@SusScrofa I wasn't overly impressed. Exhibit quality is wildly inconsistent- ranging from some excellent lynx and Amur leopard exhibits (which were heavily renovated grottos), to the worst great ape exhibit I've ever seen for the orangutans. The jaguar exhibit was tiny for a big cat too. That said, there were some exhibit highlights too: in the indoor Africa exhibit, all of the exhibits had natural lighting and natural substrate, which was great to see in an older building.
Collection-wise, there are some real gems to be found here: a very active pair of large-spotted genets were a highlight, as was a blue duiker and lesser spot-nosed guenons. However, overall the collection is very focused on mammals, with the nine cat species making up a big part of the collection. Bird-wise, there are only African penguins, sacred ibis, and one small, understocked mixed-species aviary. There is similarly only a handful of herp species, although the website does mention a "Frog Room" which I could not find.
The zoo's biggest weakness, however, is its layout. This zoo can be very confusing to get around, with minimal directional signage and exhibits stuck in weird places. For example, the large-spotted genet exhibit is next to an axolotl exhibit in the back of a barn, while other exhibits are located on dead-end paths, tucked on the sides of buildings, or only accessible by train. Visitors can expect to do a bit of backtracking if they want to see everything.
Signage was also an overall weakness- much of it was in paragraph form, instead of more visually appealing graphics for visitors to read. There were also some places which probably should've had signage but didn't- while the prehensile-tailed porcupine had signage detailing it was off-exhibit for winter, no such signage existed near at least four other exhibits that appeared empty due to weather.
The zoo does certainly have a strong foundation, however- there appears to be a number of construction projects going on, including a new North American river otter exhibit, and if this trend continues the zoo could have a very bright future. Furthermore, it appears to do a nice job appealing to families with young children, which is certainly an important demographic for zoos, as around half the zoo is made up of their "Children's Zoo", playground, carousel, and train ride.
Thanks for the review @Neil chace and it might be worth posting in the zoo's thread as I only just happened to stumble across your review on this photo. Erie Zoo lost its AZA accreditation in 2021 and has struggled in recent years. I recall the absolutely ghastly Black Bear grotto when I was there in 2012 and it was a horrible exhibit back then. What's there now where the bears once were?
@Neil chace Thank you for that information! The orangutan exhibit reminds me of the one at Birmingham Zoo, which was the worst great ape exhibit I've seen in person so far.
@snowleopard
Those grottos indeed no longer exist, and might be one of the best examples of transforming a horrible, outdated exhibit into something that works really well. Compare these photos from yesterday:
To your pictures of this same footprint:
Unfortunately the nearby tiger exhibit didn't get the same drastic make-over as the grottos did, from your picture:
Thanks @Neil chace and I really enjoy seeing 'before and after' photos here on ZooChat. Some exhibits undergo dramatic transformations and you've reminded me of how poor Erie Zoo was with some of its enclosures when I was there in 2012. Hopefully this zoo can regain AZA accreditation in the near future, although of course that might not have anything to do with the exhibits and could be related to other matters entirely.
