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Seneca Park Zoo Seneca Park Zoo Review

Discussion in 'United States' started by blospz, 6 Jul 2012.

  1. blospz

    blospz Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    After reading such great reviews on zoochat, I wanted to practice on my reviewing skills. I thought I would write about a zoo I am very familiar with; the Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester, NY. Along with my review, I plan to share little tidbits and shed some light on the history of the zoo.

    The entrance of the zoo is not very big. There are three or four stations to check into the zoo, one being designated for members. When you first enter, you see the main building right in front of you, the gift shop on your left, and the African spurred tortoise exhibit on your right. The tortoises are in a small sandy yard with a thigh high chain linked fence around it. You can go around ¾ of the exhibit with the top part being blocked off by their holding area building. Around the edges are big stones and logs. Two tortoises are on display, a male named Bulldozer, and a female named Shelly. Mating sessions are seen periodically throughout the day. It is surprising to think this section is where the polar bear exhibit used to be located. However, I think the exhibit went further back where the education department trailer is now.

    The main building has outside meshed enclosures on both side of it. On the right side has a small exhibit for guinea fowl. They used to roam freely around the zoo and were also seen in the elephant exhibit. After this exhibit is one for the snow leopards. The exhibit is divided into two sections, if they want to keep the snow leopards separated. The first exhibit is the smaller one that has a high shelf that they can sleep on. The other section is the main part. This area used to house the Amur tigers and I believe back in the day, lions. A white tiger named Laska was displayed here in the summer of 2009. Mulch covers the ground and there are multiple tree limbs to hide and use for enrichment. Another high shelf is in the back right corner when they want to be away from guests and sleep. This is not the best snow leopard exhibit by any means as it lacks vertical space. However, they do have a good amount of space and they did update the area to be more specific for these cats.

    The outside exhibit on the other side of the building belongs mostly to the primates and apes. However, right before their exhibit is one for the great horned owl. The first ape exhibit is the biggest out of all of them, belonging to Borean orangutans. It is probably one of the worst orangutan exhibits in the country. A painted mural is the background, concrete floor, and tree limbs to climb on. The fencing around the exhibit does provide climbing opportunities and I have seen them even climbing on the roof section. However, to add some enrichment for these red apes, a termite mound was added recently to hide goodies inside. Next-door are the ruffed lemurs, black spider monkeys, and white-handed gibbons, all in their own exhibits respectively. These smaller apes and primates are rather old and surprisingly in good health. The female ruffed lemur is missing her tail, as one of the orangutans next door got a hold of it once and broke it. It is wonderful to see the zoo’s veterinarian interact with these geriatric animals. They are playful and mischievous trying to get treats from him. My favorite out of all of them is the female white-handed gibbon, Dorothy. She has a beautiful song she sings to her partner and she is very inquisitive. She is always looking next door to see the activities of the spider monkeys. These narrow enclosures provide climbing and swinging opportunities, but are poorly outdated. From reading the most recent zoo newsletter, it sounds like the next project is demolishing the 1930’s main building. However, I believe it will be a couple of years before they even start this. To finish off this side of the building, is a small exhibit for the alligators. There is a small amount of land and a nice deep pool for them to swim. I believe this once belonged to sea lions.

    You can enter the main building on two sides. The side closest to the zoo’s entrance is right between the owl and orangutan exhibit. The other entrance is on the back end of the building located right next to the White rhino outside exhibit. Starting with the entrance closest to the front of the zoo, you walk into a small hallway with terrariums on both sides. Some inhabitants are the green emerald tree boa and yellow poisonous dart frogs. At the end of the hallway is a small exhibit, one you would see in a small mammal house, belonging to the golden lion tamarins. If you turn to your right, there is an entrance to the aviary. A rather small aviary compared to many other zoos, but they have been trying to update their collection. Here you will see Bali mynah, crested wood partridge, emerald starling, hooded pitta, nicobar pigeon, roseate spoonbill, rosybill duck, scarlet ibis, spotted dikkop, superb starling, and the white-faced whistling duck. Trees, ponds, and rocks are incorporated to make this look realistic against the sterile walls of the building.

    If you were to turn left at the golden lion tamarian exhibit, you would go to the main section of the building. On the left are concrete, outdated exhibits for the primates and apes. However, on the right side, they have used the exhibits for smaller inhabitants that can get more out of the spaces. King vultures are in an exhibit that once belonged to white nosed coatis. A wall was knocked down and two exhibits were combined to make the Amazon section. Mulch added on the ground, rockwork, and trees were added to make the outside come inside. In this exhibit are red-lored Amazon parrot, sloth, pied tamarian, iguana, more golden lion tamarins, and other forgotten inhabitants. For a space that probably belonged to a big cat in this past, it has been modernized and put to better use. An ocelot inhabitants the next exhibit, then comes the inside exhibit for the white rhinos. A crowded indoor quarter for these big mammals is a shock to think that the elephants use to live in this space. Across from the rhinos is a small, sandy exhibit for meerkats that have plastic pipes and tubes for crawling/borrowing. In the center of the main building are terrariums holding various reptiles and amphibians.

    The white rhino outside yard is a small dusty paddock for two half brother rhinos. They are both on loan from the Knoxville Zoo. They were one of the guest animals that would make a brief appearance every summer. However, the zoo has kept them for the past four years.

    After this area you can either venture to a lower part of the zoo on the right, or the main section on your left. The lower section has picnic benches designated for the only area in the zoo to smoke. Right by them is the small exhibit for emus. I have always felt bad for the inhabitants in this exhibit who may have to endure second hand smoke. It is a square exhibit with a chain link fence going around three sides and their holding building on one end. This area used to belong to the wallabies, before they died. However, I have heard the zoo has incorporated new wallabies in with the emus. I am not sure how two species interact with each other. If you were to continue down the path, you could go to the lower part of the Z.O.T. Zone, which provides windows into the operating rooms of the animal hospital. I have only ever seen medical exams when I have visited, such as an x-ray of the former bush baby.

    If you continued on to the main section of the zoo, it would lead you to Genesee Trails (featuring mostly local animals). On the left are naturalistic exhibits for injured bald eagles and Canadian geese. Past their exhibit is a wading pool area used for guests trying to beat the heat in the warmer months of the year. The right side of this area is the main playground.

    Straight ahead is the Ecostation. The lower level is dedicated to animal exhibits, while the off exhibit top level are administrative offices. On one side of the building is the outdoor exhibit for the North American river otter. The section of this exhibit can be seen inside with huge windows looking into their pool and bank above. The lower section is off to the side where the otters can slide down to another pool area. Although a naturalistic exhibit, it does not provide guests with a lot of vantage points. Also, the back of the exhibit slants down a hill so the otters are very good at hiding. Two female otters are in this exhibit now. The oldest river otter in captivity, Admiral, was the star here with his daily demonstrations. Unfortunately, he died a year ago. The center of the building is a glass terrarium belonging to Asian rock pythons, one being Burmese. Terrariums on the back wall feature the American bullfrog, turtles, a variety of small snakes, and radiated tortoises (all named after Yankee players since they came from the Bronx Zoo). There is also an aquarium for lake sturgeon.

    Continuing on is the top section of the Z.O.T. Zone. It features a wonderful play area for children to dress up, take care of stuff animals, and watch clips around animals. There are also classrooms for camp and courses throughout the year.

    Next is the center of the zoo. Featured is the butterfly garden, small enclosures for golden pheasants, and old cages that should be demolished. There are three cages that have walkways that connect to each if they wanted an animal to use more than one section. The cages used to house lynxes and Amur leopards. Now it belongs turkey vultures and raccoons. The raccoons come from Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The summer I worked there, they were to be the stars of the stage show, but they still had training to do. Staff changes in the education department and a shift for the stage show to focus on birds, made these education animals into exhibit animals. After the lynxes and leopards died, this area was intended for red pandas, but the zoo never acquired them.

    On the left feature two lush exhibits for the spotted hyena and Mexican gray wolves. Arctic wolves were featured here before they died a couple of years ago. On the right is the exhibit for the Amur tiger. This exhibit used to be used to the summer travelling animal. It housed black bears, giraffes, and zebras just to name a few animals. It is a basic chained link fence covering the exhibit (no roof – high enough to keep the tigers in). The center features a large tree stump for the tigers to climb up on and view admirers from above. There is also a small plastic pool used for the tigers in hotter months. Two sister tigers live here and they rotate with each other, as they now can no longer tolerate each other.

    Beyond this point is the entrance to Rocky Coasts. You can go to the left and wrap around the sand hill crane exhibit and the back of the sea lion exhibit. If you do go this way, you will past by the cougar exhibit. It is a bit small for this cat, but it provided decent vertical space. There was also a plastic bubble window that kids could pop their heads in to be inside the exhibit. The last cougar died last month. I would like to see this area be used for a smaller animal, but I am not sure what I would want exhibited there. If you go down the path you will encounter the snowy owl enclosure, that just reopened, and doors leading to the underground viewing of the sea lions and polar bears. If you were to remain on the main path, you would see the sand hill cranes on the left and the African black-footed penguins on your right. Their exhibit was recently redone with a pool that encouraged them more to swim. They hardly swam before this unless a fish was thrown into the water. The zoo has one of the largest colonies of these penguins and there is a big soap opera behind the scenes. Penguins are supposed to be monogamous, but not these penguins! There is a lot of switching of partners.

    Continuing on is the exhibit for the California sea lions. They have two pools that connect with each other, land in between to rest, and stadium seating used for summer demonstrations. The zoo currently has two males, Flounder and Puff, and two rescued females, Marina and Lily. Seals were supposed to be incorporated into this exhibit, but I do not know when this will happen. If you continue on you will see tall glass windows looking down into the polar bear exhibit. The first window gives an overview of the exhibit. The other window is used to look down to see the entrance of their holding area. This is a good spot to try to catch the female polar bear, Aurora, who likes to stay in air conditioning. A decent size pool is on one end with a waterfall on the side. They are on hard substrate and grass is not incorporated. This would be a step up from a typical grotto, something similar to the likes of the Pittsburgh Zoo. You can wrap round this exhibit, however pine trees block areas obstructing views. A moat is around the land where the polar bears can hide or defecate if they choose. The building in between the sea lion and polar bear exhibits provide great underwater viewing.

    To finish off the zoo, you look down in to the African section of the zoo (modeled after the Ngorongoro crater). I cannot give an accurate review of this section as I have not seen the updates of the Maasai village and lion exhibit. However the end of the exhibit, feature olive baboons and African elephants. Footprints are imbedded in between their exhibits as it looks like they lead to the African watering hole. The watering hole would probably be the big pool in the elephant exhibit. The baboons have a small exhibit with mesh all around them. Tree limbs, ropes, t-shirts, cereal boxes, and other enrichment items are included to keep these primates active. The best viewing into the exhibit is the glass window where you can really get up close to them.

    The African elephant exhibit is a big improvement from their previous exhibit. However, in terms of size, it is average at best. It’s rather barren as well and was recently divided into sections in case they needed to separate the elephants. However, their barn is spacious, with sound panels installed recently to reduce the noise of guests. Also sand has been incorporated into their stalls. Genny C. and Lilac are in their 30’s and have lived together for many years at the zoo. Most mornings, before the zoo opens, they are taking on walks around the zoo for exercise. Pretty soon they will have to get another elephant to keep up with AZA standards, hence the reason the modified and separated their yard space. I am a bit curious if they will get a younger elephant for the geriatric females to take care of or an elephant similar to their age. Both of them are two old to reproduce, with Genny C. losing her only calf and Lilac never being able to cycle.

    This small zoo may not be one of the greatest in the countries. But it’s perfect for a short day trip – maybe a stopping point in between the Buffalo and Rosamond Gifford Zoo. Although it has a ways to go to improve some horribly outdated exhibits, it has enhanced its Rocky Coast section and added on to A Step Into Africa. Small steady improvements have been made that make me respect this little zoo. They are never at a standstill and with a variety of older animals; I believe they provide them with excellent care.
     
  2. snowleopard

    snowleopard Well-Known Member 15+ year member Premium Member

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    Great review, and thanks for taking the time to write it. I always enjoy well-written reviews of zoos around the world!
     
  3. DavidBrown

    DavidBrown Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    Thanks for the review blospz. You give a very comprehensive tour of the zoo, which is much appreciated. It is interesting that this zoo has many charismatic species (polar bears, African elephants, tigers, orangs, etc.), but seems to be partly modernized and partly in what sounds like serious decay and housing many elderly animals. When the older animals in the bad cages pass do you think they will shut down these exhibits?
     
  4. blospz

    blospz Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    That is a good question. When the lynx and Amur leopards died I thought they would demolish those cages. Unfortunately, that was not the case. However they have been more practically using them for smaller animals like vultures and raccoons. The primates and apes are already in the main building, which is planned to be demolished in the future. I am not sure if they are waiting to see some of them go before they start it, or move them off exhibit in the meantime. I think due to age and stress they wouldn't want to relocate them to other zoos. I am curious what animals they will keep as it was said naturalistic exhibits would replace the area where the main building is located. I think orangutans would be their top priority. I wish the could acquire more lands for the African section because they could move the rhinos down there. The meerkats could probably have a small exhibit built down there as well. The other primates are rather old and like I mentioned, could go off exhibit until they pass away. The reptile/amphibian terrariums couldn't be moved to other locations in the zoo.

    Despite not updating outdated exhibits so fast, they do update their animal collection when an animal is deceased. Examples:
    * Mexican gray wolves replaced the Arctic wolves.
    * Emus moved to the wallaby yard. Sand hill cranes moved to the emu yard.
    * King vultures had their summer home in one of the leopard cages. Now it is home to the raccoons.
    * South American exhibit used the space of the coati exhibit.
    * Snow leopards eventually took over the old tiger cage.
     
  5. blospz

    blospz Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    A STEP INTO AFRICA:

    The entrance is overlooking the entire exhibit below. It's a very nice way to start out. You are greeted by cut outs of an African ranger and his side kick, a crowned crane. They reappear throughout the whole exhibit space with many educational signs telling you about the culture and journey you're taking.

    When you are down to the main, bottle level you walk into the common area for outdoor seating of the restaurant. There is also the Masaai Village that features a hut displaying a bedroom area. There are buttons for visitors to push to show different video clips about the culture. Also in this area is a small exhibit for three goats.

    A kopje section is the entrance to the star exhibit; the lions. There are large viewing windows on this end of the exhibit. Lions are persuaded to be up close to visitors as this section provides shade and mist to keep cool. The long view of the exhibit is surrounded with mesh. It's a grassy paddock with a central rock and some limbs. On the other end of the exhibit is a treat for visitors; a double deck bus. The bottom level has seating throughout and a spiraling staircase to go upstairs. The upstairs is more bare to accommodate a large crowd wanting an overview of the exhibit. Sometimes meat is put on the hood of the bus to get the lions closer to the visitors. Also in this end is a large viewing window and a wading pool inside the exhibit to entice the lions to come up close. Perhaps more substance could be added to the exhibit, but they have time add things. It is definitely visitor friendly.

    Up next is the dig zone for kids to play in. There is also a small tunnel leading to a window to peer into the Olive baboon exhibit. That exhibit is pretty much the same beside the main viewing area getting some more educational signs and being renamed the Primate Research Center.

    The elephant exhibit got some minor changes; the side wall has been painted brown and a roof was shading for more appealing viewing for visitors. This also provides shade for the elephants. The main yard has been divided by fencing to separate the elephants. There also seems to be a yard behind the barn now. There's also a hill area with grass and a tree. The elephants cannot access it since it's too small and has hot wiring around it, but I assume to it's supposed to appeal to the visitor's eyes.

    This is now the best section of the zoo and I hope the zoo continues in this direction.