Folks often forget about the hoofstock paddocks at the zoo, as the mega-complexes dominate: Lied Jungle, Desert Dome, Kingdoms of the Night, Expedition Madagascar, Insectarium, Scott Aquarium, Gorilla Valley, Orangutan Forest, the 4-acre Simmons Aviary and Exploration Station. When one lists them all like that it is a collection of animal habitats that perhaps only a handful of zoos on the planet can compete with in terms of size, quantity and quality. Anyway, here is an excerpt from my 2012 review:
Hoofstock Yards: This section of the zoo usually goes unmentioned, but there are some truly excellent paddocks for a range of animals. A reticulated giraffe/ostrich/African penguin veldt is enormous; a herd of sable antelope have a huge yard; a very large herd of gaur are near the train station; red river hogs, Abyssinian ground hornbills, bongo, addax, Grevy’s zebras, okapis, dama gazelles, Stanley cranes and cheetahs are also found in a long line of enclosures and all are above average in quality. Almost all of these exhibits face change in the zoo’s master plan, but as it stands right now they are all spacious and impressive.
