After a visit today, with little new to report here - although highlights included some better-than-usual glimpses at the Clouded Leopard (first since it changed habitats) the Orangutans, as well as the Baird's Tapir. Tropic World's Sloth was also very active, moving so quickly over guests that many expressed surprise that a sloth could move at such a pace at all. Both pygmy hippos were outside, one in the mud and one in the water, and I've almost never seen both at once. Between my two visits this year, I've covered basically everything again.
Dinos and Dragons (Review)
I also stopped by Dinos & Dragons - obviously, the concept of animatronic dinosaurs (and now further, dragons) in a zoological setting is inherently problematic, and I would not recommend someone who can't stand the concept to bother, when Brookfield has so much else to see, but I do think it is one of the best executions of the concept that is possible without abandoning it altogether. I think it does a relatively nice job of trying to wave the connections between dragons and dinosaurs, as well as dragons and modern reptiles, and had some less common facts about those connections. I was impressed they mentioned the "Scrotum" specimen that became Megalosaurus, for example, in an attraction obviously geared towards attracting outside families with children. The educators I spoke with outside the exhibit were very intelligent about dinosaurs and made for a fun ten minutes of chatting before some child guests arrived.
The animal habitats aren't worth a special visit from a serious zoo-goer - I appreciated a focus on lizard species, including some smaller iguanas, a legless lizard, and some monitors, but half of the species were visible elsewhere in the zoo. The star is, of course, a juvenile Komodo Dragon, who is simultaneously more and less fascinating for their (her?) smaller age, compared to the Shedd Aquarium's previous display of a full-grown adult. I would hope Brookfield can add this species to it's permanent collection in the future, should they ever fully re-design Reptiles and Birds and/or Feathers and Scales.
The Future of Aardvarks
I stopped by three Brookfield Zoo staff members by an information kiosk on the way out and asked about the future of aardvarks, a species I always loved visiting here. They were aware the zoo no longer had aardvarks, and specifically recalled the youngster that had been brought up, but had no idea why they were no longer there, or whether the zoo planned to bring the species back or alter the habitat. I appreciated their response even if they didn't have full answers.
I hope the species manages to return to the zoo in the future.
Autism Accommodations
I also wanted to report we had a relative along with autism, so I took the opportunity to document the zoo's accommodations, which were given some press attention a year or two ago. We were offered a sticker, designed to alert guests and the trained zoo staff of their condition, along with headphones to prevent audio over-stimulation, and a simplified 'Zoo Guide' that included a map and picture cards, which are standard in facilities for individuals with non-verbal forms of autism. Said relative got very good use of the head phones and mostly enjoyed his visit, from what I could tell, but took no interest in the guide book, and tried to remove his sticker.
A Minor Loose End
Next time someone is at Brookfield, I would appreciate to be informed on the status of Woof-field Gift Shop, by Reptiles and Birds. On my last visit, it looked like it had been closed down for good, but today, we didn't get the chance to stop by that area. I have a suspicion it's just gone. I had a few more questions but said relative had lost his patience at this point so I focused on the aardvarks.
Dinos and Dragons (Review)
I also stopped by Dinos & Dragons - obviously, the concept of animatronic dinosaurs (and now further, dragons) in a zoological setting is inherently problematic, and I would not recommend someone who can't stand the concept to bother, when Brookfield has so much else to see, but I do think it is one of the best executions of the concept that is possible without abandoning it altogether. I think it does a relatively nice job of trying to wave the connections between dragons and dinosaurs, as well as dragons and modern reptiles, and had some less common facts about those connections. I was impressed they mentioned the "Scrotum" specimen that became Megalosaurus, for example, in an attraction obviously geared towards attracting outside families with children. The educators I spoke with outside the exhibit were very intelligent about dinosaurs and made for a fun ten minutes of chatting before some child guests arrived.
The animal habitats aren't worth a special visit from a serious zoo-goer - I appreciated a focus on lizard species, including some smaller iguanas, a legless lizard, and some monitors, but half of the species were visible elsewhere in the zoo. The star is, of course, a juvenile Komodo Dragon, who is simultaneously more and less fascinating for their (her?) smaller age, compared to the Shedd Aquarium's previous display of a full-grown adult. I would hope Brookfield can add this species to it's permanent collection in the future, should they ever fully re-design Reptiles and Birds and/or Feathers and Scales.
The Future of Aardvarks
I stopped by three Brookfield Zoo staff members by an information kiosk on the way out and asked about the future of aardvarks, a species I always loved visiting here. They were aware the zoo no longer had aardvarks, and specifically recalled the youngster that had been brought up, but had no idea why they were no longer there, or whether the zoo planned to bring the species back or alter the habitat. I appreciated their response even if they didn't have full answers.
I hope the species manages to return to the zoo in the future.
Autism Accommodations
I also wanted to report we had a relative along with autism, so I took the opportunity to document the zoo's accommodations, which were given some press attention a year or two ago. We were offered a sticker, designed to alert guests and the trained zoo staff of their condition, along with headphones to prevent audio over-stimulation, and a simplified 'Zoo Guide' that included a map and picture cards, which are standard in facilities for individuals with non-verbal forms of autism. Said relative got very good use of the head phones and mostly enjoyed his visit, from what I could tell, but took no interest in the guide book, and tried to remove his sticker.
A Minor Loose End
Next time someone is at Brookfield, I would appreciate to be informed on the status of Woof-field Gift Shop, by Reptiles and Birds. On my last visit, it looked like it had been closed down for good, but today, we didn't get the chance to stop by that area. I have a suspicion it's just gone. I had a few more questions but said relative had lost his patience at this point so I focused on the aardvarks.
