wow, snowleopard! You really have a full schedule in the next 5 days. good luck and keep the reviews coming.
Pittsburgh Zoo Hey Snowleopard, Quick word of advice for your Pittsburgh Zoo visit: Do NOT skip their children's zoo, Kids Kingdom. From some of your reviews, I get the idea that you and Mrs. Leopard are childless, and thus you often skip the children's zoo. Be sure not to do so there. As you probably know, we rated it the #1 children's zoo in the USA. See if you agree. Go imagining that you have children along. I'm also anxious to hear if they've got their sea otters and walruses yet.
Snowleopard if you get the oportunity at Pittsburgh zoo. Speak with the man looking after the bears. He has some very intereting things to say. Regarding the thickness of the bears coat and long range chages in weather patterns.
Ah, you're getting into my backyard. I can't wait for your Columbus Zoo review. I want to see how the Asia Quest there compares to the national zoo's Asia Trail. Also, maybe the best North American exhibit anywhere......
Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium Review - 3 hours (Zoo/Aquarium #13 on the road trip) The Pittsburgh Zoo was a huge disappointment on many levels, due to the wide display of average to below average exhibits. There were actually two areas of the zoo that were shockingly atrocious, and it was tough to juxtapose the fantastic "Kids Kingdom" and aquarium against a terrible "Tropical Forest" that was far from tropical and not even remotely like any kind of forest. This was the very first zoo on the epic road trip where my wife and I didn't eat (perhaps I should also be reviewing the eateries?), but even with the children's section we barely stayed past the 3 hour mark. The Best: Kids Kingdom - a terrific, 7-acre children's section with sea lions, meerkats, a pair of river otters, beavers (2 adults and what appeared to be 6 babies), kangaroos, reindeer, a skunk, a camel, llamas, domestic animals, a 400-pound alligator and other reptiles, bats, amphibians and fish. On top of the animals there were swaying bridges, a spider nest climbing appartus, playground equipment and naturally lots of ice cream and other junk food for sale. The "Worlds of Discovery" building is very well done, and I got to touch my first opossum. My wife and I have seen tons of those critters in the wild in Canada, but to touch one was a treat. Overall the kids section is probably the best of any other zoo in North America, and even though I haven't thoroughly explored many other children's zoos I have always strolled past and taken a look into those sections of any given zoo. Aquarium - this building opened in 2000, and my wife and I can always tell within minutes whether an exhibit is new or not in any particular zoo. The new structures stand out from the antiquated buildings, and this aquarium is imposing as it sits atop a hill and looks down on the rest of the zoo. Inside there is a fantastic sea dragon tank that greets visitors at the entrance, and it is the largest tank I've ever seen for those intriguing sea creatures. The two-story shark tank is brilliant, the amazon tank (the old home of Chuckles the river dolphin, who is now honoured with a portrait on the nearby wall) is excellent, and all the other tanks are well done and come full of great graphics. The only flaw is the tiny penguin exhibit, and I'm fairly convinced that there are no decent penguin habitats in any North American zoos. Babies - the highlight of the day was seeing a two-month old tiger cub play in a grassy exhibit especially set up for it. The siberian baby is only on view for 3 hours per day, and my wife was thrilled to finally see such a cutie! Also, inside the elephant building was a baby elephant (and a second baby was apparently born this morning) and there were of course the many baby beavers and an extremely young orangutan. The Average: African Savanna - so-so exhibits for black rhino, lions, zebra, giraffe and elephant. The African wild dog paddock is quite large and naturalistic, and was the best habitat from that continent. Water's Edge - the polar bears have a brand new habitat, but it is too small and full of too much fake rock. The notion of creating a fictitous town to base the water exhibits around is unique, but of course Detroit's "Arctic Ring of Life" blows this one out of the water. One bear paced for part of the time, but the other one would often frolic with a huge boomer ball in the water. The underground tunnel was a blast to be inside, but is shorter and not as good as Detroit's tunnel. I think that after Detroit there arguably isn't a decent polar bear exhibit in existence. Second best might be either Toledo or San Diego. Moving on...the sea otter exhibit is poorly constructed, with lots of glare from the glass and a tiny couple of pools for the otters. Minnesota Zoo's sea otter habitat is miles better than any other that I've ever seen. Pittsburgh's walrus pool is empty and drained of water, but it does have a 40-foot tunnel that would be awesome if there were actually any creatures in the exhibit. Apparently sand tiger sharks will be arriving in the next month or two (according to big signs in that section), and a keeper in the aquarium told me that the walruses won't be at the zoo until 2009 or perhaps not even until 2010. Bring on the tiger sharks! The Worst: Tropical Forest - utterly desultory, terrible, horrific, desolate, antiquated building. I teach English classes for a living and so could pile on the adjectives, but instead I'll halt there and instead give a breakdown of the atrocious exhibits on display. The colobus monkeys are trapped inside, with a single tree, a log, and a few vines for climbing. Since there is only the one tree, there were 7 of these beautiful monkeys basically sitting on top of each other in an attempt to get some space. A pair of mandrills were idly passed out in a rocky corner of their 100% fake enclosure, while 3 different species of lemur were jammed into a tiny, bare, fake-rock atrocity. The orangutans were crammed into a dark, fake, indoor exhibit that makes the Toronto Zoo's indoor enclosure appear to be a masterpiece. Each one of these puny cages is backdropped by either a vast mural or rows of thick foliage. There is the impression that the exhibits are lush rainforests, when in fact they are embarrassingly bare. The gorilla indoor pile of concrete looks very much like a type of primitive dungeon, and the whole place should be bulldozed tomorrow. The gorillas are the only one out of all the primate species on exhibit that can actually breathe fresh air in an outdoor meadow, and while that hilly paddock is large it is also bare of anything but grass. There were exactly two trees that provide shade, but they each had 10-foot high sections of electric wire barring the gorillas from approaching them. This "Tropical Forest" section of the zoo should be relabelled "Guantanamo Bay". Bears - typical bear pits that boil my blood. The two grizzlies were asleep on hay in mouldy, ugly little grottoes, the two american black bears appeared as if they would rather be dead then spend the rest of their lives in such horrible conditions, and the solitary spectacled bear was shaking its head back and forth in an alarming manner for probably 5 minutes straight. We were staring at the bear and waiting for it to break from its trance-like state, but it kept shaking its head at the ugly iron bars to its night quarters. Why aren't these pits bulldozed? Instead of aiming to add on to the zoo with a reptile house, why not just tank these ghastly bear grottoes and build something in their place? How many more decades are these pits going to be in existence? Sheesh.... Asian Forest - tiny amur leopard and snow leopard cages that are totally useless in design and appearance. A typical tiger grotto that is average at best, and one worthwhile habitat that nicely showcased the massive komodo dragon. Overall: The Pittsburgh Zoo's aquarium and children's area are both top-notch and well worth viewing. The number of high-profile babies (orangutan, tiger, beaver and elephant) was rewarding and perhaps accounted for the massively busy zoo. Perhaps once the walruses arrive then the "Water's Edge" set of habitats will be passable as a worthwhile exhibit. However, I am rather dismayed to find polar bears pacing on mock-rock that dominates their habitat, when they need real substrate and much more space. Their enclosure is still fairly new, but it already feels dated and obsolete. The primate section is awful, the bear pits are brutal, the leopard cages offer zero hiding opportunities for the cats, and the rest of the zoo is average at best. Without a doubt the weakest of all the major zoos that I've visited on this road trip, and I can't imagine ever going out of my way to visit the Pittsburgh Zoo ever again.
Hi Snowleopard, apreciate you taking the time to do this review. I did not visit the childrens zoo sounds like l missed out! I thought San Franciscos Childrens zoo was very impressive. When l was there l talked with one of the keepers regarding the polar bear and his sterotype behaviour. I am not sure where he came from? Apparentey all was going well with both of the bears. Then one day this bear just started exhibiting sterotype behaviour. He had not shown signs of this previously. I find it interesting that it just started one day and has not stopped. What happened just before he started??? Did you notice the flood lights above this exhibit for the bears. Aparentley when needed for functions ect they place the bears out doors at night. The sea dragons habitat is at my back door! Had never heard or seen them before Pittsburgh zoo I know you will spend allot more time and enjoy your visit to colombus zoo. All the best
Columbus Zoo & Aquarium Review - 6 hours (Zoo/Aquarium #14 on the road trip) The Columbus Zoo feels fresh and new, and that is understandable since they have built an exhibit a year for a decade and have plenty of plans afoot for the future. After the disappointment of Pittsburgh it was a pleasure to be back in a high quality zoo, and I was quite pleased with Jack Hanna's stomping ground. I have heard mixed reviews from fellow ZooBeaters, but overall the zoo is one of the better ones found in North America. It is true that it lacks a killer exhibit like the Bronx Zoo's "Congo Gorilla Forest" or the Detroit Zoo's "Arctic Ring of Life", but at the same time there aren't awful bear grottoes or rows and rows of ugly cages. The vast majority of the enclosures in Columbus are at least of an average quality, and there are quite a few that are excellent. Nothing to knock ones socks off, but on the whole this zoo is well worth a visit. The Best: Asia Quest - The authors of the informative book "America's Best Zoos" put the "Asian Trail" of the National Zoo in the top 25 exhibits in North America, and I would agree with both of them that those habitats in Washington are better than the Asian section that was constructed in 2006 at the Columbus Zoo. However, these exhibits are still very well done. The sense of immersion is exemplified by dragon statues, countless posters and signs on the walls (which less than 5% of visitors actually read) and fake ruins dotting the landscape. The amur tiger exhibit is beautiful, the sun bear outdoor exhibit is scenic and lushly planted (although I only felt the indoor "factory" so-so), the cranes, muntjacs, tufted deer and red panda exhibits are all very good as well. I have a problem with the silvered-leaf langur inside quarters, which are made to look like fake ruins but end up being nothing but stained concrete and steel. Ugh. The markhors have poor sightlines for visitors but live in a decent exhibit, the pheasant aviary is a nice surprise, and the pallas' cats were good to see in an enclosure that is too small. For the most part "Asia Quest" is well done, but it's simply not stunning like parts of the National Zoo's "Asian Trail". Naturally it's tough to compete with giant pandas, clouded leopards and sloth bears. Asian Exhibits - the elephant paddock and indoor quarters are something that I won't criticize here, as I've done enough of that elsewhere at other zoos and their pachyderm enclosures. The space allotted for the elephants is impressive, and Columbus has one of the largest elephant displays of any urban zoo. The black rhinos and african lions are inexplicably in the Asian section, and both species have average enclosures. Australia - I loved this section of the zoo! Having lived in Australia for 2.5 years as a child, and having gone back in 2007 and visited 14 different zoos I was cast back in time with the brilliant roadhouse immersion building at the Columbus Zoo. Seeing all the cool-looking Aussie slogans on the walls, and then venturing further inside to see tree kangaroos, tiger quolls, palm civets, kiwi birds, fishing cats (and 2 fishing cat kittens), prevost's squirrels, feather tail gliders, fruit bats, etc was a real treat, even if some of the animals actually come from just outside of Australia. The lorikeets, kangaroos and koalas outdoors were all well showcased and not many zoos have such a wonderful array of creatures from "down under". African Forest - the bonobo's massive exhibit is larger and perhaps even better than San Diego's famous enclosure. These apes are rare in captivity and were a delight to see, even though their outdoor exhibit far outshone their indoor quarters. To see a pair of bonobos come running through some tall grass was as if I were in the Congo! The gorillas are in an exhibit that reminds me of photos of Howletts, as it is somewhat circular and with a steel roof. These massive apes can utilize an overhead steel pathway, and there are many enrichment items scattered throughout the habitat. Not amongst the best gorilla enclosures, but far from the worst. There were 3-4 okapis, a pair of drills, a group of colobus monkeys (including a 14-day old, pure white baby), an aviary, african grey parrots, red river hogs and a leopard all in pleasant, naturalistic exhibits. The fairly small leopard enclosure is the only one that was slightly below par, but even that one was larger than many other big cat mesh cages that I've seen on this trip. The Islands - the white-cheeked and siamang gibbons share a pair of tiny islands that didn't quite work for me, as the area was too small for the 6-7 apes. The orangutans have a very large enclosure that allows for great viewing, but like all orang habitats could probably use more climbing structures. The komodo dragon indoor and outdoor exhibits are excellent, and to see such mighty lizards on grass is almost shocking! The asian small-clawed otters have a very scenic habitat that gives them tons of space to amuse the public. In this section of the zoo, still very new, there is a sense that the visitors are being pandered to more than the animals. Since barely anyone ever reads any of the signs, why not spend more cash on exhibits? North America - the oldest part of the zoo and it shows with the dated graphics on the signs and the rust on some of the fences. However, for the most part this section of the zoo still works as all of the enclosures are of a fair size and complexity. The grizzlies could use more space, and the american black bears were off exhibit, but the wolverine, bobcat, puma, timber wolf, mexican grey wolf, bald eagle, river otter, bison/pronghorn, moose and prarie dog exhibits are for the most part spacious and well planted. There is nothing exceptional in this part of the zoo, but also nothing to really complain about either. Manatee Coast - the two manatees were a real treat to see, as I've only ever seen them at San Diego Seaworld before. The nearby aquarium building has a huge shark and fish tank that is quite impressive, and several smaller tanks that are intriguing as well. Reptile House - not very big, but full of cool interpretative graphics and large statues on the walls. My wife and I were allowed to touch a Dumeril's ground boa from Madagascar, which was a bonus for us. The Worst: Some of the sizes of enclosures have already been mentioned earlier in this review, and I wasn't that impressed with either the humboldt penguin habitat or the american alligator pool. Those two enclosures, along with the aldabra tortoise paddock and flamingo pool, are "misplaced" in such an orderly zoo. I'm a massive fan of the geographical positioning within zoos, and to have everything for the most part clearly settled into specific continents is a great strength of this zoo. Overall: The Columbus Zoo has a golf course, waterpark and amusement park right next door to the zoo, and they are all owned by the same conglomerate. At times there is a sense of "Disneyfication" with people dressed in costume, rides, music, etc that others might feel could diminish the actual zoo side of things. I felt that the noise level inside the zoo grounds was much lower than towards the rides section, and there is a genuine sense of both education and conservation present on signs and posters. As I said earlier, there aren't any mind-blowing exhibits at this zoo and yet probably less than 10% of the habitats are totally unsatisfactory. There are many average to good exhibits, and still many more excellent enclosures that provide loads of space for both the animals and visitors. The "Polar Frontier" set of habitats (polar bears, foxes and other Arctic wildlife) will be a significant addition when it opens next year by the North American section. The zoo at the moment is almost completely devoid of any kind of hoofstock, but that will change in a big way once the 70-acre "African Savanna" area opens to the public in 2012. The Columbus Zoo is already filled with numerous high quality habitats, and in a few more years will have to be regarded as one of the most complete and largest zoos in North America. If it took my wife and I six hours to see it today, how long will it take with the polar and african savanna sections added? This zoo could be like the Bronx and San Diego, where it is often tough to see everything within the opening hours of a single day.
Columbus has always struck me as an excellent zoo, with an outstanding collection and your review seems to justify this. Ohio is a very rich state zoo wise and i think i speak for everyone on here in thanking you and your wife for taking us along with you on your tour and giving us all such a deep and full insight into all your stops along the way.
Mr Leopard, I've only just stumbled across this thread, and having read all the posts in one go I have to say how much I have enjoyed them. Just a few thoughts: 1. You seem often to equate 'old' with 'bad' - maybe unfairly... 2. Your reviews show you to be very much a mammal person, and I think possibly your comments on the bird housing at the Bronx were a tad harsh. The World of Birds is a wonderful, wonderful place, and the aquatic birds house is just superb (even if it is a shame they no longer have hoatzins). 3. I couldn't agree more about the opening hours thing. Mid-day is the very worst time of day to be seeing most zoo animals; come the late afternoon / early evening, things start to get interesting, and that's when you're turfed out. There is something amagical about being in a zoo at this later time. 4. You are (rightly) quite critical of a number of quite recent exhibits which are ill thought-through and poorly designed. Who do you think is to blame for this poverty of design? 5. What is your own background? Are you zoo-connected at all? (I know you mentioned that you teach). Many thanks!
Cincinnati Zoo Review - 6 hours (Zoo/Aquarium #15 on the epic road trip) Another great day out at a zoo! I enjoyed the journey, but of course there are always improvements that can be done... The Cincinnati Zoo has an amazing collection of animals, surely in North America's top 5 in terms of diversity and rarity. Where else can one find orangutans, bonobos, gorillas and 4 different species of gibbon all in the same zoo? Those 7 species of ape are surpassed by the 18 species of felines, including white lions, white tigers and 15 different small cats. Then there are manatees, okapi and naturally the world famous and quite stunning sumatran rhinos. Having a fantastic collection of rare animals is all well and good, but when they are mainly in antiquated exhibits it doesn't equal a good review from me. There were some excellent habitats dotted around the zoo grounds, but too many old ones that should be improved. In the Columbus Zoo review I mentioned that there was a complete lack of cat and bear grottoes there, and most of the enclosures were spacious and well-organized. That zoo is set up geographically, and is the complete opposite of Cincinnati. Today I saw sumatran rhinos from Asia, red river hogs from Africa, wallabies from Australia and bald eagles from North America all within maybe 40 meters of each other. Crazy!! All of the cats are lumped together in puny cages (many of them with no outdoor access), and there are big cat grottoes, bear grottoes and even a gorilla grotto. Animals like okapi, elephants, gorillas, orangutans, manatees, bonobos, american black bears and tigers are exhibited at both Columbus and Cincinnati...and in all 8 of those instances the Columbus Zoo does the better job in terms of exhibit design. So based on collection and diversity Cincinnati is a leader in the field, but in terms for habitats for the animals they are in need of a makeover. The Best: Sumatran rhinos - what an absolute delight to see 3 sumatran rhinos wallowing in dirt, snorting into the air, and exploring their side-by-side paddocks all soaked in thick mud. My wife and I went to the rhino enclosures before we saw anything else, and it was a real treat to be uninterrupted with such beautiful beasts. Seeing rare animals like sumatran rhinos makes Cincinnati a worthwhile destination!! The male Harry is now one years old, and the keeper talk at 11:00 was led by someone who didn't know where he'd be going. She said that perhaps the zoo will boot out the red river hogs next door and construct a third sumatran rhino exhibit, or perhaps Harry will end up in the Los Angeles Zoo. She also said that the rhinos mainly eat fiscus leaves, and that can be grown locally in L.A. while in Cincinnati it is costly to fly in. Jungle Trails - I really enjoyed the immersive qualities of this long set of exhibits. The bonobos had a fairly large and hilly exhibit, but did lack a lot of climbing opportunities. The orangs and white-handed gibbons had an equally large hillside, with plenty of long grass and hiding spots. There were all kinds of monkeys and both African and Asian animals in two buildings and many naturalistic habitats. For the most part this section of the zoo was very well done and lushly planted, and contained a wealth of animals and quality exhibits. Manatee Springs - great to see manatees, even if Columbus did a better job exhibiting them. In Cincinnati the viewing windows are smaller and thus much more crowded, but the pool is set in a new building that also contains many tanks with lizards, snakes and fish. Insect House - hands down the best insect set of cages that I've ever seen. The leaf-cutter ant display, which curved around into a second room, was one of the best exhibits that I've ever encountered for any animal, regardless of size or importance. The entire collection was amazing, and it was hard to believe that it opened 30 years ago. The best habitats stand the test of time. Red Panda - my wife's favourite animal, and there are two spacious, naturalistic exhibits side-by-side here that are perfect for such small mammals. Average: Elephant yard - usual zoo fare for elephants, and currently much smaller due to major construction on half of the space. In 2009 the enlarged exhibit will open up again, and so the elephants will have to make due with only one side of their habitat for another year. Giraffe ridge - huge disappointment considering that a major chunk of the main gift shop was heavily promoting the "brand new" giraffe habitat. It was just a regular-sized paddock that was unfortunately right next door to a car park. There were at least 5 giraffes and each were under trees to gain the tiny bit of shade that was provided. More shade, more space and more water (the pool was puny) are all needed, but sadly none of that will now arrive for another 50 years. Discovery Forest - new building that is a mini-rainforest. Tiny and not really worthwhile, but a sloth, some fish and a handful of bird species makes it interesting. Hoofstock paddocks - okapi, red river hogs, emus, indian rhinos, bongo, gazelle and zebra in sterile but average paddocks. Monkey/Ape/Lemur islands - japanese macaques, ring-tailed lemurs and two species of gibbon on islands around the zoo that are average and are at least spacious but are also nothing to write home about. Wings of the World - bird house that is so-so, and contains a typically tiny penguin exhibit. White Lions - so-so exhibit that is a fair size, but the male lions aren't really white and are simply a lighter shade of beige. The Worst: Bear Grottoes - spectacled, american black and polar bears all in grottoes that are ancient and dilapidated. I know that the polar bears have a fancy pool amongst all the fake rockwork, but it is still nothing but two grottoes combined together. Bears deserve better, and these crappy grottoes weren't much better than Pittsburgh's awful pits. Cat Grottoes - tigers (both white and orange) and cheetahs in a row of grottoes, where visitors generally look down upon the animals. Some people might point out that these habitats are grassy, hilly and so forth but at the end of the day they are simply pits surrounded by rock that are decades past their due date. Cat House - horrible set of cramped cages. There is a magnificent collection of small cats (15 in total) in basic, ancient glass and wire cages that must have been constructed when dinosaurs roamed the planet. A snow leopard in a "tank" that was 12 feet by 12 feet, and with no outdoor access. A pair of tayras going crazy back and forth, back and forth...a lynx bobbing its head up and down, up and down...a bobcat pacing rapidly side to side, side to side, and a clouded leopard bizarrely rubbing its body against the wall for minutes on end. The outdoor and indoor cages are so tiny that it was shocking, and I was even prepared to expect small cages due to advice from fellow ZooBeaters. This cat house should have been torn down 30 years ago, and if anyone were an anti-zoo activist I'd just tell them to camp themselves outside the cat house and watch the animals go slowly insane with boredom. Nocturnal House - some cool specimens on display here, but also some serious stereotypy going on with many animals. A genet wouldn't stop pacing back and forth, a galago also seemed to be repeating its actions, and a binturong was placed in an exhibit that was 6 feet wide and maybe 10 feet high. It was also incessantly pacing up and down its single dead log. The Detroit Zoo has a pair of binturongs in a massive outdoor yard with many 30 foot trees to climb, while Cincinnati jams one into a sardine can. Also, the Detroit Zoo has a huge outdoor habitat for its giant anteater, while Cincinnati's has to rotate with a large pair of birds (screamers). Small nocturnal house that has some nice species in weak exhibits. Reptile House - historically important but overall quite disappointing. At least 5 chinese alligators in a tiny pool, a huge burmese python in a 4 foot by 4 foot tank, and a handful of other reptiles in tiny tanks. The smallest and worst reptile house that I've seen on this road trip. The Future: Major construction on expanding the elephant house, and there is also major construction on "Vine Street Village" by the sumatran rhinos. I'm not sure what it is, but it looks like the beginnings of an entranceway, cafe, gift shop, plaza type area. Overall: Cincinnati is a world leader in terms of containing a dizzying array of rare and endangered species, and is known to be a "sexy" zoo for having a great breeding program. Some of the animals on show are seen at only a handful of zoos, and this makes them a definite stop for anyone who loves bonobos, manatees, primates, cats or sumatran rhinos. However, a day after seeing the Columbus Zoo and its 10% of below average exhibits, I found that Cincinnati had maybe 50% of the zoo that I'd like to overhaul. The reptile house, cat house, cat grottoes and bear grottoes must be awful to every single member of ZooBeat who has visited the zoo, and the cat house in particular is a crying shame as it showcases a stunning variety of felines in exhibits that are painfully small. Would anyone reading this actually defend the size of the enclosures? I know that giving small felines large, grassy exhibits would then mean that they'd be tough to spot...but isn't that much better than the current setup? I personally much prefer a zoo that is organized well and feels modern, much like the geographically accurate Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, Toronto Zoo, or Columbus Zoo. Some other zoos are getting there with their organization, while a zoo like Cincinnati feels scattered and tossed together. The older buildings should be converted into non-animal holding exhibits like gift shops or cafes. Even the newer renovations like the elephant yard, giraffe ridge and polar bear grottoes are disappointing and are done better at dozens of other zoos. The insect house, the excellent jungle trails set of habitats, the sumatran rhinos and the amazing animal collection keep Cincinnati at the forefront of the zoo world. But I'd take the Detroit Zoo (which isn't even highly regarded by many) over Cincinnati any day of the week, and San Diego and the Bronx are light years ahead in terms of exhibit quality. Isn't it nice to see spacious enclosures, large paddocks and naturalistic habitats rather than tiny cat houses and ugly canyons and grottoes? All the rarest animals in the world doesn't disguise the fact that the Cincinnati Zoo has only a handful of truly excellent exhibits.
Great review, but I never knew the state of that zoo. All I heard is that they had a great collection, which made me want to visit it sometime. When you wrote that Harry might come to LA I got happy because the only photo I got of Andalas was with my cell phone, so an oportunity to get a pic of another Sumatran Rhino will be really cool. well, I hope that this does happen, but I don't know where they'll put him, since Andalas' former exhibit is now home to Takin.
@sooty mangabey: I was going to address the answers directly to you privately, as there are a few members of ZooBeat that sometimes like to remain anonymous, but then I thought that you had some great questions that maybe others would also like to see answered. I would like to thank you for reading all of my reviews, and it has been a blast to hear from many members of ZooBeat in regards to my road trip. I really enjoy typing up the reviews, and it helps me to hammer home the details of each particular zoo as I'm seeing so many within such a short period of time. The end result will be about 25 zoos and aquariums in the space of 8 weeks. 1- You asked about me equating "old" exhibits with "bad" ones, and that isn't strictly the case. I love the 30 year-old pair of gorilla habitats at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, and the 80 year-old paddocks with hoofstock at the Detroit Zoo are mostly massive, naturalistic enclosures. I always use the phrase "the best exhibits are the ones that age well" and I think that has proven to be true as I drive around the continent looking at captive animals. But on the other hand often my wife can tell within minutes whether a section of a zoo is fresh or ancient. She isn't nearly the zoo fan that I am, but by looking at the graphics on walls, or often seeing animals through glass rather than in grottoes, it is easy for her to guess what has recently been constructed. At the National Zoo in Washington D.C. and the Minnesota Zoo (and arguably even in Detroit, San Diego, Taronga and Melbourne Zoos), etc, etc, the newest set of habitats are often the best. Old pits, canyons and grottoes are turned into beautiful enclosures, and so these stand out from the old-style cages. 2- You hit the nail on the head with your announcement that I am a "mammal person". I agree wholeheartedly, and could spend hours watching the gorillas the Bronx Zoo or the hippos if they are in motion at either the Calgary or Toledo Zoos. My wife is an amazing person and I'm lucky to have her in my life, as not many other spouses would visit 25 zoos and aquariums all summer long, but she isn't a bird lover. Most of my friends would think that we're mildly insane for doing what we are doing, but I've been obsessed with zoos since I popped out of the womb. My wife Debbie loves zoos but not nearly at the same level as myself. She isn't a huge fan of insect, reptile or bird buildings, and yet she accompanies me through every single one of them. Debbie takes 99% of all the photos of our zoo visits, and makes enormous scrapbooks or our holidays, but I do tend to go through the bird houses faster as we aren't huge bird lovers. I actually was disappointed with the Bronx Zoo's bird exhibits because I didn't feel that they lived up to the high quality maintained elsewhere, and I instead loved the bird house at the National Zoo in Washington D.C. The large building, countless spacious cages around it, and huge aviary were all top-notch, and the biggest and best aviary that I've ever seen is the "Great Flight Aviary" at the Melbourne Zoo in Australia. 3- Zoo hours are a concern at many zoos, particularly when the lock animals away at early times. San Diego's climate and hours are wonderful, and the fact that the Bronx closes everything down at 5 was a real tough one. We actually had to rush through the bird house, and even some of Madagascar, just to see the whole zoo in one day. 4- I find myself being highly critical of many exhibits, but I'm not afraid to wax poetic about truly great enclosures. "Arctic Ring of Life" and "Congo Gorilla Forest" are both magnificent, and just about everything inside Shedd Aquarium is terrific. Zoos have come a long way, and it was only 30 years ago that the idea of gorillas on grass was a novelty. Now I find myself criticizing the Pittsburgh Zoo's acre-long gorilla meadow, but 30 years ago it would have been brilliant. Who knows what the next 30 years will bring? For newer habitats that fail to make the mark I'd say that it often comes down to funding. Blueprints are drawn up and then money issues force an abandonment of certain species from the original plans. Or there are too many copy-cat exhibits, with every zoo opening up red river hog paddocks, or walk-through lemur yards, or stingray touch tanks, or meerkat yards where kids can stick their heads into plexiglass tubes, or glass-fronted otter pools. Where are the innovative habitats? 5- I have never worked in a zoo or been zoo-connected in any shape or form. However, I have been a zoo geek/nerd/dork my entire life, and my parents can tell stories of how I would take my hundreds of toy zoo animals and create whole worlds on the floor of my bedroom. I still have the countless toy animals but thankfully never play with them anymore! I've always had a love for zoos that has gradually resulted in an obsession with exhibit design, and after this road trip next month I will have been to around 67 different zoos, aquariums and wildlife parks. Two of those are in Switzerland (Zurich Zoo and Langenberg Wildlife Park in Zurich), about 15 all over Australia, and the remaining 50 in Canada and the United States. Personal Details: I was actually a delivery driver for a full 10 years, getting up anywhere between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. to deliver bread and other goodies. I was paid well but it was a rough job in terms of hours, social life and physical demands. Having always done extremely well in high school, I went back to university three years ago and now have my Bachelor of Arts degree. This September I start a year-long teaching program to attain my British Columbia teaching certificate (also possibly attaining a second degree in the process) and this fall I leave for Trinidad & Tobago in the Caribbean to teach high school there for 3 months. My wife is also a teacher, but she teaches elementary school, and I'll miss her terribly while I'm gone for that short time. She might come and visit in December, and I've already noticed that there is a zoo in Port-of-Spain, which is the captial of Trinidad & Tobago. The Emperor Valley Zoo could be the next one on my list! Hahahaha
Well then. Aften reading your brutal review of what I proudly consider to be my home zoo, I have just one thing to say to you, Snowleopard....... THANK YOU!!!!. I've been screaming what you're saying for years, probably decades now. I've emailed the zoo pr dept. I've told others who love the place about shortcomings and they just seem to brush it off. The things they need to fix are so numerous that it's not even realistic to expect it to happen within the next 20 years. It really broke my heart on the last visit to see the okapis shoved into the veldt like that. I've also voiced my displeasure at the reptile house already. The cat house was a big deal back in 85 or 86 when it was renovated. If you had issues with it this time, you should have seen it before..... ugh. As for Jungle Trails, a generally great exhibit, my problem with it was the end of geographical separation in the two main buildings. There were gibbons in the African building where they used to house colobus and aardwolves. Maybe things will change when the parking predicament takes a turn for the better. Let's hope so........
I spent an enjoyable 5 hours at the Indianapolis Zoo today, and just over 2 hours of that time was with Allen W. Nyhuis. He is the co-author of "America's Best Zoos", which is a brilliant travel book that I've been obsessing over for months now. My wife Debbie and I ate lunch and walked around about half of the zoo with Allen, and there was a lot of discussion about various zoos and animal exhibits. The Indianapolis Zoo is a tiny yet well laid out zoological collection, with several innovative exhibits, and I'll be reviewing it in detail at a later date. It's currently almost 12:30 and well past my bed-time, as we drove from Indianapolis to Omaha tonight. Since leaving the Indy Zoo we decided to toss out our plans to go down to Louisville for the zoo tomorrow, and instead drove 9 hours to the edge of Omaha, Nebraska. Allen constantly referenced Omaha today, and after he left us my wife insisted that we make the massive journey over a few States to visit the Henry Doorly Zoo. According to Allen it is in the top 3 zoos in North America, and both he and his co-author Jon Wassner rate the "Lied Jungle", "Kingdoms of the Night" and "Desert Dome" as amongst the best exhibits of any zoo. Plus there is the aquarium, orangutan forest, gorilla enclosure, cat complex, etc, etc. If I'm going to be hitting 25 zoos and aquariums all across North America then it makes sense to see ever single one of the big guns along the way. So tomorrow it's Omaha, and I can't wait to see what I think of such a well-debated zoo. After Omaha we still intend to make it down to Atlanta for the zoo and Georgia Aquarium, although there might be a pitstop or two in between. Road trips are flexible things....
Good to hear you met up with Allen.I was wondering if he would be in town.I hope you liked Indy Zoo as well as i heard its quite good
Hey snowleopard, glad to see you're still enjoying the trip! a couple of things... 1) Judging from your reviews, you didn't make it too the Central Park Zoo afterall? Was this because of overload in NYC? 2) At the Indianapolis Zoo, what did you think of the dolphin dome? I was reading America's Best Zoos and there was an image of it in there and it appears to be a fantastic underwater viewing area.
