Hi all, I should be visiting New York next year and im getting some early planning out of the way in regards to zoos. I would consider myself a relatively fast walker, and i usually do a few zoos in a day on my trips. I also target rare or unique species which are less common in zoos and so a few decisions will be made on that, but i would still like to visit as many as i can in the time i am there.
i have allocated 3 days for zoos on my trip and this is my shortlist of zoos:
Bronx (which i am 100% visiting)
Central Park
Queens
Prospect Park
New York Aquarium
Bergen County (only if the brocket is still alive)
Turtle back (Only if the pangolin is still alive, unless there are any other rarities here)
Bearing in mind that I am definitely visiting Bronx, this gives me 2 days to fit in as many zoos as possible. I will have access to a car so travel shouldnt be an issue, what combinations would be most effective? and do queens or prospect park have any species that would be considered a rarity for a european?? Likewise, is the pangolin or the brocket still alive at turtle back and bergen county respectively?? and finally are there any other collections of interest that i am missing out on??
Many thanks
Turtle Back does not have a pangolin (I don't think they ever exhibited one), but there are still two brocket deer at Bergen County. I had more time than you, but on a recent trip to New York City I combined the following zoos to one day:
- New York Aquarium and Prospect Park Zoo
- Queens Zoo and Staten Island Zoo
- Bergen County Zoo and Turtle Back Zoo
I also visited Bronx Zoo over 1.5 days, and also visited Central Park Zoo on its own day.
Here's a short blurb on my impression of each non-Bronx zoo:
- Bergen County Zoo is small and doesn't have the same "feel" of some of the other zoos, without the historic feel of the NYC collections or the modern feel of Turtle Back. I don't know 100% what's rare in Europe, but I suspect Red Wolf, Baird's Tapir, and Goeldi's Monkey would be notable to you.
- Turtle Back Zoo was one I didn't go into with high expectations, but was blown away with. A lot of high quality exhibits, and the sea turtle rehab exhibit is very unique. There's also an excellent Savanna area with six Masai Giraffes (which I don't think are common in Europe). Turtle Back isn't really the kind of zoo to be rarity-heavy, however, and outside of the reptile house there wasn't much that isn't commonly seen.
- New York Aquarium was another one I was very impressed with, especially due to the Shark exhibit. I highly recommend it, and this is as someone who isn't often impressed by aquariums.
- Prospect Park Zoo is a neat little zoo, and while I certainly enjoyed it, I also view it as a very skippable Zoo if need be. The highlight for me was their large troop of hamadryas baboons, however I suspect you'd find some of their smaller species to be unique rarities.
- Central Park Zoo was a facility I was pleasantly surprised with. While still small, it's a step above any of the other small WCS zoos, in particular they have a really nice, impressive waterfowl aviary as part of their Children's Zoo, and the Tropics building is impressive due to its large collection of free-ranging Starlings (multiple different species). If you were to do one non-Bronx WCS Zoo, this is the one I'd recommend.
- Queens Zoo is one I don't recommend. Out of all the zoos on my trip, it was the least memorable, and there wasn't much that was really notable. The Andean Bear exhibit is excellent, and their large historic aviary is impressive, albeit understocked. Species wise, it is very mammal centric and there's not much super notable (although how common are pronghorn or thick-billed parrots in Europe?) The collection is entirely species from the Americas, so that could be up your alley if this is your first time at US Zoos.
- Staten Island Zoo I highly recommend, and I'm surprised you didn't list it as part of your shortlist. Their historic reptile house is excellent, with a very large collection of Venomous snakes- including one of the largest rattlesnake collections in the country. The zoo also has a klipspringer, which might be of interest to you.
If I was to suggest an itinerary, my suggestions for two days would be:
- NY Aquarium and Central Park Zoo utilizing public transportation
- Turtle Back Zoo and Staten Island Zoo utilizing your car.
That being said, I'm not as interested in rarities as you, so am basing this perhaps more heavy on exhibit quality than you would like.
. So really we have the same species, just different subspecies.
