So I’ve been back in Alaska for about three days. Work resumes tomorrow and over the course of the next two weeks I’ll get my 24 Zoo Reviews done. Here on this page I’ll also rank them and throw out a little collected trivia and data regarding those facilities.
I visited 24 Zoos (or Zoo equivalents) and four Natural History Museums of Note. I had 10 near misses (I.e. zoos that at one point or another were on the radar for a visit), with two of those the decision to visit or not was made the very morning I intended to visit. The first was Blank Park Zoo because of the sheer percentage of exhibits and animals that were closed or not on view. The second was the Yukon Wildlife Preserve…that visit in the end was called off (literally five miles and 30 minutes from opening) due to a vehicle performing poorly in extreme cold and the deteriorating weather conditions and pending gloom of night as I finished my drive through Canada. That I made Whitehorse to Glennallen that day was at least predicated on not visiting the YWP and that decision saved me some potential tight spots had I reached certain points on that journey in darkness.
Facilities visited in order of visit: (with a quick grade)
Gulf Breeze Zoo (A-)
Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park (C-)
Tallahassee Museum (A-)
Homossassa Springs Wildlife Park (A+)
Busch Gardens Tampa (B)
Zoo Tampa (B+)
Zoo Miami (A)
Brevard Zoo (B)
St. Augustine Alligator Farm and Zoological Park (B-)
Jacksonville Zoo (B)
Oatland Island Wildlife Center (B)
Charles Towne Landing State Park (B-)
North Carolina Zoo (A+)
Mill Mountain Zoo (C+)
Virginia Wildlife Park (B)
Pittsburgh Zoo (B+)
Brookfield Zoo (A-)
Minnesota Zoo (A)
Henry Doorly Zoo (A+)
Lee G. Simmon’s Wildlife Safari Park (A)
Denver Zoo (A)
Zoo Montana (B+)
Calgary Zoo (A)
Edmonton Zoo (B+)
I was admittedly allowed to handpick which facilities I’d aim for. The only out and out unexpected visit was to the Gulfarium. I was visiting with my nieces so it was the perfect time for me to really look the place over. Like most of Florida’s Zoos they could exhibit Alligators, Caimans, and Crocodiles very well. Everything else seemed to me to be basically functional…tank + water + plus aquatic / semi-aquatic creature = exhibit. They obviously do great work with Sea Turtle Rehab. I believe they had at least three species undergoing rehabilitation during our visits. Definitely room for improvement overall.
I did not, but should maybe include the Navarre Beach Sea Turtle facility (think Nature Center with a Sea Turtle on show) and the Palm Bay Bass Pro Shop (which in addition to the live local native fish aquarium inside the store) also exhibited a pair of Feral Hogs and a half dozen mature American Alligators in adjoining outdoor exhibits that would have made fine additions to any of the Florida Themed Exhibits at any of the other zoos I visited.
Calgary Zoo might just ease into a solid A+ once I have the opportunity to view The Canadian Wilds in all its glory.
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