This thread is to give a little detail on The Wild Animal Park found in Chittenango NY which is about 20 minutes from Syracuse and the Rosamond Gifford Zoo. I live very close and have had a season pass for the past three seasons and have been able to watch the facility grow into a fine establishment. From the outside it doesn't look like much and it's not the largest zoo ever but they do pack a lot in while keeping the exhibits nice and appropriate for the animals they are housing. The zoo is primarily a large loop with a stretch in front with farm yard animals that can be pet and fed. You enter through a large entry building that holds some small animal exhibits and a gift shop/restrooms. They have housed Squirrel Monkeys, Tegu, Carpet Pythons and a fennec fox at one point. The entry way outside has several farm yards with goats and sheep along with cows, Asian water buffalo and a yard of Emus. From there the loop starts with most going clock wise around to the parks unofficial African Section. The park is currently updating its original bobcat exhibit and also has an American Badger nearby. In 2016 the zoo opened a new Ring Tailed Lemur exhibit and is quite large and nice. Next to them is a Warthog exhibit and a smaller Crowned Crane exhibit. The real stars of the zoo are the zoo's two Giraffes Jase and Jasmine. Visitors can feed them carrots from an elevated deck and viewing area. After that they can view Giant Eland and Ostriches, and an exhibit for an African Leopard. Along the trail on the forested side are N.A. Black Bears, Gray Wolves, Watusi Cattle, Fallow Deer, a Eurasian Eagle Owl, Silver Fox and African Crested Porcupines in some of the zoos original exhibits. One of the newest exhibits is one of the best and that is Brown Bear Falls, a large forested yard with climbing branches for a pair of young Brown Bears. A large pond sits on the far end of the zoo along with a small snack bar and an inflatable bounce house area. Along this path is the Red Kangaroos and across from them the Bengal Tiger and African Lions exhibits. Further down are yards for Dromedary Camels, Grevys Zebras, and exhibits for Coatimundi, some Macaws and Tortoises. New for 2016 was an addition that was billed as a new Primate House and was home to the zoo's Olive Baboons and their Clouded Leopards. The zoo says big changes are being made for the upcoming 2017 season so once I visit in the spring I will be able to report more on that and I hope to get some photos posted. If anyone is ever in the are I recommend a visit, it is no San Diego or Bronx Zoo but its much better than some of the publicly funded zoos out there.
So we visited the Wild Animal Park today which opened for the season Saturday. Lots of new big changes have been made for 2017. Lots of new babies including two Zebras born, a new Bactrian Camel and a Black Jaguar cub. A new exhibit is being built for the Jaguars opening in July, and a new exhibit is coming along for Siamangs. The exhibit looks pretty good already and is quite large and tall. They also added a Parakeet feeding exhibit, a new large exhibit for their Mountain Lions that were cubs last year and a herd of Blackbuck. The biggest addition coming this summer is going to be the arrival of Cheetahs. I don't believe any zoo in New York has housed them but correct me if I'm wrong please. And not many zoos in the Northeast exhibit them either. It also will mean that the Wild will House every species of Big Cat once the Cheetahs and Jaguars go on exhibit in July during their Big Cat Week celebration. If anyone knows how many zoos in the US and World house every Big Cat species please comment as I would like to know.
