Well, it certainly would have sufficed, in that you don't need to justify your trips to anyone, though it wouldn't have explained as much as this excellent post does. I understand it, absolutely. I have a bit of a 'completion' complex myself, but as a practical measure I've never allowed myself to apply it to zoos. It would consume time, money and girlfriend-patience out of proportion to what I get out of visiting zoos - especially crappy ones. But I certainly appreciate that the 'proportionate' amount of those things to spend on any hobby is different for everybody. And this - that you loved your trip - is all that matters and what I was most hoping to read. I agree with this completely. I think that when you get to t̶h̶e̶ ̶U̶K̶ wherever this mystery upcoming trip of yours is, that you'll actually enjoy the zoos you find there much more than you otherwise might have before you explored America's zoological backwoods. Your expectations will be better calibrated than they might have been 10 years ago. Just a little, even if I couldn't resist the temptation to make a sly prediction above.
I think I've missed about half a dozen Swans matches in the last 15 years (albeit mostly on TV, as I don't live in the same state where the club is based). A couple of weddings (I met my girlfriend at one of them, and we lost the game anyway, so on balance I guess it was fine), a federal election (my other spectator sport, which only comes around every three years), and a uni party many years ago that I went to because a specific other person with considerable charms was going to be there (short version of the story: I should have watched the game). Twice in Europe last year I resolved to just watch the game when I woke up, but both times I spontaneously woke up at the starting time anyway. It's clearly just innate. It must be even harder to follow a team that isn't in the top flight, though, as I imagine it means you have to travel all over the country each weekend to attend live. The difference between footy and any of my other interests - why I can be *so* passionate about it - is that it's finite. There are 22 regular season games and up to four finals a season, and there's no footy from October to February. I only need to make excuses to avoid social events a few times a year, on average. Zoos are open-ended - if I'd chosen to, my 200 day tour of Europe could have had three times as many zoos in it as it did, but it would have come at the expense of much else besides. Vive la difference, as you say.
I think if a future trip contains 10 world class zoos it would be a little hard to argue that it is confined to the UK. To be honest I'm not sure even Germany alone could offer that up.
I guess it all depends on what you call world class, the UK probably couldn't deliver it, but a place like Germany with Berlin, Berlin, Walsrode, Leipzig, Munich, Nuremberg, Stuttgart, Cologne, Frankfurt + insert any zoo from the list Hannover/Hamburg/Duisburg/Magdeburg/Rostock/Dresden. Additionally there are quite a lot of good zoos close to the German border, such as Burgers' Zoo, Basel, Zurich, Prague among others. Probably Czech Republic + Poland + Austria would also be extremely narrow in Snowleopards opinion
Funny enough: if you want to boost your individual zoo visit record quickly, Germany might be your best choice. Zoo-infos.de currently lists 889 "zoos" in Germany. ? Zoo-Infos.de ? - die Zoo-Datenbank
Zoo #50: Grab a drink and kick back to enjoy this lengthy, detailed review of one of the world's most stupendous zoos. This piece is 6,200 words and I'm letting you know ahead of time that it is a long essay and full of information. Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium (Omaha, NE) is a tremendous zoological facility and I think that it is the 2nd greatest zoo I've ever toured and behind only San Diego. I've been three times in a decade, with visits in 2008, 2012 and now 2018. The zoo is located in the state of Nebraska, and with very little else for hundreds of miles, many zoo nerds have not made the jaunt but it is well worth it and I'll type up a review for those that are intrigued to learn more. On July 25th, 2018, I got to the zoo 40 minutes early and people began to file in from all corners of the globe. I had quite the adventure before I even went into the joint because I first chatted with a couple from Melbourne, Australia, who were in Omaha just to see the zoo with friends! Years ago they had gone on a business trip to the city and toured the zoo, fallen in love with the place and now were back many years later. They didn't have any other zoos planned for their jaunt to the USA but they loved Omaha and they were with friends and I only spoke to them for a couple of minutes. Best of all was another gentleman who I spoke with for quite some time and he was an Amish individual and his story is worth telling. We were killing time before the zoo opened and funnily enough we ran into each other twice more throughout the day. The zoo now receives 2 million annual visitors and yet this Amish guy and I connected and it was mainly due to the crowd he was hanging with as they were easily spotted from a great distance. In the morning a 55-seat Greyhound bus pulled up with exactly 54 passengers and they were all Amish families from a rural area in Iowa. They had booked the bus for the day at a cost of $2,200 and all of these families had woken up their many children at 2:30 a.m. in order to leave at 3:30 a.m. and go on a 5-hour bus ride to the zoo and they arrived at 8:30 a.m. This was something that the local Amish community does every few years and I was glad I was there to watch them disembark. Some of the kids had already fallen asleep, everyone was in traditional clothing and there were bonnets, beards and straw hats in all directions. Then they unloaded many strollers, wagons and boxes upon boxes of food. It was quite the sight! My new friend told me that half of the men worked at a lumber mill while the other half worked in a furniture store and everyone had to be back on the bus at 4:00 p.m. to make the long trek back to rural Iowa that night. He told me that none of the women worked jobs outside of the home as on average they seemed to have 5 kids each, and also they weren't going to spend any more money than necessary as the bus was expensive and admission is not cheap and that explained the boxes of food. Later in the day I saw several of the group all munching away on ice creams and so they must have treated themselves to that luxury at least. The admission fee to this great, 160-acre zoo cost me $22, which is an amazing deal, but most people opted to pay $41 admission as that includes a tram ride, Skyfari sky ride (very similar to the one in San Diego and only just added in 2009), the stingray touch tank, the carousel and a ride on the full-sized train. If I visited Omaha with my wife and 4 kids, then it would cost us $197.70 for admission but we'd never be able to see everything in a single day. Indeed, there were big signs promoting the fact that there are now two-day passes with the second day (it must be used consecutively) coming with a steep discount. I was at the zoo from open to close and saw everything, but if I was to visit Omaha for a 4th time in the future then I'd probably get the two-day pass as the zoo seems to expand every few years and there is a lot of walking involved. For someone who has never been before, I would recommend the two-day pass so that you could spend an entire day from morning to night at the zoo, and then on the second day you could see stuff that you missed or revisit some of the major buildings. There is also the possibility on that second day to drive 30 minutes in the afternoon and tour the Lee G. Simmons Conservation Park & Wildlife Safari, which is a sister zoo of Omaha. The facility is named after Omaha's ex-long-time Director and features North American animals such as eagles, cranes, bison, elk, deer, wolves and bears. I toured that establishment several years ago, along with the Ak-Sar-Ben Aquarium, a small, free aquarium only 15 minutes away and featuring native fish and turtles. With those two nearby zoos, the Omaha area becomes a 3-zoo attraction. The next nearest major zoological options would be the Great Plains Zoo and Butterfly House & Aquarium, both located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and they could both be done in the same day and are approximately 3 hours away. An option would be to have 2 days in the Omaha area, a day in southern South Dakota, or be willing to drive a few hours to Kansas City Zoo and then another few hours to Saint Louis Zoo. It is important to know that there are a few options if overseas visitors are willing to rent a car and explore the mid-west. Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium: I'll take you on a tour of the zoo: Kingdoms of the Night – This is the biggest and best Nocturnal House to be found at any American zoo and the largest Nocturnal House on the planet. The zoo is proud of the size of its buildings and there are numerous signs and online comments on the zoo's website extolling the virtues of many of the 'biggest' zoo structures. I'm quite partial to these type of buildings and beneath the Desert Dome and completely underground is what I would declare as my all-time favourite zoo exhibit. Yes, better than Congo Gorilla Forest at the Bronx Zoo and I adore Kingdoms of the Night. Other than the Aardvarks not being accommodated for in terms of being able to dig, and the fact that some of the exhibits are not enormous, there is very little to nitpick here in terms of exhibits or animal husbandry and the adventure never seems to end. The experience is magnificent. It begins with a cool Exploration Cave area that gets visitors ready for the night-time views, and then after seeing some Naked Mole Rats and Fossas the first mixed-species habitat contains Greater Bushbaby and Springhaas. There are Bushy-tailed Jirds, Puerto Rican Crested Toads, Satanic Leaf-tailed Geckos and Haitian Boas before visitors come across a spacious, glass-fronted exhibit for Potto, Brushtail Porcupine, Aardvark, Greater Bushbaby, Springhaas and Hoffmann's Two-toed Sloth. Great stuff! Next up is the famous 16-foot deep pool with Blind Cave Fish and incredibly zero barriers to the public, then what seems like thousands of Short-tailed Fruit Bats and everything is set inside a mock-rock cave that is highly convincing. There are St. Vincent Agoutis, Douroucoulis, Tammar Wallabies, Short-beaked Echidnas and plenty of reptiles and amphibians before visitors see a phenomenal Australian exhibit with vast underwater viewing windows for Johnson's Freshwater Crocodile, Krefft's River Turtle, Pink-bellied Side-necked Turtle, Fly River Turtle and Northern Australian Snake-necked Turtle. After that area, the path emerges into a vast cavern, with a multi-story hall where visitors can peer upwards at glimmers of light. Even Disney couldn't recreate this excellence and one can look 70 feet into the air to see daylight. This is the 'Bat Zone' and species such as Vampire Bat, Ruwenzori Long-haired Fruit Bat, Spear-nosed Bat, Greater Bulldog Bat, Little Golden-mantled Fruit Bat, Egyptian Fruit Bat and Giant Indian Fruit Bat are present. How many zoos in the world can boast such an impressive lineup? The last section is The Swamp and it focuses on American nocturnal creatures and is a quarter-of-an-acre in size. There are 8-10 American Alligators (including the obligatory white one), 3-4 American Beavers, 6-7 Nutrias, a huge terrarium for Eastern Indigo Snakes and a half-dozen Spectacled Caimans amidst other species. All of those animals were active on my visit and even the beavers were swimming around and showing off their aquatic skills. Heading out the door is yet another huge exhibit with underwater viewing, this time for American Crocodiles, Alligator Snapping Turtles and Common Snapping Turtles. Kingdoms of the Night is an immersive, awesome journey and after literally seeing thousands of zoo exhibits I feel confident in saying this particular one is my favourite. The whole thing is 42,000 square feet in size and apparently has 2,400 stalactites. There is surely not a better Nocturnal House experience anywhere in the world. Lied Jungle – This is the biggest and best jungle rainforest to be found at any American zoo. It is a world-class attraction that gets better with age and its debut in 1992 heralded the rejuvenation of a zoo that was perhaps languishing a little. Attendance rose from 680,000 in 1988 to almost 1.4 million when Lied Jungle opened in 1992....an incredible doubling of numbers. There is an awe-inspiring few moments when one walks into the Lied Jungle, with stunning vistas and on my visit a literal cloud of bats was the highlight. Strategically placed hanging fruit meant that for a number of minutes I watched at least two bat species fly around my head and munch on the bananas and oranges. Wow. The biggest and best bat exhibit in the nation as the free-roaming critters are fantastic to see in a space the size of two football fields. There is 53,000 square feet of visitor space in a 123,000 square foot building and this place is immense. The exhibits for Malayan Tapir and Baird's Tapir are clearly too small in terms of the land area but I did see a Malayan Tapir trotting across its top level of substrate and the pools are enormous. Folks who are cynical and nitpicking need to move past the tapir debate as there must be 100+ other species inside, but I'll be honest and say that the gibbons could do with outdoor enclosures as well. Looking at the rainforest building overall, I wouldn't hesitate to call it one of the best zoo exhibits I've ever seen and one of my all-time favourites. The canopy loop is amazing, the rickety, wet bridge is almost alarming, the flying birds and bats are wonderful, the floor trail on genuine dirt with wet puddles is realistic and the stingray pool with zero barriers is fearless. There are far too many species in Lied Jungle to list them all here, but suffice to say a few rarities are present such as Mueller's Grey Gibbon, Red-backed Bearded Saki, Lowland Paca, Giant Elephant Shrew, Philippine Crocodile, Blood Python and Arapaima. I saw them all and had a blast in a jungle in Omaha, Nebraska, of all places! This year a project costing almost half-a-million dollars saw a renovation of the railings, signs and graphics to freshen up the building, although the animal exhibits were left untouched. Some of the questionable animal husbandry issues, such as the Clouded Leopard exhibit (now with a single Eurasian Eagle Owl) or the python in the overhead tree trunk (now empty), have been fixed. Other than the two tapir species and the gibbons, I think that this building is outstanding. African Grasslands – This 28-acre slice of Africa is bigger than most zoos and at a cost of $73 million represents the most expensive of all of Omaha's mega-attractions. The African Elephant exhibit is very good, several acres in size, but I was almost expecting something more spectacular as some of the viewing opportunities are awkward but at least there is almost no looking through thick cables and it is clearly one of the best elephant exhibits in the nation. The barn is the largest elephant barn in the USA and is very impressive, but the two outdoor paddocks are very good but nothing earth-shattering. However, that is just the appetizer as just before that are two shady, grassy yards for mixed-species enclosures for Okapi, Yellow-backed Duiker and Abyssinian Ground Hornbills. Then there is a rocky Kopje area that is so eerily similar to San Diego that I almost had to do a double take. Klipspringers and Meerkats share space, there are White-throated Monitors, and the Rock Hyraxes, after being confined to ledges in the Desert Dome for many years, are rewarded with a huge, very rocky enclosure filled with immense boulders. Elsewhere is a multi-acre habitat for perhaps 9 or 10 Reticulated Giraffes, at least 8 Impala, some Ostriches and White Storks. It is essentially a larger expanse of land and set exactly where the giraffes have always been held. Without a doubt it is one of the best giraffe exhibits in the nation, and with a great big barn that visitors can enter as well. Moving up to the top of the zoo, there is a terrific new Cheetah exhibit and then the best African Lion exhibit I've ever seen...better than even Lion Camp at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. This lion habitat has as its highlight a massive pile of rocks and during my visit I doubled back several times and there was always at least one lion right near the top and looking out over the entire zoo. The whole area has lots of interactive elements, numerous visitor viewing points into the enormous lion exhibit with its two hills for the big cats, and on the way back down the path are sprawling fields for Eastern Bongo/Blue Crane and Sable Antelope and they each showcase a large herd. The zoo's website claims that there are “twenty five new buildings and structures” as part of African Grasslands. My one complaint is that there could be many more smaller species added besides the marquee elephants, giraffes, rhinos, lions and cheetahs, but I suppose that Omaha has that covered in their mega-buildings and there are some bleak winters in Nebraska. Scott Aquarium – This building is the biggest and best aquarium to be found at any American zoo and contains around 1.3 million gallons of water. There are only around a dozen zoos in the USA with aquariums inside them and I'm fairly certain that I've visited them all. No one comes close to Omaha yet again. I counted only 29 exhibits but there are some tanks that are stunning, and with the connected Conference Center and outdoor Sea Turtle Cafe I'm actually surprised that the zoo doesn't charge an extra admission fee just for the aquarium. Once inside, the first exhibit is a Shoaling Tank with hundreds of Barred Flagtail and African Moony, then next up is a Predatory Fish tank, Japanese Giant Spider Crabs, a beautiful, open-topped Coral Reef exhibit, a Caribbean Reef tank, a Giant Pacific Octopus exhibit, a trio of Sea Nettle species in tanks all near each other, plus puffins, penguins, seahorses, a gorgeous 30-foot wide Amazon tank with Toco Toucans in the treetops, and lots more. Best of all is Shark Reef, with a 70-foot walk-through tunnel and this line-up of species: Loggerhead Sea Turtle, Green Sea Turtle, Sandbar Shark, Nurse Shark, Zebra Shark, Wobbegong, Goliath Grouper, Southern Stingray, Tarpon, Horse-eye Jack and Crevalle Jack. Desert Dome – This is the biggest and best desert dome in any American zoo partly because there are so few candidates and the zoo's website claims that it is “the world's largest indoor desert” although a certain zoo in Arnhem might disagree. This structure is an A+ in terms of the visitor experience and a tour through some of the deserts of the world (Namib in Africa, the Red Center of Australia, Sonoran in USA) is fantastic and I loved revisiting this huge geodesic dome which is also the largest in the world and has 1,760 tinted acrylic panels. However, of all of the mega-buildings to be found in Omaha, this one has the most problems in terms of animal husbandry. Many of the larger species don't have much more than mock-rock to live on and there are some small exhibits for species such as African Wild Cat, Bobcat, Bat-eared Fox, Swift Fox and the Klipspringer/Meerkat enclosure. The free-flying birds and wonderful Sonoran cacti are real highlights, but the small exhibits for mammals taints the overall experience. However, if asked, my guess is that the average visitor would rate all of the Omaha buildings with a 9 out of 10 or 10 out of 10 score as they are each architecturally stunning. The Desert Dome has a winding route that circulates through several canyon-like areas and cave settings and there are some choice taxa on show in terms of reptiles. I'm not going to provide an exhaustive species list but here are some species that might make zoo nerds salivate and many of them are found at only a small handful of American zoos: Common Death Adder, Rough-scaled Death Adder, Puff Adder, Angolan Python, Cape Coral Cobra, Black Mamba, Brown Tree Snake, King Brown Snake, Woma Python, Centralian Python, Collett's Snake, Banded Knob-tailed Gecko, Australian Tree Skink, Cunningham's Skink, Giant Mexican Horned Lizard, Frilled Lizard, Spiny-tailed Monitor and Perentie. Children's Adventure Trails – This $27.5 million, 5-acre zone is amazing and makes Omaha easily the best zoo in the nation, if not the world, for young kids. There are very few animals in this part of the zoo (prairie dogs, lorikeets, goats, squirrel monkeys) but after speaking for a long time with a Public Relations staff member, I was surprised to learn that the zoo has been studying visitor patterns and apparently a lot of families spend the day at the zoo and see next to zero animals! Kids are in the Children's Adventure Trails area in the water, or kicking sticks in the mud, or the sandbox, or petting the goats, or climbing the 3-story treehouse, or just running around barefoot in this glorious nature-based playground. Then the families are having lunch and just around the corner is the $14 million, 12,000 square foot Alaskan Waterpark which will suck up all of the afternoon. Very few animals are seen but kids are having a ton of fun! For zoo purists, the great news is that the playgrounds, lorikeet feeding, Education Center, the Alaskan Waterpark with its 75 incredibly-detailed animal sculptures, carousel, train station, stingray feeding, etc., is ALL located in the bottom left-hand corner of the zoo's grounds. Included in that is a 400-seat Amphitheater with a daily Bird Show that features 15 species. There is even a totally separate entrance (the North Entrance) where I saw hundreds of families congregate in the morning while I walked over to the main entrance. What a brilliant idea! Omaha has helped ease congestion elsewhere by shoving all of the kiddie attractions into one major section and the move has turned out to be so popular that the $7 million, multi-acre Carousal Plaza (food concessions, more restrooms, picnic area, candy store) had to be fast-tracked by many years. I was told that the area was part of the long-term plan but the zoo has been overwhelmed with hungry families and so within 9 months that new zone will be open and ready for business. Wow! The crowds are so full in the south-west corner of the zoo that accommodations had to be made to ensure that families were provided with a new foot outlet and a brand-new plaza is the answer. Zoo purists will love the fact that the rest of the zoo has very few kid-friendly zones and therefore is a bit quieter and more traditional. Asian Highlands – This exhibit complex is being constructed in a new part of the zoo, utilizing 8 acres of previously undeveloped space and costing $22 million. Phase One is open and consists of a spacious Greater One-horned Rhino/Pere Davids Deer exhibit that is probably an acre in size. Smaller, satellite enclosures for Red Pandas, White-naped Cranes and Tufted Deer are all good additions to the zoo. In the spring of 2019 there will be 4 more exhibits added: a Sichuan Takin/Chinese Goral enclosure (both species are rarities in the USA), and then a trio of animals that will surely be very popular with visitors: Sloth Bear, Snow Leopard and Amur Tiger. A 'Yeti Camp' and 'Kid's Discovery Trail', along with food outlets, will all be incorporated into what will definitely be a terrific new addition to the zoo as Phase One is excellent. Butterfly & Insect Pavilion – This butterfly-shaped, 14,000 square foot building has a central foyer and then two 'wings' as one is for butterflies and the other hosts various other insects and arachnids. After Cincinnati and Saint Louis then one could make the case that Omaha is the 3rd best American zoo in terms of invertebrates. For once Omaha is not #1! The zoo has outgrown this structure as groups of 8 individuals (per USDA regulations) are let in at a time and the staff member told me that no one stays in the butterfly section for more than 5 minutes. The butterfly area is basically a small, hot, humid greenhouse that is lush with foliage and visitors are herded through in less than 5 minutes. There is no option to go and see the 'bugs' first and so I had no choice but to venture past the butterflies to get to the good stuff. The Insect House wing is also too small for a zoo of the stature of Omaha, but it is superbly detailed with a mud riverbank running the length of the room with terrariums built into the walls and bigger and better than just about anything else at any other American zoo. There is a small aviary for Saffron Finch and also a central aviary for 3species (White-crested Laughing Thrush, Crested Wood Partridge, Broad-billed Hummingbird) and here is the list of invertebrates in those mud-bank wall terrariums. Species list (34 species): Black Soldier Fly (hundreds of them!), Giant Asian Mantis, Chinese Mantis, Dragon-headed Katydid, Jungle Nymph, Giant Leaf Insect, Giant Malayan Stick Insect, Black Beauty Walking Stick, New Guinea Walking Stick, Jumping Stick, Eastern Lubber Grasshopper, Mealworm, Giant Water Bug, Dermestid Beetle, Blue Death-feigning Beetle, Cactus Longhorn Beetle, Darkling Beetle, Two-spotted Assassin Bug, Madagascar Hissing Cockroach, Domino Roach, Tanzanian Tailless Whip Scorpion, Mexican Flame-leg Tarantula, Salmon Pink Bird-eating Tarantula, White-toe Tarantula, Pink-toe Tarantula, Cameroon Red Baboon Tarantula, Desert Blonde Tarantula, Venezuelan Suntiger Tarantula, Trinidad Chevron Tarantula, Colombian Lesserblack Tarantula, Golden Orb-web Spider, Desert Hairy Scorpion, Common Emperor Scorpion and Giant African Millipede. Orangutan Exhibit – The two large, netted outdoor enclosures are 65-feet high and with various ropes hanging down from the artificial trees there is an opportunity for brachiation that is often not seen at other zoos. Bornean Orangutans, Francois Langurs and Agile Gibbons are all seen in a combination of the two outdoor yards and a very tall, spacious indoor zone. As a random surprise, there is a Gray's Monitor exhibit inside the orangutan house. Simmons Aviary – The biggest aviary in the USA. This gargantuan aviary opened in 1983 and is essentially a gigantic waterfowl exhibit with a very high boardwalk that winds through the netted exhibit. I think that it might still be one of the Top 5 zoo aviaries on the planet in terms of size. I didn't identify each of these species, but here are all of the birds that were on the signs inside this mammoth, rather quiet aviary. Visitors have so much to see around the zoo that whenever I've gone to Omaha this structure has been an oasis from the congestion of the general public. Aviary species list (33 species): American Flamingo, West African Crowned Crane, White Stork, Black-necked Swan, Mute Swan, Roseate Spoonbill, Golden Pheasant, Hamerkop, Hadada Ibis, Sacred Ibis, Scarlet Ibis, Waldrapp Ibis, Straw-necked Ibis, Cattle Egret, Inca Tern, Bar-headed Goose, Northern Pintail, Bahama Pintail, Barrow's Goldeneye, Blue-winged Teal, Cinnamon Teal, Baikal Teal, Marbled Teal, Ringed Teal, Northern Shoveler, Hooded Merganser, Ruddy Shelduck, Ring-necked Duck, North American Wood Duck, Mandarin Duck, Chiloe Wigeon, Red-crested Pochard and Redhead. Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom Pavilion – Skip this 'jack-of-all-trades' building at your peril as there are usually around 35 species on display and the structure functions as an introduction to the zoo. I'll mention a few highlights, starting with a delightful House Mouse exhibit with the tiny mice moving around amidst tall stalks of wheat. Other notable species include: Cairo Spiny Mouse, Glass Lizard, Red-eyed Crocodile Skink, Chinese Crocodile Lizard, Gargoyle Gecko, Hog Island Boa, Cave Rat Snake, Rhino Rat Snake, Archerfish and Four-eyed Fish. Expedition Madagascar – This exhibit complex opened in 2010 and while the outdoor habitats and walk-through area are all pretty good, several of the all-indoor, glass-fronted lemur enclosures are already outdated. A real mixed-bag but it comes with an incredible species list that includes 10 kinds of lemur: Species list (20+ species): Fossa, Aye-aye, Red Ruffed Lemur, Black-and-White Ruffed Lemur, Ring-tailed Lemur, Black Lemur, Mongoose Lemur, Common Brown Lemur, Red-collared Brown Lemur, Crowned lemur, Grey Mouse Lemur, Giant Jumping Rat, Straw-coloured Fruit Bat, Madagascar Ibis, Madagascar Teal, Madagascar Button Quail, Lesser Vasa Parrot, Radiated Tortoise, Flat-tailed Tortoise, Madagascar Big-headed Turtle, Malagasy Hognose Snake, Madagascar Ground Boa, Plated Lizard, Spiny-tailed Iguana, Cheke's Day Gecko, Giant Day Gecko, Oustalet's Chameleon, Panther Chameleon, Powder Blue Reed Frog, Tomato Frog plus various Mantellas and freshwater fish. Overall: If you are a zoo exhibit fan, then there is the world's largest Nocturnal House, the world's largest indoor Swamp, America's largest rainforest building, America's largest Aquarium inside a zoo, the world's largest indoor Desert, the world's largest glazed geodesic dome, the tallest lion exhibit in the USA, the largest Children's Zoo in the nation, the largest elephant barn in the USA, etc, etc, etc. All of that in a single zoological facility is something that will take your breath away in awe. If you are into seeing as many ABC animals as possible then the zoo has loads. There are half-a-dozen elephants, at least 9 giraffes, 2 species of rhino, a dozen gorillas, maybe a dozen orangutans, 4 gibbon species, etc. The animal collection is breath-taking and the latest data that I have from the International Zoo Yearbook lists Omaha as having 350 species of fish which is an astonishing total and surpasses most zoos on the planet. Then there are 200 bird species, placing the zoo in America's Top 10. The Insect Pavilion arguably places Omaha into the Top 3 in the nation, and the 240 species (many off-show) in the zoo's reptile and amphibian collection is #1 in the USA and probably up near the top worldwide. The listing for mammals is 170, which I believe places Omaha into the Top 5 zoos in the world. Whether it is high-quality exhibits or a world-class animal collection, Omaha is amidst the very best in seemingly every category. The zoo has basically taken the four oldest and crappiest sections (Red Barn area, Bear Canyon, Owen Sea Lion Pavilion and Cat Complex) and decided to bulldoze all of them. The Red Barn and the entire multi-acre surrounding zone was the zoo's original Children's zone and it has already been demolished and that is where the $7 million Carousel Food Plaza will be when it opens next spring. Bear Canyon is empty and closed off to the public but I could see that it looked mainly intact and it will be interesting to see if the zoo can salvage any of the rock-work when it demolishes the area in anticipation of the opening of Coastal Shores (2020). The Owen Sea Lion Pavilion dates from 1972 and it will also be destroyed. Then there is the Cat Complex, built in 1977 and the most cats it ever held at one time was an incredible 85. I don't have a lineup of species but having 85 felines living in a single building shows how incredible the zoo's cat collection was back in the day. The zoo has gradually diminished the collection and now there are Amur Tigers and Snow Leopards in the Cat Complex (they are due to be shifted to Asian Highlands: Phase Two next spring) and then I think all that is left is a single Cougar and a Komodo Dragon before the bulldozers take over. Walking through a cavernous Carnivore House with almost no animals was a bit eerie but I'm glad that I saw the place one last time. Omaha opened an off-show Cheetah conservation area at its sister park (Lee G. Simmons Conservation Park & Wildlife Safari) in 2014 and apparently this year a tiger conservation area of some 5 acres will also be completed. It will again be an off-show area and press releases from 2017 mention 6 Amur Tigers in 3 buildings that are not to be seen by the public. With success in terms of Cheetah cubs already, the hope is that privacy lends itself well to tiger breeding results. In terms of conservation, just like any modern, significant American zoo there has been a lot of work done in this area at Omaha. Long-time director Lee G. Simmons provides a lengthy list of published articles in his new biography, with many conservation initiatives taken on by the zoo. Whether it is the Cheetah and Amur Tiger breeding facilities and sperm bank centers, the discovery of 24 new lemur species with the help of the zoo's Molecular Genetics Department (which began the Madagascar-themed biodiversity study in 1998), the storage of frozen reproductive cells from more than 50 species that places the zoo in the Top 5 in that category in the nation, or the multi-story building known as the Center for Conservation and Research which has trained almost 3,000 students and done great work in a wide range of programs. Lee G. Simmons was Director of the zoo for 40 years before retiring and for almost a decade now Dennis Pate (formerly of Jacksonville Zoo) has been in charge. Since the opening of the Lied Jungle, the rate of transformation in Omaha has been nothing short of revolutionary. Here is a look at some of the major exhibits that have opened since 1992. Timeline of New Exhibits under Lee G. Simmons since 1992: 1992 – $25 million - Lied Jungle + Treetops Restaurant 1995 – $16 million - Scott Aquarium 1996- $2.4 million - Center for Conservation and Research 1997- IMAX Theater 1998 – Lee G. Simmons Conservation Park and Wildlife Safari (a sister zoo) 1998- $1.8 million – Garden of the Senses 1999 – Carousel 2000 – New North Entrance, gift shop and plaza 2002 – $31.5 million - Desert Dome (+ Kingdoms of the Night) 2003 – Kingdoms of the Night 2004 – $14.5 million - Gorilla Valley 2005- $8.5 million - Orangutan Forest 2008 – Butterfly & Insect Pavilion 2009 - Skyfari Ride 2010 – $10.5 million - Expedition Madagascar Timeline of New Exhibits under Dennis Pate: 2009-2018 - $10.5 million spent on infrastructure improvements such as pathways, signs, service roads, utilities, etc. The zoo has been much improved, even apart from major exhibits, and a lot of these changes are noticeable and vitally important but obviously not as exciting as animal habitats. Any visitor who hadn't been to the zoo in at least a decade would be impressed. 2012 - $11 million – Scott Aquarium renovation and Conference Center addition 2016 - $73 million – African Grasslands (a whopping 28 acres of zoo exhibits) 2016 - $14 million – Alaskan Waterpark 2017 - $27.5 million – Children's Adventure Trails (5-acre part of the zoo that includes an Amphitheater and a new Education Center) 2018 – $22 million - Asian Highlands: Phase One 2019 – Asian Highlands: Phase Two 2019 – $7 million - Carousel Food Plaza 2020 – $22.5 million, 1.25 acres - Coastal Shores (California Sea Lion exhibit) 2023? - $25 million?, 1.7 acres - Equatorial Africa Omaha is what could be deemed a 'juggernaut', with $20 million on an exhibit almost the norm for the past quarter-century. Other Top 10 American zoos haven't opened anything significant in a decade (Bronx, North Carolina) or only a single major exhibit complex (Woodland Park, Sedgwick County, Miami) in the same span of time. Omaha opens something substantial every couple of years! Incredibly, there is no sign of slowing down and the zoo has numerous acres of unused space to build more terrific exhibits in the future. While some cynics have loved Omaha but also been critical of several of the enclosures under Lee G. Simmons, everything under the directorship of Dennis Pate has been nothing less than fantastic. The Public Relations staff member who I had that long talk with said that she has been at the zoo for a very long time and the expectation level is huge there. If Omaha wants to build something new, then the facility will go and figure out what the largest of its kind is and then try to top it so that there is always the biggest and best on display in this city of only 400,000 in eastern Nebraska. Even the Greater Metropolitan Omaha area has only 1.3 million people and the zoo now receiving 2 million visitors per year is astonishing. The word has spread from near and far that this is a zoo that is intent on becoming the best on the planet...or at the very least be right near the top with a handful of other zoological attractions. Flaws/Weaknesses: When I browse through the staggering list of accomplishments at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium,whether that is the world-class buildings or the amazing animal collection or the incredible assortment of exhibits, part of me wants to call the facility the best zoo in the nation. In the next two years, the Red Barn area, Bear Canyon, Cat Complex and Owen Sea Lion Pavilion will all be consigned to history and will have vanished into dust. With those four areas bulldozed, then the zoo won't really have any poor exhibit complexes anywhere and will be one step closer to catching up with San Diego (in my opinion) as the #1 zoo in America. However, I'm not saying that Omaha is flawless as there are many minor areas that could be tweaked, just like at every zoo. The Lied Jungle has the infamous tapir exhibits but in truth not much else that needs to be cleaned up. Kingdoms of the Night is simply awesome as a visitor experience but a few minor alterations could be made there as well. Neither of those buildings are in bad shape at all and in fact I'd argue that they have gotten better with age and animal husbandry issues are relatively minor and not any more than what other zoos have. The Desert Dome is the one structure, while magnificent for visitors, that does have far too many small enclosures for mammals and I'd like to see that building given an overhaul although unfortunately at the present time that appears unlikely. Expedition Madagascar has several above-average exhibits but the small, glass-fronted, all-indoor lemur enclosures are especially disappointing. Another part of the zoo that has never gotten me too excited is Gorilla Valley, with its maze-like, bare cement walls in the visitor area and its bizarre setup with Lowland Gorillas seen against big cement walls. Perhaps things will change when Equatorial Africa is built in the near future. In my opinion Omaha does not quite have the “feel” of San Diego and that is something that statistics cannot account for. The lush, tropical vegetation at San Diego is in stark contrast to the wide-open pathways and more generic, “zoo-like” feel of Omaha. San Diego Zoo is a two-day visit, while Omaha can still, at a pinch, be seen in a single day. I adore San Diego's twisting canyons, undulating mesas and jam-packed collection of animals. Omaha has many large buildings near the entrance and they are delightful, but not quite the same as the outdoor elements at San Diego. The gap between the two is closer than ever before, but for now I'd still place San Diego in the #1 slot, Omaha at #2 and Saint Louis at #3 as the best trio of zoos in America. Although the fact remains that with every new mega-attraction, Omaha is making significant strides towards absolute greatness. In another 10 years, with Coastal Shores, Equatorial Africa and whatever handful of other amazing exhibit complexes that are built, I'm not sure that any zoo in the USA will be as impressive as Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium.
Thank you for your incredibly lengthy review of this seemingly world class institution. The Omaha mindset of being the best at as much possible is a model that all zoos should really adapt to. Perhaps the thing that impresses me most about the famed zoo is their ability to pump out superb new attractions at such a rapid pace. Going from the massive savannah habitats and an Alaskan waterpark one year, than the following with a nearly $30 million Children's zoo, then this year the first phase of the large new Asian zone with phase two being followed up nest year along side a brand new plaza featuring a carousel and new dining areas. Then the year after that a brand new coastal area with the African Forest being followed up in just a few more years. The rate this zoo is going at is unprecedented. It would be one thing if it were a few smallish areas opening ever year or so, but these are multi million dollar attractions that are of consistently great quality with at least one coming every year in the near future, simply incredible. This thread has been a wonderful read, despite only a few major American zoos being featured. I have nothing but respect for someone who goes into a foreign country only sleeping in a minivan just to see a small handful of roadside attractions ever day. You would never find me sleeping in a vehicle overnight in the city of Detroit of all places! Your pending trip to Europe (presumably) leaves me very excited for what awaits, though perhaps its time to start a zoochat wager for where this may be (my bets on Germany).
Thanks for the thorough review! I was there less than a month ago and agree with much of what you say. It's certainly an elite zoo in my mind as well. I think I was a little higher on the elephant exhibit than you are (btw, did you miss the zebras?), and not quite as high on the lion exhibit (it's certainly great, but not my favorite). I don't consider the kids amenities as much as you do either. And without kids, I think it's pretty easy to see this zoo in a day, even not even a full day, but obviously my pace is faster than that of many zoochat peeps. What species are planned for Equatorial Africa?
Thanks for the very informative and detailed review @snowleopard. I learned quite a bit about the facility that I didn't know. The $22 admission is definitely a great price; in the winter I think it's something like $14 or $15, which is still great because the Lied Jungle, Desert Dome, Kingdoms of the Night, and Scott Aquarium are all still functional. Worth the money for sure. The zoo has built some stupendous achievements in architecture and design, and both Lied Jungle and Kingdom of the Night are at the top of my list for exhibit complexes I want to visit (alongside several Bronx exhibits, MOLA at Fort Worth, and the African complex at Kansas City). I'm not sure I agree with you on this; a zoo can specialize and be "the best" or amazing at a few things, they don't all need to aspire to outcompete each other in everything. Furthermore, my overall opinions of the Omaha juggernaut's mind-boggling magnitude are a bit different than others. While I'm certainly glad to see that they are producing great exhibits, showcasing rarer species, and contributing a great deal to research and conservation, their commitment to exhibit complexes that are overwhelmingly audacious and expensive doesn't closely align with my personal beliefs. The prevailing idea there that "bigger is better" and "money is quality" seem somewhat misguided and materialistic to me. $73 million is enough to build an entire zoo; is that really how much a single exhibit complex should cost? A zoo can still be great with small, inexpensive exhibits, and I'm less about the "wow factor" than some other visitors and zoo nerds are. All that being said, I don't dislike Omaha; I just thought I'd offer a different perspective on its practices and ideology. I certainly hope to see it for myself one day so that I can have a better grasp of its physical manifestation.
@pachyderm pro Thanks very much for the kind words and you've been a great reader of my zoo trip threads. Cheers! @mweb08 I have 4 young children at home and so when I was at Omaha I was definitely more attuned to the Children's Zoo section and in fact at all the zoos I go to I picture each facility through my own eyes, in what I hope is then an objective manner, as well as seeing how the zoo works for young families. Omaha is incredible no matter which way you slice things and I'm glad that you love the zoo as well. Also, I did see the zebras and they appear to share space with the elephants and I made a comment on one of my photos to explain that. As far as Equatorial Africa is concerned,the Master Plan that I printed off a few years ago lists "potential species" as Gorilla (already at the zoo in numerous enclosures), Bongo (already added to African Grasslands), Okapi (already in two mixed-species exhibits near Lied Jungle) and Red River Hog. I have no idea what Equatorial Africa will look like and at this point I'm not sure that anyone at the zoo has a clear idea either. With three huge areas under construction (Carousel Plaza, Coastal Shores and Asian Highlands: Phase Two) the zoo already has its hands full. @Coelacanth18 I agree that a zoo "can still be great with small, inexpensive exhibits" and the Saginaw Children's Zoo in Michigan has spotless grounds and excellent, kid-friendly exhibits and that is just one example of a zoo that is tiny but worthwhile that I saw on this latest trip. Columbian Park Zoo in Indiana is one that I raved about and I toured the whole place in only 20 minutes. While those cool little zoos are fantastic for a local community, I love Omaha's WOW factor and it tops every zoo in the nation in terms of mega-buildings and ultra-expensive new exhibits. I'm curious as to whether Omaha can keep up the pace. Will there be Giant Pandas and a massive Australian Dome teeming with Koalas in another 20-30 years? A "swim with the manatees" pool? Who knows?
Plzen Zoo, Lubee Bat Conservancy (not technically a zoo, yet worth being mentioned) and Zoo Vienna ("only" five Chiroptera species). You forgot to mention that this absolutism is based on your personal pov. Do they still have other Australian elapids than the ones you mentioned?
You mean people who like tapirs (and other species) to be kept at a level more fitting to a zoo full of superlatives? Especially when that zoo has deep enough pockets to change that asap... I'm glad to read that some of the worst shortcomings have been improved.
Great review @snowleopard one of the finest and most comprehensive reviews posted here for many a year! One question, there was a time the zoo had a huge herd of gaur, no mention, have they left the collection?
I'd say that the Malayan tapirs have similar amount of space as the ones in the Bronx. The Baird's tapir, however...
If I remember correctly, several ungulates were phased out to make space for the new African complex. The gaur might have been one of those.
Omaha still has gaur, just not at the zoo from what I know. They have a large herd off-display at the safari park. I don't know their future plans, but eventually bringing some back to the zoo would be great.
@Batto The 2nd best Nocturnal House that I've ever visited, although not even close to the size and scope of Kingdoms of the Night, is the world-class building at the relatively unknown Alice Springs Desert Park in the Red Center of Australia. I was there in 2007 and that Nocturnal House isn't huge but it is stunning. I'd be curious to know what the biggest and most impressive Nocturnal House in Europe would be, but the level of detail and size of 42,000 square feet of Kingdoms of the Night is staggering. There are many European zoo nerds that could probably offer up suggestions in regards to premier Nocturnal Houses, but @ANyhuis has been to almost every top zoo in both North America (at least 200 or more) and Europe (around 85 zoos) and so he'd be well-placed to offer up any suggestions. He's at something like 330 zoos worldwide in his lifetime and he doesn't visit the pokey ones like I do. There were a lot of species that I didn't include in my already comprehensive report, as if I'd made a complete list then I would have never been able to get through the zoo in a day. There were definitely more elapids than what I listed. What I'd love to see made public is the supposedly 240 reptile/amphibian species that Omaha has, amongst the top collections on the planet, but many are obviously off-show just like at all major zoos. To address the Gaur questions: When I visited the zoo in 2008 there was still a huge herd of those impressive-looking ungulates and they were located in the 'Red Barn' area that is now dominated by kid-friendly attractions. I located a 2007 newspaper article that declared that the zoo had "by far the largest gaur herd in North America" with 40 animals at the nearby safari park and 20 at the zoo to combine for an incredible 60 Gaur in total. Here is the link to that article: Safari park works to conserve common, exotic animals In the zoo's Master Plan, the 'potential species' list for Asian Highlands included Gaur and Sun Bears (although those were obviously replaced by Sloth Bears) and it is a shame that a vast herd of Gaur has been off-exhibit for years.
Holy cow - what an outstanding review of Omaha! I really enjoyed reading about your adventures over the last couple weeks, whether it was a return to old favorites, or checking out the many tiny places in my home state of Wisconsin - some of which I don't think I even heard of before. If possible, I'd be really intrigued to see an updated ranking of your Top 25 Exhibits, America's Best Zoos (those 59 you've been to), Aquariums (I know there's so many of them, so maybe like a Top 30 or so?), and perhaps a "Best Non-AZA Zoos" List (like a Top 10 or 20, or something). Once again, this was a great read, and look forward to hearing future plans!
Yeah, both of you might have mentioned that detail before...My personal (sic) impression of my past visit of the Kingdoms of the Night was that of a building with interesting ideas, but all too often quantity (of presented species) seemed to trump quality (of husbandry), especially in regard to the needs of the individual animal. Or, as your pal Allen could translate to you: "Mehr Schein als Sein".
I could be wrong, but I don't think the Amish would ride in a bus? I also don't think the men would work in a lumber mill if it uses electricity (which I assume it does). Perhaps they were Mennonites?
