The trip to Zoo Miami where I met Heathcliffe and Gertrude the Sarus Cranes that were the inspiration for this channel! When the world's tallest flying birds...
Nicely done! You had a good tram tour guide and I love that you shared what was behind the scenes! I especially liked the cranes, storks, and Kori Bustards! Miami still has a great hoofstock collection too and continues to be an impressive zoo!
I just watched the non-tram parts of the video and there were even better! Thank you for stopping at the Stanley Crane, Gerenuk, Nilgai, and Sun Bear exhibits. I also loved the Wings of Asia part and the time with the Victoria Crowned Pigeons. I didn't realize that people could get so close to the Sarus Cranes! Thank you!
@Summer Tanager I wish I had bothered to film more! So much has changed since this footage was taken back in January 2011. There are several species that are no longer in the aviary such as Kagu and Thick-Billed Ground Pigeons. Several months ago I heard that the zoo was putting African species in it. As far as the Sarus Sarus Cranes go sadly Heathcliffe is the only one left. His mate Gertrude passed away in November 2018. A keeper told me during my last visit that Heathcliffe actually explores the aviary more now that Gertrude is no longer there. She must've been the "clingy" type who didn't want him to stray away too far. But yeah... they're the cranes that inspired my YT channel and I have so many fun memories of hanging out with them during my visits. Along with Dalip & Nellie, the Asian Elephants they feel like family! As far as I know Wings of Asia is the ONLY aviary in the country that lets you get this close to Sarus Cranes.
@Summer Tanager From what I've heard they don't do the behind-the-scenes portion of the tram tour anymore. Its a shame. Also it's a shame they got rid of the monorail that would take you around the zoo. Zoo Miami still has a great hoofstock collection and is the last facility with a herd of Giant Eland. Its unfortunate that it looks like they are phasing out Gaur. I have no clue if the female is still there. She was behind the scenes recovering from some sort of vet visit when I visited in March 2022. she rotates with a Dromedary Camel. I do have a bad feeling in years to come they will be downgrading their hoofstock collection and/or replacing certain species due to AZA's new priorities for the TAG's. If you want to visit I'd recommend doing so sooner than later. I spent 2 days filming this 3 hour production during my last visit to capture the spirit of the zoo as I knew it before future developments change it:
Zoo Miami 2022 (10th Anniversary Special) - YouTube by Sarus Crane posted 27 Jun 2022 at 9:33 AM
Thank you for posting the longer 2022 video! I'll take a look at it one evening this week. I think it's fantastic that you've created multiple videos to showcase the history of the zoo! I visited Zoo Miami only once - in 1989 when it was called the Miami Metro Zoo. It had great hoofstock, waterfowl, and crane collections back then, plus the Wings of Asia aviary. The aviary was closed for some reason during my visit, so I could only look into it. All that I remember seeing were two Pheasant Pigeons, but they were my first so I was happy! I have yet to see a Kagu in person - I'm never at the right zoo at the right time, but one day I will be. I know what you mean about the changing hoofstock collections - that is one of my few disappointments with zoos these days. I hate to see the smaller and smaller diversity of antelope and deer. My home zoo is the Oklahoma City Zoo, which I deeply love, but it's current hoofstock collection is a shadow of what it used to be. In the 1970s and 1980s there were 24 hoofstock yards at the zoo, filled with all kinds of African and Asian antelope, deer, and cattle. But only four of those remain today and the hoofstock collection has dwindled to a few cool African species (Giraffe, Okapi, Grevy's Zebra, Addra Gazelle) and a few boring NA species (White-tailed Deer, NA Elk, and American Bison). I'm hoping that a few African antelope will be added after their on-going Expedition Africa exhibit is completed. OKC had a large herd of Gaur from the early 1970s, through about 1996, but not any more. Zoo Miami has been able to hold on to more of their collection for a longer period of time, but I'm sure it's hard for zoos to maintain genetically healthy populations when most zoos keep only a handful of species.
Thank you again for the great videos and zoo history!
