Snowleopard's 2012 Road Trip

[snowleopard]

Time for a review-free road trip update…

25 Days. 25 U.S. States. 28 zoos/aquariums. What a packed vacation!!!!

We began with 3 days of driving across vast states that constitute the great plains of North America; then we hit madness and traffic congestion as we battled our way through mega-cities like Boston and New York; we paid obscene amounts of money to cross bridges and for highway tolls that ranged in price from 25 cents to $13; we took many country highways as we eased down the coast visiting a tremendous number of aquariums; and now after visiting a whopping 25 states in 25 days we will settle down for a week-long stint in Florida. Whew.

From the original itinerary I eliminated Peoria Zoo in Illinois, but then added on the world-famous Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo in its place. Additionally 3 aquariums were added that we did not plan to visit (Greater Cleveland, Long Island and Jenkinson’s) and while two were short, slightly disappointing visits I was quite pleased with Long Island and taking the longest day of the trip to visit both of New York City’s aquariums was worthwhile.

Odds n’ Sods comments:

Why does practically every aquarium have a huge shark tank with sandbar, sand tiger and nurse sharks in it? Is it due to geographical location of the species in the wild? Collection planning? Ease of transfer to other aquariums for breeding, trade, etc.? I have seen many signs in establishments declaring that there are between 325-375 different species of shark in the world and yet I have perhaps only seen 20 different species in all of my travels this summer. There was one aquarium that had a lemon shark in the showcase tank and I was mesmerized partly due to shock at seeing a large shark that was not a sandbar, sand tiger or nurse.

I could repeat myself in this paragraph when it comes to octopus exhibits. Giant Pacific octopuses are common sights in aquariums, and I’ve even seen a couple of Atlantic giant octopuses. I’ve also read a couple of times via signs that there are about 200 different species of octopus on Earth, and yet why can I visit practically every major aquarium in the United States and only see two varieties? America is unbeatable as the #1 country for vast aquariums, and yet sometimes I bemoan the lack of diversity when it comes to particular types of aquatic animals.

Aquarium visitors have much better manners than zoo visitors, and it seems as if they are of “higher breeding”. I quoted the cost of $128 for a family of 4 to visit New Jersey’s Adventure Aquarium, see the 4-D show and have lunch. Aquariums seem to have a higher class of people as it takes big bucks to tour them and in reality after 3 hours or less you leave shortly after you enter. Zoos are much cheaper and offer more discounts than aquariums, but unfortunately the clientele in some zoos we’ve seen on this trip has been a tad on the scary side. At Erie Zoo in Pennsylvania I saw a guy who looked to be about 25 years of age. Outside the zoo he was smoking like a chimney, with his young toddler-age daughter in front of him. Then inside the zoo he growled at the pacing black bears, yelled for his buddies to join him by beating his chest, and to top it off his shirt said “Boobies Make Me Smile”. Classy.

For food we generally eat for free at our motel (waffles, toast, bagel, muffin, cereal) as most motels include either a hot breakfast or continental breakfast. Lunch is an unhealthy meal as I have personally had a burger n’ fries practically every day of the trip. We eat at a zoo or aquarium or we hit a drive-thru Wendy’s or McDonald’s on the way out as almost as soon as we leave an attraction the kids fall asleep. Our one-year-old Jeffrey is instantly asleep before we even make it out of the parking lot as for tiny kids even getting out of the stroller for 30 minutes is tiring work. For dinner we eat healthy again, with vegetable or chicken noodle soup and crackers for the kiddies every night and Debbie and I have been on a Subway kick lately as for $5 plus tax it is possible to get a delicious grilled chicken/spinach salad (with zero dressing) loaded with at least 5-6 different veggies. I should probably be eating more as I am 6 foot tall and weigh 155 pounds. On an average day breakfast is free, lunch is perhaps on average $15 and dinner is $15. Even with stocking up on soup or sandwiches at grocery stores we feed a family of 4 every day for about $30 or less for the ENTIRE day. Lunch is unhealthy but quick and easy, while breakfast and dinner are solid, smart choices as meals. We spend so much money on motels (maybe $4,000 for the whole road trip) and gas in the minivan; thus we have to be very smart about food ($30 a day and occasionally a bit more) and entrance fees (usually free at every single zoo and aquarium with our annual AZA membership). One alarming fact is that at least half of the zoos and aquariums that we have visited now charge for 2 year-olds, which seems unusually unfair as some little kids that age are too small for the playgrounds, have to be lifted up to view the exhibits, etc. We are fortunate that our daughter Kylie does not turn 3 until September and our son Jeffrey is just over 1 year of age but he has begun to walk on this trip for long distances all by himself so that is exciting.

 

[zoomaniac]

Hi snowleopard

First of all, I must say that it is a great pleasure to read your reviews about your trip (as it was with the ones before).

... we paid obscene amounts of money to cross bridges and for highway tolls that ranged in price from 25 cents to $13...

Be aware that some freeways and highways (and some lanes on free freeways) in Florida only accept electronic tolls (e.g. sunpass). Still, I would NOT recommend you to rent/buy such an electronic box/plaquette, because I presume, with your map-reading-skills you must have after so many long tours, you can easily find ways to avoid wasting that money.

Why does practically every aquarium have a huge shark tank with sandbar, sand tiger and nurse sharks in it? Is it due to geographical location of the species in the wild? Collection planning? Ease of transfer to other aquariums for breeding, trade, etc.?

Many other sharks then the "common ones" you have seen do not adapt well in captivity conditions. Either because they are pelagic, can not be transported long(er) distance(s), will be extremely disturbed by to much electro magnetical influence, have health problems with water quality or missing some elements in the water (minerals? copper sulfate? don't know exactly), do not accept dead food etc. Some species occur in habitats such the deep sea that makes it difficult to catch them (and keep them alive), some are to big for an ordinary Aquarium and some MIGHT be to aggressive IN GENERALL (tiger shark, bull shark?).

Sand tiger, nurse sharks, sandbar and also black-tipped reef sharks are not that sensitive in captivity, can live there for decades (remember a famous female sand tiger at the New York Aquarium) and some even reproduce. That does avoid or reduce expensive catch adventures you would otherwise have with other species (e.g. blacknosed shark, grey reef shark).

I could repeat myself in this paragraph when it comes to octopus exhibits. Giant Pacific octopuses are common sights in aquariums, and I’ve even seen a couple of Atlantic giant octopuses.

Maybe also because those two species are "proven" to fit somewhat in captivity:

America is unbeatable as the #1 country for vast aquariums...

I would rather say "USA together with Japan is competing for the #1 country for vast aquariums."

Aquarium visitors have much better manners than zoo visitors, and it seems as if they are of “higher breeding”. I quoted the cost of $128 for a family of 4 to visit New Jersey’s Adventure Aquarium, see the 4-D show and have lunch. Aquariums seem to have a higher class of people as it takes big bucks to tour them and in reality after 3 hours or less you leave shortly after you enter. Zoos are much cheaper and offer more discounts than aquariums, but unfortunately the clientele in some zoos we’ve seen on this trip has been a tad on the scary side. At Erie Zoo in Pennsylvania I saw a guy who looked to be about 25 years of age. Outside the zoo he was smoking like a chimney, with his young toddler-age daughter in front of him. Then inside the zoo he growled at the pacing black bears, yelled for his buddies to join him by beating his chest, and to top it off his shirt said “Boobies Make Me Smile”. Classy.

Unfortunately, my experiences do cover with yours...

Lunch is an unhealthy meal as I have personally had a burger n’ fries practically every day of the trip. We eat at a zoo or aquarium or we hit a drive-thru Wendy’s or McDonald’s on the way...

You are in the USA. What do you expect...
To be serious: In MOST european zoos you will have the same problem. Burgers, fries, hot dog are standard here as well. And that comes with our not really much healthier (fast)food Wiener Schnitzel, roasted sausages and spaghetti...


Can't wait to read from your "adventures" in Florida. And I wish you and your familiy a safe trip too.

 

[dublinlion]

wow! what a trip. The reviews and extra comments are so interesting and you describe the whole adventure very well.

 

[ANyhuis]

Time for a review-free road trip update…

Honestly, it's SnowLeopard's "human side" updates that make his threads the very best on ZooChat. He makes it so that we can easily imagine what it's like to be in that minivan with his family. Good job, dude!

 

[BeardsleyZooFan]

I agree that the zoo has a great collection but the exhibits are mainly below average except for the black bears, primates and big cats (even though the leopard exhibit was disappointing). I went to this zoo awhile ago (before the honey badgers) so I do not have the best memory of it but the things I do remember are the alligator feeding demonstrations, the male lion spraying a bunch of school children and the over use of chain link fencing.

I disagree with saying most exhibits are below-average. I'd say most of them are average though. Other than that, a good assessment of the zoo.
Also, thanks for the non-zoo update Snowleopard! Very interesting!

 

[groundskeeper24]

I'm really looking forward to your review of Busch Gardens. I visited last year and really enjoyed it. In my opinion, it was a great place to see animals that may not be rare in the wild, but are not often seen in the zoos. If you're a fan of diverse and vast hoofed stock collections, you will love it.

 

[snowleopard]

DAY 26: Friday, July 27th, 2012

Road Trip Review # 29: Brevard Zoo

Brevard Zoo’s website:

Brevard Zoo — Melbourne, FL

Zoo Map:

http://www.brevardzoo.org/assets/uploads/files/pdf/Brevard-Zoo-Map-1-09.pdf

Brevard Zoo is an AZA-accredited facility located in Melbourne, Florida, and it opened in 1994. The annual attendance is around 360,000 and there are 50 acres in total. There are approximately 600 animals of 165 species and the zoo is neatly divided into 4 clear loops plus a children’s zone. All 4 of the loops have a wooden boardwalk that takes visitors into a different continental zone via crossing a bridge, and so everyone enters and exits along the same pathway.

I really enjoyed this little zoo, and I appreciate the way that the boardwalks were built directly through either forest, swamp or across lagoons. Over 16,000 volunteers spent much of 1993 building this zoo for its grand opening in 1994 and there is a homegrown feel to many of the animal habitats. The only real knock on the place is that it is too small and after just over 2 hours it was time to leave when in truth I didn’t want to go. There isn’t a truly bad exhibit anywhere to be found, the zoo is clearly laid out with no wandering pathways or sidetracks to nowhere, and the dense, jungle-like atmosphere of Florida in the peak of summer was omnipresent. In the South American section I could easily have been trekking through a thick Amazon jungle as the heat, butterflies and hoots of monkeys made it seem immersive even with the basic exhibitry in front of my face.

Today we spent just over 2 hours at Brevard Zoo in the morning before driving 2 hours to just outside of West Palm Beach. Upon arrival I chatted with the two ladies at the motel where we were checking in, and the subject of zoos came into the conversation (as it does). They remarked that there was a zoo about one mile down the road and instantly my senses were tingling and sure enough I left my wife and son to each have a quick nap and some quiet time and I took my daughter to Busch Wildlife Sanctuary a few minutes down the road. We spent over an hour at the establishment and this review can be considered Part I of our July 27th Florida experience.

THE BEST:

Expedition Africa – This area is quite small in comparison to the African zones of many other zoos, but it is filled with excellent exhibits and is one of the highlights of this very good little zoo. Visitors walk along a wooden boardwalk and pass scarlet macaws on a perch before beginning their journey towards Africa. A large tent packed with flashlights, sleeping cots, camping gear, water bottles and first aid packages is overlooked by some visitors but it is actually home to African rock pythons in two enclosures. On my visit one of the pythons was curled up on a cot, and I could almost imagine coming back from a safari to find a massive snake in my sleeping quarters!

A bridge takes visitors across a lagoon where people can pay $6 to kayak around the exhibits, which is perhaps unique to this zoo. Apparently ostriches, dromedaries and scimitar-horned oryx can be seen only from the kayak ride as I certainly didn’t see any of those species or even signs for them on the walking tour. A gorgeous habitat on the left contains klipspringers, West African crowned cranes, marabou storks and southern ground hornbills. Smaller yards just past the bridge have radiated tortoises and African spurred tortoises before the raised boardwalk reaches a viewing deck that looks down into the cheetah yard. Cheetahs were added in 2010 and their enclosure is not that large but incredibly lush and packed with all kinds of plants. Further on up the trail is a large, top-notch white rhino yard that has a mud wallow, lots of boulders and trees, and seems perfect for the trio of rhinos that I saw. Rock hyrax and white-crested turacos share a tall enclosure, while ring-tailed lemurs are seen from a distance. At least 5 giraffe, 10 impala and a blue crane share a vast savanna area that is ringed by tall trees in the distance, and the entire African area does not take long to see but it is expertly designed and well worth viewing. The major downside is that once upon the giraffe platform (where the tall mammals can be fed quite easily) it is all backtracking and that is something that I never approve of as two-way traffic on a narrow wooden walkway is a recipe for congestion.

La Selva Rainforest (South America) – This area is gained via a wooden bridge over a huge American crocodile swamp, although it is difficult to see much more than the tops of the heads of any crocs. There are many wood-and-wire exhibits in this section of the zoo but I’ve always said that they are great for fairly small primates and there are lots of those in this area. I saw a number of wild butterflies, birds and lizards that were actually inside the enclosures and that alone must provide a lot of enrichment for the captive occupants. Also, the exhibits are very well furnished and all of the primate cages are loaded with climbing opportunities and the surrounding jungle in some cases seems to be winning the battle against the groundskeepers.

White-faced saki monkeys share space with green iguanas; a couple of jaguars have a decent exhibit that could be a bit larger (it would be terrific for ocelots or margays); a golden-headed lion tamarin/two-toed sloth/red-footed tortoise exhibit is excellently furnished; a giant anteater has a lush exhibit that is open-topped and thus is perfect for great viewing; a trio of vulture aviaries was added in 2007 for black, turkey and king vultures; a family of 6 spider monkeys are a delight to watch for many minutes at a time; a golden lion tamarin/pygmy marmoset exhibit is the smallest in the loop but still densely packed with branches, tree trunks and ferns; cotton-top tamarins have a tall habitat; a two-toed sloth/yellow-footed tortoise/Mealy Amazon/golden conure exhibit is equally large; coatis, squirrel monkeys and hyacinth macaws are all also found along this path.

A large Baird’s tapir habitat has a deep pool for chilling from the intense Florida heat; and a capybara/coscoroba swan/Bahama pintail duck/whistling duck enclosure is a nice way to end the trip to South America. Blue-and-gold macaws are perched at the exit and the entire loop is so incredibly jungle-like that the exhibits probably stay green and lush all year long. There is a sameness to many of the enclosures in that they are wire-fronted, but it is a thin wire meaning that the inhabitants, particularly the 7 primate species, all can be seen quite easily bouncing around their exhibits. This zone is quite complete and it ticks off a large number of popular, notable South American animals.

Paws on Play – This children’s zone actually closed down from 2007 to 2009 and once reopened ended up winning an AZA Significant Achievement exhibit award. Indian River Lagoon is a waterpark geared towards younger children that has a 20,000 gallon aquarium tank featuring animals found in the nearby river. A large shrimp boat is there for kids to climb aboard and play; there is a slide inside the mouth of a right whale; a puppet theater; a nice sandy beach area; and a large petting zone with the usual farmyard menagerie plus alpacas. The Wildlife Detective Training Academy is an 1,800 sq. ft. indoor play area that allows kids to dress up and become veterinarians, play with toys and observe the nearly 40 small animals (mainly in a row of terrariums) that are in the building. This section of the zoo might not appeal to adults without children but it is one of the better children’s zoos specifically geared towards young children anywhere in the United States.

THE AVERAGE:

Wild Florida – A large alligator swamp is crossed via a bridge, and the zoo’s Adventure Course zip-line actually goes right over the gators and we watched two men scream and yell with delight as they went zooming above us. At least 20 palm trees grace the white-tailed deer/sandhill crane enclosure, and the deer hover near the fence as they are used to being fed by visitors. Feeding machines expel a handful of pellets for 25 cents. An open-topped bald eagle exhibit (now a regular sight in American zoos) is pretty and lush for rehabilitated birds, and a bobcat has a lush but not overly large wood-and-wire enclosure. A couple of gray foxes were in another exhibit, and there are also some birds of prey that are tied to perches for part of the day. A red-tailed hawk and red-shouldered hawk were separately contained via short leashes to tall metal perches, and a crested caracara was also on a perch but I could not notice if it was contained in its open-topped surroundings.

River otters have a small but decent exhibit with underwater viewing, and red wolves have a large yard that is seen via chain-link fencing. Wild Florida has a lot of potential to be better than it is, as the birds of prey should perhaps be removed and a few more species could be added in their place. The wild lizards, overgrown foliage and extreme humidity definitely informs visitors that they are in Florida, but there is no stand-out exhibit that is truly memorable in this section of the zoo. There is also a kayaking experience offered in this area, and it takes visitors into a 22-acre wetlands zone to get the opportunity to look for more native wildlife.

Australia/Asia – This is the shortest of the 4 main loops and it has a siamang island just between it and Expedition Africa that is lush and gives the apes access to at least two tall trees. Once again visitors cross a bridge and a large pool is home to a pair of black swans before the main yard is viewed. There are 5 species in the dense undergrowth (red kangaroo, agile wallaby, swamp wallaby, emu and Reeves’ muntjac) and it is tricky locating the animals as there are many hiding places outside of the bare central area.

There are two Visayan warty pig exhibits (replacing the dingoes in 2008), as well as two unbelievably lush and totally overgrown cassowary yards. It was possible to see the birds only because they came crashing through the bushes and in both exhibits the cassowaries came straight up to the fence line. A large walk-through lorikeet aviary has a number of Aussie birds, and Island flying foxes are also located in this zone.

THE WORST:

Nothing is applicable in this category.

OVERALL:

Brevard Zoo is a very enjoyable stroll through a jungle-like atmosphere, with 4 continental loops and a top-notch, award-winning children’s zoo that is perfect for families. There is a sense of familiarity to the zoo, with the same wooden walkways and bridge crossings for each themed zone and a real feel for community spirit with many local events and functions. I have quickly become a fan of this small-town zoo as it is doing many things right, from supporting the now popular Quarters for Conservation program to sponsoring many conservation initiatives in Africa to simply showcasing a diverse range of animals in decent exhibits. The only real problem with the zoo is that there is simply not enough of it but many acclaimed stage performers always repeat the mantra “leave them wanting more” and that is certainly the case at this tiny zoo with a big heart.

 

[TropicWorld54]

Did the train ride (Cape to Cairo Express) close? That was the ride where you could see the scimitar-horned oryx, ostrich and the camels.

 

[snowleopard]

DAY 26: Friday, July 27th, 2012

Road Trip Review # 30: Busch Wildlife Sanctuary

Busch Wildlife Sanctuary’s website:

Busch Wildlife Sanctuary, BuschWildlife.com, BuschWildlife.org

Sanctuary Map:

Busch Wildlife Sanctuary, Interactive Trail Guide

Busch Wildlife Sanctuary is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to the protection of Florida’s wildlife, and it is located in the city of Jupiter, Florida. It was originally founded in 1983 and has been at its present location since 1997. The facility is not very well known outside of its local area but it does receive over 100,000 annual visitors and it takes in a staggering 5,000 injured and sick animals each and every year. The work done by the staff of 15 and the many volunteers is exemplary, and this is not an establishment where criticizing the exhibits will occur as the captive animals are non-releasable and as is the case with such sanctuaries the lack of finances is consistently a looming presence.

Today we spent just over 2 hours at Brevard Zoo in the morning before driving 2 hours to just outside of West Palm Beach. Upon arrival I chatted with the two ladies at the motel where we were checking in, and the subject of zoos came into the conversation (as it does). They remarked that there was a zoo about one mile down the road and instantly my senses were tingling and sure enough I left my wife and son to each have a quick nap and some quiet time and I took my daughter to Busch Wildlife Sanctuary a few minutes down the road. We spent over an hour at the establishment and this review can be considered Part II of our July 27th Florida experience.

THE REVIEW:

Black Bear Exhibit – This is the newest section of the sanctuary and there is a pair of 6 year-old female Florida black bears (apparently a unique subspecies of the American black bear) that can be seen on the Pine Nature Trail. A long and winding path cuts through the forest and the only exhibit along the lengthy loop is the brand-new one for the black bears. A small waterfall, a pool and a pair of large wooden climbing frames are included in a fairly spacious grassy yard.

Florida Panther Exhibit – A saw a solitary panther in its adequate cage but according to the sanctuary’s website there are 6 Florida panthers on-site and they rotate in the yard. The animals are all confiscated creatures that have been mistreated and de-clawed and thus they can never be released back into the wild.

Small Mammals – Around the sanctuary are these species: a pair of river otters that are viewed from behind chain-link fencing; an opossum; 3 de-scented striped skunks; two raccoons and one of them is an extraordinary-looking albino specimen; 3 bobcats in a pair of wood-and-wire enclosures and 2 of them were declawed by their previous owners; at least 4 gray foxes; and a couple of red foxes. A spacious chain-link fenced yard has white-tailed deer, sandhill cranes and wild turkeys. A fairly small mixed-species yard has these 5 species: marsh rabbit, cottontail rabbit, armadillo, box turtle and gopher tortoise.

Hawks & Owls – There are a series of 8 aviaries that are perhaps 10 ft. high, 10 ft. wide and 10 ft. deep that house these 8 species: barred owl, barn, owl, great horned owl, red-tailed hawk, red-shouldered hawk, Cooper’s hawk, peregrine falcon and crested caracara. Nearby is a much smaller aviary with at least a dozen screech owls. In a different section of the sanctuary is a large chain-link cage with turkey vultures, black vultures, bald eagles and golden eagles and there is also a wooden Flight Cage that contains several eagles and is viewed through peepholes. In yet another location is a burrowing owl enclosure.

Wading Birds Aviary – There are at least 3 eastern brown pelicans in this enclosure, along with several different species of heron, ibis and egret.

Snake House – There are 4 large terrariums and 8 smaller ones and here is the species list: eastern diamondback rattlesnake, canebrake rattlesnake, pygmy rattlesnake, cottonmouth, Florida kingsnake, banded water snake, copperhead, coachwhip snake, Florida pine snake, corn snake, indigo snake and glass lizard.

Reptiles & Amphibians – There is a pair of very small enclosures for one specimen of each of these species: American alligator and American crocodile. A wooden boardwalk takes visitors to a murky swamp area that has a large number of turtles that have congregated in search of food. There is a feeding machine that dispenses pellets for 25 cents.

Small Bird Rehab – These aviaries are perhaps 9 feet high and 7 feet wide and feature these species: sulfur-crested cockatoo, Amazon parrot, military macaw, blue-and-gold macaw, green-winged macaw and grand eclectus parrot. In the background is an unmarked aviary filled with about half a dozen screech owls, and a series of tubs on a balcony contain at least a dozen juvenile alligators and crocodiles. There are also a couple of unmarked tortoise exhibits next to the aviaries and elsewhere in the sanctuary is a Songbird Rehab aviary.

OVERALL:

Busch Wildlife Sanctuary is home to perhaps 60 or so species, and the fact that the facility takes in 5,000 animals each year underlines the fact that the vast majority of those creatures are rehabilitated and then returned to the wild. Their website has a lot of information about the animals on show, and the stories behind them reveal a sad life of being an illegal pet, mistreated, declawed and similar tales of woe. Even though many of the enclosures are rudimentary and basic there is obviously a level of dedication amongst the staff and volunteers and thus this free establishment (with donation boxes spread throughout the grounds) is performing an honourable task on a fairly small budget.

 

[snowleopard]

Did the train ride (Cape to Cairo Express) close? That was the ride where you could see the scimitar-horned oryx, ostrich and the camels.

The train ride is still open, as are the kayak rentals, but people were lining up for the zip line/Adventure Course instead. Those attractions are now found at probably a dozen American zoos and at St. Augustine and Brevard the prices ranged from $40-48 for a 2-3 hour adventure above animal exhibits.

 

[snowleopard]

DAY 27: Saturday, July 28th, 2012

Road Trip Review # 31: Palm Beach Zoo

Palm Beach Zoo’s website:

Palm Beach Zoo

Zoo Map:

http://www.palmbeachzoo.org/pdf/pbzoo_map.pdf

Palm Beach Zoo is an AZA-accredited facility located in West Palm Beach, Florida. The annual attendance is around 250,000 and there are 23 acres in total. There are approximately 1,400 animals but nevertheless it is not difficult to tour the whole zoo in just over 2 hours. Seeing this establishment in the middle of summer meant that the temperature steadily climbed into three digits, there was the brush of foliage as it crept over the pathways, and wild lizards were rampant in their jungle surroundings.

The zoo has an incredible collection of South American animals, and the species list of creatures from that part of the world includes: jaguar, ocelot, tapir, giant anteater, capybara, cavy, agouti, bush dog, sloth, bats, alligator, caiman, at least 4 species of tortoise and 8 species of monkey plus many birds. The Tropics of the Americas exhibit complex contains many of those animals and it is an area that solidifies this zoo as perhaps one of America’s 10 best for a South America theme in terms of the animal collection and level of exhibitry. There are also several species that are rarely exhibited in American zoos (bush dog, koala, capuchin monkey, rock wallaby, New Guinea singing dog, red-bellied lemur) and that adds to the allure of the facility.

THE BEST:

Tropics of the Americas – This $18 million, 3-acre Central & South American-themed zone opened in 2004 and is unquestionably the highlight of this small zoo. It is such an impressive zone that by comparison the rest of the zoo suffers and simply cannot live up to expectations. To begin this loop the same American alligator swamp that is seen from the Florida Wetlands loop is viewed here; and there are macaws perched on sticks amongst stacks of ruins, sculptures, statues and other Mayan-themed delights. A Mayan Plaza reaching up to the heavens is intricately detailed with carvings, while there are many artifacts scattered along the pathway and even the benches are themed to be fallen ruins. My complaint with the ruined-temple theme at many zoos is when the animals are affected as for example recently at Long Island Aquarium the Japanese macaques there are in an all-cement, ruined-temple themed exhibit. At Palm Beach Zoo there is the ruined-temple theme throughout the Tropics of the Americas but it does not influence the choice of substrate in the animal habitats. The bush dogs have a narrow grassy yard while the jaguar was prowling around a grassy exhibit with a flowing stream and deep pool. The crumbling temple décor is almost entirely on the outside of the exhibit and thus it is a success in my opinion.

A small presentation yard is used for baby animals (like the current Baird’s tapir that is brought out for an hour each day) and there is a Nocturnal Animal Observatory with these species: emerald tree boa, Puerto Rican boa, Honduran milk snake (two exhibits including a tangerine colour phase), and Jamaican and short-tailed fruit bats. This area is very small and neat but 3 of the terrariums had snakes and lizards in them with zero signage whatsoever. How hard would it be to stick up a sign, even a sloppy hand-written one?

Visitors walk through a large, fake Tule Tree and cross a long bridge that looks down on either side into an immense South American exhibit with these species: Baird’s tapir, giant anteater, Patagonian cavy, capybara, crested screamer, black swan and other waterfowl. A dark cave has two tanks (blind cave fish and axolotl) and there are two absolutely splendid primate island habitats. White-throated capuchins and Mexican spider monkeys each have an island that features fully-grown, enormous trees that the monkeys have full access to. A couple of the capuchins towered above us in the far reaches of the canopy, and seeing them in a natural-looking habitat brought crowds of onlookers. There are some folks who believe that seeing monkeys in metal cages is great because it gives the primates an opportunity to grasp and climb more so than many island exhibits, but when a zoo like Palm Beach creates wonderfully lush enclosures with loads of climbing opportunities, huge trees that give capuchins and spider monkeys plenty of great views, then it is the best of both worlds and the days of cages are slowly being obliterated. To end this wonderful section of the zoo there is an Amazon Marketplace, a “Wings Over Water” bird show, the zoo’s only restaurant and a broad-snouted caiman pool.

THE AVERAGE:

Florida Wetlands – This area is the first loop on the right-hand side as visitors enter the zoo and American flamingos and other waterfowl are featured in a stinky, swampy pool. Next to them are basic wood-and-wire aviaries with unreleasable birds such as red-tailed hawks, red-shouldered hawks, turkey vultures, black vultures, barn owls and barred owls. The Florida Reptile House is up next, with 10 terrariums of varying sizes with some mixed-species exhibits. Here is the species list: jeweled lacerta lizard, prehensile-tailed skink, gila monster, caiman lizard, rough-snouted giant gecko, yellow-spotted Amazon river turtle, chicken turtle, musk turtle, alligator snapping turtle, three-lined mud turtle, spotted turtle, box turtle and Florida east coast terrapin.

A white-tailed deer/sandhill crane/gopher tortoise yard has an African crowned crane in it; a decent black bear exhibit has underwater viewing; a river otter habitat has two sides to it and once again those mammals are given a terrific exhibit in an American zoo; raccoons have an enclosure near a large American alligator swamp that is full of water bugs skimming the surface; and a giant anteater has bizarrely been the choice to replace a recently deceased Florida panther. A Florida Pioneer House has a rustic vibe and 3 tanks (Florida sunfish, freshwater turtles and two-toed amphiuma); a scarlet ibis/roseate spoonbill aviary has many of the colourful birds; Australian black swans are in a swampy pool; and an open-topped bald eagle exhibit is seen before the loop continues back to the central fountain area.

Australia/Asia – There is a large Malayan tiger habitat with 4 tigers (a mother and a tri of male 14 month-olds who are as tall as their mom) that had all 4 cats right up against the wire. Large yards for emus and red kangaroos sandwich a couple of aviaries for New Guinea masked lapwings but all three of those species are showcased behind boring and outdated chain-link fencing with no other possible vantage points for visitors. Reeves’s muntjacs are found in two exhibits; yellow-footed rock wallabies share space with demoiselle cranes in a decent exhibit with poor viewing areas; a kookaburra/tawny frogmouth aviary and a Burmese python exhibit are next to the Koala House with its two slumbering koalas behind glass in basic, adequate indoor exhibits. New Guinea singing dogs have a small yard next door, and a bizarrely-placed fennec fox enclosure is across the pathway.

South America – The zoo has a phenomenal collection of animals from the tropics, and there are a series of cages that are not aesthetically appealing but are for the most part a fair size for their inhabitants. Argentine tortoises are found below a bird aviary (beautiful fruit dove and blue-black grassquit). A large finch aviary and a Reeve’s muntjac exhibit are around the corner from a common marmoset/black-tufted eared marmoset cage. At least 6 black howler monkeys in two tall enclosures are next to an Aldabra tortoise yard; a cotton-top tamarin/rhinoceros iguana/yellow-footed tortoise/grey-necked wood-rail cage is next to a golden lion tamarin/two-toed sloth/yellow-faced Amazon parrot enclosure. Goeldi’s monkeys have their own enclosure but a second pairing of them is found in with two-toed sloths, agoutis, yellow-footed tortoises, southern lapwings, sun bitterns and silver teals. Guianan toucanets, scarlet macaws and an ocelot are also in this area, while Komodo dragons and servals are found in exhibits just down the trail. Yet another white alligator is to be found here, and I find it hard to believe that there are only 50 in the world (as I’ve read on at least two signs now) as I’ve seen half a dozen just on this road trip.

Odds n’ Sods – There are a few meandering pathways that wind in and about the zoo’s grounds, and Palm Beach is not nearly as well laid out as Brevard Zoo was the day before. There are tundra swans, mute swans and trumpeter swans in pools in the center of the zoo; a red-crowned crane exhibit near an Asian bird aviary; and a pretty Butterfly Garden. A walk-through wallaby yard is also found in this area, and not too far away are a trio of small but lush islands for siamangs, red ruffed lemurs and a ring-tailed lemur/red-bellied lemur island.

THE WORST:

Geographical Consistency – The Florida Reptile House contains several species that do not live anywhere near Florida; the Florida Wetlands deer exhibit inexplicably has an African crowned crane in it; a giant anteater is also in the Florida zone; and Australian black swans are yet another animal in the Florida area. Also, are scarlet ibis actually ever found as far north as Florida? With the jeweled lacerta lizard being located in Spain I feel compelled to point out that the zoo’s Florida zone has animals from Australia, North America, South America, Europe and Africa. Why not toss in a couple of penguins from Antarctica? Such sloppy geographical mixing will bypass the brains of many tourists but it bothers the heck out of a great number of ZooChatters even more so than it bothers me. In different sections of the zoo it is the same story, with black swans in with South American animals in the Tropics of the Americas zone; Asian demoiselle cranes are placed in with Australian rock wallabies; and the list is endless as the entire left-hand side of the zoo is a hodgepodge zone of Australian, Asian and South American animals with a few African ones thrown in for good measure.

Opening Times – A year ago on my month-long zoo/aquarium tour of California and Arizona I went on a rant when the Sacramento Zoo had many animals off-exhibit after the zoo had already opened, and in that case it took the giraffe enclosure an hour and 15 minutes before it had its occupants. This time around Palm Beach infuriated me even though I am truly a mild-mannered family man who often does not show enough emotion. We entered the zoo right after they opened on a Saturday morning at 9:05. Immediately I sensed anger as a prominent sign at the entrance states that the black bears and tigers are never put on exhibit until 10:00. Why the hell not? I politely ask the cashier and she said that it is the way it has been for a long time and she thinks it is because the keepers start right when the zoo opens and thus they have to get the enclosures ready for the public.

Sure enough we enter the very first loop of the zoo, and in Florida Wetlands the black bears are off-exhibit as there are two keepers in their enclosure cleaning up yesterday’s mess. That means the bears are in their habitat from 10:00-4:30 every day and they spend the other 17.5 hours locked in their holding building. That kind of information is somewhat depressing for the sake of the animals. So no black bears, plus no river otters, plus no raccoons and plus no giant anteaters until 9:45 when at that time approximately all of them were let into their exhibits. A family in front of us was loudly yelling at the keepers in the enclosures that “Miami is better, Palm Beach is a crap zoo” because there were 4 of them and they had paid $76 and they were seeing humans picking up day-old poop. On top of that the fountain that is the central point of the zoo, the highlight of any kid’s visit and the most scenic element of the establishment doesn’t open until 10:00, and of course the zoo’s only restaurant and carousel also do not open until 10:00. Nowhere on the zoo’s website does it mention the restaurant, carousel, black bears, tigers, otters, raccoons or giant anteaters not being available when the zoo actually opens to the public.

I’ll end my rant here, but it bothers me to no end to get my family up and out the door so that we arrive at the zoo early, get a parking spot in the shade, beat the rush to the entrance, attempt to fend off the worst of the Florida heat, and then have to walk around the entire first exhibit complex seeing teenagers making crappy salaries picking up crap. It is totally and utterly inexcusable for any day of the year, but especially on a Saturday morning in the middle of summer when people are banging down the door to beat the heat and then they yell out loud how the zoo in Miami is much better. I agree with those people 100% as Miami is perhaps one of America’s 10 best zoos, but I also understand that people are paying good money to visit their local zoo and it is infuriating when nothing seems ready from overflowing garbage cans to empty exhibits. It drives me bananas when I drive over 10,300 km to a zoo that seemingly has nothing ready to go on a Saturday morning. What a joke.

OVERALL:

Palm Beach Zoo has one terrific, top-notch exhibit complex that shines above the rest of the zoo. There are also a tremendous number of South American animals and probably 85% of all the creatures at the zoo are from the Americas. The level of exhibitry in the Tropics of the Americas zone is not reciprocated throughout the rest of the zoo, and overall I would give the edge to the more balanced, organized, prettier Brevard Zoo that I visited the day before. Neither facility can compete with the Florida big guns (Miami, Jacksonville, Disney and Busch Gardens) but the state is proving to be home to a number of mid-sized zoos that are well worth visiting. St. Augustine Alligator Farm, Brevard and Palm Beach are all jungle-like in the summertime and I think that works in the favour of the establishments as a lush, dense, tropical atmosphere is created and nourished for the benefit of both the visitors and the captive wildlife.

 

[BeardsleyZooFan]

That means the bears are in their habitat from 10:00-4:30 every day

To put that in comparison, that's the same amout of time the Bronx Zoo is open.

 

[deanmo19]

Looks like they need to add a new Florida panther to replace that anteater in a former Panther exhibit, and they need to reconvert this herpetarium to contain reptiles and amphibians native to Florida, they need to remove the African crowned crane from the deer exhibit, and they need to move black swans from Florida Swamp back to the Emu exhibit. Otherwise, they'll have to move this zoo from West Palm Beach to a bigger and better space somewhere in Palm Beach Gardens in the future.

 

[siamang27]

It should not be hard at all to at least find new more geographically correct areas for the crane and swans.

 

[snowleopard]

DAY 28: Sunday, July 29th, 2012

Road Trip Review # 32: Naples Zoo

Naples Zoo’s website:

Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens

Zoo Map:

Naples Zoo Virtual Tour

Naples Zoo is an AZA-accredited facility located in Naples, Florida, and it opened in 1919 as a botanical garden but did not become an actual zoo until 1969. The annual attendance was a record-breaking 326,000 in 2011and there are 43 acres in total. The zoo is proud of the fact that it has opened 6 new animal habitats in the past 6 years (often the same exhibit but a different species), and it is one of only 4 American zoos with honey badgers. Other rare animals include striped hyenas (only 15 in the U.S.) and fosa (there are 6 of them and they are the only ones in Florida). This is a zoo on the upswing, as the first 5 months of 2012 have been once again record-breakers, and the zoo is on course to double its annual attendance in comparison to what it achieved in 2002. A decade has seen many changes and this year could come close to a 400,000 year and at the same time there is a capital campaign for the zoo’s largest ever expansion. Not too shabby for a facility that receives zero tax dollars and its non-profit status continues with no government support.

We really enjoyed Naples Zoo and there really isn’t a bad exhibit anywhere to be found. There are many basic, chain-link enclosures that I’ve put in my “average” category but almost all of them have at some point large glass viewing windows making it easy to get clear views of the animals. There are a few big name species for a small zoo (lions, tigers, bears, giraffes, lots of primates) and the lush grounds carry over into the green, natural-looking habitats. We spent just over 3 hours at the zoo, a full hour more than at either Brevard or Palm Beach, but that was due in part to taking the Primate Expedition Cruise and watching the Safari Canyon theater presentation. Those two attractions added on an extra hour but overall with the many improvements in the past handful of years this zoo is well worth touring.

THE BEST:

Black Bear Hammock – This 15,000 sq. ft. pair of exhibits opened in 2009 and it is the largest black bear habitat at any zoo in the eastern United States. The first exhibit is a Natural Florida habitat containing a massive, mature oak tree, a deep pool and even a full-size railway trestle to symbolize the logging of the environment. The Backyard enclosure contains a replica kiddie pool, a mini-sandbox and even a picnic table and the two enclosures are quite large, well-designed, surrounded by black chain-link fencing but also with large viewing windows at both ends.

Primate Expedition Cruise – There are a series of islands that are inhabited by primates, with black-handed spider monkeys(on several islands), buff-cheeked gibbons, white-handed gibbons, siamangs, ring-tailed lemurs and white-fronted lemurs in this area. There is a free cruise that occurs approximately every 45 minutes throughout the day and it lasts about 15-20 minutes. There are about 8 islands (one contains a bat house) and the informative driver of the boat gives many details about each of the primates. Without taking the cruise one can only see 3 of the islands in close proximity, and even though I normally am not a big fan of rides at zoos on this cruise the boat pauses long enough on the Lake Victoria so that everyone can observe primate behavior before moving onwards. All of the islands are more than adequate for their inhabitants but none of them are anything superb as they feature the usual assortment of a couple of small trees and many ropes and wooden climbing frames. One interesting fact is that the zoo has been plagued by river otters, and while that sounds pretty cool the keepers actually have to put most of the food for the primates in red bins that hang in the trees as the otters have been stealing all of the good stuff and the lemurs, monkeys and gibbons are all too meek to fend off their slippery foes.

THE AVERAGE:

Big Cats – Side-by-side Malayan tiger exhibits are quite spacious and even though they are surrounded by aesthetically unappealing black chain-link fencing there are also viewing windows for the public to congregate to see the magnificent animals. There is a new cheetah exhibit that opened in 2012 but it is actually a redevelopment of an existing enclosure that held African wild dogs. It is very lush and grassy, with over a dozen mature trees that nevertheless are thin enough to make it easy to view the two elderly cats. The zoo curiously has two lion exhibits, with one being a pair of purebred South African lions (added in 2009) while the other has a pair of generic lions. Both enclosures are more than adequate for their inhabitants but the viewing is not great with chain-link being the main containment. African leopards are in Leopard Rock, and the exhibit is not very large and somewhat annoyingly contains a massive fake rock in a prominent location so that it is tricky to see the cats if they stroll behind it.

Fosa Exhibit – There are actually two enclosures for Malagasy fosa (no longer known as fossas) and with last year’s breeding success the zoo currently has 6 of the creatures in a fairly new complex that opened in 2008. It appears to be spectacular from a distance and in truth both habitats are loaded with climbing opportunities and soft substrate.

African Oasis – There is a large paddock for greater kudu, impala and dorcas gazelle that uses the dreaded chain-link fencing for containment; and in the area are a couple of small enclosures for leopard tortoises; an African crested porcupine exhibit; a corn-crib African grey parrot aviary; a red river hog enclosure that was closed for maintenance; and farther along the trail is a steep exhibit for Grant’s and Damara zebras.

Giraffe Preview Exhibit – This is essentially a temporary pair of chain-link fenced yards for the zoo’s 7 male Reticulated giraffes that arrived in 2010. The animals can be fed for $5 but they will have this newly constructed area as their home for a few years until the major expansion of an African zone is complete.

Snakes Alive! – This is a circular yard where daily 30-minute snake presentations are given and it was added to the zoo in 2009.

Safari Canyon Open-Air Theater – This presentation went on for about 30 minutes (a bit too long for young children) and while it was corny it was also amusing in places. The animals brought out on stage included a two-toed sloth, black vulture, barn owl, striped skunk, an African crested porcupine and an ocelot.

Odds n’ Sods – I saw two rarely exhibited striped hyenas (they rotate with a spotted hyena) in an adequate enclosure; parma wallabies have a lush area that has poor viewing opportunities; blackbuck and Reeves’ muntjacs share a large yard; a couple of yellow-backed duikers have a grassy enclosure with atrocious viewing over a thick fence – and viewing issues is something that at times plagues this zoo; and 4 incredibly active young coyotes rotate with Florida panthers in a spacious exhibit. Best of all was seeing honey badgers, otherwise known as ratels, never stop exploring their exhibit near the Primate Expedition Cruise. Honey badgers can only be found at 4 American zoos and while I’ve been to all of them it is still a real treat to see such unusual mammals on show to the public. Alligator Bay is home to a large number of American alligators, but they are difficult to see unless it is the daily feeding show.

THE WORST:

The Entrance – The zoo has seen such phenomenal growth in attendance over the past decade and in the future they will struggle to deal with large crowds with their current entrance. All visitors enter a small building that serves as a gift shop and ticketing booth, and people are guided down a narrow corridor past 8 terrariums. All it takes is a single family to stop with their stroller and kids to glance at the exhibits and it can create congestion of ridiculous proportions. There is a desperate need for a new entrance structure that completely bypasses the gift shop, and the terrariums could then stay and be a cool addition for folks to look at as they are sifting through toys, books and plush animals.

Opening Times of Exhibits – I already raged yesterday about the Palm Beach Zoo’s absurd stance of not letting many popular mammals out into their enclosures, and so I will not repeat my entire rant again today. Nevertheless, Naples Zoo had keepers in the tiger and bear exhibits with neither mammal let out until about 40 minutes after the zoo opened. Two other families sat with us and waited and they didn’t even seem to mind as they said that it is a regular occurrence. With a total of 4 enclosures devoted to tigers and bears, the marquee animals at the zoo, and to have to wait 40 minutes to see any of them is completely asinine. The absurdity of the situation boggles my mind, and I was even told that the giraffes are never released until 10:00 so that the keepers can spend an hour tidying up their yard. Maybe San Diego should pick up on this idea and keep their gorillas, orangutans, giant pandas and koalas off-exhibit for the first hour of the day? Can you imagine the complaints?

THE FUTURE:

There are design drawings and site plans for a new African zone that will expand the zoo onto previously unused land. A new giraffe exhibit, plus other new habitats for lions, honey badgers, leopards, monkeys and a mixed-species exhibit are all in the works in the largest ever expansion for Naples Zoo. There is no timeline at the moment and the zoo is working on garnering sponsors but it all looks to be very impressive and it will surely add at least another half an hour onto any visit once it is eventually built.

Kiwa Ranch Site Plan:

Naples Zoo Board of Directors

Naples Zoo 2008 press release in regards to the Master Plan (completed by CLR):

Naples Zoo unveils plan for 20-year expansion Naples Daily News

OVERALL:

Naples Zoo was a pleasant surprise, and it joins Brevard, Palm Beach and St. Augustine Alligator Farm as fairly small establishments that all have their great qualities. It was definitely noticeable that Naples is only 30 minutes from the Everglades as there were many more flies and mosquitoes then we’d seen in our Florida travels and going around the zoo we were sometimes slapping or arms and swatting bugs away from our faces. Also, I lost count after at least 40 lizards as those little critters were everywhere. My kids Kylie and Jeffrey were having a blast looking for them and sometimes there would be 3-4 on a single signpost. By one of the lion exhibits Kylie told me that lions were boring and she was trying to catch a lizard, but of course they moved at the speed of light as she lunged. The zoo is as much a jungle as perhaps any other in the state of Florida, but it is most definitely a zoo going places as according to its press releases it has broken its attendance record every year lately, has opened 6 new habitats in 6 years, and has many exciting plans for the future. Most of the exhibits are of an average size and an average quality, but underrate this zoo at your peril as it has a bright future and it is most enjoyable to visit. While there is really not a single bad exhibit from a captive perspective it is a fact that zoos are there for people to tour and there are many exhibits that could be improved with better viewing opportunities.

 

[BeardsleyZooFan]

Thanks SL! I was looking forward to your review of Naples a lot, and you liked it a lot more than I suspected! I agree with the fact that the zoo needs a new entrance, and many assessments of exhibits. I also know how many lizards were there, and one fell on my head as I sat on a bench! Looking forward to the Lowry Park and Busch Gardens reviews, and hope your family's safe and well as you approach the final part of your trip!

 

[mweb08]

Snowleopard: It seems that many of your reviews have been more favorable than some expected and it seems to me that you are being a bit less critical than normal. Do you think you are any less critical than you used to be? Or that you are giving some of these smaller zoos more slack? Or that the lack of great zoos on the trip is making these zoos seem better than they really are?

Just an honest question, I'm not trying to be critical of you. I'm enjoying the reviews as usual.

 

[snowleopard]

Snowleopard: It seems that many of your reviews have been more favorable than some expected and it seems to me that you are being a bit less critical than normal. Do you think you are any less critical than you used to be? Or that you are giving some of these smaller zoos more slack? Or that the lack of great zoos on the trip is making these zoos seem better than they really are?

Just an honest question, I'm not trying to be critical of you. I'm enjoying the reviews as usual.

Great questions!! You have some excellent points, and every question you ask in your posting is one that I've mulled over and over again in my head during this long trip. I had a couple of people privately message me and say that I was way too harsh in regards to Potawatomi Zoo and Greater Cleveland Aquarium, and at other places (such as Erie Zoo and Ripley's Aquarium) I strongly bashed certain areas and I still find it extraordinary that Ripley's in South Carolina literally has only around 18 tanks. It is amazing to charge such a large entrance fee for so little on offer. In those reviews I was highly critical and I still feel that those institutions have some serious deficiencies.

However, overall I find that since I now have two young children my reviews are not as critical as they used to be so you hit the nail on the head with that assumption. My reviews have certainly become far longer and more detailed (check out those species lists!) and they now take hours to complete. On my 30 zoo/aquarium trip in 2008 it was just my wife and I and we even skipped several children’s sections and spent longer in different parts of zoos. I now see zoos from a different perspective and while there are moments when my kids are as annoying as pesky mosquitos there are also awesome, magical scenes and my daughter in particular knows a tremendous number of exotic animals. Just today at Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo she was on the carousel and said "daddy, look at the siamang" and she is not even 3 years old yet. The guy next to her had no clue that she was talking about the world's largest species of gibbon.

I also think that you are correct in that I'm giving a bit more slack to smaller, community-driven organizations. Naples Zoo survives without the millions of annual dollars that major zoos receive, and at Naples for instance there really isn't a single awful exhibit. There are plenty of average ones and I only mentioned two sections of the zoo in my "best" category but I agree that reviews like that are slanted towards the positive rather than the negative. At that zoo there are plenty of exhibits with terrible chain-link fencing (which I cannot stand) but the viewing windows at those same habitats makes the chain-link bearable because there are other options to get close to the animals and even produce some fine photos.

I value the ambience at zoos, and the weather is a factor in that regard. San Diego has gotten by over the years as a world famous zoo in part due to its open-air exhibits and amazingly consistent sunshine. St. Augustine, Brevard, Palm Beach and Naples in Florida are 4 small facilities that can be easily seen in 2-3 hours each and yet the jungle-like atmosphere produced in the tropics ends up in the animal habitats as they are all green, lush and densely planted. A standard primate wood-and-wire cage in a northern zoo is like a ghost town in the wintertime with small monkeys huddled inside around a heater, yet in places like Florida the enclosure probably stays green and full of active monkeys year-round.

I’ve definitely visited many more aquariums on this trip than ever before, partly because I’ve pretty much seen 95 of America’s top 100 zoos and so I wanted to get close to touring 40 different North American aquariums. I have found that many of the small aquariums that can be seen in an hour and a half (the trio in North Carolina, plus South Carolina and others) are still worthwhile and even the smallest establishment has its charm and at least a couple of really excellent sections. With two kids it is perfect to pop into a zoo and spend a few hours there before hitting the road. A major zoo with two tiny children and a wife that has already seen a million-and-one exhibits in the past few years is a challenge and it can become tough to trudge around with a disgruntled family in tow. How many life partners would be so gracious as to spend their entire summer driving from zoo to aquarium, and even frequently seeing two a day for weeks on end? My wife Debbie has been amazing over the years as she allows me to indulge in my hobby/obsession.

Lastly, I feel that zoos are always improving each and every year. I'm still picky when it comes to AZA-accreditation and almost everything I've toured over the years has been accredited so there is always a level of professionalism in place no matter where I go. Those facilities that are not accredited can do things like breed white tigers, not participate in SSP programs and they can have a lot of options to do things in a different way and thus there are not many half-decent non-accredited zoos in the United States. There are loads of zoos that range in size from the biggest to the smallest that each year tear down an old enclosure and erect a new, more natural-looking one in its place. Indianapolis Zoo from my 2008 visit to my 2012 visit made probably half a dozen positive changes; and zoos like Woodland Park, North Carolina, Saint Louis and even Sedgwick County in the next couple of years will literally have nothing terrible about them whatsoever. There might be plenty of average-sized exhibits but most of those zoos are flawless when it comes to atrocious areas. I find that there are more and more American zoos and aquariums that have plenty of solid sections and nothing too outstanding and nothing horrendous either.

 

[snowleopard]

DAY 29: Monday, July 30th, 2012

Road Trip Review # 33: Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo

Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo’s website:

Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo | Voted #1 By Parents Magazine

Zoo Map:

http://www.lowryparkzoo.com/_page_content/zoo_map/documents/Map2012FLCL.pdf

Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo is an AZA-accredited facility located in Tampa, Florida, and it originally opened in the 1930’s. The zoo relocated to its present site in 1957 and due to a gradual deterioration it closed down in 1984 and reopened in 1988 and has progressed steadily since that grim period of time. The annual attendance is around 1.1 million and there are 56 acres in total. There are over 1,500 animals in 6 main areas and this is yet another in a long line of stellar Florida attractions.

The establishment has almost everything that a family could want and we had one of the best days of the trip as we spent 5 hours at the zoo. There are extensive sections devoted to North American, African, Asian and Australian animals, plus a top-class children’s zoo, two fun water fountain areas for kids, a huge walk-through aviary with hundreds of birds, 7 rides that are all free with admission, a fabulous new restaurant with excellent food, and some exotic animals that are rarely exhibited in American zoos (manatees, koalas, New Guinea singing dogs, sloth bears, shoebill storks, mountain zebras). The downside is that there is nothing truly outstanding in terms of exhibits (except for perhaps the manatees) and none of the exhibit complexes are amongst the best of their kind. Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo would never even be a contender for my top 20 American zoos, and yet it covers all the basics, seemingly has a little bit of everything, and is a rock-solid, middle-of-the-road zoo that we enjoyed immensely. It is tough to find fault with a zoo that does so many things really well, and all it lacks is that brilliant animal habitat that would set it apart as a truly great institution. I would say that it would be a lock for one of America’s top 35 zoos and that is still impressive as there are many top-notch zoos in the United States.

THE BEST:

Safari Africa – This impressive area opened in bits and pieces between 2004 and 2008, as seemingly each year the zoo has added another exhibit to its new African section. The zone is accessed via a tunnel and as one emerges there is a small marketplace with an excellent meerkat exhibit that opened in 2005. There is a Safari Ride, which is a 15-minute tram tour of the behind-the-scenes areas that was added in 2006. A small side exhibit features these 6 species: royal antelope, red-billed hornbill, trumpeter hornbill, silvery cheeked hornbill, yellow-necked spurfowl and vulturine guineafowl.

The magnificent, $4.5 million Safari Lodge opened in December of 2008 and it is an outstanding 17,000 sq. ft. climate-controlled facility that is designed to host special events but is also a top-class restaurant. We had roast chicken with garlic mashed potatoes, with buttered rolls and a drink for $10 each and we sat in a cavernous hall that has an upper deck that looks out onto giraffes, zebras and elephants. The air-conditioning was a blessing, the food was amazing, the décor was excellent and this was easily the best zoo lunch we have had the entire summer.

Visitors pass the Safari Lodge and pass exhibits for radiated tortoises and warthogs; an enclosure with thick grass for duikers, lesser kudu, lowland nyala and southern ground hornbill; marabou storks have a separate yard; Reticulated and Masai giraffes share a dusty, narrow yard with rarely seen Hartmann’s mountain zebra; and thick-tailed bushbabies were off exhibit due to a renovation of their home. The African elephant complex is listed as being 2.5 acres in size, but I’m not sure if that is including the separate bull facility. It is more than adequate for the 4-5 elephants that are currently there but I’m not sure if the barn can hold many more in the future. What was interesting to see was a herd of impala interacting with the female elephants as whenever an elephant approached the impala skittishly ran to an empty section of the yard.

Rhino Reserve features 4 white rhinos (including an 8 month-old) along with Grevy’s zebras in an average-sized paddock; and Lemur Island no longer exists for lemurs but it is definitely packed with loads of birds. A Greater Flamingo colony shares space with many other waterfowl such as shoebill storks, yellow-billed storks and great white pelicans in an immense netted aviary. A pair of dromedaries gives rides for a few dollars, and Ituri Forest features 4 nice exhibits (that all opened in 2007) for red river hogs, okapis (and a marabou stork), pygmy hippos and cheetahs. A pair of nearby aviaries has these 7 species: silvery cheeked hornbill, cape shelduck, African spoonbill, hammerkop, shoebill stork, saddle-billed stork and Kenyan crested guineafowl. A few years ago the zoo became the first in North America, and the second worldwide, to hatch a shoebill stork chick and that bird is now an adult and still at the zoo. African penguins have a small pool near the entrance to Safari Africa that opened in 2007. The only major downside to this exquisite area is that while everything is very nicely done I would declare that nothing is transcendent and having to back-track from the Ituri Forest area all the way up into the tunnel is a bit of a nuisance.

Manatee & Aquatic Center – This area is accessed via a wooden boardwalk that overlooks a lush enclosure for Key deer (a small subspecies of white-tailed deer) and whooping crane. A 16,000 gallon stingray touch tank, above-ground viewing of a manatee pool, an open-topped bald eagle enclosure and a gopher tortoise exhibit are all passed before visitors leave the Key West Deck and head into the Aquatic Center. Most of this complex opened in 1991 and it still holds up very well over 20 years later and in that time Lowry Park Zoo has rehabilitated more than 200 of the creatures. There are only a few zoos (Lowry Park, Cincinnati and Columbus) with manatees in America and seeing a couple of them via giant underwater viewing windows is fascinating.

The entry into the Manatee & Aquatic Center has a row of terrariums with these 16 snake species: scarlet kingsnake, eastern kingsnake, eastern coral snake, southern copperhead, southern hognose, Florida cottonmouth, pine snake, grey ratsnake, red redsnake, Everglades red ratsnake, yellow ratsnake, mangrove salt marsh snake, black racer, canebrake rattlesnake, diamondback rattlesnake and dusky pygmy rattlesnake. Other species include: gopher tortoise, spotted turtle, stinkpot turtle, alligator snapping turtle (in 3 exhibits), diamondback terrapin, larger Florida mantis, Tokay gecko, eastern glass lizard, striped newt; and several aquatic species such as red lionfish, spadefish, snook, blue tang, reticulate moray eel, scrawled cowfish, bluegill, blue tilapia, redear sunfish, pipefish and lined seahorse.

The West Indian manatees are the star attraction and they appear to be incredibly docile even when floating aimlessly amongst their lettuce background. The two on exhibit share their pool with these 6 species: Florida gar, largemouth bass, peacock bass, snook, yellow-spotted Amazon river turtle and giant South American river turtle. There are several pools outside for rehabilitated manatees and we saw one directly in front of us that was recovering from being run over by a boat. River otters have an exhibit with underwater viewing as the Florida Boardwalk section of the zoo begins.

A Discovery Center has these 32 species in basic terrariums: Biak tree monitor, Puerto Rican crested toad, Surinam toad, fire-bellied toad, marine toad, southern toad, eastern spadefoot toad, mantella, blue poison dart frog, black-legged poison dart frog, yellow-banded poison dart frog, strawberry poison dart frog, golden poison dart frog, green-and-black poison dart frog, Panamanian golden frog, coqui, Budgett’s frog, gopher frog, red-spotted burrowing frog, southern leopard frog, African bullfrog, Thai leaf frog, eyelash leaf frog, barking treefrog, Cuban treefrog, green treefrog, squirrel treefrog, hourglass treefrog, ornate horned frog, leaf-nosed ratsnake, spotted salamander and emperor newt.

Wallaroo Station Children’s Zoo – This is easily one of the top 15 children’s sections at any American zoo, and it is a large 4.5 acre complex that opened in 2002. It is Australian themed so there are “dunnies” for toilets, and terms like jackaroo, billabong, outback and walkabout are ubiquitous. The animal lineup is impressive: koalas, New Guinea singing dogs, yellow-footed rock wallabies, emus, flying foxes, palm cockatoos, Bali mynahs and prehensile-tailed skinks. There is a petting farm with goats and llamas, a koi pond, 4 rides, a café, a mini water park, a walk-through wallaby yard and a budgie feeding zone. We spent at least an hour just in this section of the zoo and it was easily the busiest area of the entire park.

THE AVERAGE:

Native Florida Wildlife Center – This area is seen via an extensive wooden boardwalk (I’m a sucker for those things) and in reality together with the Manatee & Aquatic Center this is one giant North American zone of the zoo. Just past the manatees and river otters there is a stinky swamp with American alligators; an aviary with American kestrels, Florida box turtles and three-toed box turtles; a Mauritius pink pigeon aviary (bizarrely located); a large roseate spoonbill enclosure; and a Florida panther exhibit that has quite a few tree branches for climbing but is still essentially a large cage.

Farther down the boardwalk is a pretty Caribbean flamingo lagoon; a striped skunk/sandhill crane/three-toed box turtle/Florida box turtle enclosure; a long and winding Florida black bear exhibit is lush and spacious; a red wolf wooded area makes it very tricky to spot the occupants; and wild turkey, sandhill crane and Philippine crocodile exhibits are all below a log flume ride that was installed in 2008. Visitors can go on the ride for free and it soaks them in a pool of water adjacent to the croc exhibit. Overall this section of the zoo, which opened in 1990, combined with the Manatee & Aquatic Center provides an extremely comprehensive overview of wildlife from the Florida region.

Primate World – This is an area from 1988 and it consists of 10 primate exhibits that seemingly all have a crashing waterfall in them. At a couple of sections it is difficult to have a normal conversation as water is pulsating across rocks and creating a crescendo of noise. Here is the list of 10 exhibits featuring 13 species: Angolan colobus, golden lion tamarin, Bolivian grey titi monkey, ring-tailed lemur/collared lemur, siamang, red-tailed guenon/Wolf’s guenon, mandrill, squirrel monkey, chimpanzee and Bornean orangutan/silvery langur.

The golden lion tamarin, squirrel monkey and titi monkey exhibits are fairly small and set in mock-rock with a wire front; the colobus, siamang and lemur exhibits are islands with a mixture of small trees and wooden climbing frames; and the guenon and mandrill exhibits are moated enclosures that are looked across at over a deep pool. The orangutan/langur habitat is rocky but it also has some terrifically high wooden climbing structures and the 4 orangs and 3 silvery langurs that I saw seemed to be at home in the upper reaches of their exhibit. The chimpanzees have the weakest enclosure as it is not very large and fairly plain, and the mandrill exhibit is the only other one that is noticeably outdated.

Asian Gardens – This area was newly renovated in 2007 but it originally opened in 1988 and so it is essentially just about the oldest section of the zoo. Of the 6 main areas with multiple exhibits I actually found this one to be the weakest as it appears dated in some of the enclosure designs and it still shows signs of its age. The species list is terrific: Malayan tapir, Malayan tiger (and a generic, standard-mutant white tiger), sloth bear, western tufted deer, lowland anoa, Indian rhino, Reeves’ muntjac, clouded leopard, Komodo dragon, Burmese python, babirusa and Visayan warty pig.

The tiger and bear exhibits are basically revamped grottoes and visitors look far down upon the inhabitants; the muntjac shares space with Indian star tortoises and Malayan box turtles but it is a very tiny yard; the clouded leopard exhibit is actually quite large in comparison to many other small cat enclosures; the Visayan warty pig exhibit is very small; and the others are generic exhibits that showcase an awesome lineup of mammals in average habitats that could use another sprucing up. A Sulawesi Aviary is impressive and it features many Asian artifacts strewn about and this species list: Victoria crowned pigeon, swan goose, Sulawesi tarictic hornbill, great argus pheasant, masked lapwing, Javan pond heron, Demoiselle crane, Mandarin duck and giant Asian pond turtle.

Free-Flight Aviary – A huge walk-through aviary with hundreds of birds is near the entrance to the zoo, and during my visit several sections of it were under construction as it appears to need some touching up to reach its previous heights of glory. Side exhibits includes these species: Great Indian hornbill, Raggiana bird of paradise, crested coua, toco toucan and kookaburra. Birds that had access to the rest of the aviary include these species: crested oropendola, sacred ibis, banded rail, pied imperial pigeon, red-legged seriema, blue-crowned motmot, southern bald ibis, sunbittern, nicobar pigeon, Mandarin duck, white-faced whistling duck, wood duck, Reichenow guineafowl, blue-bellied roller, black-naped oriole, blue-breasted kingfisher, African openbill stork, Kenya crested guineafowl, purple swamphen, boat-billed heron, ringed teal, violaceous turaco, Von der Decken’s hornbill, African spoonbill and scarlet ibis.

Rides – The Treetop Skyfari ride, which made its debut in 2005 and took visitors on an aerial ride for 18 minutes above several acres of exhibits, has somewhat curiously been taken down and it no longer exists. One major difference is that a few years ago the zoo would charge for each individual ride and offer wristbands for purchase that would cover all the rides during a visit, but since then the entrance fee was raised and now all of the rides are free. A Jungle Carousel, Gator Falls Flume Ride, Tasmanian Tiger Family Coaster, Safari Ride, Overland Express Train, Boomer’s Flyin’ Bananas and Outback Bumper Boats are all free for specific age groups, and only the Pony Trek and Camel Rides cost extra. My daughter had three rides on the carousel and one on the small train and it made her day as it was a slow time at the zoo and she got to ring the bell on the train as it made its tiny turns.

THE WORST:

There is nothing that applies to this category.

THE FUTURE:

New Horizons Capital Campaign (14-page document). This is a $10 million campaign that will affect a number of areas of the zoo.

http://www.lowryparkzoo.com/_page_content/new_horizons/New_Horizons_Opt.pdf

OVERALL:

Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo has been around since the 1930’s but it is in fact a 24 year-old zoo as no major animal exhibit is older than 1988. That allows for a dominance of modern, naturalistic habitats and there is nothing at the zoo that requires immediate attention in terms of a dramatic overhaul. As I outlined in my introduction to this lengthy review the zoo succeeds in a number of ways and the state of Florida has a plethora of solid zoos that are well worth visiting. The major knock on Lowry Park Zoo is that even with all of the new habitats that have opened in the past decade (especially in the African section) there is nothing that would be considered in the top 10 in comparison to other major American zoos. It seems as if Lowry Park is a very consistent, steady, dependable zoo where a family can easily spend 5 hours and have a wonderful day. What more could anyone want? What I would like to see is an exhibit complex that would be staggeringly awesome rather than solidly average, and I’m not sure that the zoo has it in it to accomplish such a goal. It is already well-rounded and all it needs now is a decent South American section to have representation from yet another continent.

 

[zooman]

Hi SL,

What happened to Buch Gardens Tampa Bay?

Your itinary has it as before Tampa and l am keen to hear about this zoo.