken over the past ten years. I love the Philadelphia Zoo! 2009 edition But I encourage anyone who has a special favorite zoo to showcase it on YouTube if possible. I believe YouTube really is a great way to spread the good word. I am heading for the Zoo now to say "Happy Zoo Anniversary" (150 years today) to everyone there. They really are a great, dedicated staff.
Is there a limit to the number of photos that you can upload per day? I posted two and have been trying to upload a third several times and it says it uploads but I'm not seeing it.
Now that school has basically finished for me I should have more time to post things here. I posted several pictures from the zoo today, I figured out my issue -- the files were too big. Check them out and let me know if you guys have any questions. Sorry about the double post but I couldnt figure out how to edit my previous post (wasn't sure if double posting broke a rule on this forum)
The Philadelphia Zoo isn't the oldest Zoo inthe US, he was opened in 1874, so not he zoo's celebrating its 150 years anniversary, but the Philadelphia Zoological Zoosociety. The oldest Us Zoo is the Central Park Zoo, opened in 1864.
The devil is in the details: Central Park opened to the public in 1864, Philladelphia to the public in 1874. Zebraduiker is 100% right here.
It appears that 2009 will have a huge amount of new redesigned zoomaps. Add Philly to the list! http://www.philadelphiazoo.org/PhiladelphiaZoo/files/a8/a8b7b95c-2c71-465a-bf7e-123ef99cc74b.pdf
Wow, thanks for pointing this out! What a redesign! It looks great! A little dated though; it looks more like an old zoo map than a new one but a big improvement none the less! What other redesigns are in the works?
The city of Philadelphia really pushes having the "first" of a lot of things - it is a prominent theme in their visitor's guide. (As a photographer, I was pleased to stumble across a sign commemorating the site of the oldest existing photo in America - downtown, not at the zoo). So they are very reluctant to give up the first zoo title. At the entrance, there is a big sign about it on one of the old entrance buildings (I think I posted a black and white photo of it in the gallery). The bear exhibits are very good sized and pretty nice - wide open views great for photography. The new Big Cat Falls is pretty good, not spectacular, but not bad. I like the indoor section that is basically a wild cat education center. I don't know of any other mainstream zoo that has an education center devoted exclusively to wild cats (my specialty). The rest of the zoo is somewhat average, not bad at all, just nothing that really stands out from other zoos. The entrance fee seems a bit steep for a zoo of this caliber, but if you have a reciprocal membership you get in for half price.