Orange County Zoo A Brief Visit

[MRJ]

I visited Orange County Zoo about 3 weeks ago. I arrived just after 3pm to find it closed at 3, however there were staff and visitors still in the zoo and by pleading "I'm from Australia and may never be able to return" I was allowed in to have a quick look around.

Orange County Zoo is located In Irvine Regional Park, a large regional park that included a number of other attractions, such as horse riding and a miniature train ride. It occupies 8 acres, something that surprises me as I would have thought it was smaller than that. If Orange County ever decide to expand their zoo, there is certainly the room available in the park. The zoo claims to exhibit animals native to the south-western United States, however there is a serval and I noticed a couple of bearded dragons in the reptile exhibits.

On entry there is a ticket booth on the right, and the office building, which includes the keepers kitchen, on the left. The ticket booth is a new addition, as until recently admission was free. It is now $2 per person. Immediately behind the office building is the reptile house, with about half a dozen enclosures facing outside on each side. The visitor has the option of following the path straight ahead or turning left around the reptile house. It does not matter which direction you take, as the path goes around in a circle. There is one short snub branch, and a second that leads to a fairly conventional small zoo farmyard.

It was an interesting zoo in that I did not notice any visitor facilities. No restrooms, kiosk, gift shop, picnic tables, grassed areas or even from what I could see benches. Of course all these things are available outside in the park itself.

Enclosures lined the pathways on both sides, with no gaps. They were all of a reasonable size for their occupants and were mostly nicely landscaped. There was nothing spectacular but nor did I notice anything terrible either. Species noted include:

Serval
Coyote
Bobcat
Mountain Lion
Collard Peccary
Mule Deer
Porcupine
Turkey Vulture
Kit Fox
Black Bear
Beaver
Racoon
Coati
Great Horned Owl
Barn Owl
Prairie Dog
Burro (Donkey)
Golden Eagle
Bald Eagle
Red Tailed Hawk
Weasel
Tortoise (sp?)
Virginia Opossum

There was also a small aviary which looked as it only contained collared doves, while the barnyard (which I did not get a chance to enter) apparently exhibits some pheasants. I did not have time to really examine the reptile exhibits but I did note a couple of species of rattlesnake. I was somewhat surprised that a zoo this small would hold venomous snakes. The above list probably comes with a ho-hum from American readers, however I would have liked more time than the 10 or 15 minutes I was allowed, as American animals are rare in Australian zoos.

 

[zoo_enthusiast]

Even for American visitors this zoo offers some very interesting species. I've been to over 90 zoos, mostly in the US, and Orange County Zoo (which I visited in 2014) had three species which I haven't seen anywhere else: long-tailed weasel (which was very active when I visited), San Clemente Island fox (is it replaced by kit fox now?), and mule deer (unfortunately the male was castrated and his antlers were deformed, so I still haven't seen a mule deer with proper antlers). Back in 2014 the zoo had an ocelot, which I suppose is now replaced with serval.

 

[The_UltimateBea]

Even for American visitors this zoo offers some very interesting species. I've been to over 90 zoos, mostly in the US, and Orange County Zoo (which I visited in 2014) had three species which I haven't seen anywhere else: long-tailed weasel (which was very active when I visited), San Clemente Island fox (is it replaced by kit fox now?), and mule deer (unfortunately the male was castrated and his antlers were deformed, so I still haven't seen a mule deer with proper antlers). Back in 2014 the zoo had an ocelot, which I suppose is now replaced with serval.

Come to SD Zoo Safari Park to see them in the wild. Sometimes visible by the Tram Route. I know it's not the same as a zoo but it's an option.

 

[zoo_enthusiast]

Come to SD Zoo Safari Park to see them in the wild. Sometimes visible by the Tram Route. I know it's not the same as a zoo but it's an option.

I've seen them there in the black rhino paddock. But the vehicle I was in rode past them quickly, and I did not take a decent picture. So this doesn't count

 

[MRJ]

San Clemente Island fox (is it replaced by kit fox now?), and mule deer (unfortunately the male was castrated and his antlers were deformed, so I still haven't seen a mule deer with proper antlers). Back in 2014 the zoo had an ocelot, which I suppose is now replaced with serval.

Now you mention it I think that the label on the enclosure said San Clemente fox, I took kit fox from a photo I took of a map that was posted outside. I know I have seen San Clemente fox at Los Angeles Zoo before so the name resonated with me. Mule deer I have seen in the wild at the Grand Canyon, at the time I think I was disappointed they were not elk. The serval is an odd one, maybe they lost the ocelot and found it easy to replace with another spotted cat.

 

[snowleopard]

The weasel and fox exhibits were there last summer when I was busy touring almost every zoo in the state of California. Here is my summary of Orange County Zoo from my thread 'Snowleopard's 2017 Road Trip':

I headed inland and about 45 minutes from the Pacific Ocean, and just east of both Santa Ana and Anaheim, is the small Orange County Zoo in the city of Orange. There are many common species that are found at countless American zoos and the focus is on North American wildlife (Coyote, Mule Deer, Collared Peccary, North American Porcupine, Virginia Opossum, White-Nosed Coati, Golden Eagle, Bald Eagle, Red-Tailed Hawk, Swainson’s Hawk, Turkey Vulture, Barn Owl, Great Horned Owl, a dozen or so reptile terrariums, etc.) but the zoo’s largest exhibits are for an American Black Bear and a couple of Cougars. Those enclosures are adequate for a half-hour zoo but nothing extraordinary, although a North American Beaver exhibit was rather nice. The real surprise to me was seeing two species that I’ve only seen perhaps 5 times in my lifetime: San Joaquin Kit Fox and Long-Tailed Weasel. Even the smallest zoos are worth visiting!

Practically a stone’s throw away is the Orange County Nature Center, which doesn’t have any live animals but I spent 20 minutes inside nonetheless. There must be close to 100 taxidermy specimens of North American animals (the largest ones being an American Black Bear, a Mule Deer and a few Coyotes), a display on Native Americans and the first indigenous communities in the area, and a centennial display for Irvine Regional Park (1897-1997). In truth the Nature Center doesn’t seem as if it has had any new items in a couple of decades but at least it was free and it was nice to see it busy during my short visit.

 

[sooty mangabey]

lThe serval is an odd one, maybe they lost the ocelot and found it easy to replace with another spotted cat.

I believe the Serval is a former pet. This was something that was discussed in a keeper talk when I visited the zoo last summer.

 

[MRJ]

I believe the Serval is a former pet. This was something that was discussed in a keeper talk when I visited the zoo last summer.

That makes sense, I think a lot of their animals are rescues. It would explain the bearded dragons, too. Bit of a shame to break away from their theme, though.