I printed off a colour version of the new map and it appears that there are 4-5 main exhibits where the Asian elephants, Indian rhinos and Malayan tapirs can rotate through, and then either a 5th or 6th enclosure that is only suitable for the tapirs. Is that accurate? Is their public viewing inside the massive pachyderm house? Are the clouded leopards in the outdoor exhibit near the entrance of Toyota Elephant Passage? It seems as if the gibbons are near the exit, and that is also where a visitor can see the tapirs without entering the complex.
I will be visiting Denver Zoo in the middle of August and I cannot wait to see the new $50 million development. In the past 20 years the mega-additions of Tropical Discovery, Primate Panorama, Predator Ridge and Toyota Elephant Passage have all been enormously popular and highly rated, and now if the zoo can only do something about its atrocious Feline House!
I printed off a colour version of the new map and it appears that there are 4-5 main exhibits where the Asian elephants, Indian rhinos and Malayan tapirs can rotate through, and then either a 5th or 6th enclosure that is only suitable for the tapirs. Is that accurate? Is their public viewing inside the massive pachyderm house? Are the clouded leopards in the outdoor exhibit near the entrance of Toyota Elephant Passage? It seems as if the gibbons are near the exit, and that is also where a visitor can see the tapirs without entering the complex.
I will be visiting Denver Zoo in the middle of August and I cannot wait to see the new $50 million development. In the past 20 years the mega-additions of Tropical Discovery, Primate Panorama, Predator Ridge and Toyota Elephant Passage have all been enormously popular and highly rated, and now if the zoo can only do something about its atrocious Feline House!
I printed off a colour version of the new map and it appears that there are 4-5 main exhibits where the Asian elephants, Indian rhinos and Malayan tapirs can rotate through, and then either a 5th or 6th enclosure that is only suitable for the tapirs. Is that accurate?
- There are 5 rotational exhibits with a sixth for just the Malayan tapirs, which haven't been out for a while.
Is their public viewing inside the massive pachyderm house?
- There is indeed. Although the visitor area is quite small and always seems to be crowded, theres even a long line to get into the Elephant house!, the elephants get a nice big indoor area. Visitors can only see one of the eight indoor enclosures for the elephants. The one you will see is quite big, has a sand substrate, and a button for the elephants to press if they want to take a shower. It's one of the better designs in the exhibit. I think the Clayton F. Freiheit Elephant House was the most thought out building.
Are the clouded leopards in the outdoor exhibit near the entrance of Toyota Elephant Passage?
- Yes, they are located just after you go under Peter and Ella's Elephant Crossing Bridge. They also haven't been out too much but you can usually see the pair close to closing time.
It seems as if the gibbons are near the exit, and that is also where a visitor can see the tapirs without entering the complex.
- The gibbons and the land behind it are the last enclosures you'll see before you exit. The gibbon house does not have guest access, the path you might see by the windows is only for the keepers but you can honestly see them inside pretty good from the guest path. I doubt that you will even have to look inside as they are always outside looking around. I have never seen gibbons so interested in humans before. They are very adorable and will stare at you for hours, especially if they are on the ropes above you.
The tapir specific exhibit can be seen from a far inside TEP but can be seen better outside of the exhibit. Go left, towards the Pachyderm House, once you exit TEP and you'll be right there.
Good thinking to go around that time. I'm sure it will still be busy but there defiantly won't be lines to get into certain houses. Plus it'll start to cool down that time of the year. It has been madness here with the weather lately. Dry and hot. Well its always dry, but usually it never gets this hot here. You are also missing the school tours by a week or so.
Denver Zoo has always made sure to make there new exhibits high class. It takes time, no doubt. But once a couple years roll by, their exhibits are very immersive and well thought through. Don't worry we all think poorly of the cat house and its next on the list to be renovated. For now the african pachyderms take priority. Black Rhinos will get the old elephant and tapir exhibit and the hippos will keep their exhibit but add on the rhino's old exhibit. It won't be anything too special. Just a lot more room than what they had. It will be temporary until the Asian Temperate Forest is constructed, then they can think about Samburu Springs.
@Pacarana: thank you very much for answering all of my questions and it seems as if I was already on track in terms of the layout of Toyota Elephant Passage. You confirmed many of my queries and I appreciate it as I'm excited to see both Denver Zoo and Downtown Aquarium when I roll into town in the middle of August near the end of a 40 zoo/aquarium road trip. The zoo will surely be crazy busy as not including the major free zoos in America (National, Saint Louis, Como, Lincoln Park) Denver is behind Disney's Animal Kingdom 9.5 million annual visitors, Busch Gardens 4.2 million and San Diego's 3.4 million. After that it will be Denver, Columbus, Brookfield and Bronx all battling it out for the position of America's #4 zoo in terms of attendance. All 4 of those zoos are at 2 million or just over for annual visitors and I expect Denver to have a massively popular year.
@Pacarana: thank you very much for answering all of my questions and it seems as if I was already on track in terms of the layout of Toyota Elephant Passage. You confirmed many of my queries and I appreciate it as I'm excited to see both Denver Zoo and Downtown Aquarium when I roll into town in the middle of August near the end of a 40 zoo/aquarium road trip. The zoo will surely be crazy busy as not including the major free zoos in America (National, Saint Louis, Como, Lincoln Park) Denver is behind Disney's Animal Kingdom 9.5 million annual visitors, Busch Gardens 4.2 million and San Diego's 3.4 million. After that it will be Denver, Columbus, Brookfield and Bronx all battling it out for the position of America's #4 zoo in terms of attendance. All 4 of those zoos are at 2 million or just over for annual visitors and I expect Denver to have a massively popular year.
Wow! 40 zoos! Thats a lot of animals. Is San diego wrapped up in this trip? I would be interested in your view of it. San diego has defiantly changed some things since I last visited. Do you have a thread about this trip? I would be interested in reading it. When is your departure?
It's amazing to see Denver up there with the Bronx. I'm actually quite surprised.
I have had the itinerary planned for months, but I'm not sure that I will release it (just yet) on ZooChat. However, here are the 40 zoos/aquariums in order of annual attendance that I plan to see this summer with my wife and two small children:
40 Zoos/Aquariums:
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay - 4.2 million
Denver Zoo - 2 million
New England Aquarium - 1.3 million
Indianapolis Zoo - 1.1 million
Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo - 1.1 million
Ripley’s Aquarium at Myrtle Beach - 1 million
Utah’s Hogle Zoo - 1 million
New York Aquarium - 800,000
Adventure Aquarium - 750,000
Downtown Aquarium (Denver) - 750,000
Zoo Atlanta - 750,000
Newport Aquarium - 700,000
Mystic Aquarium - 700,000
Virginia Aquarium - 650,000
Nashville Zoo - 650,000
The Florida Aquarium - 630,000
Maritime Aquarium - 500,000
South Carolina Aquarium - 450,000
Virginia Zoo - 450,000
N.C. Aquarium – Fort Fisher - 415,000
Blank Park Zoo - 400,000
Erie Zoo - 400,000
N.C. Aquarium – Pine Knoll Shores - 380,000
Brevard Zoo - 350,000
Rosamond Gifford Zoo - 350,000
Franklin Park Zoo - 350,000
Naples Zoo - 300,000
Dickerson Park Zoo - 300,000
Little Rock Zoo - 280,000
Palm Beach Zoo - 250,000
Great Plains Zoo - 250,000
John Ball Zoo - 250,000
Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo - 250,000
N.C. Aquarium – Roanoke Island - 250,000
St. Augustine Alligator Farm - 250,000
Potawatomi Zoo - 200,000
Peoria Zoo - 200,000
Potter Park Zoo - 170,000
Topeka Zoo - 150,000
Rolling Hills Wildlife Adventure - 130,000
I have had the itinerary planned for months, but I'm not sure that I will release it (just yet) on ZooChat. However, here are the 40 zoos/aquariums in order of annual attendance that I plan to see this summer with my wife and two small children:
40 Zoos/Aquariums:
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay - 4.2 million
Denver Zoo - 2 million
New England Aquarium - 1.3 million
Indianapolis Zoo - 1.1 million
Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo - 1.1 million
Ripley’s Aquarium at Myrtle Beach - 1 million
Utah’s Hogle Zoo - 1 million
New York Aquarium - 800,000
Adventure Aquarium - 750,000
Downtown Aquarium (Denver) - 750,000
Zoo Atlanta - 750,000
Newport Aquarium - 700,000
Mystic Aquarium - 700,000
Virginia Aquarium - 650,000
Nashville Zoo - 650,000
The Florida Aquarium - 630,000
Maritime Aquarium - 500,000
South Carolina Aquarium - 450,000
Virginia Zoo - 450,000
N.C. Aquarium – Fort Fisher - 415,000
Blank Park Zoo - 400,000
Erie Zoo - 400,000
N.C. Aquarium – Pine Knoll Shores - 380,000
Brevard Zoo - 350,000
Rosamond Gifford Zoo - 350,000
Franklin Park Zoo - 350,000
Naples Zoo - 300,000
Dickerson Park Zoo - 300,000
Little Rock Zoo - 280,000
Palm Beach Zoo - 250,000
Great Plains Zoo - 250,000
John Ball Zoo - 250,000
Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo - 250,000
N.C. Aquarium – Roanoke Island - 250,000
St. Augustine Alligator Farm - 250,000
Potawatomi Zoo - 200,000
Peoria Zoo - 200,000
Potter Park Zoo - 170,000
Topeka Zoo - 150,000
Rolling Hills Wildlife Adventure - 130,000
This is an interesting way to visit zoos? I've never herd of someone only visiting a number of the highest attended zoos before. Is there any zoo with around 3 million attendants?
BeardsleyZooFan - There is only one exhibit so either the pair ( 8 month old and 10 month old ) will be out or the two females one at a time( both 10 years.)
@Pacarana: I'm visiting all of the major American zoos and aquariums that I have not already seen, as there are 35 new stops for me on that list of 40 establishments. If you name a major zoo or aquarium that is not on that list then I've almost certainly already visited it. This road trip is basically filling in all of the pieces of an immense puzzle, and that is how I chose the facilities that I'll see this summer.
Haha thank you for clarifying. I just saw your last thread, something like "snowleopards mega road trip," that I plan on reading today. Have you been to Denver zoo before? If so, when was the last time?
