Bronx Zoo Bronx Zoo 2009-2011

team tapir said:
The problem we have with this is that for a zoo of its size and stature the Bronx Zoo's hours are terrible.How can you justify all these extra charges when visitors have to rush through things just to see the entire zoo during a given visit.You wanna charge more expand the zoo's hours simple as that!

Team Tapir
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The hours of the zoo are quite common across most zoos I've been to (though many zoos have the "in by 5, must be out by 6" rule). Louisville is 10 to 5, Cincinnati is 9 to 5 year-round and most other zoos on this side of the country keep those hours.

I've never had an issue with the time there - 7 hours is more than enough time to see the full zoo (especially now that there is no WoD or wild animal ranges). The zoo is relatively compact (even offering a shuttle). It would be an issue if there were an abundance of much smaller zoos with much longer hours than Bronx but there isn't on this side of the country.
 
Hours
This is a problem at zoos nationwide / worldwide. Many animals are active at dawn and dusk and are inactive during the middle of the day - the very time zoos are open. Why do they think people want to be at zoos when the animals are resting or sleeping? I say open at lunchtime and stay open until early evening or open just after dawn and close after lunch.

Some zoos here in the southwest are choosing this second option for the summer at least. (Phoenix Zoo 7am-2pm, Arizona Sonora Desert Museum 7am-2 or 3pm, The Living Desert 7:30am-2pm, Reid Park Zoo 8am-3pm).

Also some now have evening hours in summer, daily at San Diego, once a week Reid Park (Fridays) and Desert Museum (Saturdays), once a month at Phoenix.

Extra Admission Fees
This totally stinks. I understand they need the money, but I say just raise the admission to $30 bucks (or whatever) and let everyone go everywhere without the hassle. Two private zoos here in Arizona (Out Of Africa and Wildlife World) charge around that amount and seem to get away with it and I guarantee you they are nowhere near the same league as Bronx Zoo. Plus rural Arizona is not the same as New York City, where people are used to higher prices.

Theme parks like Knotts and Disneyland in their early days used to do this, charge a lower general admission and then make you buy tickets for the rides you want. They did away with that years ago because it is just too much of a hassle and people would rather pay the higher entrance fee and have unlimited rides. I really hate Bronx's pricing setup and if it spread to other zoos it would be one of the worst developments in American zoo history.
 
Arizona Docent said:
Hours
This is a problem at zoos nationwide / worldwide. Many animals are active at dawn and dusk and are inactive during the middle of the day - the very time zoos are open. Why do they think people want to be at zoos when the animals are resting or sleeping? I say open at lunchtime and stay open until early evening or open just after dawn and close after lunch.

Some zoos here in the southwest are choosing this second option for the summer at least. (Phoenix Zoo 7am-2pm, Arizona Sonora Desert Museum 7am-2 or 3pm, The Living Desert 7:30am-2pm, Reid Park Zoo 8am-3pm).

Also some now have evening hours in summer, daily at San Diego, once a week Reid Park (Fridays) and Desert Museum (Saturdays), once a month at Phoenix.

Extra Admission Fees
This totally stinks. I understand they need the money, but I say just raise the admission to $30 bucks (or whatever) and let everyone go everywhere without the hassle. Two private zoos here in Arizona (Out Of Africa and Wildlife World) charge around that amount and seem to get away with it and I guarantee you they are nowhere near the same league as Bronx Zoo. Plus rural Arizona is not the same as New York City, where people are used to higher prices.

Theme parks like Knotts and Disneyland in their early days used to do this, charge a lower general admission and then make you buy tickets for the rides you want. They did away with that years ago because it is just too much of a hassle and people would rather pay the higher entrance fee and have unlimited rides. I really hate Bronx's pricing setup and if it spread to other zoos it would be one of the worst developments in American zoo history.
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Assuming people in NYC are used to higher prices is flat wrong. My parents won't go to the zoo - any zoo in NYC - anymore BECAUSE it is ALREADY too expensive. People flock to the zoo on the "free" day not because that's the best day for them to go but because it is the only day it is affordable.

Here in OH, the Newport Aquarium charges right over $20 and the main complaint I hear is how expensive it is. I hear the same complaint about the $13 aquarium in New York. When it comes down to it, raise the price to the sky in NY...watch visitors plummet. I can see a Broadway show for the price you'd like to raise admission to. Hrm, which one are most people going to pick - especially when the Bronx Zoo is "out of the way" of the rest of the city.

I don't know if "animal patterns" really matter that much for hours. I've never really been to a zoo where all the animals are sleeping and I normally get there at opening and leave around 2. It depends on the day, the animal, etc. I've been to a lot of zoos where the "Bronx price setup" is the way (again, Louisville, Cincinnati, etc.). I sure as h*#$ don't want to pay for rides I'll never ride. Sorry to those of you with kids but the 4D theater and all that junk isn't for me. I have no interest in paying for it so that your kids can ride it for free.

I think when it comes down to it...this is the third year the city and state have wanted to cut funding. It really just needs to stop because it is more than overboard at this point.
 
Generally the hours are not an issue for me in terms of being able to see the whole zoo, but I understand that it would be for people with kids. However, they can be an issue for conveniance as sometimes I may not be able to go to a zoo until lets the afternoon and would want the zoo to stay open later in order for a visit to be worthwhile. Plus, there's the issue Arizona Docent mentioned.
 
Anybody knows why Jungle World has not replaced its gharials by other crocodilians?
 
Bonnie and I just got back from the Big Apple and our first trip to the Bronx Zoo.Pretty much all we can say is WOW,the zoo is absolutely incredible.Congo Gorilla Forest is worth all the hype, its easily the best zoo exhibit either of us has ever seen.We could have literally spent an entire day in there alone.As far as zoo fees and zoo hours which have been talked about on here a lot recently we went with the total experience ticket for 19.99 on free Wednesday .Around 330 pm we realized we had only seen just over half the zoo and had to hustle to see about three quarters of it.On the subway back to Midtown we agreed that its the best zoo we ever been to and that includes SDZ for me and that we had to stay in New York another day and go to the Bronx Zoo for a second day.So we are standing by our stance that Bronx Zoo is worth every penny but to be open everyday 9-530 would not be too much to ask.

On a side note we wanna urge zoo chatters to visit the zoo's website were you can e mail NY City officials and urge them not to cut zoo funding
for this wonderful zoo.
Team Tapir
 
team tapir said:
On a side note we wanna urge zoo chatters to visit the zoo's website were you can e mail NY City officials and urge them not to cut zoo funding
for this wonderful zoo.
Team Tapir
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I fully second that.

What is a people without its traditions and culture?
Museums, historical buildings, zoos and unis are those places of higher learning where we get educated and get entertained about our heritage and give value to our being alive.

If financial managers get their sway - as they have since before the financial crisis and this crisis by their undoing anyway - all we are left with is just paper money ...:rolleyes:
 
Bronx Zoo Recent Animals:
Lesser Adjuntant Stork chicks
Chinchilla kits
Two male Lesser Kudu
White-Naped Crane Chicks
Mongolian Wild Horse Foals
Nyala Fawns
 
This raises a question I often ask myself while at the zoo: what do you do if there is a crisis or an issue requiring urgent attention? I once had to go half way across a zoo to report some bad behaviour from visitors, not a person could be found and no emergency number is given.
 
Shirokuma said:
This raises a question I often ask myself while at the zoo: what do you do if there is a crisis or an issue requiring urgent attention? I once had to go half way across a zoo to report some bad behaviour from visitors, not a person could be found and no emergency number is given.
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Yes, at big zoos this can be a problem. My zoo is quite small, so it only takes five minutes to go to the front gate from anywhere inside. But someplace like the Bronx or one of the huge wildlife parks like Port Lympne, I honestly don't know what I would do (especially since I don't have a cell phone).
 
AARRGH! :mad: I missed the lesser kudus on my visit! I hadn't even known they were there and didn't find out till today (silly me)! I really hope I can go this weekend and check out the African Plains before the colder months. And do you know how I found out about the kudu? Reading an article about how one escaped. Congrats, Bronx! What's that? 3 escapes, now, in 2011? Bravo! :p
 
The Bronx Zoo just welcomed a baby giraffe! His name is James Marjani, and he looks pretty cute. Can't wait to see him in a week!
 
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