So my trip will actually end up being 9 days instead of the original 7. I'm lucky enough to be able to stay with someone in Gainesville for the next couple of days so my hotel costs won't increase. However, I actually had a little burnout and haven't visited any zoo the last couple of days making my original planned total unfeasible at this point. My final day will be visiting two Florida facilities (one a revisit).
Anyways, continuing on to the reviews:
Jacksonville Zoo
"The Florida Five Finale"
Location: Jacksonville, FL
Type: Mid-Large AZA Zoo
Cost: Around $30 (half off with my AZA membership)
Florida’s four major metro areas are each represented by a major zoological institution, with Tampa actually having two facilities worthy of such a rank. I dub these the "Florida Five". I’ve visited Zoo Miami regularly over the last 2 years, while also experiencing Zoo Tampa, Busch Gardens and Disney’s Animal Kingdom in the last 6 months. It was only natural that I’d make sure to visit the states last major zoo when I was already close enough to Jacksonville as it is.
I didn’t come in with any lofty expectations, though I’ve heard good things about Jacksonville Zoo. Upon entering the zoo, I was treated to what was probably the worst-looking zoo map I’ve ever seen. Luckily, this was likely the lowest aspect of my zoo visit.
The zoo puts a strong focus on Africa, with a couple of standout exhibits based around the continent. The Africa Loop has very large and well-maintained hoofstock yards and a really beautiful but empty exhibit that I believe once held Cheetahs. I really loved the mixed-species savanna yard featuring rhinos, kudu and large birds. There is also a sprawing“bush” yard with Bongo and Yellow-backed Duiker taking up a large portion of the loop and having multiple viewing areas throughout.
My favorite exhibit of the entire zoo however would have to be the Great Apes Forest. Upon entering, you’re greeted to a huge Kapok tree, one I originally thought was just a display… until I saw Bonobos climbing it. The Bonobos are the real treat here. Besides being a rarity at zoos, they are among the most personable species to interact with. One was laying down near the viewing window and I can swear it started posing for me once I took out my smartphone for pictures! The Bonobos have several nice yards that are connected via an overhead pathway and they can all access the Kapok tree; Mantled Colobus Monkeys also have access to these pathways. While they don’t have the same interconnected habitat, the Gorilla enclosure is nothing to sneeze at, being quite a solid addition to this section.
There really was nothing I disliked about the African-themed sections, though the elephant yard was just alright and for some reason one of the elephants was kept in a small side yard near the Giraffe exhibit. The reptile house could also use a little updating.
Moving on, we get to the South American-themed Range Of The Jaguar. The whole “ruined temple” theme is done to death, yet every time I see it I fall in love with it again. The Jaguar exhibit is beautifully done with plenty of rocks for climbing, pleasing waterfalls and a large Pacu-filled pool spread through two connected enclosures.
The indoor temple exhibit besides being a nice piece of architecture has an interesting herp-centric collection within, though the highlight for me was seeing Vampire Bats for the first time. Finally if this section hadn’t already clinched being a must-see, there is an enjoyable walk-through aviary to confirm it. Besides hosting a variety of neotropical birds, there are also exhibits within the aviary, such as a well-done Giant Otter area. I also liked the addition of rare turtles added here, including Mexican Slider and Central American River Turtle. While Florida has so many very awesome Latin American-themed zoo exhibits, Jacksonville’s still manages to stand out as one of the best, with only the juggernaut that is Zoo Miami’s Amazon & Beyond definitively ranked higher in my book.
The final of the top 3 exhibits is the Asia section. This part of the zoo contains what might be the best suid enclosures I’ve seen at any zoo (you can tell I’d home in on that from my name). The large Babirusa yard, shared with Small-clawed Otters, was especially appreciated with its many viewing areas. Land Of The Tiger, with its Malayan and Sumatran Tigers also stand out. To top it off there’s a serene Oriental garden to stroll through if you need a break from animal viewing.
While there was nothing I really hated at Jacksonville Zoo, the two other major areas didn’t reach the same high regard as the others. Wild Florida appears to be aged and in need of a bit of updating. The reptile house was worn-out, the Bobcat enclosure surprisingly dinky, and the Alligator Snapping Turtle exhibit was dirty and made viewing the reptile almost impossible. There is also a manatee kept in a very small pool, which would easily be the worst enclosure at the zoo if not for the fact that this actually might be a necessary feature for the rehabbing animal. Either way, its still quite dirty and aesthetically unpleasing.
The Australia section was another area I felt could use improvements. Not so much in quality as its fairly nice and modern, especially the Lorikeet aviary also housing a rare Racket-tailed Roller (and for some reason, a geographically inappropriate Motmot). Its just that no marsupials are featured here, making the “Australia” theme pretty hard to pick up. Within (or right next to) Australia is an Amphibian conservation building featuring a few rare species. However, viewing some of them is very difficult due to them being put in barely-transparent tupperware vats behind glass windows within a lab. To be fair, Jacksonville isn’t the only facility to do this type of exhibit, with both Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Smithsonian National Zoo having similarly-designed spaces. But that still doesn’t mean I like it, and in Jacksonville’s case the rare amphibians already held in the collection could of made for yet another very notable exhibit. Amphibian houses are already rare (as noted by
@pachyderm pro and others in “America’s 100 must-see exhibits”) so this feels like a missed opportunity. Still, these few complaints pale in comparison to the many positives Jacksonville Zoo has within its gates.
OVERALL: Jacksonville Zoo was a revelation. Having finally experienced it, I can now say I was thoroughly impressed. This zoo may not be the largest in terms of size or collection, but most of the major exhibits anchoring this facility are among the most well done I’ve seen. While it isn’t quite on the level of Zoo Miami or other mega-zoo’s I’ve visited (like San Diego and Bronx), it packs a nice punch for its size. I would in fact rank it as my second favorite Florida zoo. Hopefully the few older-looking areas left here can get a renovation in the near future because I honestly feel that if they do it successfully, this zoo has potential to be one of the best in the country.
I will attempt to make a species list later in its own thread.
I appreciate the food advice offer, but for this trip I'm pretty much sticking to hotel breakfasts and homemade sandwiches and the occasional fast-food, gotta save at least *some* money and no fun for me eating out solo anyways.
