Snowleopard's 2015 Road Trip

Thanks for that information! The sign at Insync Exotics says "Indochinese" but I don't always put a lot of faith in the authenticity of tiger signs in Texas. After seeing 175 tigers at Joe Exotic's park, another 35 or so at C.A.R.E., maybe 10 at Tiger Safari and another 30 at InSync I've got the opinion that the vast majority of them are generic zoo tigers with mixed-blood ancestry.

@kiang: I did see an impressive-looking Shoebill Stork at Dallas World Aquarium (right near the entrance) in an aviary that is rather tiny.

 

I find it extremely surprising that a non AZA facility like InSync could get cheetahs from Fossil Rim, one of the main AZA cheetah breeding centers. It was my understanding that the AZA has a monopoly on their cheetahs and the very few non AZA facilities that have cheetahs had to import them from South Africa.

 

@Arizona Docent. What about cats that are not intended for breeding? Alaska Zoo is not AZA (although works closely with them I believe) but it has received two male Amur Tigers from an AZA facility. It also houses (currently a single male) Snow Leopards from AZA facilities. Does every animal in an SSP breed, once a certain population level has been achieved? I have never asked, but I've always wondered if Alaska Zoo is a designated holding facility for non-breeders for AZA originating animals. If this is a practice...it might make sense that a non-AZA facility capable of a certain level of care might house "excess" animals of a population for education purposes...

 

Animals can be moved from AZA facilities to qualified non AZA facilities. I was just under the impression that it never happens with cheetahs. Clearly I am wrong, though this is the first case I have heard of. Very reputable facilities like Cat Haven and Wildlife World Zoo had to import theirs from South Africa.

 

Great find Chlidonias!

 

Yeah it is. Pretty cool info...

 

DAY 8: Monday, July 20th

How many roads must a man drive down
Before you call him a zoo nerd?
How many tigers must he really see
To know a zoological turd?
How many aquariums will he tour
That contain a Shoebill Stork bird?
The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind
The answer is blowin’ in Texas.

Yes, and how many years can a zoo exist
Before Snowleopard decides it’s good to see?
Yes, and how many tigers can Texas hold
Before they are allowed to run free?
Yes, and how many times do I go on trips
Before I can get sweetened ice tea?
The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind
The answer is blowin’ in Texas.

Lyrics by Bob Dylan/Scott Richardson

I’ve had 4 interesting encounters with critters on the road in the past few days: a Raccoon dashing across in broad daylight; a 5-foot unidentified snake slithering across the road while being attacked by a magpie; an armadillo scuttling across at great pace; and I had to swerve out of the way today as a turtle was making its way across at a surprisingly fast pace. However, the days of Mule Deer and Pronghorn Antelope sightings are long gone, which is too bad as one of the true pleasures of cruising across states like Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota and North Dakota is the opportunity to see North America’s only species of antelope.

After the initial 5 days of vast distances of driving, there was a couple of days of only 100 km each (62 miles), then today that number surged upwards again: 760 km (472 miles). I finished 4 days in Texas, with zoos in Amarillo, San Angelo, Tyler (Caldwell Zoo) and then 10 zoos just in the Dallas area. All done! Starting on Tuesday, July 21st, I’ll actually leave Texas for a couple of days and have a day in Arkansas (4 zoos) and a day in western Louisiana (4 zoos) before heading back into Texas on Thursday, July 23rd, for a week more of Texas zoos.

Dallas Zoo:

Dallas Zoo is a tremendous zoo and one of the very best in the United States. It really does seem like two different zoos as the old “ZooNorth” section has its own entrance gate and the original acreage for the zoo. About 25 years ago Dallas Zoo expanded beneath a highway tunnel and into new land on the opposite side. Wilds of Africa was created and then in 2010 Giants of the Savanna was added and so essentially one half of Dallas Zoo is a glorious example of how to construct fantastic African animal exhibits while “ZooNorth” has a more traditional zoo setting.

This is just going to be a mini-review even though Dallas Zoo deserves a multi-page essay in a book. The monorail was closed on my visit due to the fact that it is receiving a multi-million dollar overhaul, but I already rode it twice in 2010 as today was my second visit to this great zoo. However, with or without the monorail the African section has to be seen to be believed. The huge main yard contained 4 African Elephants on my visit, while adjacent to them was a herd of 13 Reticulated Giraffes. On top of that there was a herd of at least 10 Impala, several Grant’s Zebras (off exhibit), Ostriches, plus Helmeted and Vulturine Guineafowl to round out the cast. Although the elephants were not put on exhibit until close to an hour after the zoo was open, it was a magnificent view to gaze out on them as they browsed for food, sprayed sand from their trunks and engaged in regular elephant behaviour. There was none of the head bobbing or swaying that is so common in many lesser exhibits.

Everything in Giants of the Savanna is fantastic, from the Cheetahs to the African Lions to the Warthogs to the Red River Hogs. For $30 million the zoo certainly got its money’s worth and the entire area was just as impressive as when I saw it shortly after it opened in 2010.
The rest of Africa is just as brilliant, with several exhibits being amongst the very best of their kind: Lowland Gorillas (two yards); a troop of 9 Chimpanzees in a world-class habitat; Nile Crocodiles in a gorgeously planted exhibit; Okapis, Mandrills, a large walk-through aviary; even Saddle-Billed Storks and several smaller species are given wonderfully immersive, well-designed exhibits. It takes at least a couple of hours to slowly walk around and absorb the entire Wilds of Africa/Giants of the Savanna complex and it is basically a zoo all on its own.

The “ZooNorth” section of Dallas Zoo is a real hodgepodge affair with a distinct lack of theming in all directions. However, if each section is looked at in a specific manner then there is still an overall theme of excellence. Primate Place has a series of very large enclosures that are packed with enrichment items for the monkeys; Wings of Wonder is a row of 8 aviaries that are all very impressively sized; Bug U is a small Insect House but one that holds a large number of species in small terrariums; the Children’s Zoo is excellent and with its own winding entrance it is like a mini zoo for toddlers. On my visit this part of Dallas Zoo was by far the most popular as it was swarming with kids. The otter and tiger exhibits are very good (although I’ve always had issues with the viewing area for the tigers) and the Reptile House had 2 Perentie Monitors, 3 Tuataras and a huge collection on show for the public to gape at. Without a doubt Dallas Zoo is one of the very best zoos in the nation and a strong contender for being one of America’s top 10 zoos.

Reptile House Species List: 112 total species (plus one section was temporarily closed – probably at least another dozen species would have been on display)

The main focus is on snakes, with seemingly at least 20 of the deadliest snakes on the planet.

Snakes (54): Texas Coral Snake, Texas Rat Snake, Moellendorff’s Rat Snake, Green Bush Rat Snake, Louisiana Pine Snake, Grey-Banded Kingsnake, Taylor’s Cantil, Argentine Racer, Reticulated Python, Olive Python, Green Tree Python, Emerald Tree Boa, Rainbow Boa, Tentacled Snake, Common Death Adder, Bushmaster, Broad-Banded Copperhead, Cottonmouth, West African Green Mamba, Eastern Green Mamba, Black Mamba, Fierce Snake, Chaco Lancehead, Barnett’s Lancehead, Desert Lancehead, Sharp-Nosed Viper, Long-Nosed Viper, Wetar Island Viper, Beautiful Pit Viper, McGregor’s Viper, Palestine Viper, Sri Lankan Pit Viper, Slender Hognosed Pit Viper, Speckled Forest Pit Viper, Mangshan Pit Viper, Mangrove Viper, Green Bush Viper, Temple Viper, Sahara Horned Viper, Eyelash Viper, Pope’s Tree Viper, Terciopelo, Speckled Rattlesnake, Western Diamondback Rattlesnake, Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake, Banded Rock Rattlesnake, Timber Rattlesnake, Neotropical Rattlesnake, Samar Cobra, King Cobra, Cape Cobra, Rinkhal’s Cobra, Moroccan Cobra and Red Spitting Cobra.

Lizards (23): Grand Cayman Rock Iguana, Rhinoceros Iguana, Desert Iguana, Fiji Island Banded Iguana, Perentie Monitor, Crocodile Monitor, Black Tree Monitor, Tuatara (technically not a lizard), Side-Blotched Lizard, Chuckwalla, Caiman Lizard, Panther Chameleon, Veiled Chameleon, Jackson’s Chameleon, Green Anole, Rainbow Lizard, Taylor’s Shield-Tailed Lizard, Green Tree Skink, Shingleback Skink, Central Blue Tongue Skink, Gila Monster, Mexican Beaded Lizard and Giant Leaf-Tailed Gecko.

Turtles/Tortoises (5): Ornate Box Turtle, Black-Breasted Leaf Turtle, Red-Eared Slider, Indian Star Tortoise and Mata Mata.

Amphibians (28): Surinam Toad, Houston Toad, Puerto Rican Crested Toad, Tomato Frog, Mossy Frog, Blue Poison Dart Frog, Splashback Poison Dart Frog, Black-Leg Poison Dart Frog, Dyeing Dart Frog, Golden Poison Dart Frog, Bumble Bee Dart Frog, Blue-Legged Mantella, Golden Mantella, Panamanian Golden Frog, Solomon Island Leaf Frog, Red-Eyed Tree Frog, African Clawed Frog, African Bullfrog, American Bullfrog, Mandarin Newt, Black-Spotted Newt, Blue-Tailed Firebelly Newt, Kaiser Newt, Mexican Axolotl, Cave Salamander, Texas Blind Salamander, Tiger Salamander and Hellbender.

Crocodilians (2): American Alligator (including a white one) and Chinese Alligator.

Caldwell Zoo:

Caldwell Zoo is a little treasure of a zoo and one that I also visited back in 2010. There has only been a single new exhibit in the five years since then and that is for American Black Bears but the enclosure is a massive disappointment as it is simply too small. I’ve seen many larger bear yards at some of the sanctuaries and backyard menageries that I’ve visited on this trip, and for a reputable zoo with a history of excellence it is a major step backwards. Overall Caldwell is still one of the 5 best zoos in the state of Texas.

South America – This area is still the smallest and most disappointing, but it does have an enormous mixed species aviary-type structure with Giant Anteater, Squirrel Monkey, Capybara, King Vulture and several other bird species. Golden Lion Tamarins have a densely-packed exhibit and this area is often the first that viewers see in the zoo after the gorgeous flamingo lagoon.

East Africa – The savanna yard is magnificent, with the following 11 species: Grevy’s Zebra, Greater Kudu, Impala, Soemmerring’s Gazelle, Eastern White-Bearded Wildebeest, Warthog, Ostrich, East African Crowned Crane, Sacred Ibis, Egyptian Goose and Helmeted Guineafowl. The Reticulated Giraffe yard and barn are both clearly too small for the 6 giraffes in residence; the two African Elephants have a badly outdated yard with a steep moat. However, the main savanna with its 11 species is amazing and it can even be seen from the African Penguin House and the African Lion exhibit. Other delights include a Colobus Monkey/Bongo/Yellow-Backed Duiker exhibit; an excellent, grassy Meerkat yard; and a Serval enclosure.

Texas – A series of mammal exhibits are adequate (Red Fox, Coati, inexplicably a mutant White Tiger, Bobcat, Ocelot, Cougar) and the American Alligator pool is enormous. The Reptile House is small but very enjoyable and the large main yard has American Bison, White-Tailed Deer, Texas Longhorn Cattle, Wild Turkey and Sandhill Crane all together in a multi-acre exhibit.

Reptile House Species List: 50 total species (including 9 species of tarantula)

Gopher Tortoise, Three-Toad Box Turtle, Red-Eared Slider, Dabb Spiny-Tailed Lizard, Gila Monster, Emerald Tree Boa, Red-Tailed Boa, Brazilian Rainbow Boa, Desert Rosy Boa, Blood Python, Green Anaconda, Chihuahua Mountain Kingsnake, Gray-Banded Kingsnake, Hognosed Snake, Mexican Pygmy Rattlesnake, Banded Rock Rattlesnake, Black-Tailed Rattlesnake, Canebrake Rattlesnake, Western Diamondback Rattlesnake, Baird’s Rat Snake, Trans-Pecos Rat Snake, Texas Rat Snake, Texas Indigo, Bullsnake, Western Cottonmouth, Fire-Bellied Toad, Horned Frog, African Clawed Frog, Tomato Frog, Green and Black Poison Dart Frog, Blue Poison Dart Frog, Orange Poison Dart Frog, Eastern Tiger Salamander, Brazilian Red and White Tarantula, Brazilian Black Tarantula, Brazilian Whiteknee Tarantula, Mexican Red-Kneed Tarantula, Costa Rican Tiger Rump Tarantula, Antilles Pink-Toed Tarantula, Venezuela Suntiger Tarantula, Texas Brown Tarantula, Horned Baboon Tarantula, Largemouth Bass, Spotted Gar, Longnose Gar, Alligator Gar, Bowfin, Black Crappie, Bluegill Sunfish and Redear Sunfish.

 

DAY 9: Tuesday, July 21st

Arkansas beckoned and that meant a long day of driving (1,000 km – 621 miles) and 4 zoos. I definitely experienced a different set of visitors today, with a couple of Confederate Flag tattoos and a higher number of smokers. It could have been just an off-day for the non-smoking folks like me, or perhaps Arkansas just leapt to the top of my new list: “U.S. states that I’d least like to live in”. Don’t worry Mississippi and Alabama, you can still overtake Arkansas on another road trip. One day when I feel as if I’m running out of lists I’ll make a new one with the top 10 states I’d like to live in and the 10 worst states that I’d avoid at all costs. Without a doubt Arkansas would crack the top 5.

Wild Wilderness Drive-Through Safari:

Wild Wilderness Drive-Through Safari is a tale of two cities because it was the best of times and it was the worst of times. It is a non-AZA accredited zoo located in Gentry, Arkansas, and it is located on 400 acres. There are 180 acres that are developed and visitors travel along a 4-mile road in the park that takes a good hour to traverse.

Good:

The drive-through safari, not my favourite way to see a zoo, is interesting here as the sheer volume of animals is hugely impressive. Here is a list of the species that I saw roaming around the different safari areas; I placed a number in brackets for the herd animals estimating how many specimens the zoo has. For hoofstock fans the drive-through section is bliss, with almost all of the animals listed below being very near the vehicles and a few of the species in side yards separated by fences.

Nile Hippo (2 – one animal in each exhibit), Blackbuck (at least 20), Common Eland (30), Grant’s Zebra (20), Hartmann’s Mountain Zebra, Red Lechwe, Nilgai, Blue Wildebeest (10), Black Wildebeest (10), Sable Antelope, Scimitar-Horned Oryx (20), American Bison (6 white ones), Asiatic Water Buffalo, Miniature Donkey, Miniature Zebu (10), Yak, Aoudad, White-Tailed Deer (10), White-Spotted Fallow Deer (25), Black-Spotted Fallow Deer (25), Axis Deer (25), Pere David’s Deer (30), Red Deer, European Wild Boar, Bornean Bearded Pig, Dromedary (20), Bactrian Camel, Ankole Cattle (20), Texas Longhorn Cattle (25), Llama (20), Pot-Bellied Pig (20), Ostrich and Emu (20).

Bad:

There are 17 primate species at the zoo and the living conditions are in some cases horrific. Baboons in tiny metal cages all around the grounds with keepers stuffing them with bread and rolls; a Chimpanzee in a harsh metal cage that is probably driving the ape insane; loads of primates in all directions and all in ghastly conditions. It left a real black mark on this home-made facility.

Species List: Chimpanzee, White-Handed Gibbon, Hamadryas Baboon, Olive Baboon, Guinea Baboon, Brown Capuchin, White-Faced Capuchin, Blue Monkey, Spot-Nosed Guenon, Patas Monkey, Black-Handed Spider Monkey, Rhesus Monkey, Vervet Monkey, Brown Lemur, Ring-Tailed Lemur, Red Ruffed Lemur and Black and White Ruffed Lemur.

This facility had some odd visitors, such as entire families with seemingly hundreds of tattoos. I actually really like tattoos but the parents were with their teenage kids and the youngsters seemed far too young to have tattoos and to be smoking in front of their parents. Maybe I’m just getting old. A guy in a tank top with a huge Confederate Flag tattoo (and even a Confederate Flag on his wallet) was working at the zoo and I asked him where the establishment sourced its primates from. His response: “What do you care?” That is what you are dealing with in rural Arkansas. An endless stream of visitors with missing teeth, hillbilly camouflaged hats, t-shirts that say “NRA supports Americans” and then Confederate Flag tattoos on idiots who work in third-world zoos. Yikes! This place has a decent drive-through but absolutely shambolic primate cages. There are also white tigers, black panthers, lions, an American Black Bear in the same cage as an Olive Baboon and a Rhesus Monkey (is that a science experiment or something?), giraffes, kangaroos and a number of other critters and where the place sources its animals will remain a mystery.

Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge:

Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge is a non-AZA accredited zoo located in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, and it is located on 459 acres. There are 45-minute tours every hour and the cost is steep ($20) but as a wildlife sanctuary the opportunity is there to have an intelligent, fairly knowledgeable set of customers. Essentially this place is yet another in the southern United States that helps rehome big cats and there are approximately 105 animals in total. About 85 of them are tigers; with a few lions, leopards, bobcats and cougars as well as a single coati, a Rhesus Monkey and a Grizzly Bear. The facility has been around 20 years and has taken great pride in giving its animals spacious, grassy yards that are for the most part on steep hillsides. There are only a few big cats left on cement pads in tiny cages while the rest are in large, fenced-in yards that each cost $20,000-$40,000 per exhibit. There are stories about each individual animal on the exhibits and as usual in many circumstances the cats were abandoned pets; or a drug lord had some pet tigers in his basement; or a tiger cub grew up to be too rough around the house; or in one case a senile old lady had almost 30 big cats in makeshift cages surrounding her house. The guide was excellent, the refuge is full of positivity, and there is even a separate site a mile down the hillside that has lots more big cats but visitors are not allowed to tour that section as the cats there are very sensitive to noise as they are the ones that were in the most abusive situations.

Northwest Arkansas Reptile Museum:

Northwest Arkansas Reptile Museum is a non-AZA accredited zoo located in Springdale, Arkansas, and it recently moved from its previous location in nearby Fayetteville, Arkansas. This place is a tiny room with only about 30 specimens and I was amazed at how small and cluttered it was. I walked in to the Rolling Stones blasting on a CD player and the owner is a total eccentric. I made his day by showing up and discussing zoos with him and what could have been a 10 minute visit turned into half an hour as I didn’t have the heart to leave early. The owner is probably in his late 50’s and he talked nonstop as when he heard that I had seen 300+ zoos he must have felt like he had just met a kindred spirit. For almost 20 years he was in Fayetteville, Arkansas, but moved to a nearby town because “I hated the damn cops over there”. Hahaha. The guy has religious magazines strewn about on a couple of tables, a door covering the American Alligator pool (yes, an actual door!) and some big buckets with turtles all over.

The whole ramshackle place is a disgrace but the guy is unique. He has a 5-foot gator in a 6-foot round tub but he was heading out to an Alligator Park to “trade the big bastard for a 15-incher”. I prepared to leave and he kept saying “don’t go yet” and he pulled out all the stops to keep me there for half an hour. First of all he plunged his hands into a large round stainless steel tank and emerged with a 25-pound Alligator Snapping Turtle; then he tossed a live white mouse into the American Alligator exhibit and the rodent lasted about a second; lastly, the owner took a baby mouse (still pink and with its eyes closed) and tossed it in the Red-Bellied Piranha tank. That was an interesting moment, but overall the place is a shambles and the owner is odd to say the least. He just got married last year but for the entire 20 years he owned his previous reptile zoo he said that he slept either in his van or on the floor in the back of the store. Now that he is married he said “it is great to finally have a bed”. Hilarious!

National Park Aquarium:

National Park Aquarium is a non-AZA accredited zoo located in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and it is a terribly outdated facility that can easily be seen in about 20-30 minutes. There are carpeted steps leading up to some tanks that must have been there when Nixon was President and the entire facility is basically two large rooms. I would never recommend it unless I was under direct enemy attack, although there were a few rarities that are not often seen in major aquariums.

Complete species list: 69 total species

Fish/Fish-Like Species (30): Dwarf Gourami, Splash Tetra, Glowlight Tetra, Neon Tetra, Boeseman’s Rainbow Fish, Blind Cave Fish, Blue Line Grouper, Banded Leporinus, Snowflake Moray Eel, Dinosaur Eel, Alligator Gar, Longnose Gar, Spotted Gar, Malawi Eyebiter, Climbing Perch, Socolof’s Cichlid, Bronze Corydoras Catfish, Electric Catfish, Glass Catfish, Twig Catfish, Duskyfin Glass Fish, Red-Eyed Characin, Yellow-Headed Jawfish, Red-Bellied Piranha, Pajama Cardinalfish, African Lungfish, Green Sunfish, Ocellaris Clownfish, Four-Eyed Fish and Freshwater Stingray.

Reptiles & Amphibians (27): American Alligator, Gila Monster, Green Iguana, Desert Iguana, Collared Lizard, Emerald Swift, Bearded Dragon, Blue-Tongued Skink, Togo Fire Skink, Cuban Knight Anole, Jackson’s Chameleon, Veiled Chameleon, Madagascar Day Gecko, Leopard Gecko, Tokay Gecko, Russian Tortoise, Desert Tortoise, African Spurred Tortoise, Three-Toed Box Turtle, Musk Turtle, Mississippi Mud Turtle, Red-Eared Slider, Common Snapping Turtle, Alligator Snapping Turtle, Fire-Belly Toad, Cane Toad and Tomato Frog.

Crustaceans (4): Blackback Land Crab, Arrow Crab, Fiddler Crab and Coral Banded Shrimp.

Invertebrates (8): Desert Hairy Scorpion, Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula, Arkansas Chocolate Tarantula, Vietnamese Centipede, Belostomatid, Giant Jungle Blaberus, Water Scavenger Beetle and Armoured Bichir.

 

Awesome reviews SL!
The Confederate flag people... you are describing parts of Ohio to a tee.

 

Your pronghorn sighting days may not be over. They inhabit Prescott Valley and are best seen on a road that you will need to take to get to Heritage Park Zoological Sanctuary. I got a great pronghorn photo here a few years ago.

 

Although it has been over a decade since I did the trip, pronghorn were also readily seen on the highway between Roswell (Spring River Park Zoo) and the interstate that leads to Albuquerque, a route I believe you will be taking.

 

I have never been to Arkansas, and thus cannot defend the honour of the "Natural State". However, despite the confederate-flag flying, tobacco-chewing, NRA-supporting locals you met - maybe they're just actors who are there to provide local colour for tourists, channeling a bit of redneckism so that soft liberals from Canada can have their prejudices enhanced? - it has to be rememberd that this is the home state of some truly great Americans....

• Maya Angelou - writer and civil-rights activist
• Iris DeMent - wonderful folk singer (although I think she escaped to Kansas as soon as she could)
• Bill Clinton - saxophone player
• All Green - soul legend, "Reverend"
• Johnny Cash - the greatest of them all!
• Glen Campbell - who put it best in his achingly marvellous tune, "Arkansas" ("prettiest place I ever saw")

www.youtube.com/watch?v=eccolhz6Jnc

 

Having lived in Arkansas the past 35 years, it's not too bad once you accept the fact Arkansas is a rural state, 20 years behind the rest of the US, and everything that is done is half-assed and redneck. Surprised Snowleopard hasn't seen cages and exhibits held togather with baling wire and duct tape.

A couple of other famous Arkansans, Gen. Douglas MacArthur and legendary coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. At lot of famous people are FROM Arkansas. Not too many come here.

The reason the guy from Wild Widerness may have been a little touchy about your primate sourcing question is that this past spring their state representative with Wild Widerness backing sponsored and got passed a new law that will allow anyone accredited by ANY accrediting body to breed primates. Before it was permited only in AZA accredited facilities. Wild Wilderness Drive Thru Safari is accredited by The Zoological Association of America (ZAA), but not the AZA. (The ZAA has much less restrictive standards than the AZA.) This will allow them to breed primates which many believe will lead to them breeding primates to sell for pets and medicial research. Just another example of the good old boy network alive and working well in Arkansas.

 

My favorite Arkansas memory was back in 1993, early in the days of the Clinton presidency. Someone had given me one of those rubber Bill Clinton masks, which I'd put on and say with a drawl, "Ah Feeeel Yo' Pain!".

Anyways, our family was close to the Arkansas border and since my kids had not yet added the state to their lifetime lists, we drove down to the state line and stopped for a picture by the "Welcome to Arkansas" sign. I noticed that below that "Welcome" was "Home of President Bill Clinton". That made me remember my Clinton mask, so I put it on and then stood next to the "Welcome to Arkansas" sign and waved at all the cars that were entering the state. I soon realized that almost every single car had someone inside who was giving me the finger! I continued to wave, but inside the mask I was laughing so hard that I almost wet my pants! I thought about it and realized that these finger-giving folks probably had two very different reasons for their gestures. Probably half of them were giving ME the finger because they thought I was making fun of Clinton, whom they loved; the other half of finger-giving people were probably giving the finger to CLINTON! This unique combination is what I found remarkably funny!

 

ANyhuis may have just surpassed my highway patrol pictures for funniest post on this thread.

 

DAY 10: Wednesday, July 22nd

Putting yesterday’s entertaining adventures in Arkansas behind me, I headed south to the land of swamps, catfish, bayous and gators…otherwise known as the state of Louisiana. I find it incredibly interesting how embedded animals are in human culture, as all throughout the state of Montana there was a plethora of storefronts with grizzly bear statues or names in the title of shops: Grizzly Ridge Antiques, Bob’s Bear Barbershop, etc. The image of a grizzly roaming the downtown streets of Montana might seem laughable but the image of the bear is everywhere. As soon as I hit Louisiana I noticed that there are American Alligator pictures, cartoons, statues, etc, in all directions. There are probably not many other states that so closely identify with a specific animal, but the lowland swampy zones of Louisiana are prime gator country.

A couple of quick notes before I provide you with 4 more zoo reviews:

- Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge (that I reviewed yesterday) is not only a zoo with 100 big cats but also a great place to get a career at a zoo. To apply for an internship the facility asks that you have a fully completed university degree and that you commit to 6 months working with the big cats. After that you are free to explore your options and at least 6 individuals that have gone through the Turpentine Creek program are all currently working at El Paso Zoo in Texas.

- After each summer road trip I usually end up sending off at least packages of maps to various zoo enthusiasts across the globe. Last summer I think the destinations included the United States, New Zealand, Poland and England. Just a note to anyone with whom I’ve traded zoo map packages with in the past; this time around I have barely any maps so far! Many of the small places that I’ve visited don’t produce a map and so even if I end up touring 75-80 zoos I suspect that I’ll have maps from maybe half of them. Keep your fingers crossed.

Alexandria Zoo:

Alexandria Zoo is a terrific zoo that deserves a full review in any zoological publication. Land of the Jaguar opened in 2013 and several new species were incorporated into a stellar South American section that is one of the best of its kind in the country. The species list from that continent is very impressive: Andean Bear, Jaguar, Ocelot, Giant Anteater, Brazilian Tapir, Capybara, Patagonian Cavy, Red Rumped Agouti, Tayra, Bush Dog, Maned Wolf, Coati, Black Howler Monkey, Squirrel Monkey, Golden Lion Tamarin, Cotton Top Tamarin, American Crocodile, Broud-Snouted Caiman, Galapagos Tortoise, Andean Vulture, King Vulture, Chilean Flamingo and several other bird species. The sheer volume of South American animals, all in mainly decent exhibits, is quite astonishing for a fairly small zoo.

Louisiana Habitat is the other significant themed area and this complex is similar in size and scope to the one at Audubon Zoo, also in the state of Louisiana. Again, the exhibit quality is high and the species list is comprehensive: Louisiana Black Bear (the subspecies), Florida Panther, Bobcat, Red Wolf, North American River Otter, Raccoon, Beaver, White-Tailed Deer, American Alligator, Alligator Snapping Turtle, plus plenty of birds and a variety of snakes and other turtles.

After Land of the Jaguar and the South American zone, plus the Louisiana Habitat, there is still more to see at this zoo. A typical Australian area; a total of 5 crocodilians; and then several rarities: White-Tailed Sea Eagle (the only pair in North America); Clouded Leopard; Yellow-Backed Duiker; Lowland Anoa (one of only 10 zoos with the species in the nation); Chinese Alligator and Malayan Tiger. There is even more and it took me a solid 2.5 hours to tour the establishment. In an issue of Zoo Grapevine a couple of years ago Tim Brown said that Alexandria is possibly the best small zoo in the country and he might well be right. I had strong images of Brevard Zoo in Florida while walking around Alexandria as in both cases there are lots of wooden exhibits and very shady boardwalks in all directions. I was duly impressed with Alexandria Zoo and had a wonderful time there but it is not all perfect even though my review has been glowing. The mazelike route around the facility ensures that a map is a vital component of any visit and I didn’t enjoy the layout of the zoo as it was confusing at times and involved a few switchbacks.

Gone Wild Safari:

Gone Wild Safari is a non-AZA accredited zoo located in Pineville, Louisiana, and it just opened in 2010. Like a few zoos that I’ve toured on this latest summer trek the establishment is out in the middle of nowhere and rural farmland is in all directions. Gone Wild Safari is actually only 20 minutes from Alexandria Zoo and I was for the most part rather disappointed with the facility. The walking tour consists of a couple of giraffes, a walk-in budgie aviary that is a waste of space, plus small animal exhibits for Fennec Fox, Tamandua, Coati and some macaws. Everything can be seen in around 20 minutes as one waits for the hourly “safari” to commence. That involves sitting in the back of a bus with all of the seats removed so that there is a long bench along each side of the vehicle. The tour takes about 30 minutes and the driver stops at a couple of locations for photo opportunities. One cool thing is that I had a driver who had just started his first day on the job and I was the only passenger! The young guy was a history major and he was a unique character. On each occasion of us stopping the animals stampeded over as if they had never been fed and the bus was surrounded by species such as: Brindled Wildebeest, American Bison, Fallow Deer, Common Eland, Dromedary, Bactrian Camel, Llama, Emu, Ostrich, Watusi Cattle, Scottish Highland Cattle and Asian Water Buffalo. This zoo is literally just a family project that has expanded to become an authentic zoological experience, although the quality is definitely lacking.

Natchitoches Alligator Park:

Natchitoches Alligator Park is a non-AZA accredited zoo located in Natchitoches, Louisiana, and it is situated on 7 acres. The establishment is only open daily a few months of the year (essentially for the summer) and then weekends until October. This place has been around for about 25 years and to be honest it has seen better days as most of the exhibits have paint peeling and a sense of wear and tear. There are a few dirty terrariums in the “Jungle” building (ugh!), a couple of Emus in a small pen, a herd of Fallow Deer in a very tiny paddock, and the main attraction of approximately 500 American Alligators scattered throughout the park in various swampy ponds. I happened to meet the owner/director of the facility and he admitted that alligator parks were a huge fad 25 years ago but these days there aren’t many around outside of a few in the Texas/Louisiana border zone and Florida. He told me that his park used to have 10,000 gators and they’d breed them like rats but those days are long gone. One funny story is that the park was flooded just a couple of months ago and wild alligators were swept into the area from the surrounding swamp. Anyway, the owner told me that he still had to go around and feed the animals and so he carried a big stick in one hand to test the depth of the water and a shotgun in the other so that he could blast any gator to pieces if he was attacked. Thankfully neither man nor gator was hurt.

It is still possible to buy all sorts of gator products in the café (they must hook them right out of the swamp!) and there is somewhat inexplicably an enormous knife collection for sale on the walls of the gift shop. I stayed to watch the afternoon gator show where a man hangs raw chicken off of a battered old boat and it was entertaining watching the pair of 16-footers dominate proceedings over the smaller gators. Even with the chat with the owner and the gator show I still only ended up staying exactly one hour.

Gators & Friends: Alligator Park & Exotic Zoo:

Gators & Friends: Alligator Park & Exotic Zoo is a non-AZA accredited facility located in Greenwood, Louisiana, and it opened in 2006. It is interesting to note that all 4 of these Louisiana zoos are within about 2.5 hours of each other and two of them are brand-new in the last decade. Gators & Friends is much cleaner and more modern than Natchitoches Alligator Park but I’m not sure which one I prefer. Natchitoches was dirty but the grime and grit of the swamp came through into the habitats while Gators & Friends has a manicured lawn in one of the “swamp” habitats and is very clean and orderly. There is a small gator exhibit with juveniles; a medium-sized one that is very nice but manicured; and a large pool that has a zipline going over top of it. After the gators there isn’t really that much to see and once again I was done after perhaps an hour. Species list includes: American Alligator, Ring-Tailed Lemur, Fallow Deer, Sika Deer, Axis Deer, Grant’s Zebra, Capybara, Red Kangaroo, Bennett’s Wallaby, Dromedary, Llama, Alpaca, Scottish Highland Cattle, Zebu, Miniature Horse, Miniature Sicilian Donkey, Pygmy Goat, Jacob Sheep, Ostrich, Emu and Indian Runner Duck.

 

I am surprised to hear of tamandua at a place like Gone Wild. I was under the impression very few US zoos have tamanduas and they were AZA.