Children's Zoos

[ZPA]

I haven't seen this thread anywhere else, so what are your general opinions on children's zoos? I personally don't really go to them unless they have more exotic animals, but If I go with little kids, it makes me happy to see them happy.

Also I made this thread because my home zoo had the first children's zoo in the world, supposedly.

 

[Yi Qi]

I don't like them since they're so cookie cutter, goat and sheep this and that. Only recently with focusing on green practices do they start to get interesting.

 

[ThatOneZooGuy]

For me at least, it depends upon the children’s zoo. For example, when I went to San Diego before the construction of the new children’s zoo began, I visited the Children’s Zoo because there were species like ocelot and fennec fox exhibited. The new plan for a children’s zoo at San Diego also looks fantastic and well worth visiting, especially with the rumor of pangolins.
I think a Children’s Zoo can be a great experience for all ages if it exhibits non-domestics as well. Common examples are Squirrel Monkeys, Penguins, and Invertebrates, all of which have strong potential to interest both children and parents.

 

[Azamat Shackleford]

I find childrens’ zoos usually pleasing, depending on how unique they are. There’s your typical barnyard setups, then there’s the twists that other zoos have. I’ve seen Brookfield’s online and was very pleased how it’s not just another petting yard, and Toledo’s is phenomenal, having a plethora of non-domestics along with some domestic animals blended together (not to be confused with their new barnyard which is a typical petting zoo setup). Columbus’s upcoming Animal Encounters village as well as San Diego’s also seems to be very promising.

They’re also great for kids, a huge demographic to cater for amongst zoo-goers. Some zoos don’t offer as much interactive experiences besides petting zoos, and it’s also a great place for parents to take breaks while their kids have fun (while also hopefully not terrorizing the animals )

 

[ZPA]

I hadn't really thought about it, but KidZooU at Philadelphia Zoo is pretty interactive. I've been in there plenty of times, but never truly appreciated it. Granted it only has domestics, but there is so much education behind it. Why they turned the old children's zoo into a beer garden...you'd have to ask them yourselves.

 

[RatioTile]

Often Children’s Zoos are where rare species are kept (for example, Singapore Zoo’s has a small tank with Gambian Pouched Rats, which are available at pets but not often displayed in zoos). Otherwise, they display rare heritage breeds of domestic cattle, swine, goats, sheep, and chickens, which I do not collect photos of but I still find interesting.

 

[PossumRoach]

I loved the Bronx zoo's children's zoo except for the fact that you had to pay extra.

What do people think about whole zoos that call themselves children's zoos such as Lincoln children's zoo or Saitama children's zoo?

 

[15399]

I definitely see the advantages of having areas of a zoo specifically designed for children. However, seeing that the majority of zoo guests have children in their group, this might be an even better idea-
Design an entire zoo for children, with one section being the 'adults only' zoo. Not entirely sure what would be in it, although it could be a really interesting idea if done well.

 

[iluvwhales]

I think children's zoos are a good way for young ones to get a first interaction with animals, but I'm in @Yi Qi's boat when I say I feel like if you visit one children's zoo, you've seen many children's zoos: farm animals, some native wildlife (box turtles, rehabbed birds of prey), and once in a while some oddball exotics. That said, I do like to go to children's zoos sometimes to see and pet goats, alpacas, and donkeys.

Another thing, I don't like how children's zoos imply that they are or should be the only kid-friendly space in a zoo as opposed to having more kid-friendly signs, viewing areas, etc at all of a zoo's exhibits.

 

[Julio C Castro]

Just to throw my hat into the ring, I think they are definitely warranted and should generally be part of zoos. Yes it seems exclusionary in terms of its target audience being children but it can help be immersive and drawing them into their love for zoos. There are a couple of children’s zoos I am wanting to visit in the next year if travel is permitted across states and is safe. And as @ThatOneZooGuy mentioned the upcoming San Diego Zoo Children’s Zoo that could be fantastic, as it should be with the hefty price tag on it but based on the concept art and descriptions of what they are going for, it sounds like a smash hit. A combination of some domestic animals and wild animals is a good idea although it would be best to show off more wild animals to not only draw children in but also adults or parents who want to be part of their child’s wonder. And if a zoo can invest on making an well designed and properly executed Children’s Zoo, more power to them and get more kids to enjoy their visits and grow appreciation for animals and plants alike.

 

[Alex Bensky]

Detroit doesn't have one. There used to be a children's zoo on Belle Isle, an island park in the middle of the river. It had a storybook theme, the various exhibits tied to fairy tales and such.

Then for some reason they decided to do away with that and build a small regular zoo traversed by a raised walkway with African-themed structures. Attendance lagged, there was a measure to provide money to renovate it, but the mayor decided to build a new zoo elsewhere in the park, using a contractor with whom he had personal connections. The money was disbursed for what is now the nature center, and oddly enough, the cost in terms of money given to the contractor was a lot more than the original estimate.

The former Belle Isle zoo is now an overgrown ruin. The state took over the park from the city some years back and they've done a lot in rehabilitating it. I don't know why this ruin has been allowed to remain.

There was a small herd of fallow deer, somewhat inbred, and they were taken to the main zoo and placed in various exhibits, which is why there were some on the South American plains display, some with the camels, and so forth. I assume as they die off they won't be replaced.

 

[Breckenridge]

This may just be me being anecdotal but does it seem like South American species get relegated to Children's Zoos more often than others? i.e. Sloths, Squirrel monkeys, Coatis, Anteaters, Armadillos, Prehensile-tailed porcupines, Degus, Capybaras, Cavies, Macaws, Iguanas, Boas, etc.

 

[Onychorhynchus coronatus]

This may just be me being anecdotal but does it seem like South American species get relegated to Children's Zoos more often than others? i.e. Sloths, Squirrel monkeys, Coatis, Anteaters, Armadillos, Prehensile-tailed porcupines, Degus, Capybaras, Cavies, Macaws, Iguanas, Boas, etc.

Yes, from what I've seen in the gallery it would appear that they do.

I dont know why this is but perhaps one factor is because they are widely available and breed easily, another that many species are much more docile (with the exception of anteaters and sloths when p***** off) and they also have their charms.

 

[Yoshistar888]

This may just be me being anecdotal but does it seem like South American species get relegated to Children's Zoos more often than others? i.e. Sloths, Squirrel monkeys, Coatis, Anteaters, Armadillos, Prehensile-tailed porcupines, Degus, Capybaras, Cavies, Macaws, Iguanas, Boas, etc.

Most iguanas, especially the Green Iguana are anything but docile.

 

[Onychorhynchus coronatus]

Most iguanas, especially the Green Iguana are anything but docile.

Macaws and boas too can be quite temperamental and aggressive, but I guess if they are well socialized with handling and training etc. then they can become suitable for childrens zoos.

I think that royal pythons definitely make for better "education snakes" for handling purposes etc. than boas though.

 

[Onychorhynchus coronatus]

I haven't seen this thread anywhere else, so what are your general opinions on children's zoos? I personally don't really go to them unless they have more exotic animals, but If I go with little kids, it makes me happy to see them happy.

Also I made this thread because my home zoo had the first children's zoo in the world, supposedly.

I'm not very interested in them and often question their value but then again I don't have kids so don't ever go to them and if I did have then perhaps my view would be totally different.

I do understand that it is beneficial for children to interact and handle these kinds of domesticated animals like goats, rabbits, guinea pigs etc. I also think it is probably good in terms of providing rescued domestic animals with a new home too. In those regards perhaps an argument could be made for the value of children's zoos.

However, I'm just not personally interested in these kinds of places because as far as I see they have very limited to no contributions for conservation or education about the issues which are important to me such as biodiversity / wild animals.

That isn't to say though that children's zoos don't contribute to other kinds of valuable developmental education for children. I'm sure they do and especially regarding the importance of animal welfare, responsible ownership of these animals and just in general having empathy for animals and by extension their fellow human beings.

 

[15399]

This may just be me being anecdotal but does it seem like South American species get relegated to Children's Zoos more often than others? i.e. Sloths, Squirrel monkeys, Coatis, Anteaters, Armadillos, Prehensile-tailed porcupines, Degus, Capybaras, Cavies, Macaws, Iguanas, Boas, etc.

I think most zoos use their childrens zoo as a place for species that don't fit any of their other Exhibit areas. From a geographic sense, just about every major zoo has African and Asian areas- leading to few African and Asian species in Children's Zoos. Less zoos have dedicated areas to other continents however, meaning that those animals are more often placed in the Children's Zoo. Take for instance Tasmanian devils at St. Louis. There is no dedicated Australia area in the zoo, meaning the species is placed in the Childrens Zoo.

 

[Breckenridge]

Yes, from what I've seen in the gallery it would appear that they do.

I dont know why this is but perhaps one factor is because they are widely available and breed easily, another that many species are much more docile (with the exception of anteaters and sloths when p***** off) and they also have their charms.

Could it also be that since South America was isolated for such a long time that it's native species are considered "weird and exotic looking" and are therefore more distinctive and attention-grabbing to younger crowds?

 

[15399]

Could it also be that since South America was isolated for such a long time that it's native species are considered "weird and exotic looking" and are therefore more distinctive and attention-grabbing to younger crowds?

If that was the case, why does every kid love the Prarie dog and River Otter Exhibits? I think kids don't care how "exotic" something looks, and more want charismatic, active species. This fits the bill for River otters, prarie dogs, domestics, and many other common children zoo animals.

 

[Onychorhynchus coronatus]

Could it also be that since South America was isolated for such a long time that it's native species are considered "weird and exotic looking" and are therefore more distinctive and attention-grabbing to younger crowds?

Yes, to some extent this might be the case too, they also have the "cute appeal" in terms of sloths, armadillos like the three banded and callitrichids.