DAY 12: Monday, July 23rd
Another day in Wisconsin and 5 more zoos:
Zoo #42:
There is a grand entrance sign next to a scenic little park, another zoo sign farther in, and excitement is dashed once one turns the corner and sees a huge exhibit for White-tailed Deer, a yard with goats, an Arctic Fox exhibit and a Bobcat exhibit. That is the entire zoo! The entrance sign is deceiving and while I knew that the place was puny and not going to be the next Omaha, I was still shocked at the fact that I toured the entire zoo in about 10 minutes. Bruemmer Park Zoo (Kewaunee, WI) has new, fairly nice exhibits but man, oh man, it is tiny.
Zoo #43:
The first zoo was located on the far right-hand side of the state of Wisconsin and up north near the Green Bay area, and Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary (Green Bay, WI) is only about 40 minutes east. This place is a little shabby around the edges but well worth visiting and I spent a solid 2 hours puttering around and I counted 86 species in total. There is a Nature Center building that is clearly a bit outdated and with only a few terrariums scattered around the dusty dioramas and many educational sections. Then there is an outdoor wildlife loop called 'Habi-Trek' and this part of the zoo is great. A Woodland Building has North American River Otters, Bobcats, Red Foxes and a Cougar as the anchor tenants in smallish but adequate exhibits outside but going indoors was a delight as there is underwater viewing for the otters and then a Nocturnal House with at least 7 exhibits. The centrepiece attraction is a 1-acre Grey Wolf habitat with beautiful viewing windows and then a chain-link fenced area outside. Three times each week a deer carcass is hauled into the exhibit to the pack of wolves and that would be cool to see.
Still on the 'Habi-Trek' trail, there are raptor aviaries, a large White-tailed Deer/Sandhill Crane Yard that comes with an Observation Tower, and an enormous Coyote exhibit which was great to see as so often Coyotes are shafted at smaller zoos. I then walked back to the Nature Center, drove down the road a short distance and there is a gorgeously-designed waterfall structure next to a small lake with plenty of waterfowl. There is then a Conservation Center with a nocturnal exhibit for bats (Ruwenzori Fruit Bats), various vivaria and a trio of pleasant indoor aviaries for small birds. Outside is a Raptor Center and even though I've seen all 4 of these species in the past, shockingly on this entire trip not once did I EVER see any of these birds and then I saw all 4 of them in the space of a few minutes: Gyrfalcon, Merlin, Northern Goshawk and White-tailed Kite. One black mark against this facility is that they allow the public to feed corn to the ducks and geese and so there is a huge flock of Canadian Geese that was hissing at me and being a general nuisance. Also, there was a copious amount of goose poop in all directions and the pathways just around the Raptor Center are disgusting. The nasty geese aside, Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary takes at least 2 hours to tour and it is a bit of a hidden gem.
Species list for the entire facility: 86
Mammals (16 species): White-tailed Deer, Cougar, Bobcat, Grey Wolf, Coyote, Red Fox, North American River Otter, Mink, Virginia Opposum, Woodchuck, White-footed Mouse, Eastern Chipmunk, Southern Flying Squirrel, Eastern Cottontail, Ruwenzori Fruit Bat and Guinea Pig.
Birds (46 species): Sandhill Crane, Bald Eagle, Golden Eagle, Red-tailed Hawk, Swainson's Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk, Northern Goshawk, Eastern Screech Owl, Northern Saw-whet Owl, Great Horned Owl, Long-eared Owl, Snowy Owl, Barred Owl, American Kestrel, Gyrfalcon, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, White-tailed Kite, Turkey Vulture, Button Quail, Moluccan Cockatoo, Common Raven, American Crow, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Black-and-White Warbler, Cedar Waxwing, Swainson's Thrush, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Northern Cardinal, Eastern Bluebird, Mourning Dove, American Goldfinch, House Finch, Slate-colored Junco, Downy Woodpecker, Hooded Merganser, Wood Duck, Canadian Geese, Green-winged Teal, Blue-winged Teal, Pintail, American Wigeon, Canvas Back and Redhead Duck.
Other Animals (24 species): Corn Snake, Black Rat Snake, California Kingsnake, Southwestern Milksnake, Boa Constrictor, Common Snapping Turtle, Wood Turtle, Painted Turtle, Three-toed Box Turtle, Eastern Box Turtle, Ornate Box Turtle, Blanding's Turtle, Leopard Gecko, White's Tree Frog, Chilean Rose-haired Tarantula, Madagascar Hissing Cockroach, Honey Bee, Bluegill, Black Crappie, White Crappie, Pumpkinseed, Yellow Perch, Smallmouth Bass and Largemouth Bass.
Zoo #44:
Driving west for approximately 45 minutes, I came across Doc’s Zoo (Bonduel, WI) which is a classic slice of 'Americana roadside nonsense'. A large, metal sculpture of a T-Rex greets visitors and the main attraction is a Harley Davidson store that is very impressive. Chilly with pumped-in air conditioning, pristine in all directions and extremely busy during my visit. Then there is a hodgepodge of rusty old crap outside (various statues, farm equipment – which is everywhere in the 'America's Dairyland' of Wisconsin, an abandoned Ferris Wheel, more motorcycles), a big restaurant, a couple of Viking ships (yes, Viking ships!), a Motorcycle Museum, an Antiques Stores and a small zoo. You can guess in which direction I headed.
The zoo consists of a large field of Plains Bison (where it is easy enough to pet a bison when they come up to the fence as I saw someone do exactly that), a Dromedary, some Sulcata Tortoises (which you can walk around and pet), Emus, an African Crested Porcupine, some Red Kangaroos, some pigs, goats, chickens, etc., and then inside the beautifully created Harley Davidson store is a side room somewhat hidden away from the public. I had to ask for help in locating it and I was the only one there during my visit. There are some juvenile American Alligators, some macaws, an African Grey Parrot and then the usual motley assortment of Boa Constrictors, Bearded Dragons, Sudan Plated Lizards and Leopard Geckos. I probably spent 45 minutes in total between all the different areas of Doc's Zoo.
Zoo #45:
Another 45 minutes west and I came to the Special Memories Zoo (Greenville, WI) and yet again I have another story about an eccentric owner but I'll save the juicy stuff for another paragraph. This place is the same wood-and-wire, chain-link crap that has plagued many of these privately-owned Wisconsin menageries. In terms of rare taxa it is a delight as there are surprises around every corner. With zero maps handed out, I spent some time backtracking and wandering around in order to ensure that I saw each and every exhibit and after 2 hours in the zoo I located an enclosure by the exit that ended up being the only one that I had missed. I wandered over to take a peek and sure enough, there was a Geoffrey's Cat inside! That species is practically extinct in American zoos these days, but then just check out this list of primates at the zoo:
Primates (15 species): Hamadryas Baboon, Olive Baboon, Crab-eating Macaque, Sulawesi Crested Macaque, Japanese Macaque, Rhesus Macaque, Vervet Monkey, Common Squirrel Monkey, Black-handed Spider Monkey, Patas Monkey, Tufted Capuchin, White-throated Capuchin, Common Marmoset, Red Ruffed Lemur and Ring-tailed Lemur.
All of those primates can be seen 5 feet away, which is the USDA's (U.S. Department of Agriculture) ruling and I heard that from two owners on this trip. Both Animal Haven Zoo and Special Memories Zoo have winding pathways that are 5-6 feet away from every single cage. It is almost close enough for a very tall individual to reach over and pet a macaque! Seeing the Sulawesi Crested Macaques was the highlight because those guys are barely found anywhere.
Special Memories Zoo actually took me a full 2 hours to tour and once again I was subjected to one of those damn kiddie train rides. This particular journey was much more enjoyable than the mosquito-ravaged, rain-soaked, bumpy-as-hell jaunt at Animal Gardens Petting Zoo a couple of days ago. This time around, at Special Memories Zoo, the ride was a 30-minute experience that took visitors past a series of cages containing indigenous animals. The really extraordinary thing was that the lady driving the train would blow the train's whistle to wake up the animals and then haul some out to show off to visitors. She picked up a Red Fox that was only a few months old (but still quite large) and the fox just laid there half-asleep. The lady spoke in a microphone and walked along the length of the train giving everyone a close-up opportunity with the fox and then she deposited it back into its corn crib cage. She showed us Grey Wolves, White-tailed Deer, Fishers (always pacing in captivity), a Striped Skunk, Woodchucks, etc. The guide went into a small cage with at least 5 North American Porcupines and she pulled the youngest one out and walked up and down again showing us the animal. She also opened the door to the American Badger 'pen' and grabbed a younger one to show everyone as it licked her and she kissed its face. An interesting train ride and it only cost me $3 and once again I sat in the caboose. “Zoo nerds go to the back!”
Besides that impressive primate collection (unfortuantely every single species was to be found in junky cages) and the train ride to see Wisconsin wildlife, this zoo has lions, tigers, bears, a giraffe, zebras, camels and a loop with nothing but bird exhibits. One aviary is truly enormous, towering over everything in the park. The owner is right there at the cash register as soon as you walk into the zoo, and she is probably 75 years old and she had the TV cranked up full blast the entire time I was there. A 7-week old Patas Monkey was jumping around behind her and the entrance building is absolutely stuffed with odds n' ends in all directions. It seriously looks as if you've stumbled into someone's overcrowded garage and yet she has a freaking Geoffrey's Cat right around the corner. These small zoos are genuinely surreal to tour. We're yelling back and forth because the damn TV is so loud and the baby Patas Monkey is chattering away and the zoo owner is half deaf and I'm inwardly shaking my head. One more zoo on the bucket list and I'll move on, lady.
She asked where I was from and I told her that I was on a big Michigan/Wisconsin road trip and she'd heard of basically none of the Michigan zoos but she was a bit sharper than other local zoo owners and she had visited many of the Wisconsin zoos...25+ years ago! She kept asking me what advice I had for her and I was critical of the American Black Bear and Grizzly Bear exhibits as they are disgusting cement blocks. Well, that did it! She raised her voice to drown out the blaring television and let me know in no uncertain terms that in zoos with big grassy enclosures there are bears dying all the time from bacteria and viruses that seep through the ground. She became so animated that she made it seem as if a couple of bears had just died while we were having our conversation! All of those nasty pieces of bacteria, right? She said her veterinary officer and even the USDA officer advised her to not move the bears as concrete is easier to clean and it doesn't maintain germs. Take a look at the photo link and you faithful readers can decide if the exhibit is large or appropriate enough for the two bears that live in it.
American Black Bear Exhibit:
American Black Bear Exhibit | ZooChat
After she calmed down a little, I steered the conversation towards her remarkable primate collection and she beamed with pride. These ancient owners, many of them all very old, are so delusional and out of touch with reality that I just have to nod my head and smile at their behaviour. They are from an era when it was okay to have monkeys running around in entrance buildings, or bears on cement, or tigers in exhibits that are only twice as wide as the cat, etc. The crazy thing is that these owners have not been to another zoo for a quarter of a century and it's as if they are stuck in some weird Austin Powers time loop in history. Maybe we'll pile all of these oddball zoo owners into “The Zoo That Shagged Me: The Cement Sequel.”
Zoo #46:
The last zoo of the day has late evening hours and I was thrilled to tour Wildwood Zoo (Marshfield, WI) as it was small yet excellent. The highlight is the brand-new Kodiak Bear habitat, easily one of the finest bear exhibits that I've ever seen. There is a mock-rock grotto enclosure with a deep pool and some natural substrate, but that is the old exhibit and there is a very high, 65-foot bridge that connects the enclosure to a superb, one-acre habitat that has everything that a captive bear would like. The whole thing cost more than a million bucks and for such a small zoo to have such wealthy benefactors (the money was privately-raised) is tremendous. In news clippings on boards, much is made of the fact that the three bears are true Kodiak subspecies from Kodiak Island, and mention is made of how that subspecies can sometimes have specimens larger than Polar Bears and is almost totally unrepresented in captivity in the USA.
This lovely little zoo has some terrific other exhibits, such as the Bald Eagle aviary, the Sandhill Crane exhibit, the Grey Wolf enclosure (although that one might currently be empty) and a Wildcat Exhibit that held a Bobcat on my visit. A Cougar enclosure is a bit disappointing but several other exhibits around the zoo are generally very good. Everything can be seen in 45 minutes but what a great little zoo!
I would have tried to squeeze another zoo into the day but Wisconsin Rapids Zoo (Wisconsin Rapids, WI) is closed every Monday and so unfortunately that tiny, free facility will miss out on a 'Snowleopard' visit.
Wisconsin is a fairly cold, probably inhospitable state during the winter and yet there are a LOT of zoos there. In fact, after Florida, California and Texas, Wisconsin places 4th in the USA in terms of the sheer volume of zoological facilities. I've now visited 28 out of the 34 zoos in the state. Unfortunately, the quality of the zoos in Wisconsin is not super high. The biggest and best zoo is obviously Milwaukee County Zoo, even with a good chunk of the exhibits being 40-50 years of age. I really like Henry Vilas as its small but exceptional, the International Crane Foundation is very limited but superb, and there are a handful of pleasant little places amidst a pile of dreck.
Here is my updated list and ** means that I've visited that facility:
**Alligator Alley (Wisconsin Dells)
**Animal Gardens Petting Zoo (Delavan)
**Animal Haven Zoo (Weyauwega)
**Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary (Green Bay)
**Bear Den Zoo (Waterford)
**Beaver Springs Park Aquarium (Wisconsin Dells)
**Bruemmer Park Zoo (Kewaunee)
Butterfly Gardens of Wisconsin (Appleton)
Discovery World: Reiman Aquarium (Milwaukee)
**Doc’s Zoo (Bonduel)
Fawn-Doe-Rosa Wildlife Educational Park (St. Croix Falls)
**Glacier Ridge Animal Farm (Van Dyne)
**Henry Vilas Zoo (Madison)
**International Crane Foundation (Baraboo)
**Irvine Park & Zoo (Chippewa Falls)
**Jo-Don Farms (Franksville)
**Lincoln Park Zoo (Manitowoc)
**MacKenzie Center (Poynette)
**Menominee Park Zoo (Oshkosh)
**Milwaukee County Zoo (Milwaukee)
Milwaukee Public Museum (Milwaukee)
**NEW (Northeastern Wisconsin) Zoo (Green Bay)
**Ochsner Park Zoo (Baraboo)
**Racine Zoo (Racine)
Safari Lake Geneva (Lake Geneva)
**Shalom Wildlife Zoo (West Bend)
**Special Memories Zoo (Greenville)
**Timbavati Wildlife Park (Wisconsin Dells)
**Wilderness Walk Zoo (Hayward)
**Wildwood Wildlife Park (Minocqua)
**Wildwood Zoo (Marshfield)
**Wisconsin Big Cat Rescue (Rock Springs)
**Wisconsin Deer Park (Wisconsin Dells)
Wisconsin Rapids Zoo (Wisconsin Rapids)
Music:
I have not mentioned music in many days but I've been revisiting a lot of classic records/albums that I have adored over the years. My all-time favourite is The Joshua Tree by U2, released long before Bono became insufferable. The period of The Unforgettable Fire, The Joshua Tree, Rattle & Hum and Achtung Baby contains some brilliant stuff but since then I have not really been a fan.
There have been other mainstays and many solo male artists such as Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp and Tom Petty, with a jaunt through Bob Seger's solo hits while I was cruising through Detroit. I'm a big fan of the record The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion, by the rockers The Black Crowes. Of course, no Snowleopard road trip would be complete without some Rolling Stones and their period of Let it Bleed/Beggars Banquet/Exile on Main Street/Sticky Fingers is probably the greatest era in rock n' roll history. I love Keith Richard's solo album Main Offender from the early 1990s and I've listened to that literally a thousand times.
Another day in Wisconsin and 5 more zoos:
Zoo #42:
There is a grand entrance sign next to a scenic little park, another zoo sign farther in, and excitement is dashed once one turns the corner and sees a huge exhibit for White-tailed Deer, a yard with goats, an Arctic Fox exhibit and a Bobcat exhibit. That is the entire zoo! The entrance sign is deceiving and while I knew that the place was puny and not going to be the next Omaha, I was still shocked at the fact that I toured the entire zoo in about 10 minutes. Bruemmer Park Zoo (Kewaunee, WI) has new, fairly nice exhibits but man, oh man, it is tiny.
Zoo #43:
The first zoo was located on the far right-hand side of the state of Wisconsin and up north near the Green Bay area, and Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary (Green Bay, WI) is only about 40 minutes east. This place is a little shabby around the edges but well worth visiting and I spent a solid 2 hours puttering around and I counted 86 species in total. There is a Nature Center building that is clearly a bit outdated and with only a few terrariums scattered around the dusty dioramas and many educational sections. Then there is an outdoor wildlife loop called 'Habi-Trek' and this part of the zoo is great. A Woodland Building has North American River Otters, Bobcats, Red Foxes and a Cougar as the anchor tenants in smallish but adequate exhibits outside but going indoors was a delight as there is underwater viewing for the otters and then a Nocturnal House with at least 7 exhibits. The centrepiece attraction is a 1-acre Grey Wolf habitat with beautiful viewing windows and then a chain-link fenced area outside. Three times each week a deer carcass is hauled into the exhibit to the pack of wolves and that would be cool to see.
Still on the 'Habi-Trek' trail, there are raptor aviaries, a large White-tailed Deer/Sandhill Crane Yard that comes with an Observation Tower, and an enormous Coyote exhibit which was great to see as so often Coyotes are shafted at smaller zoos. I then walked back to the Nature Center, drove down the road a short distance and there is a gorgeously-designed waterfall structure next to a small lake with plenty of waterfowl. There is then a Conservation Center with a nocturnal exhibit for bats (Ruwenzori Fruit Bats), various vivaria and a trio of pleasant indoor aviaries for small birds. Outside is a Raptor Center and even though I've seen all 4 of these species in the past, shockingly on this entire trip not once did I EVER see any of these birds and then I saw all 4 of them in the space of a few minutes: Gyrfalcon, Merlin, Northern Goshawk and White-tailed Kite. One black mark against this facility is that they allow the public to feed corn to the ducks and geese and so there is a huge flock of Canadian Geese that was hissing at me and being a general nuisance. Also, there was a copious amount of goose poop in all directions and the pathways just around the Raptor Center are disgusting. The nasty geese aside, Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary takes at least 2 hours to tour and it is a bit of a hidden gem.
Species list for the entire facility: 86
Mammals (16 species): White-tailed Deer, Cougar, Bobcat, Grey Wolf, Coyote, Red Fox, North American River Otter, Mink, Virginia Opposum, Woodchuck, White-footed Mouse, Eastern Chipmunk, Southern Flying Squirrel, Eastern Cottontail, Ruwenzori Fruit Bat and Guinea Pig.
Birds (46 species): Sandhill Crane, Bald Eagle, Golden Eagle, Red-tailed Hawk, Swainson's Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk, Northern Goshawk, Eastern Screech Owl, Northern Saw-whet Owl, Great Horned Owl, Long-eared Owl, Snowy Owl, Barred Owl, American Kestrel, Gyrfalcon, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, White-tailed Kite, Turkey Vulture, Button Quail, Moluccan Cockatoo, Common Raven, American Crow, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Black-and-White Warbler, Cedar Waxwing, Swainson's Thrush, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Northern Cardinal, Eastern Bluebird, Mourning Dove, American Goldfinch, House Finch, Slate-colored Junco, Downy Woodpecker, Hooded Merganser, Wood Duck, Canadian Geese, Green-winged Teal, Blue-winged Teal, Pintail, American Wigeon, Canvas Back and Redhead Duck.
Other Animals (24 species): Corn Snake, Black Rat Snake, California Kingsnake, Southwestern Milksnake, Boa Constrictor, Common Snapping Turtle, Wood Turtle, Painted Turtle, Three-toed Box Turtle, Eastern Box Turtle, Ornate Box Turtle, Blanding's Turtle, Leopard Gecko, White's Tree Frog, Chilean Rose-haired Tarantula, Madagascar Hissing Cockroach, Honey Bee, Bluegill, Black Crappie, White Crappie, Pumpkinseed, Yellow Perch, Smallmouth Bass and Largemouth Bass.
Zoo #44:
Driving west for approximately 45 minutes, I came across Doc’s Zoo (Bonduel, WI) which is a classic slice of 'Americana roadside nonsense'. A large, metal sculpture of a T-Rex greets visitors and the main attraction is a Harley Davidson store that is very impressive. Chilly with pumped-in air conditioning, pristine in all directions and extremely busy during my visit. Then there is a hodgepodge of rusty old crap outside (various statues, farm equipment – which is everywhere in the 'America's Dairyland' of Wisconsin, an abandoned Ferris Wheel, more motorcycles), a big restaurant, a couple of Viking ships (yes, Viking ships!), a Motorcycle Museum, an Antiques Stores and a small zoo. You can guess in which direction I headed.
The zoo consists of a large field of Plains Bison (where it is easy enough to pet a bison when they come up to the fence as I saw someone do exactly that), a Dromedary, some Sulcata Tortoises (which you can walk around and pet), Emus, an African Crested Porcupine, some Red Kangaroos, some pigs, goats, chickens, etc., and then inside the beautifully created Harley Davidson store is a side room somewhat hidden away from the public. I had to ask for help in locating it and I was the only one there during my visit. There are some juvenile American Alligators, some macaws, an African Grey Parrot and then the usual motley assortment of Boa Constrictors, Bearded Dragons, Sudan Plated Lizards and Leopard Geckos. I probably spent 45 minutes in total between all the different areas of Doc's Zoo.
Zoo #45:
Another 45 minutes west and I came to the Special Memories Zoo (Greenville, WI) and yet again I have another story about an eccentric owner but I'll save the juicy stuff for another paragraph. This place is the same wood-and-wire, chain-link crap that has plagued many of these privately-owned Wisconsin menageries. In terms of rare taxa it is a delight as there are surprises around every corner. With zero maps handed out, I spent some time backtracking and wandering around in order to ensure that I saw each and every exhibit and after 2 hours in the zoo I located an enclosure by the exit that ended up being the only one that I had missed. I wandered over to take a peek and sure enough, there was a Geoffrey's Cat inside! That species is practically extinct in American zoos these days, but then just check out this list of primates at the zoo:
Primates (15 species): Hamadryas Baboon, Olive Baboon, Crab-eating Macaque, Sulawesi Crested Macaque, Japanese Macaque, Rhesus Macaque, Vervet Monkey, Common Squirrel Monkey, Black-handed Spider Monkey, Patas Monkey, Tufted Capuchin, White-throated Capuchin, Common Marmoset, Red Ruffed Lemur and Ring-tailed Lemur.
All of those primates can be seen 5 feet away, which is the USDA's (U.S. Department of Agriculture) ruling and I heard that from two owners on this trip. Both Animal Haven Zoo and Special Memories Zoo have winding pathways that are 5-6 feet away from every single cage. It is almost close enough for a very tall individual to reach over and pet a macaque! Seeing the Sulawesi Crested Macaques was the highlight because those guys are barely found anywhere.
Special Memories Zoo actually took me a full 2 hours to tour and once again I was subjected to one of those damn kiddie train rides. This particular journey was much more enjoyable than the mosquito-ravaged, rain-soaked, bumpy-as-hell jaunt at Animal Gardens Petting Zoo a couple of days ago. This time around, at Special Memories Zoo, the ride was a 30-minute experience that took visitors past a series of cages containing indigenous animals. The really extraordinary thing was that the lady driving the train would blow the train's whistle to wake up the animals and then haul some out to show off to visitors. She picked up a Red Fox that was only a few months old (but still quite large) and the fox just laid there half-asleep. The lady spoke in a microphone and walked along the length of the train giving everyone a close-up opportunity with the fox and then she deposited it back into its corn crib cage. She showed us Grey Wolves, White-tailed Deer, Fishers (always pacing in captivity), a Striped Skunk, Woodchucks, etc. The guide went into a small cage with at least 5 North American Porcupines and she pulled the youngest one out and walked up and down again showing us the animal. She also opened the door to the American Badger 'pen' and grabbed a younger one to show everyone as it licked her and she kissed its face. An interesting train ride and it only cost me $3 and once again I sat in the caboose. “Zoo nerds go to the back!”
Besides that impressive primate collection (unfortuantely every single species was to be found in junky cages) and the train ride to see Wisconsin wildlife, this zoo has lions, tigers, bears, a giraffe, zebras, camels and a loop with nothing but bird exhibits. One aviary is truly enormous, towering over everything in the park. The owner is right there at the cash register as soon as you walk into the zoo, and she is probably 75 years old and she had the TV cranked up full blast the entire time I was there. A 7-week old Patas Monkey was jumping around behind her and the entrance building is absolutely stuffed with odds n' ends in all directions. It seriously looks as if you've stumbled into someone's overcrowded garage and yet she has a freaking Geoffrey's Cat right around the corner. These small zoos are genuinely surreal to tour. We're yelling back and forth because the damn TV is so loud and the baby Patas Monkey is chattering away and the zoo owner is half deaf and I'm inwardly shaking my head. One more zoo on the bucket list and I'll move on, lady.
She asked where I was from and I told her that I was on a big Michigan/Wisconsin road trip and she'd heard of basically none of the Michigan zoos but she was a bit sharper than other local zoo owners and she had visited many of the Wisconsin zoos...25+ years ago! She kept asking me what advice I had for her and I was critical of the American Black Bear and Grizzly Bear exhibits as they are disgusting cement blocks. Well, that did it! She raised her voice to drown out the blaring television and let me know in no uncertain terms that in zoos with big grassy enclosures there are bears dying all the time from bacteria and viruses that seep through the ground. She became so animated that she made it seem as if a couple of bears had just died while we were having our conversation! All of those nasty pieces of bacteria, right? She said her veterinary officer and even the USDA officer advised her to not move the bears as concrete is easier to clean and it doesn't maintain germs. Take a look at the photo link and you faithful readers can decide if the exhibit is large or appropriate enough for the two bears that live in it.
American Black Bear Exhibit:
American Black Bear Exhibit | ZooChat
After she calmed down a little, I steered the conversation towards her remarkable primate collection and she beamed with pride. These ancient owners, many of them all very old, are so delusional and out of touch with reality that I just have to nod my head and smile at their behaviour. They are from an era when it was okay to have monkeys running around in entrance buildings, or bears on cement, or tigers in exhibits that are only twice as wide as the cat, etc. The crazy thing is that these owners have not been to another zoo for a quarter of a century and it's as if they are stuck in some weird Austin Powers time loop in history. Maybe we'll pile all of these oddball zoo owners into “The Zoo That Shagged Me: The Cement Sequel.”
Zoo #46:
The last zoo of the day has late evening hours and I was thrilled to tour Wildwood Zoo (Marshfield, WI) as it was small yet excellent. The highlight is the brand-new Kodiak Bear habitat, easily one of the finest bear exhibits that I've ever seen. There is a mock-rock grotto enclosure with a deep pool and some natural substrate, but that is the old exhibit and there is a very high, 65-foot bridge that connects the enclosure to a superb, one-acre habitat that has everything that a captive bear would like. The whole thing cost more than a million bucks and for such a small zoo to have such wealthy benefactors (the money was privately-raised) is tremendous. In news clippings on boards, much is made of the fact that the three bears are true Kodiak subspecies from Kodiak Island, and mention is made of how that subspecies can sometimes have specimens larger than Polar Bears and is almost totally unrepresented in captivity in the USA.
This lovely little zoo has some terrific other exhibits, such as the Bald Eagle aviary, the Sandhill Crane exhibit, the Grey Wolf enclosure (although that one might currently be empty) and a Wildcat Exhibit that held a Bobcat on my visit. A Cougar enclosure is a bit disappointing but several other exhibits around the zoo are generally very good. Everything can be seen in 45 minutes but what a great little zoo!
I would have tried to squeeze another zoo into the day but Wisconsin Rapids Zoo (Wisconsin Rapids, WI) is closed every Monday and so unfortunately that tiny, free facility will miss out on a 'Snowleopard' visit.
Wisconsin is a fairly cold, probably inhospitable state during the winter and yet there are a LOT of zoos there. In fact, after Florida, California and Texas, Wisconsin places 4th in the USA in terms of the sheer volume of zoological facilities. I've now visited 28 out of the 34 zoos in the state. Unfortunately, the quality of the zoos in Wisconsin is not super high. The biggest and best zoo is obviously Milwaukee County Zoo, even with a good chunk of the exhibits being 40-50 years of age. I really like Henry Vilas as its small but exceptional, the International Crane Foundation is very limited but superb, and there are a handful of pleasant little places amidst a pile of dreck.
Here is my updated list and ** means that I've visited that facility:
**Alligator Alley (Wisconsin Dells)
**Animal Gardens Petting Zoo (Delavan)
**Animal Haven Zoo (Weyauwega)
**Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary (Green Bay)
**Bear Den Zoo (Waterford)
**Beaver Springs Park Aquarium (Wisconsin Dells)
**Bruemmer Park Zoo (Kewaunee)
Butterfly Gardens of Wisconsin (Appleton)
Discovery World: Reiman Aquarium (Milwaukee)
**Doc’s Zoo (Bonduel)
Fawn-Doe-Rosa Wildlife Educational Park (St. Croix Falls)
**Glacier Ridge Animal Farm (Van Dyne)
**Henry Vilas Zoo (Madison)
**International Crane Foundation (Baraboo)
**Irvine Park & Zoo (Chippewa Falls)
**Jo-Don Farms (Franksville)
**Lincoln Park Zoo (Manitowoc)
**MacKenzie Center (Poynette)
**Menominee Park Zoo (Oshkosh)
**Milwaukee County Zoo (Milwaukee)
Milwaukee Public Museum (Milwaukee)
**NEW (Northeastern Wisconsin) Zoo (Green Bay)
**Ochsner Park Zoo (Baraboo)
**Racine Zoo (Racine)
Safari Lake Geneva (Lake Geneva)
**Shalom Wildlife Zoo (West Bend)
**Special Memories Zoo (Greenville)
**Timbavati Wildlife Park (Wisconsin Dells)
**Wilderness Walk Zoo (Hayward)
**Wildwood Wildlife Park (Minocqua)
**Wildwood Zoo (Marshfield)
**Wisconsin Big Cat Rescue (Rock Springs)
**Wisconsin Deer Park (Wisconsin Dells)
Wisconsin Rapids Zoo (Wisconsin Rapids)
Music:
I have not mentioned music in many days but I've been revisiting a lot of classic records/albums that I have adored over the years. My all-time favourite is The Joshua Tree by U2, released long before Bono became insufferable. The period of The Unforgettable Fire, The Joshua Tree, Rattle & Hum and Achtung Baby contains some brilliant stuff but since then I have not really been a fan.
There have been other mainstays and many solo male artists such as Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp and Tom Petty, with a jaunt through Bob Seger's solo hits while I was cruising through Detroit. I'm a big fan of the record The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion, by the rockers The Black Crowes. Of course, no Snowleopard road trip would be complete without some Rolling Stones and their period of Let it Bleed/Beggars Banquet/Exile on Main Street/Sticky Fingers is probably the greatest era in rock n' roll history. I love Keith Richard's solo album Main Offender from the early 1990s and I've listened to that literally a thousand times.
