I am planning on either going to the Tulsa Zoo or Omaha Zoo next weekend but need help choosing. I had originally tried to plan to go to Tulsa to film Sneezy their Asian bull elephant behind the scenes (for a project) but the zoo denied me access. Should I go anyway? I saw that the outdoor portion of Sneezy's exhibit has tightly woven mesh and nothing bigger than an iPhone camera will fit through the gaps. Sneezy is 45 this year and with the recent deaths of Packy, Tusko, & Rama in Portland, I worry he may soon be next. I never got to Portland in time. There's no good 1080p HD footage of him yet on YouTube and I heard he is taller and heavier than Packy was.... the last big makhna in North America? As a zoo history preservationist, would it be safe to let go of this opportunity? Should I go to Tulsa to film him? The only other reason I would really care to go there would be to see the Siberian Cranes since I've never seen those before. Is the Lost Kingdom any good? If anyone could give me tips I would greatly appreciate them. If I don't go to Tulsa, I would go to Omaha to see the new African and Asian Highlands exhibits. Also I think they have a Crowned Crane exhibit with windows so you can see them right up close to the glass. Also they have Indian Rhinos, Sable antelope and the Lied Jungle. What do you think?
Omaha is the FAR superior zoo and it can easily take an entire day to tour. In fact, Omaha is one of the greatest zoos I've ever had the pleasure to visit, with a new African Elephant exhibit that should appeal to you. Plus there are many world-class sections and the progress at the establishment over the last quarter-century has been nothing short of phenomenal.
Tulsa is a surprisingly enjoyable zoo for its size with nice indoor sections. Lost Kingdom was a cool section with a lot of good photo opportunities. Siberian cranes were also helpful and photogenic the day I went. However, Omaha is amazing and definitely a better choice. I spent 3 days there in July and I had a blast. The one thing that might change your mind is that only half of Asia is open yet (phase 1) with the other half (phase 2) opening next spring/summer. Phase one was nice but didn't blow me away (though that's probably because I prefer photos of the species found in phase 2).
Did you see the elephant exhibit? I was looking on google maps here Google Maps and it shows narrow mesh separating you from the bull elephant Sneezy at ground level. Is the mesh thats showing on google maps 1"x1"? If I go to Tulsa I'm hoping my iPhone camera will get through it to get a decent video. Were the Siberian Cranes viewable at ground level or from a boardwalk? Based on your experience, which animals in Tulsa will be active the most in their outdoor enclosures? Its calling for for 77 degrees on Saturday. Right now Tulsa is the priority after weighing my options in Omaha since I never got to see Packy or Tusko in Oregon.
On second thought, I've decided on Omaha because of the fact that they have West African Crowned Cranes next to glass, Sable & Bongo antelope as well as the Asian Highlands exhibit. Do they have Grey Crowned Cranes too? In the gallery it shows that there are Wattled Cranes in the Simmons aviary. Are they still there?
Personally I don't like Omaha zoo very much. I don't like how they designed some of there exhibits in the African Grasslands. But that's just my opinion.
I think so. And I absolutely HATE there bongo exhibit. And I can’t figure out why there Sables aren’t in the mixed species habitat.
I know you made up your mind about Omaha, but the big guy at Tulsa can also be seen inside the building through glass
Mainly because of space and some animals possibly bullying the others. That's why the zebras are in with male impala and a herd of elephants. $73 million is a relatively tight budget when developing on 28 acres of land, plus you have to cater to guests with plenty of amenities. I do agree that while some of the exhibits are awkwardly designed, (again, budget. They had hippos, crocs and painted dogs in the original plan which they eventually cut) the lion, elephant/zebra/impala and giraffe/impala/rhino/ostrich/guineafowl/white stork exhibits are among the best of their kind. All exhibits in African Grasslands are world-class welfarewise, and have a certain charm to them.
Yeah, but you're not at ground level to fully appreciate his size. I've decided to postpone Tulsa to early spring next year. Hopefully he should still be there by then.
I'm really excited because there's an area where you can get close to the Blue Cranes at ground level so now I'll finally be able to see how big they are! Zoos like Jacksonville are great but you get a distorted perspective on animals size because you're at a different level then they are. Does the Lied Jungle still have Goliath Herons? I was last there in 2003. Its such a shame the Gaurs moved!
The gaur are currently at the Lee G. Simmons Wildlife Safari in Ashland. I'd honestly replace the Indian rhinos with the gaur and move the Pere David's deer out to Ashland to breed. By the way (for your Youtube) could you make walkthroughs of the Omaha Zoo with your GoPro?
True, but I don’t think some of there’s hoofstocks exhibits are well designed. And there cheetah exhibit looks disgusting to me.
Again, budget. You'd be surprised as to how limiting $73 million is, especially when you are updating zoo infrastructure, adding a brand spankin' new restaurant, animal infrastructure, rerouting train tracks, investing in horticulture, paying the construction firms, etc. If you hate the way those exhibits are designed, that's your opinion and you are entitled to it. Who knows? Maybe your opinion might change once the plants are established (renaming the complex African Woodlands would be more appropriate given the timespan of 5+ years of plant growth). If one point is brought up over and over again after an explanation is given, then the conversation goes nowhere and just gets plain boring after a while. You hate the design, that's fine.
What a coincidence! I had thought about bringing it, but at last minute I opted out of bringing it. I'll get some good footage regardless. I just need tips on which animals will be out in the morning vs middle of the day. The Lied Jungle isnt a big priority for me. Nor is the Desert Dome or the nocturnal exhibit. I'm planning a two day trip so it should be fun.
I'm not saying you have to like the exhibits. Feel free to have your own opinions about the design. All I'm doing is trying to put things in perspective so there is a clear understanding on both parts. Feel free to have your opinion, I do not wish to continue this nowhere-going discussion.
