The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore The Maryland Zoo Review and Species List, May 2024

[Astrotom3000]

What's going on, Zoochatters? I am back at you all with another zoo review and species list. Earlier this month, I went on a week-long road trip where I visited 4 zoological facilities. Last time, I covered the first of the facilities that I visited for the week, the Smithsonian National Zoo.

This time, we will be looking at The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore. This is a small(ish) zoo located within Druid Hill Park, in the northwestern part of the city. This is actually the third-oldest zoo operating in the country, having opened in 1876, and one section of the zoo makes no secret its age. The zoo once housed various animals like tigers, hippopotamuses, and gibbons in what is now the zoo's historic main valley, lined with various Victorian-era cages, moats, and buildings. Today, the zoo is home to just over 90 species of animals housed in more modern habitats mainly split between 4 major exhibit zones.

In a lot of ways, the Maryland Zoo reminded me of a smaller version of the North Carolina Zoo. The Maryland Zoo focuses near-exclusively on North American and African wildlife (with just one exception) and mainly divides its animals and exhibits based on geography (although each "side" has one species that breaks the mold), with one "half" of the zoo dedicated to North American species while the other "half" is dedicated to Africa. Additionally, the zoo has a central plaza from which all major exhibits can be accessed, along with food and shopping opportunities.

Overall, I found the Maryland Zoo to actually be a very solid little zoo that, for the most part, executes its exhibits and areas quite well. There is definitely stuff to like here, from its high quality exhibits and some creative new takes on old exhibit ideas.

Like North Carolina, Maryland isn't a zoo you would want to visit for its collection; there is a distinct lack of any real rarities or "standout" species, and indeed, I believe my only "first observation" species here was the Snowy Owl (and even that would not have been the case had I chosen to visit the Lehigh Valley Zoo first). And I would say that NC definitely had the better collection, not just with more species (114 taxa from my visit earlier this year, and that excludes the butterfly exhibit, vs 93 for Maryland), but also because NC has a more varied and interesting lineup.

But like North Carolina, Maryland makes up for that with an overall high quality of exhibits, especially in the Africa area. Yes, there are a few exhibits that I feel fall short, but on the whole, this is a major strength of the zoo.

As usual, I will go through each exhibit and give my thoughts as well as a species list. There will just be 3 parts since this zoo divides its exhibits very neatly. Also, I created a species list on iNaturalist that you can view here -> [VISIT] Maryland Zoo Species List - 2024/05/08. Do note that common names used on iNaturalist may differ from what you see at the zoo.

To be Continued...

 

[Smaggledagle]

This is actually the third-oldest zoo operating in the country, having opened in 1876, and one section of the zoo makes no secret its age.

Just noting here, the Roger Williams Park Zoo in Rhode Island (1872), the Philadelphia Zoo in Pennsylvania (1874), the Buffalo Zoo in New York, and the Cincinnati Zoo in Ohio (both 1875) are all older than Maryland.

 

[Astrotom3000]

Part 1 - A Walk through History
​

This first part will cover the first 4 exhibit sections that I toured. These sections are all small enough that I will combine them into one post. We will be looking at the following exhibits.

• Schaefer Plaza
• Historic Main Valley
• Penguin Beach
• Northern Passage

Schaefer Plaza
As you first enter the zoo, you will find yourself on Schaefer Plaza. This section contains the zoo's gift shop, a playground, the iron lion statues, and a single animal exhibit.

The lone exhibit is home to Prairie Dogs, and I think it's an excellent exhibit thanks to its size and the large group the zoo has. I saw many prairie dogs of all sizes, including many pups. This is definitely one, if not the best, prairie dog habitats I have visited.

• Black-tailed Prairie Dog (Cynomys ludovicianus)

Historic Main Valley
This section comprises of a long path that connects the Schaefer plaza to the rest of the zoo's areas. This is the oldest part of the zoo and is lined with historic Victorian-era style exhibits such as iron bar cages, stone grottoes, and an old pachyderm house. Most of these structures are still standing for all to see, but are completely unused (with one exception). There are also a few animals here, such as at the historic crane barn as well as a trio of aviaries visible across a field.

Although mostly devoid of animals, this was an interesting area to tour as you are able to see firsthand how animals used to be exhibited. It definitely felt like stepping back in time given how many historical structures were kept up for visitors to see, and it also provides a nice segue into the more modern habitats you encounter after you cross this area. You essentially experience 100 years of zoo history as you travel past old cages and pits and suddenly find yourself at the modern (and excellent) Penguin Beach.

Crane Barn

• Abyssinian Ground Hornbill (Bucorvus abyssinicus)

• Lappet-faced Vulture (Torgos tracheliotos)

• Saddle-billed Stork (Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis)

• West African Black Crowned Crane (Balearica pavonina pavonina) (Not seen)

Main Pathway - The owl was in one of the larger cages; the raven and hawks were in a series of aviaries viewed from across a small field.

• Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus)

• Common Raven (Corvus corax)

• Harris's Hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus)

• Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

Penguin Beach
Penguin Beach lies right at the center of the zoo; the rest of the exhibits are all accessed from this area. This centerpiece exhibit consists of a large habitat home to penguins and pelicans. The exhibit wraps around a small island with the penguins indoor quarters, and features deep waters, lots of land areas and rocky outcrops, above- and underwater viewing, and a glass viewing area beneath a waterfall.

White-breasted cormorants are still signed here, but have actually been moved to the African aviary.

This is without doubt the best African Penguin exhibit I have visited, and maybe even one of the best penguin exhibits I have seen period. The exhibit is absolutely large, open, is home to a big colony of penguins, and is very well-landscaped and themed, providing lots of variety for the inhabitants. There is underwater viewing, shallow and deep areas, lots of rocky areas, and plenty of ways to view the penguins.

• African Penguin (Spheniscus demersus)
• Great White Pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus) (Unsigned)

Northern Passage
This standalone exhibit complex focuses on animals from the northern reaches of North America, and is mainly built around a pair of bear exhibits. This exhibit is most notable for the Tundra Buggy, which is an actual buggy purchased from a Canadian company that produces these and is built into the exhibit as a covered observation point that looks into both exhibits. This exhibit used to be home to Polar Bears, which notably included Magnet, a polar bear that was featured on Zoo Tycoon. Nowadays, polar bears are no longer present, and the exhibits are now home to 2 female grizzly bears, who share the space and can access both exhibits. A pair of smaller exhibits nearby completes the complex.

Overall, this is a decent exhibit area. The bear exhibits are quite nice, even if they aren't the best bear habitats I have seen. But the bears do get a good amount of space to use, good rocky terrain, and some deep pools, although one of the pools was drained on my visit. The buggy is a very nice feature and is a very creative way to immerse visitors in the exhibit, even if it's somewhat out-of-place now due to Polar Bears no longer being present. The porcupine and eagle exhibits are alright, but nothing special.

• North American Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum)

• Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos horribilis)

• Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

To be Continued...

 

[Astrotom3000]

Just noting here, the Roger Williams Park Zoo in Rhode Island (1872), the Philadelphia Zoo in Pennsylvania (1874), the Buffalo Zoo in New York, and the Cincinnati Zoo in Ohio (both 1875) are all older than Maryland.

Oof, my sources have failed me. I have also seen Roger Williams labeled as the third-oldest zoo, and I was always under the impression that Philadelphia was the oldest. Didn't know Buffalo and Cincinnati were that old. It seems like trying to determine who is actually the oldest appears to be a mess since you get different answers depending on who you ask.

 

[Aardwolf]

Just noting here, the Roger Williams Park Zoo in Rhode Island (1872), the Philadelphia Zoo in Pennsylvania (1874), the Buffalo Zoo in New York, and the Cincinnati Zoo in Ohio (both 1875) are all older than Maryland.

Maryland Zoo used to bill itself as the second oldest zoo in the US, and is one of three zoos to call itself the third oldest. It’s probably somewhere in the top ten, age wise… though there was really nothing worth speaking of there for several years after its official founding

 

[15399]

Maryland Zoo used to bill itself as the second oldest zoo in the US, and is one of three zoos to call itself the third oldest. It’s probably somewhere in the top ten, age wise… though there was really nothing worth speaking of there for several years after its official founding

I am always amused by the plethora of zoos claiming to be amongst the oldest in the country- oftentimes with specific rankings. Specifically, I am always amused by the fact my two current home zoos: Roger Williams Park Zoo during the summer and Buffalo Zoo during the school year, both claim to be the third oldest in the country. Clearly at least one of them is wrong! I'm just now learning that Maryland also claims to be the third oldest, that's certainly interesting to hear. I've also heard Roger Williams claim to be the "third oldest behind Philadelphia and Cincinnati", which is especially interesting since it opened before either of those zoos.

 

[Astrotom3000]

Part 2 - African Journey
​

This next part will cover the African Journey region, which is on the 2 big sections of the park you encounter once you reach the central plaza. This consists of a looping path that features a variety of African wildlife.

African Journey is broken into the following sections.

• Watering Hole
• African Aviary
• African Overlook
  
• Elephant Savannah
• Giraffe Crossing
• Lemur Lane
• Chimpanzee Forest

For this review, we will be going counterclockwise around the loop (making a right at the junction just past the Sitatunga/Stork exhibit). Thus, we will do the watering hole and aviary first, then Chimpanzee Forest will be last.

Watering Hole
The first section focuses on animals you would find at a watering hole. All of the zoo's antelope species can be found on this stretch, along with various other wildlife such as cats, porcupines, zebras, rhinos, and tortoises. The path consists of an elevated boardwalk.

This is, overall, the best section of the African Journey. Most of the habitats are very well-executed and naturalistic, with plenty of good landscaping and some dense plantings. I especially liked the Sitatunga/Stork exhibit as well as the Kudu/Gazelle exhibits due to their good size and dense foliage. The rockwork in this section is also well done. The Rhino/Zebra enclosure was just alright, and I felt it was the weakest exhibit in the area.

• Abyssinian Ground Hornbill (Bucorvus abyssinicus)
• Saddle-billed Stork (Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis)
  
• Sitatunga (Tragelaphus spekii)
• White Stork (Ciconia ciconia) (held in a separate pen in the back)

• American Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber)

• Sitatunga (Tragelaphus spekii) (male)

• African Spurred Tortoise (Centrochelys sulcata)

• Common Ostrich (Struthio camelus) (Not seen)
• Plains Zebra (Equus quagga)
  
• Southern White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum simum)

• Addra Gazelle (Nanger dama)
  
• Lesser Kudu (Tragelaphus imberbis)

• Leopard (Panthera pardus) (Not seen)

• Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus)

• Cape Porcupine (Hystrix africaeaustralis)

• Common Warthog (Phacochoerus africanus)

• Blue Duiker (Philantomba monticola) (Not seen)
• West African Black Crowned Crane (Balearica pavonina pavonina)

African Aviary
This is a mid-sized walkthrough aviary located near the Rhino/Zebra exhibit, housing various African birds such as Ibises, waterfowl, hornbills, and others.

​

This is a pretty decent aviary. It's not the biggest or most memorable aviary on its own, but it complements the area well and has a decent layout and a good amount of space and perching for the birds, as well as a pond for them to bath in.

• African Spoonbill (Platalea alba)
• Blue-bellied Roller (Coracias cyanogaster)
• Blue Duiker (Philantomba monticola) (Not seen)
  
• Fulvous Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna bicolor)
• Hadada Ibis (Bostrychia hagedash)
• Hamerkop (Scopus umbretta)
• Marbled Duck (Marmaronetta angustirostris)
• Northern Bald Ibis (Geronticus eremita)
  
• Red-crested Pochard (Netta rufina)
• Southern Bald Ibis (Geronticus calvus)
• Spur-winged Lapwing (Vanellus spinosus)
• Von der Decken's Hornbill (Tockus deckeni)
• White-breasted Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) (Unsigned)
  
• White-faced Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna viduata)

African Overlook
This small section is home to the zoo's Lions. There is also a small overlook that provides views of their giraffes.

The lion exhibit is decent, it's well-landscaped and furnished, but feels a bit small? Also, the viewing into the exhibit was kind of awkward.

• Lion (Panthera leo)

Elephant Savannah
Our next stop is the Elephant Savannah, home to the zoo's African elephants. The complex features multiple enclosures, and multiple viewing areas such as an elevated overlook. Th exhibits feature the usual fixings, such as pools and dirt.

As far as elephant exhibits go, this is one of the more average ones I've seen. All four elephants I saw appear to have been kept separate and the enclosure doesn't really stand out in any way. It does have decent space, but I feel like they could have made them bigger. It's not bad, but there are definitely better elephant exhibits out there. I'd say it's on par with Zoo Atlanta's elephant exhibit, which is newer (!).

• African Bush Elephant (Loxodonta africana)

Giraffe Crossing
Immediately following the elephant savanna, we come to giraffe crossing. This consists of the large and round Giraffe barn as well as 2 adjoining enclosures. The overlook from earlier provides additional views for the giraffes, while the okapi can be viewed from the path to the giraffe house.

You can go into the giraffe house to see them if they are inside. Otherwise, there's really nothing in there.

Like the elephant exhibit, the giraffe exhibit is just kind of meh. It's pretty bland in terms of landscaping and theming and just doesn't have much going on. It has decent space, but that's about it. There were 2 giraffes outside on my visit. The okapi enclosure is also nothing to write home about.

• Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis)

• Okapi (Okapia johnstoni)

Lemur Lane
This area consists of several outdoor exhibits for small primates, mainly lemurs and old world monkeys. The exhibits are essentially corn crib cages, but they are connected by an overhead trail system modeled after the Zoo360 Trail system at the Philadelphia Zoo (the zoo even outright states this). The trail system connects these habitats to the indoor habitats at the Chimpanzee Forest.

This is my least favorite area in the entire zoo; I absolutely do not like the outdoor exhibits here. The cages are definitely too small and cramped, and it's also hard to get good pictures because of how dark the inside of the cages are. The trail system and the superior indoor habitats are the only thing that save these from being total disasters. A shame really, as this is the only part of the entire zoo that undoubtedly falls short.

• Coquerel's Sifaka (Propithecus coquereli)

• Mantled Guereza (Colobus guereza)

• Red Ruffed Lemur (Varecia rubra) (Not seen)

• Red-tailed Monkey (Cercopithecus ascanius)

• Ring-tailed Lemur (Lemur catta) (Not seen)

Chimpanzee Forest
The last section of the African Journey takes us to the Chimpanzee Forest. This consists of a large exhibit building that provides indoor habitats for both the Chimpanzees as well as the primates found on Lemur Lane. The interior is themed to a rain forest. Joining the primates are crocodiles, turtles, and the only species in the entire zoo native to neither North America or Africa.

So unlike Lemur Lane, I actually liked this section. I think the indoor primate exhibits here are actually well-done, possibly even better than the ones found at Philadelphia. The exhibits are decently-sized and furnished with naturalistic climbing structures, a contrast from Philadelphia's more "industrial" approach. The overhead trails connect to here, and provide the primates with an indoor quarters during colder weather. They just really need better outdoor habitats.

The star attraction, the Chimpanzee exhibit, is also decent. It's a good size and provides plenty of climbing for the chimps; they were certainly enjoying themselves on my visit. It's not my favorite chimpanzee exhibit; I wasn't a huge fan of the cage aesthetic.

• Mantled Guereza (Colobus guereza) (Indoor habitat, was outside)

• Panamanian Golden Frog (Atelopus zeteki)

• Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) (Indoor habitat, was outside)

• Coquerel's Sifaka (Propithecus coquereli) (Indoor habitat, was outside)

• East African Black Mud Turtle (Pelusios subniger) (Not seen)
  
• West African slender-snouted crocodile (Mecistops cataphractus)
• Unspecified African Cichlids (Pseudocrenilabrinae) (Not signed)

• Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) (Outdoor habitat)

And that concludes our trip through Africa. The next post will finish off the exhibits with a look at the Maryland Wilderness zone.

To be continued...

 

[snowleopard]

Just to address the 'year of opening' discussion for zoos, when my co-author and I published our American zoo book a few years ago, it was a difficult decision to figure out the opening dates of many historic zoos. We emailed a number of facilities and of course zoos wanted to continuously promote the fact that they are the 2nd oldest zoo or 3rd oldest zoo, etc. It becomes a matter of pride. Also, what defines a zoo is another debate, as some places began with an American Black Bear and a herd of Deer and that's the case with most every zoo in the United States.

Anyway, hundreds of zoo nerds bought the book and so many already know that the final page in the book lists all the 80 zoos and 20 aquariums in order of age. The 3 newest facilities were Georgia Aquarium (2005), California Academy of Sciences (2008) and Tanganyika Wildlife Park (2008), and here's what we listed as the oldest zoos in America:

#1 - Central Park Zoo - 1864
#2 - Lincoln Park Zoo - 1868
#3 - Roger Williams Park Zoo - 1872
#4 - Philadelphia Zoo - 1874
#5 - Buffalo Zoo - 1875
#6 - Cincinnati Zoo - 1875
#7 - Maryland Zoo - 1876

After that, it was another 6 years before Cleveland and Milwaukee each opened in 1882.

Back to this excellent review of Maryland Zoo. It's nice to see the changes since I was there in 2010, as the African Penguin exhibit is new and many folks think it's probably now the highlight of the entire zoo. The Polar Bears are gone, the Main Valley has been reopened, the African Journey complex has received an overhaul in certain areas, and the zoo is looking good.

The 2022 Master Plan talks about a zone dedicated to the 'Americas', as well as an enhanced Maryland Wilderness area. There's also statements about Wolverines and Gibbons and a new Grizzly Bear exhibit, etc. We'll see what happens!

Maryland Zoo Announces New Master Plan | The Maryland Zoo

 

[Astrotom3000]

Before I move on to the last part, I want to thank everyone who replied with clarifications regarding years of opening for zoos. Also, thank you @snowleopard for the detailed write up. The way some of these zoos have defined themselves have definitely added to the confusion. For example, Central Park Zoo did open in 1864, but as a menagerie; it's current form didn't open until 1934 and I believe almost the entire original facility was replaced. So I guess whether one considers the Central Park Zoo to be the first true zoo in the country depends on how you view the facility in its original form.

 

[Astrotom3000]

Part 3 - Maryland Wilderness
​

This last part will cover the Maryland Wilderness area of the zoo. As the name implies, this area focuses on wildlife native to the state of Maryland. Like African Journey, this section features a self-contained loop that is split into sections.

These sections are as follows;

• Bog and Marsh
• Stream
• Cave
• Woodlands
• Meadow
• Farmyard

If you look at the current map, we will go clockwise through this area, starting with the Bog and Marsh area and ending at the Farmyard.

Bog and Marsh
In this first section, the path becomes an elevated walkway that descends down the hill into a boggy area fed by a stream. Besides the possibility of seeing native wildlife, the main attraction here is the Marsh Aviary....or it would have been if it weren't closed. Sadly, the Marsh Aviary was closed on my visit for "renovations". This is STILL not mentioned anywhere on the website as of this writing (they seemed to have not bothered to update their alerts recently, as this will crop up again later in this section). There was no apparent work being done and there were still birds in the aviary; peeking from the outside, I saw some Black-crowned Night Herons, a Hooded Merganser, and a Wood Duck. I also heard their Sandhill Cranes calling out throughout the afternoon.

A shame, because it does look like a solid aviary.

I will just list what they have signed. Everything I listed above was signed. For the rest, I cannot vouch if they are present or not.

• Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) (Seen)
  
• Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors)
• Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) (Seen)
  
• Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea)
• Northern Pintail (Anas acuta)
  
• Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata)
  
• Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis)
  
• Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis) (Heard)
  
• Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)
• Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) (Seen)

Stream
This next section is themed around mountain streams, and is home to 2 familiar species of mammals in outdoor exhibits. The otter exhibit features an underwater tunnel, which is fairly unique. The tunnel also provides access to a small room with a hellbender aquarium.

The otter exhibit is pretty solid, and the underwater tunnel provides a unique way to see these animals. It's definitely a good exhibit, but I am not sure if I would call it the best river otter exhibit. But at the same time, I just realized that I had not seen a river otter exhibit I would consider a standout. I would put it above North Carolina's, but it's kind of neck-and-neck with Smithsonian's. This one probably gets the edge for the underwater tunnel.

The bobcat exhibit is also solid, and I actually like how it incorporates water features, which seem to be uncommon for this animal. The exhibit is also decently-sized and has plenty of terrain and climbing for the feline. The Hellbender exhibit is also solid.

• North American River Otter (Lontra canadensis)

• Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis)

• Bobcat (Lynx rufus)

Cave
This walkthrough cave is located near the bobcat exhibit (it's separate from the one that goes under the River Otter habitat, which just leads to the Hellbender room). The cave has 2 entry points; you enter into what looks like an unassuming opening in a rock wall, only to find yourself in a winding cave shaft with a variety of little critters.

This exhibit perfectly demonstrates another major strength of the zoo and another reason why I frequently compare it to North Carolina; the rockwork is superb. They did a great job of making the mockrock look natural and also look like it fits into the native landscape. And they do an excellent job hiding everything from the outside; you seriously cannot tell that the rockwork is hiding an entire cave system and animal holding facility until you enter. There are no signs pointing to the caves, so you just explore these random openings in the rocks and suddenly you're in this whole cave with a bunch of animals.

My only real complaint is that some of the animal exhibits where a bit underwhelming. They go with a cave aesthetic for all of them, which is not bad and which I actually like (I am a sucker for cave-themed exhibits ever since I experienced Omaha's Kingdoms of the Night), but it felt out-of-place for some of the animals.

• Eastern Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix)

• Seba's Short-tailed Bat (Carollia perspicillata)

• Eastern Musk Turtle (Sternotherus odoratus)
  
• Striped Mud Turtle (Kinosternon baurii)

• Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus)

• Eastern Newt (Notophthalmus viridescens)

• Northern Pine Snake (Pituophis melanoleucus melanoleucus)

Woodlands
This next section is themed around Maryland's woodlands. After you exit the cave, you will cross a suspended bridge over a ravine that can swing (there is a detour in case that isn't your thing), and this brings you to the principle exhibit in this stretch; the Giant Tree. This large artificial tree has a cave at its base with various terrariums. The tree also contains a spiral staircase that leads to a large outdoor slide (the slide can also be accessed by a staircase on the outside).

Contrary to what the website said just prior to my visit, the Giant Tree was actually open.

The zoo continues to demonstrate its excellent design here; the tree and the cave beneath it look very realistic and blend in extremely well with the landscape. I love these little caves that the zoo does. They seem very small, but well-themed and designed; I cannot imagine trying to do these on a crowded weekend. The terrariums inside are decent, but nothing special.

• Corn Snake (Pantherophis guttatus)

• Mole Kingsnake (Lampropeltis rhombomaculata)

• Gray Treefrog (Hyla versicolor) (Unsigned)

• Spotted Turtle (Clemmys guttata)

• Wood Turtle (Glyptemys insculpta)

• Eastern Ratsnake (Pantherophis alleghaniensis)

Meadow
This next section focuses on open habitats, and mainly revolves around the meadow exhibit, which is home to multiple box turtles and features pop-up bubbles to get closer to the turtles (similar to what you see with some prairie dog or meerkat exhibits). Behind the meadow exhibit is yet another cave passage lined with terrariums.

The main meadow exhibit itself is very well done and may be the best box turtle exhibit I have seen. It is large (for the animals), and has plenty of nature scenery as well as water. The cave behind it further shows off the zoo's solid natural construction work, even if the terrariums are, again, nothing to write home about.

The use of pop-up bubble windows is certainly unique and odd for a box turtle. Was this exhibit designed for another species? It looks almost exactly like Virginia Zoo's Prairie Dog exhibit.

• Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina)

• Eastern Hognose Snake (Heterodon platirhinos)

• American Toad (Anaxyrus americanus)
• Broad-headed Skink (Plestiodon laticeps)

• Bog Turtle (Glyptemys muhlenbergii)

Farmyard
We conclude our trip through Maryland Wilderness with the Farmyard exhibit. This is a standard farmyard exhibit with some domestic animals, feeding opportunities, and even a few interactive elements for kids, such as a slide. This is also where you can ride the Jones Falls Zepher Train, which takes a trip out along the African Journey area before doubling back. This train ride is also the only real way to see the domestic cattle, whose exhibit is inside one of the railroad turnarounds.

There isn't much to write home about regarding this farmyard, but I will say this is one of the better ones solely due to its architecture and aesthetics (I do like myself some good rustic theming).

• Domestic Goat (Capra hircus hircus)
  • Pygmy Goat
  • Nigerian Dwarf Goat

• Domestic Pig (Sus scrofa domesticus)
  • Kunekune Pig

• Alpaca (Vicugna pacos)

• Domestic Sheep (Ovis aries aries)
  • Cotswold Sheep

• Donkey (Equus asinus)

• Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator)

• Domestic Cattle (Bos taurus) (visible only from train ride)
  
  • Miniature Texas Longhorn

To Be Concluded...

 

[Aardwolf]

The thing about Maryland Wilderness is that very few of the exhibits still hold their original species, which explains some of the odder exhibit features. The bobcat exhibit has a big water feature because it was built for American black bears, which it held until the early 2000s. The box turtle exhibit has the bubbles because it was designed for woodchucks. Many of the cave and tree exhibits originally held small mammals, such as flying squirrels, chipmunks, and least weasel when the exhibit complex first opened. When the Bog, the newest addition to the area, was constructed, it actually held bog turtles and was supposed to be an actual breeding population of them, though that didn't prove to be successful.

At the time of its opening, it was ranked as perhaps the best children's zoo in the country, and until fairly recently had a large sign at the entrance proclaiming it as such. That has since been removed.

 

[Astrotom3000]

Conclusion and Closing Remarks
​

Overall, I found this to be a very solid zoo that seems to slip under the radar for most. It may come nowhere near holding a candle to the elite facilities (including one just across town; more on that on a later date), but it holds its own with its overall high quality of exhibits, presentation, and guest experience.

Sure, there are a few areas that I thought fell short, and Maryland's collection isn't exactly anything to write home about due to a lack of any real standouts, but they do a really good job with what they got. This zoo has clearly come a long way (something they are proud to demonstrate) and I see this zoo having a bright future ahead of it, if they can get that master plan rolling.

With that out of the way, let's do a species breakdown.

Total Species Count - 93

• Birds - 38
• Mammals - 32
• Reptiles - 17
• Amphibians - 5
• Fish - 1

With just 93 species, this is one of smaller AZA-acreddited collections I have visited (only Wyoming's Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center and South Caroline's Greenville Zoo were smaller). Even if we also include non-AZA facilities, this would still be in the bottom third in terms of species count. And as mentioned above, Maryland lacks any real rarities or standout species.

Birds come out on top, although mammals are not too far behind. The zoo has two solid aviaries (although one was closed) and an top-tier penguin exhibit to support its avian lineup. The African Journey zone is heavy on mammals, while Maryland Wilderness places more emphasis on reptiles and amphibians. The sole fish species are found in the Crocodile/Mud Turtle exhibit in Chimpanzee Forest, and there may be more than one from what I saw (although I really could not ID all the cichlids they had).

And that will conclude my review and species list of the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore. Overall, I had a very enjoyable day at this small, but solid, zoo. I hope you all enjoyed reading this review and find it and the accompanying species list to be helpful. I got a few more reviews coming as I hit a bunch of facilities in the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic region. Thanks, and until next time.

Coming Soon...

 

[TheGytrash]

I really enjoyed reading this review! Although it's small, I've always felt the Maryland Zoo has a certain charm to it (I guess appropriate for Charm City)! I live closer to the National Zoo and go there often, but I've always slightly preferred the Maryland Zoo for its fun atmosphere and the ability to spend more time at each exhibit and still see the whole zoo without getting tired out.

Some of the smaller exhibits you mentioned are getting renovations soon-- the eagle and snowy owl are presumably getting a new aviary and the American porcupines will soon have Zoo 360 style tunnels that incorporate the old eagle exhibit. The current snowy owl cage will be torn down and replaced with a red panda exhibit! No word on new outdoor lemur exhibits, and I agree, that's the weak point of the zoo.

You mentioned that the outdoor chimpanzee exhibit isn't aesthetically your favorite but the chimps seemed to be having fun. That's exactly how I feel about it. The cage-like design is ugly but every time I visit, the chimps are so active and climbing all over the mesh of the exhibit, which a more naturalistic looking exhibit wouldn't allow. So although aesthetically it's not an exhibit I love to look at, I spend more time there than almost any other primate exhibit I've ever visited (major exception: Congo Gorilla Forest in the Bronx Zoo, which is insanely wonderful) because there are so many chimps and they're so active and have such interesting relationships with each other. Little Maisie is my favorite.

On my last two visits, some chimps were indoors and some were outdoors and it's fun to watch all the different ways they interact with the two different environments. Both seem pretty stimulating.

I also wanted to throw out there that the Maryland Zoo serves Old Bay cheese fries, which is a big plus in my book!

 

[Aardwolf]

It also comes down to what you consider to be a zoo. When the Philadelphia Zoo opened it was an actual zoo. Lincoln Park traces its foundation to a pair of swans on a pond... which is far more in keeping with how most US zoos would describe their origins. By that reasoning, you could push back the "opening" date of the Druid Hill Park Zoo in Baltimore by a decade or so; almost from the very beginning of the park, there were a few monkeys and parrots, to say nothing of herds of managed deer, which were kept there.