Good Day fellow ZooChatters! I have yet another species list and review I would like to share with everyone as I desperately try to catch up with the backlog I currently have.
But before I continue this review, I would like to take a moment of silence for my Nikon D3200 camera, which had carried me for 10 years and accompanied me on so many trips, and which sadly died on me shortly after my trip to Turtle Back Zoo. R.I.P, you were good son, real good. Maybe even the best.
For this review, we will be looking at the Bergen County Zoo in Paramus, New Jersey. My visit occurred on 06/09/2024, and would be the first of several zoos and aquariums I would visit on a week-long trip to the Big Apple. I figured I would hit up this small zoo along the way. This is a pretty small zoo, both in side and collection, so this will be another short form review like my reviews for Elmwood Park and Leigh Valley. I will do my main review here and then do a species list in the next post.
Also, fair bit of warning; I don't have as many pictures from this facility because, unfortunately, a bunch of pictures I took at this zoo got corrupted and effectively lost (pro tip: never try to upload your pictures to Google Drive through a hotel internet connection).
This small 12-acre zoo is located within the 130-acre Van Saun County Park, which itself is located just outside the New York metropolitan area. Both the park and the zoo opened in 1960. The zoo focuses exclusively on wildlife from the Americas, and is home to just shy of 50 species, making it one of the smallest accredited collections I have visited. The zoo was slated for an expansion that would double its size as far back as 2016, but it appears that nothing has materialized from this as of this writing.
The zoo is bisected by Van Saun Mill Creek and can be somewhat divided into 4 zones; the West Zone, which includes animals from North America; the Main Plaza, where you enter the zoo and also contains the Education Center; the Farmyard; and then the East Zone, which primarily focuses on animals from Central and South America, although a few North American species are present here.
There is also a train ride that encircles the entire zoo, and provides alternate viewing for some of the exhibits. The train station is actually located outside the admission gate. Also, due to path closures on the east side of the zoo during my visit, this train ride was the only way to see their Guanacos.
Overall, Bergen County Zoo is a rather small zoo that may not have a particularly big collection, but it is a rather charming little zoo that actually manages to punch above its weight in some aspects. A few blemishes aside, this zoo is remarkably consistent in overall quality, and there are actually some decent surprises to be found here. There is definitely less of that quality whiplash like what I saw at the not-too-far-away Turtle Back Zoo, although Bergen County still has a few spots that are outdated. That being said, the zoo definitely aims high in spots and it definitely succeeds. Add in some nice scenery and landscaping and we have a zoo that is actually managed to be quite decent; I wasn't expecting much going in.
As usual, I compiled a species list on iNaturalist which you can view here -> [VISIT] Bergen County Zoo Species List - 2024/06/09. Please note that some common names or scientific names may differ from what you see at the zoo (due to using alternative English names or synonyms).
To Be Continued...
But before I continue this review, I would like to take a moment of silence for my Nikon D3200 camera, which had carried me for 10 years and accompanied me on so many trips, and which sadly died on me shortly after my trip to Turtle Back Zoo. R.I.P, you were good son, real good. Maybe even the best.
For this review, we will be looking at the Bergen County Zoo in Paramus, New Jersey. My visit occurred on 06/09/2024, and would be the first of several zoos and aquariums I would visit on a week-long trip to the Big Apple. I figured I would hit up this small zoo along the way. This is a pretty small zoo, both in side and collection, so this will be another short form review like my reviews for Elmwood Park and Leigh Valley. I will do my main review here and then do a species list in the next post.
Also, fair bit of warning; I don't have as many pictures from this facility because, unfortunately, a bunch of pictures I took at this zoo got corrupted and effectively lost (pro tip: never try to upload your pictures to Google Drive through a hotel internet connection).
This small 12-acre zoo is located within the 130-acre Van Saun County Park, which itself is located just outside the New York metropolitan area. Both the park and the zoo opened in 1960. The zoo focuses exclusively on wildlife from the Americas, and is home to just shy of 50 species, making it one of the smallest accredited collections I have visited. The zoo was slated for an expansion that would double its size as far back as 2016, but it appears that nothing has materialized from this as of this writing.
The zoo is bisected by Van Saun Mill Creek and can be somewhat divided into 4 zones; the West Zone, which includes animals from North America; the Main Plaza, where you enter the zoo and also contains the Education Center; the Farmyard; and then the East Zone, which primarily focuses on animals from Central and South America, although a few North American species are present here.
There is also a train ride that encircles the entire zoo, and provides alternate viewing for some of the exhibits. The train station is actually located outside the admission gate. Also, due to path closures on the east side of the zoo during my visit, this train ride was the only way to see their Guanacos.
Overall, Bergen County Zoo is a rather small zoo that may not have a particularly big collection, but it is a rather charming little zoo that actually manages to punch above its weight in some aspects. A few blemishes aside, this zoo is remarkably consistent in overall quality, and there are actually some decent surprises to be found here. There is definitely less of that quality whiplash like what I saw at the not-too-far-away Turtle Back Zoo, although Bergen County still has a few spots that are outdated. That being said, the zoo definitely aims high in spots and it definitely succeeds. Add in some nice scenery and landscaping and we have a zoo that is actually managed to be quite decent; I wasn't expecting much going in.
As usual, I compiled a species list on iNaturalist which you can view here -> [VISIT] Bergen County Zoo Species List - 2024/06/09. Please note that some common names or scientific names may differ from what you see at the zoo (due to using alternative English names or synonyms).
To Be Continued...
