Visiting the USA's zoos

Hmm, I don't know how the indoor education building could not be there and I also don't know how anyone could miss it because everyone had to walk through it as I recall. It was the only way to continue the circular path between the first four exhibits and the final (tiger) exhibit. There was no bypass. If it is no longer there, I wonder what became of the space? Very interesting.
 
Arizona Docent said:
Hmm, I don't know how the indoor education building could not be there and I also don't know how anyone could miss it because everyone had to walk through it as I recall. It was the only way to continue the circular path between the first four exhibits and the final (tiger) exhibit. There was no bypass. If it is no longer there, I wonder what became of the space? Very interesting.
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I think I know which area you're talking about. If we're thinking about the same area, that part of the exhibit has been turned into a "theater" where a video about an African safari is displayed.
 
Here is an older map of the exhibit layout. The theater is in the first half of the loop and the education room ("base camp") is in the second half.
Big Cat Falls

Big Cat Falls

  • Media owner mweb08
  • Date added
  • Comments 1
 
I just found a better photo that shows a closer view of the same map (with base camp clearly visible). If you use the link to go to that media there are also several comments discussing the exhibit complex.
Big Cat Falls - Map

Big Cat Falls - Map

  • Media owner snowleopard
  • Date added
  • Comments 11
July 31st, 2010.
 
amur leopard said:
That sounds like a really good program! I've checked with my uncle about whether he'll be free the suggested dates but he says he's normally really busy with work that kind of period and can't afford to take even a single day off. So, I guess no Philly in the interest of saving time and money. I guess that means that in the case of trip 1 there isn't much use for the reciprocity programme, but I think it may come in useful in other trips, so thanks for mentioning that, I had no idea it existed!

As for the early opening, I'm always an early riser on zoo days, so I will be outside the gate a good ten minutes before opening time! :D
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If you do come, let me know! We could meet up :)

(Adsa) said:
I understand that philly would not be the most feasible trip. However the zoo could still be visited it does not require a direct trip to Philly its a bit outside the city.
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Huh? It's not in Center City/South Philly, but it's definitely right in the city, just north of the Art Museum. There are few zoos that are more in a city.

Arizona Docent said:
Philadelphia's Big Cat Falls is definitely one of the best big cat complexes I have seen - and I have been to over 100 zoos in USA and Europe. Although I have seen a couple cats rotated to different exhibits, the lineup was: African lion, Amur tiger, jaguar, snow leopard, North American puma. They used to have Amur leopard in a separate area in an exhibit that was too small, but I think it is now moved to this nicer area. Big Cat Falls also has a nice indoor cat education building. I believe that smaller exhibit area has Canadian lynx and another small cat (changed since I was there, maybe fishing cat now? Perhaps even a third species?). There is also a decent cheetah exhibit in another area.
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I think the confusion between you and TZDugong is your post reads like you're saying the lynx is within the indoor area of Big Cat Falls, but you mean down by the otters, right? There's no longer any cats down there. It used to be bobcat and black-footed cat, but they both left when they added the 360 trails to that area. They've been turned into more sections for the otters and red pandas.
Years ago, before Big Cat Falls, there was a building in the cat area with indoor viewing.
 
I am talking specifically about Big Cat Falls, NOT about Carnivore Kingdom where lynx and other small cats are or were. To get from puma (which I once saw with snow leopard), the fourth habitat, to tiger, the fifth habitat, I had to walk through Base Camp.
 
Arizona Docent said:
I am talking specifically about Big Cat Falls, NOT about Carnivore Kingdom where lynx and other small cats are or were. To get from puma (which I once saw with snow leopard), the fourth habitat, to tiger, the fifth habitat, I had to walk through Base Camp.
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Yes, there's the long building in the back of BGF; there's stuff about palm oil, a short film, two photo ops with cut outs of cats in there. But no live cats.
 
TinoPup said:
If you do come, let me know! We could meet up :)



Huh? It's not in Center City/South Philly, but it's definitely right in the city, just north of the Art Museum. There are few zoos that are more in a city.



I think the confusion between you and TZDugong is your post reads like you're saying the lynx is within the indoor area of Big Cat Falls, but you mean down by the otters, right? There's no longer any cats down there. It used to be bobcat and black-footed cat, but they both left when they added the 360 trails to that area. They've been turned into more sections for the otters and red pandas.
Years ago, before Big Cat Falls, there was a building in the cat area with indoor viewing.
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I would love to meet up! I will end up after these 5 trips going almost everywhere in the US with a large zoo, so I will try and meet up with as many as possible if they are free :)

I think the Amtrak station isn't too far away from the zoo, so providing there is a suitable bag drop I reckon I'll be able to go.
 
Last night (after my last post) I read the chapter on Philadelphia Zoo in America's Top 100 Zoos & Aquariums. It says Carnivore Kingdom (where the small cats were) no longer exists and was torn down to make room for the tunnel/chute system? Is this correct?
 
Arizona Docent said:
Last night (after my last post) I read the chapter on Philadelphia Zoo in America's Top 100 Zoos & Aquariums. It says Carnivore Kingdom (where the small cats were) no longer exists and was torn down to make room for the tunnel/chute system? Is this correct?
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There is no Carnivore Kingdom on the current map, and when I visited in 2018 I'm pretty sure there was a lynx at Water's Edge with red panda, fossa, and giant otter. Do you know where the exhibit complex was?
 
Yes I looked at their current map and did not see it either. It may have become "Water Is Life" because I don't remember that section other than the stand-alone giant otter exhibit.
 
Arizona Docent said:
Yes I looked at their current map and did not see it either. It may have become "Water Is Life" because I don't remember that section other than the stand-alone giant otter exhibit.
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That would make sense, given the 3 non-aquatic small carnivores still living there. I also remember that exhibit being "new" when I visited; I think they added a second enclosure for the giant otters along with changing the Carnivore Kingdom complex. I found it to be a very strange renovation; only the otters fit in with the water conservation theme (which itself seemed forced) and I thought both otter enclosures were quite ugly and for different reasons.
 
Arizona Docent said:
Last night (after my last post) I read the chapter on Philadelphia Zoo in America's Top 100 Zoos & Aquariums. It says Carnivore Kingdom (where the small cats were) no longer exists and was torn down to make room for the tunnel/chute system? Is this correct?
Click to expand...

TinoPup said:
I think the confusion between you and TZDugong is your post reads like you're saying the lynx is within the indoor area of Big Cat Falls, but you mean down by the otters, right? There's no longer any cats down there. It used to be bobcat and black-footed cat, but they both left when they added the 360 trails to that area. They've been turned into more sections for the otters and red pandas.
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**The Philadelphia Zoo is right in the city off the Schuylkill Expressway.

**Given how international relations have soured with China--and many think the sudden recall of the SDZ pandas was a direct result--it might be fun for you to see the giant pandas in DC. There are SO many Smithsonian museums, consider more than one day for them! The Air and Space Museum alone could absorb you for a day, and the Museum of Natural History with it's iconic mastadon is incredible. Plus many others devoted to western, Asian, and modern Art.

**Both times I went to SD, I got 7-day passes for unlimited trips to SDZ, SDSP, and SeaWorld, which saved a fortune. You could also mix and match in a day, going to the zoo during the day, say, and going to SeaWorld in the evening for the big show. We used 6 of the 7 days, so it was the best package deal I've ever gotten on a trip anywhere! I was a member of NZP and the Bronx Zoo, and this deal saved me way more than the reciprocal discounts would have.

**The Henry Ford Museum is really awesome, and it also includes Greenfield Village, a collection of 100 buildings covering almost the entire span of US history. There are costumed interpreters, vehicles from all the periods, farms and livestock, pasttimes and games, a even Thomas Edison's laboratory building (lol.moved from a spot about five miles from where I live). Well worth including!
 
AmbikaFan said:
**Given how international relations have soured with China--and many think the sudden recall of the SDZ pandas was a direct result--it might be fun for you to see the giant pandas in DC. There are SO many Smithsonian museums, consider more than one day for them! The Air and Space Museum alone could absorb you for a day, and the Museum of Natural History with it's iconic mastadon is incredible. Plus many others devoted to western, Asian, and modern Art.
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I sure will go to the Smithsonian Museums - they seem really good and I wouldn't want to miss them. They also have an online catalogue (off-show and on-show), and they have taxidermies/skeletons of every single species of wild cat!
It really sounds like an incredible place, and even if a fraction of those wild cat taxidermies are exhibited, I'm still going to absolutely head there.

I will also be going to the National zoo, even though, as for most Zoochatters, the appeal isn't exactly the pandas :D
We seem to have a few more of them in Europe, I guess because China has more countries to strike deals with :D

AmbikaFan said:
**Both times I went to SD, I got 7-day passes for unlimited trips to SDZ, SDSP, and SeaWorld, which saved a fortune. You could also mix and match in a day, going to the zoo during the day, say, and going to SeaWorld in the evening for the big show. We used 6 of the 7 days, so it was the best package deal I've ever gotten on a trip anywhere! I was a member of NZP and the Bronx Zoo, and this deal saved me way more than the reciprocal discounts would have.
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I really want/need to go to SDZ twice, and SDZSP is certainly a one-day visit. However, I'm not the keenest on Seaworlds. I might still go if they are holding a rare dolphin species temporarily or something similar, but I'm not sure that kind of place was meant for me. I could, however, spend one more day at the zoo and then another one at the Safari park and get the 7-day pass, which would be lovely, but I'm not sure about costing...
I'll see about it when I get there. However, as it is, there isn't a pass which really covers the 3 days in only two of the parks, so I may well end up visiting them more times.

AmbikaFan said:
**The Henry Ford Museum is really awesome, and it also includes Greenfield Village, a collection of 100 buildings covering almost the entire span of US history. There are costumed interpreters, vehicles from all the periods, farms and livestock, pasttimes and games, a even Thomas Edison's laboratory building (lol.moved from a spot about five miles from where I live). Well worth including!
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Sounds really interesting, thanks for the extra info! :)
 
TinoPup said:
New Year's day ;) BTW the bridge is now done, way ahead of schedule, so once places are open again I'll no longer have to base travel around lane closings!

@amur leopard you are welcome to leave it in my car if there isn't a bag drop.
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Thanks for the offer! Very kind of you :)
I'm not sure about the logistics yet, but I will see when it gets a bit closer to the time if there happens not to be a bag drop. Are they common in American cities? Pretty much all stations in Europe have them and even relatively small British stations have them.
 
The pass is for 7 days because many people like myself needed two days at SDZ and SP each, plus some Sea World. I saw my only dugong ever there! We used the extra day to go to Mission Bay, ride the restored rollercoaster The Big Dipper, and chill out in the bluest water....
 
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