What does a walk-through zoo mean?

Jena

Jena

Well-Known Member
5+ year member
Hey y'all I know this sounds like a really dumb question and perhaps others have already asked this, but what does it mean when a zoo claims to be a walk-through zoo???

Because I was looking up North Carolina Zoo and they claim to be the largest walk-through zoo??? Like what is the difference between a walk-through zoo and just a regular zoo? I thought all zoos you walk through????
 
They mean compared to safari parks where you have to drive through a big part of the area (whether in your own car or in a designated safari vehicle). North Carolina Zoo is the largest zoo where you see everything on foot.
 
I've also never heard that phrase before. Interesting.

I think it probably bears some discussion, is it really North Carolina?
 
FunkyGibbon said:
I've also never heard that phrase before. Interesting.

I think it probably bears some discussion, is it really North Carolina?
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I wonder if a better way of measuring the size of a "walk-through zoo" might be the length of visitor paths. I wonder what zoo is largest on that metric.
 
FunkyGibbon said:
I think it probably bears some discussion, is it really North Carolina?
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I think not. I googled it earlier and the North Carolina Zoo has 500 acres in use, while the entire land area owned by the zoo (but mostly unused) is 2000 acres. Askaniya Nova is something like 1900 acres. I guess it depends partly on whether you would take only the part which is actually a zoo - in which case it is well below the largest; or the entire area - which just seems deceptive.
 
LaughingDove said:
I wonder if a better way of measuring the size of a "walk-through zoo" might be the length of visitor paths. I wonder what zoo is largest on that metric.
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That way of measuring wouldn't be completely accurate - old city zoos usually have more of a labyrinthine path system than newer zoos. I wouldn't wonder if zoos like Antwerp Zoo and London Zoo have a longer path network than the twice-as-big Hannover Zoo because Antwerp and London have lots of small crisscrossing paths, while Hannover Zoo has one long path you can take to see almost everything.

Maybe Berlin Tierpark would win on that metric?
 
Chlidonias said:
I think not. I googled it earlier and the North Carolina Zoo has 500 acres in use, while the entire land area owned by the zoo (but mostly unused) is 2000 acres. Askaniya Nova is something like 1900 acres. I guess it depends partly on whether you would take only the part which is actually a zoo - in which case it is well below the largest; or the entire area - which just seems deceptive.
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Is Askaniya Nova all walk through though? I've never been there myself, but I spoke to several friends who have been, and I remember hearing that the actual zoo part (with enclosures for hoofed animals and birds) is fairly small. The open-range reserve is very large, but I don't think it's open for walking - people go there in the back of the trucks
 
That said, I also don't believe that North Carolina Zoo is the largest walk through zoo in the world. I have been to North Carolina, and it's huge, but I think Toronto Zoo (over 700 acres) was (and felt) even larger, and it was entirely walk through (there was a monorail which I did not take, but one could see the entire zoo on feet)
 
Hvedekorn said:
They mean compared to safari parks where you have to drive through a big part of the area (whether in your own car or in a designated safari vehicle). North Carolina Zoo is the largest zoo where you see everything on foot.
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Ohh okay thanks that makes sense now!
 
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you all are asking if it is the north carolina zoo. Now I have never been there. (REALLY want to go though luckily my brother goes to college 58 minutes away from this zoo). I don't even know if the facts are correct or anything like that. My original question only refered to walk through zoo. And I got that info from this photo I have found on google imanges. That's where my question came from. I never heard of the term walk through zoo until I saw the photo I am now sharing with you all. In case y'all wonder where I found the info..
 
I would have thought that a walk-through zoo would be one where there is no glass, bars or other barriers between the visitors and other animals. I have been to a few walk-through exhibits, but not a walk-through zoo.
 
Dassie rat said:
I would have thought that a walk-through zoo would be one where there is no glass, bars or other barriers between the visitors and other animals. I have been to a few walk-through exhibits, but not a walk-through zoo.
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Depending on your definition of "zoo", most butterfly houses would fall into this.
 
Hello Hvedekorn.

If the walk-through butterfly house was the only part of an animal collection, l think it would be a walk-through zoo. If it had a few animals behind glass, it wouldn't.
 
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