Imagine my surprise when I noticed that the number of comments had jumped up considerably on this thread, all the time thinking that there would be a debate over my gushing praise for Saint Louis and how it is close to being my favourite zoo in the nation. But once again cetaceans became involved and I've had many discussions and debates about whales and dolphins in captivity and so I was not really surprised at all. I obviously adore zoos and have been obsessed with them since I was a toddler but I'm not a fan of either whales or dolphins in captivity. Any zoo that has had 26 dolphin deaths, stillbirths or miscarriages (Indianapolis) since 1988 is going to get bad press and it is not all from animal liberators but many individuals within the zoo industry are analyzing whether a life in a cement bowl is conducive to either animal abuse or ignorance. All whales are gone from traditional zoos and Indianapolis and Brookfield are the last two holdouts with dolphins and which one will blink first? Will they both still have dolphins in 10 or even 20 years? It seems unlikely as the industry is moving in the opposite direction.
Day 15 – Sunday, August 10th
While at the Endangered Wolf Center I saw two skinks that were perhaps 5 inches long and best of all was an enormous, 6-foot long Black Rat Snake that crossed the wide walking trail in front of the tour group.
Mini-Reviews:
Grant’s Farm – Overall a bit of a disappointment. This park has been around for 60 years and is smoking busy on a sunny Sunday in the middle of summer. Overall more than 600,000 visitors pile into the grounds, which is especially impressive once one considers the fact that the facility is only open full-time for 5 months of the year and then sporadically in the fall. There is a tram ride at the entrance that takes visitors on a 20-minute journey through a large hoofstock park, and species on show include Rocky Mountain Elk, Fallow Deer, White-Tailed Deer, Japanese Sika Deer, Ankole Cattle, American Bison and far-off separate enclosures for Ostrich and Aoudad. Once at the main facility there isn’t a lot to see and it is not difficult for an individual to stroll past all of the animal attractions in about half an hour. Mammals on show include: Grant’s Zebra, Dromedary, Llama, Alpaca, Red-Fronted Lemur, Red Kangaroo, Bennett’s Wallaby, Patagonian Cavy and a host of domestics. A glass-fronted outdoor Green Iguana enclosure is also found here, along with an African Spurred Tortoise yard. Various bird cages have the following species: Sun Conure, Indian Ring-Neck Parrot plus a walk-in Budgerigar aviary that is very tiny for the 100+ birds inside. There is also a scenic mini-lake with Lesser Flamingo, Chilean Flamingo, Mute Swan, White Stork and East African Crowned Crane. There are also several species of bird tethered in an old Capybara exhibit: Bald Eagle, Bateleur Eagle, Barn Owl, Great Horned Owl, Red-Tailed Hawk and a Peregrine Falcon/Gyrfalcon hybrid. However, the biggest surprise is that the park is home to 4 African Elephants and there are daily presentations in an amphitheater adjacent to one of the two elephant paddocks.
Endangered Wolf Center - The facility is closed to the public but it is possible to pre-book “PredaTours” in advance. A tour consists of an hour in a classroom setting, which is actually an old ammunitions bunker from the Korean War that has been turned into an air-conditioned lecture room and mini gift shop. Mounts of specimens, photos and pelts are all analyzed and discussed so that visitors are knowledgeable and prepared before the second hour begins and a walking tour of the park commences. Large chain-link yards of varying sizes house the species and photos are hard to obtain due to the two fence lines that obscure vision. However, the Red Wolf and Maned Wolf yards have a large wooden overlook that can accommodate a lot of guests and the structure allows for sweeping views of the sprawling, naturalistic enclosures. The center is recommended for only the hardcore zoo enthusiast and it is a valuable tour of a conservation-based facility. The entire animal list of 5 species consists of 2 Maned Wolves, 4 Red Wolves, 4 African Wild Dogs, 7 Swift Foxes and 13 Mexican Grey Wolves, although at least 8 Mexican Grey Wolves were just sent to a variety of other zoos as that is the species that the center has had great success with.
