Philadelphia Zoo Philadelphia Zoo Review!

[Kevin2342]

1. As Philadelphia is my home zoo I have been visiting for almost 14 years, I thought I’d decided to do a little review on each exhibit there. Philly is a great zoo, some of their exhibits are very good, some are pretty alright and sort of old fashioned.
   
   As you first walk through the North Gate, the first exhibit you see is Monkey Junction. It is currently empty, but until recently housed a family of six Black-and-White Ruffed Lemurs. The ruffed lemurs have moved back to PECO Primate Reserve, their original home. In the past this exhibit has housed Black-headed spider monkeys, Brown spider monkeys, and Common squirrel monkeys. The black-headed spider monkeys are now in the South end of the zoo, the brown spider monkeys and common squirrel monkeys are not at the zoo anymore.
   
   Very close by, the next exhibit people see is the Rare Animal Conservation Center. It focuses on endangered species, hence the name, but many species there are not that endangered. This is an old building but was remodeled in 2001 and the enclosures now are a lot nicer than when they used to be. It used to house animals like tree kangaroos and chimpanzees which are have been long gone. Today, most of the exhibits contain monkeys, although there are some small mammals as well. The first exhibit is open-mesh and is quite nice with red light reflecting it. In here is Grogu the Hoffmann’s two-toed sloth. Grogu was born at the zoo in May of 2021. He is hard to see, though, as he likes to hang out in his hammock a lot. The rest of the exhibits are glass-covered. The next one over has a pair of Pied Tamarins and another Hoffman’s two-toed sloth named Argyle, who is my favorite animal in this building. The pair of Pied Tamarins recently moved over from PECO Primate Reserve since there was that space. The exhibit has housed pied tamarins in the past though, as well as golden lion tamarins. At an estimated age of 48, Argyle is thought to be the oldest sloth of any species alive in the US, and one of the oldest in the world. He is blind in one eye, and has cataracts in the other. The next exhibit houses a single, elderly Prehensile-tailed porcupine named Felix and a pair of Geoffroy’s marmosets. There is an exhibit across from it on the left wall of the building, which has many small hole viewing windows for Naked mole-rats. This one is quite nice as it simulates a termite mound in Africa. The mole-rats have tunnels they can crawl in, to access every hole. Back to the right, the next exhibit houses a pair of Golden Lion Tamarins. The zoo specializes in golden lion tamarin conservation and helping to save the species, as even still endangered, the numbers have gone up significantly in recent years. The next two exhibits are for the star of the building: Storm the Red-capped Mangabey. Storm is actually alone because the zoo couldn’t socialize him with other red-capped mangabeys since his last companion died in 2004. At 28 years old, Storm is the oldest of his species in North America and is on medication for age-related diabetes. The two exhibits are perfectly designed for a red-capped Mangabey as they don’t have many branches to climb with them being so big and muscular. One of them, however, used to house a pair of Blue-eyed black lemurs who died in 2022 and were the worlds oldest. The next exhibit is the largest one in the building: the Rodrigues fruit bats. They are another species the zoo is targeted to conservation, since they are very endangered. They used to live in the very front of the building where Grogu the sloth is now, and they smelled so stinky. Now they have a much better home, with much more space. Now since they are behind glass the smell in the building has calmed down, but still not great. The next two exhibits are for a family of Francois Langurs. These two are also a little different from the rest with much less branches, with the langurs also being strong and muscular. This used to house Douc Langurs, which Philly was the only zoo in North America to house this critically endangered monkey until the last one died in 2018 and was the worlds oldest. The next exhibit is home to two male Pied Tamarins. They are two brothers, unlike the pair at the front of the building which has the third brother of these two and another female. The next exhibit is home to another male Hoffmann’s two-toed sloth named Jabba, who is Argyle’s son, as well as a pair of Giant elephant shrews. This exhibit dosen’t have the most branches, but a decent amount for the sloth to climb. The next exhibit houses a pair of Bolivian Grey Titi Monkeys and two male Giant elephant shrews, who are the sons of the pair next door. The final exhibit is empty but used to house Eclectus parrots and Keas. There also used to be a small exhibit across the hall that housed Pygmy marmosets but has not had anything for almost a decade. Now it’s covered up in white paper and guests don’t even think it’s an exhibit anymore. Overall, I think this building is decent, but can be better. The nice part is most of the animals can access the Zoo360 Trail system.
   
   
   That’s it for now, but I will be continuing my review on each exhibit at the zoo.
   

 

[Kevin2342]

Next, we’re on to the Reptile and Amphibian House. This is my favorite exhibits at the zoo and one of the best reptile houses I’ve ever seen. The exhibits are nice and naturalistic, and mimic each species’ natural setting and is filled with lots of live plants. As you walk in the front door, the front half of the building has no given name, but each set of cages is linked to a certain theme. As you make your way to the left, the first few cages are themed to aquatic amphibians. Here you can find Emperor spotted newts, Firebelly toads, and a One-toed amphiuna. There also used to be a Hellbender that died recently and that exhibit is empty. All the exhibits that house these species contain a pool with above and underwater viewing. One of the exhibits, however, is designed differently for a Fire Salamander. There is only a small amount of water in a little tub and it is mostly moss. That is because they spend more time in the forest, but will still go in ponds. Now tracking to the right side of the building, the next five exhibits are themed to woodland reptiles. Species housed here are Northern Water Snake, Musk turtle, Eastern mud turtle, Eastern Massasauga, and Copperhead. The exhibit with the two turtles has mostly water since they are found in streams and rivers close to the woodlands. As you go along, the hallway gets narrower.Here each side has three exhibits . The left side is themed to Madagascar forest reptiles. The first exhibit, and the best one of the three, has a Flat-tailed spider tortoise and a Standing’s day gecko. This one is spacious and has lots of natural plants. The gecko likes to hide so most of the time I don’t see it. There is also red light that reflects the animals’ natural setting. The next one is home to Madagascar tree boas. This one is decently sized and has a tree hole and a dead tree, letting the snakes climb and simulating their environment. The final one is also decently sized and contains a Madagascar ground boa. This one is also nice as it’s large, and has a den with red light and pool to reflect the natural setting of the Madagascar forest. There is always a back door open for the snake to hide, and the red light in the door reflects it’s natural environment and visitors can actually see through with the light, which is quite nice. There is also a large pool, which simulates the island of Madagascar. The three on the right are all themed to forests as well, but the different snakes come from different places geographically. The first one is home to a Timber rattlesnake from the United States. This one is large, has a hill and a large log the snake can crawl into and in top of, and a pool. This is simulating the woodlands of Pennsylvania. The next one is home to a Cottonmouth also from the U.S. This one simulates a Florida swamp as a large part of the front left has a pool under a log and the back right has natural plants the snake can hide in. The last one is home to a West African gaboon viper from Africa. This one has a large log and also a bit of a hill but contains lots of leaves, which simulates an African forest, there is also a den the snake can go into, but this one is dark and you can only kinda see it through the hole. The hallway then gets wider again, and there are three more exhibits on each side. The left side is the only area of the building that dosen’t have a theme, it used to be themed to the Amazon but now all the different animals are from different parts of the world. The first exhibit contains a Chinese crocodile lizard from Asia. It has a large pool with above and underwater viewing and land areas and hills for the lizard to climb and fallen plants, which simulates a Chinese river. the second one has Gofodulcean poison frogs and Green-and-black-poison frogs from the Amazon. This one is quite wet, has both water and land and climbing oppurtunities and has raindrops on the plants which simulates the Amazon. The third one has an Eyelash gecko from New Caledonia. The gecko likes to hide, and a lot of the times you won’t see it. The exhibit contains fallen leaves and branches and simulates a fallen Island forest. The right side is themed to the Islands. The first exhibit contains a Solomon Island tree boa. This one has an elevated rock in the back with moss and tree branches and a log on the ground which replicates an Island forest. The second one has Splendid tree frogs. This one has some hiding spots and lots of plants and it looks kind of ‘’cloudy’’- to give you the feel of a New Guinea cloud forest.The third one has a Green tree python. This one dosen’t have too many branches but a decent amount for the snake to climb. This one dosen’t have too many plants and gives you the feel more of a temperate forest. Now we are done with the front half, but there is still lots more!

part 2 coming soon! The reptile house has a ton of animals so I’m not going to do everything in one post

 

[Kevin2342]

Philadelphia Zoo Review: Reptile and Amphibian House Continued

As yesterday I started my review on the Reptile and Amphibian House, there is still so much more in there to see. As we left off after the front half of the building, we are now in the center of the building. The next section is the King Cobra Temple, which is themed to reptiles from Southeast Asia and the Islands. There are two exhibits inside the main temple structure in the middle, and there are four more exhibits surrounding it with temple structures on the outside. The exhibits in the King Cobra Temple are the best in the building, as they are quite large for their inhabitants and the temple structures feel like you’re actually there. The first enclosure on the left, and the best one in this section, is home to a Merten’s water monitor. It has a large pool with underwater and above viewing, red light, rocks, a little den in the left corner and a giant fallen tree branch. The giant fallen tree branch simulates the rivers of Australia. Right across from that is an exhibit containing Weber’s sailfin lizards inside the main temple. Currently, it is under construction for pest control. This one has lots of natural bamboo, a pool, and tree branches to give you the feel of a Philippine forest. As you keep walking in the circle, the next enclosure is home to a Chinese three-striped box turtle. The enclosure is really big for a single turtle. This one is full of moss and has a large pool and a cave in the right back corner. The walls are decorated with bamboo to give you that feeling of Asia and the moss gives you the feel of a river bank. On the other side, there are two more enclosure on the walls. One contains Black tree monitors and a Travancore tortoise. This one gives you the feel of an Island forest. This one is also under renovation for pest control. It has a ton of space for the monitors to climb and I’ve never seen an enclosure that big for black tree monitors. The walls are painted blue and there are temple structures inside of it as well. There is also a large thick branch in the middle connecting a giant dead tree and little nests spread throughout. We call the little nests ‘’the baskets’’ where the monitors like to spend a lot of time. Keep a look out for the monitors, they are not actually signed. The other one is home to Prehensile-tailed skinks. There are lots of spots for the skinks to hide and climb and there is also a waterfall and rocks the skinks can climb on. There is also a giant dead tree in the exhibits, giving you feel of the drier Islands. There is one more enclosure in the main temple, which is currently also under renovation for pest control. This used to house a King Cobra which was the star of the king cobra temple, who died last year. Once it is finished, it will be home to a False Water Cobra, which are actually from south america, and eventually the zoo will get a new king cobra to take its place.

The next section to the right of the King Cobra Temple is called the Desert Wing. This section is themed to the deserts around the world, and species housed here include Sidewinder rattlesnake, Shingleback skink, Hosmer’s skink, Western diamondback rattlesnake, Gila monster, Knobtail Gecko, Spiny-tailed lizard, Pancake tortoise and Pueblan milk snake. The best enclosure in this section are the Western diamondback rattlesnake/Gila monster one. This one is spacious and has a den with red light the animals can get into and on top of, natural grass the animals can hide in, and a pool, which simulates a Southwestern desert.

On the left side of the King Cobra temple is the Aquatic Wing, which consists of three enclosures. The first one is home to a Mata mata turtle. It has leaves, rocks, hiding spots and a pool that is pretty shallow. It is supposed to simulate an Amazon river bank. The second one is home to three Dwarf caimans. This one is quite large with a large pool, a decent amount of land area, rocks and dead trees and is also supposed to simulate the Amazon river. The third one is home to a Florida common snapping turtle. This one has a large, deep pool, but one thing to complain is there is a very small amount of land area for the turtle.

The final section of the Reptile and Amphibian House is the back half of the building, named ‘’Crocodiles, Anacondas and Tortoises’’ but there is more than just that. All the enclosures in this section are very large and are the largest ones in the building. The first enclosure to the right is home to two male Beaded lizards and a Desert tortoise. This one is themed to the Southwest desert with a pool, large log, cactus and hills in the back and is sand-covered. The next two enclosures to the left are home to a female West African crocodile named Luna. There is a ton of space for the crocodile but again, I complain there is not enough land space. One of them used to be home to the zoos American alligator Blackie, until he died in 2019. The next enclosure is home to a Reticulated python. This one simulates the mangroves of Southeast Asia. This one has a large pool, a large dead tree stump on the left side, and another dead tree in the back corner on top of a little hill where the snake likes to hide a lot. Right across from that, the next enclosure is home to a pair of Green anacondas. The anacondas are my favorite animals in the entire zoo. This one is very nice, with a pool, purple light, a giant dead tree with a hole and a hill in the back of the exhibit. Back to the left side, the next enclosure is home to a pair of West African dwarf crocodiles. It is supposed to simulate the Congo river basin. This one is very large, has a large horizontal river that covers almost the entire exhibit, and land covered with sand with a decent amount of land and water space. There are also fallen tree branches in the water. Back to the right side, the final enclosure in this building is the worst in the building: the Aldabra giant tortoise/Galapagos tortoise enclosure. This one is mostly all concrete land except a little mulch in the left corner and a tiny bit of water space at the front of it. As I said most of the enclosures in this building are very naturalistic, this one is not at all. The tortoises have a much nicer outdoor yard on Tortoise Trail, which is very large and mostly grass.

 

[Kevin2342]

Next, we are onto KidZooU.(I skipped tortoise trail because currently we are in the winter season and the tortoises don’t come out) This is a children’s zoo that opened in 2012. It actually starts before the main entrance to the area. The first enclosure is home to Ossabow Island Hogs. This one is very large and nice and is mostly dirt-covered, which gives the hogs the opportunity to dig. The next two enclosures connected by a barn are home to Arapawa goats, Jacob sheep, and Alpacas. You can see one side of it before you pass the main entrance, and the other side is right after the main entrance sign. As you walk up the hill are a couple of roofed enclosures for Pigeons. All the enclosures are connected by an indoor house. One thing I complain that the enclosures are too small and all the enclosures should be combined into one, so the pigeons won’t have to move as much to travel between the different enclosures. As you keep going there is a large pond for an elderly trio of Domestic ducks. This elderly trio are the last surviving ducks of around 20 ducks that have been here since KidZooU opened, all the others died over the years. There is a ton of water for the ducks but the only main land area is in the left corner with a few nest boxes, and some small rocks spread among the edges of the pond, and a branch at the right corner of the pond. I wish this exhibit was expanded to give the ducks more land to walk around. You can purchase duck pellets to feed them for 50 cents, but a lot of times they are sleeping and will not eat. As you keep going to the opposite end, there are two main enclosures for various breeds of Goats, including breeds like Nigerian dwarf, Arapawa, Oberhasli, Saanen, Angora and Golden Guernesy, and an enclosure for two male Miniature horses. You can go inside the contact yard and pet the goats, the general rule is you need to be 18 or older to go in without an adult- but some people let you in regardless. Both yards are on the smaller side, but the non-contact yard also called ‘’The Tower’’- has very little ground area but has a giant hill of rocks the goats can climb up on, which connects into overhead walkways the goats can walk into, which I have not seen at any other zoo. The contact yard has more ground level but is still not very large, but the only climbing structure are some little logs. Connected to the non-contact yard, sometimes the KidZooU Raceway is open for the goats to explore, which is a long ground walkway. This and the overhead walkways give the goats a lot more space to explore since the yard is small. The mini horse enclosure is also pretty small, but the horses also rotate the raceway with the goats. However, the horses’ enclosure is not connected to the raceway, so at no time do they have access to both the raceway and their main enclosure. Connected between the ducks and goats is a playground for some younger guests. Across the goats and mini horses are three more enclosures. Two of them are for Domestic Chickens. You can walk into one of the enclosures(but the chickens are not in there due to avian flu). As you walk to the back right corner of the chickens’ large walk-through enclosure, there is a smaller, roofed enclosure where the chickens are currently kept due to avian flu. In the past before avian flu, they were free range and had access to both enclosures. This sucks for the chickens as they are currently stuck in a small cage. Also seen from the chicken walk-through enclosure is an enclosure for Royal palm turkeys. This one is quite small and connected with a barn. I liked the turkeys’ old home way better which is where the Ossabow Island hogs are now.

That is all the outdoor enclosures of KidZooU, but there is an entire indoor building called the Faris Family Education Center for various other animals, including Domestic rats, Guinea pigs, Ants, Waterbugs(idk what kind), Hog Island Boa, Bearded Dragon, Hermit Crab, Gouldian Finch, Pancake tortoise, and various Coral reef fish. There is also a large rotational exhibit for a few species of turtle including Eastern box turtle and Red-footed tortoise. The building is also for education purposes and has an education classroom, some of the animals are housed there. There is also a whole collection of animals housed behind-the-scenes in this building that sometimes are used as ambassadors.

 

[StoppableSan]

Next, we are onto KidZooU.(I skipped tortoise trail because currently we are in the winter season and the tortoises don’t come out) This is a children’s zoo that opened in 2012. It actually starts before the main entrance to the area. The first enclosure is home to Ossabow Island Hogs. This one is very large and nice and is mostly dirt-covered, which gives the hogs the opportunity to dig. The next two enclosures connected by a barn are home to Arapawa goats, Jacob sheep, and Alpacas. You can see one side of it before you pass the main entrance, and the other side is right after the main entrance sign. As you walk up the hill are a couple of roofed enclosures for Pigeons. All the enclosures are connected by an indoor house. One thing I complain that the enclosures are too small and all the enclosures should be combined into one, so the pigeons won’t have to move as much to travel between the different enclosures. As you keep going there is a large pond for an elderly trio of Domestic ducks. This elderly trio are the last surviving ducks of around 20 ducks that have been here since KidZooU opened, all the others died over the years. There is a ton of water for the ducks but the only main land area is in the left corner with a few nest boxes, and some small rocks spread among the edges of the pond, and a branch at the right corner of the pond. I wish this exhibit was expanded to give the ducks more land to walk around. You can purchase duck pellets to feed them for 50 cents, but a lot of times they are sleeping and will not eat. As you keep going to the opposite end, there are two main enclosures for various breeds of Goats, including breeds like Nigerian dwarf, Arapawa, Oberhasli, Saanen, Angora and Golden Guernesy, and an enclosure for two male Miniature horses. You can go inside the contact yard and pet the goats, the general rule is you need to be 18 or older to go in without an adult- but some people let you in regardless. Both yards are on the smaller side, but the non-contact yard also called ‘’The Tower’’- has very little ground area but has a giant hill of rocks the goats can climb up on, which connects into overhead walkways the goats can walk into, which I have not seen at any other zoo. The contact yard has more ground level but is still not very large, but the only climbing structure are some little logs. Connected to the non-contact yard, sometimes the KidZooU Raceway is open for the goats to explore, which is a long ground walkway. This and the overhead walkways give the goats a lot more space to explore since the yard is small. The mini horse enclosure is also pretty small, but the horses also rotate the raceway with the goats. However, the horses’ enclosure is not connected to the raceway, so at no time do they have access to both the raceway and their main enclosure. Connected between the ducks and goats is a playground for some younger guests. Across the goats and mini horses are three more enclosures. Two of them are for Domestic Chickens. You can walk into one of the enclosures(but the chickens are not in there due to avian flu). As you walk to the back right corner of the chickens’ large walk-through enclosure, there is a smaller, roofed enclosure where the chickens are currently kept due to avian flu. In the past before avian flu, they were free range and had access to both enclosures. This sucks for the chickens as they are currently stuck in a small cage. Also seen from the chicken walk-through enclosure is an enclosure for Royal palm turkeys. This one is quite small and connected with a barn. I liked the turkeys’ old home way better which is where the Ossabow Island hogs are now.

That is all the outdoor enclosures of KidZooU, but there is an entire indoor building called the Faris Family Education Center for various other animals, including Domestic rats, Guinea pigs, Ants, Waterbugs(idk what kind), Hog Island Boa, Bearded Dragon, Hermit Crab, Gouldian Finch, Pancake tortoise, and various Coral reef fish. There is also a large rotational exhibit for a few species of turtle including Eastern box turtle and Red-footed tortoise. The building is also for education purposes and has an education classroom, some of the animals are housed there. There is also a whole collection of animals housed behind-the-scenes in this building that sometimes are used as ambassadors.

Has the KidZooU building reopened?

 

[Kevin2342]

Has the KidZooU building reopened?

Yes it’s been for a while.

 

[Lucas Lang]

Thanks for the share! I wonder if the winter-spring would be a good season to visit your home zoo? I plan to visit Philadelphia during March, thanks.

 

[ZooElephantMan]

Coincidentally, I am planning on visiting the Philadelphia Zoo in March as well. I would be curious to hear if you have any suggestions on a route to take through the zoo, or what to see first. For me the most important animals I’d want to spot are the aye-ayes and the great apes/big cats using the trail systems. Do you know what time of day is best to see those animals?

 

[TinoPup]

Coincidentally, I am planning on visiting the Philadelphia Zoo in March as well. I would be curious to hear if you have any suggestions on a route to take through the zoo, or what to see first. For me the most important animals I’d want to spot are the aye-ayes and the great apes/big cats using the trail systems. Do you know what time of day is best to see those animals?

There isn't a best time. They rotate the trails throughout the day, you'll definitely see some animals using them, but more than likely they'll be sleeping The cats love to sleep in the arch over the main path.
The aye-aye exhibit is indoors in a very dark room, so good luck seeing one at all.

The zoo has a main path that's an oval, and then path off-shoots. The main path is done counter-clockwise, then do the stuff in the middle as you see fit.