Tape residue that tells a story, this building has been closed to the public off and on over the past several years. Tape residue still appears outlining where the closed sign was placed.
@DavidBrown It was open to the public as of my last visit on 6/7/25, however, the entire section of the facility is now home to only a few turtles and a pair of Nene Geese. There is still the possibility that a NA river otter is at the facility, but it was not visible on this visit.
The Aquatic House has 3 large terrariums completely empty and in disrepair, as well as 5-6 small terrariums that are void of inhabitants. The large side enclosure that formerly housed beavers is empty and has been for some time.
@RandomConservationist Thank you for the update on the state of this exhibit. I've been reading your reports on the further decline of this zoo, and it is really sad. It sounds like this zoo was really improving in the early 21st century with the Mississippi exhibit area and the African forest zone, and then fell into a dismal failure loop with loss of elephants, giraffes, orangs, and a whole parade of species and exhibits that may lead to total failure of the facility.
@DavidBrown I can confidently say, considering the past few years of history, and the current abysmal state of the City of Jackson who now directly manage the zoo, and the demographic challenges of the region, I cannot see a road to recovery or improvement for the facility at this time.
I'm glad people are reading the reports, I am trying my best to document through text and photo the zoos situation. I wish it was easier to upload photos to this platform.
Sadly the zoo just seems to be on a slow downward spiral. I once was all for fixing the place up and giving it another go, but at this point I think it would be better to just pack it up and close shop.
@SwampDonkey Yes I definitely agree, just seeing the decline in the maintenance of the infrastructure between my regular visits has made me lose the majority of my hope of anything ever coming from the Jackson Zoo in this location again.
Part of it is the little things too. I reached out several times when they were in need of a freezer/fridge and nobody bothered to respond. I also donated to the flamingo house, no thank you email or anything. It's like they just don't care at all.
@SwampDonkey Yeah, they have no system in place for public relations, the whole facility is run by a skeleton crew of 5-10 employees, many of whom have worked there for 20+ years.
