This exhibit is so lush, naturalistic and spacious for the tiny duikers that there have been complaints that the animals are difficult to see. That argument is a valid one with the Woodland Park Zoo, as there is so much greenery in the damp Seattle climate that I can go several zoo visits without seeing a large variety of animals. Therefore I can understand the average family sometimes coming away disappointed, as they pay money to see animals and not beautiful yet seemingly empty exhibits. As a hardcore zoo fan I of course love the realism of the animal environments.
Therefore I can understand the average family sometimes coming away disappointed, as they pay money to see animals and not beautiful yet seemingly empty exhibits. As a hardcore zoo fan I of course love the realism of the animal environments.
I'm a hardcore zoo fan and my money is mostly spent to see the animals! I'm as interested in the design of the enclosures as anyone on here, but it's not gonna hold my attention for long if you never see the animals (even allowing for shy animals such as duikers that you don't expect to see every time).
The key is patience, and that is something that not many typical families have. I'm willing to stand for a few minutes and wait for the opportunity to see a duiker, while admittedly a lot of visitors to the Woodland Park Zoo will simply move on after 10 seconds. The zoo has won an armful of exhibit awards for naturalistic enclosures, but it still receives 1.1 million visitors every year. The best of both worlds!
The key is patience, and that is something that not many typical families have. I'm willing to stand for a few minutes and wait for the opportunity to see a duiker, while admittedly a lot of visitors to the Woodland Park Zoo will simply move on after 10 seconds.
This is true - and trust me, I'd stand a lot longer than a few minutes to see a Red-flanked Duiker!
The thing that amazes even more is when they not only do not wait to see the animals, they don't even look properly - often not spotting animals in plain view. Underneath the window is a classic place that people just entirely fail to check!
