GraysonDP
Well-Known Member
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Review
Date of Visit: July 2007
The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is a fairly large zoo that has a robust collection. One of its defining features is many of the exhibits are quite spread out and sometimes can almost feel like they are mini-zoos in themselves. This is especially true in the case of the Rainforest, Primate/Cat/Aquatics Building and Wilderness Trek, which are isolated from the other parts of the zoo. When I visited the Australian Adventure, Wolf Wilderness and Rainforest were excellent while the rest of the zoo was average and included some of the very worst exhibits I’ve ever seen.
Excellent
Wolf Wilderness- While only two animal habitats are found here this is hands down the best part of the zoo. A nicely detailed log cabin is found for viewing and this is one of the best and most sophisticated predator/prey matchups I have ever seen: for wolves and beavers. The exhibit is so expertly designed and immersive the beavers and wolves are able to actually live in the same enclosure without the carnivores eating the rodents! The body of water for the beavers is enormous with a waterfall running through, several places for them to build lodges and a great underwater viewing. The land area for the wolves has plenty of room, lots of realistic trees and vegetation, ample hiding spots and seemingly natural rockwork. Everywhere the attention to detail is flawless. Of the wolf exhibits I’ve seen, only the one at Brookfield is better and it is probably the best beaver exhibit I’ve seen. Nearby bald eagles live in an excellent, well-planted aviary. Small section but incredibly immersive and extremely well done.
Rainforest- An enormous structure and overall very good but mixed quality. This building feels dark and mysterious, which helps entice guests in. My biggest issue with the building is not surprisingly the all-indoor orangutan exhibit. Yes they do have sunlight and height but it is small and enclosed, which I do not appreciate. They do have simulated tropical storms in the building, which creates a great sense of atmosphere and authenticity. The langur exhibit is quite nice. Giant anteaters and capybaras share a solid exhibit and gharials have an amazing pool. The fishing cat one is better than many others and even has an underwater viewing. The Indian crested porcupine/mouse deer and Asian small-clawed otter exhibits are some of the best I've seen while a dwarf crocodile exhibit is average. A python exhibit uses the ruined temple motif so common in zoos these days and a tamarin exhibit is decently sized. I would have liked it if there were more large mixed species habitats for primates and wish most if not all of the primates in the dreadful Primate Cat and Aquatics building would be moved here. I almost ranked it as average because of the despicable orangutan exhibit but overall I would say this building is above average.
Australian Adventure- The best and most complete Australian section I’ve ever seen. The stars of the show are koalas, who have an above average exhibit with lots of trees for them to climb and plenty of shade. I like the fact they have an outdoor yard too in addition to an indoor exhibit, which is quite lush. Tree kangaroos have a solid exhibit as well with lots of climbing opportunities. Since I visited, dingos have been added to the area. I like how this exhibit actually tries to recreate Australia and goes past the generic Outback exhibits so common at zoos. A large grassy walkabout houses red kangaroos, gray kangaroos, wallabies and wallaroos and it is one of the best of its kind I have seen. It has plenty of room for the marsupials to hop and is fairly naturalistic. Kookaburras live in a good exhibit and the obligatory domestic animals and lorikeets are found. My one beef with this section is that it cost $10 million in 2000 and took money away from renovating and redeveloping outdated areas of the zoo which are still around today. It ticks me a little when zoos neglect animals, especially charismatic megafauna, in horribly outdated enclosures to bring new animals to the zoo in multi-million dollar exhibits (Omaha and Expedition Madagascar being a big-time offender of this.) However, this is still a very good exhibit and worthy addition to the zoo.
Average
African Savanna- The main feature of this section is a cluster of large grassy habitats for hoofstock. Giraffes live in a yard that is quite spacious and green but lacking a bit in terms of naturalism and detail. Zebras, bonteboks, ostriches, vultures, crowned cranes and marabou stork live in a similar, larger habitat. Overall I would say these habitats are pleasant and nice but forgettable and mundane. A nearby lion exhibit is fairly weak, with little space and minimal naturalism. At least they have a cave and it’s not a grotto. The fence in the back is also very unattractive. Hopefully a new lion exhibit will be built soon.
A caged leopard exhibit is not the worst I have seen but far from good. It is fairly tall but surprisingly lacking in climbing, hiding and enrichment opportunities. The cage itself is quite ugly. Klipspringers and colobus monkeys live on a mock rock island that is as old as dirt and should have been torn down 30 years ago at least. Even worse, there are no ropes and little enrichments for the monkeys. A black rhinoceros exhibit is average in terms of naturalism but decent for the pachyderms. It is quite barren and smallish but hilly and has a nice pool. Last, a flock of flamingos has a decent pool.
Waterfowl Lake- Aviaries for Andean condors and Stellar’s sea eagles are average at best.
Poor
Pachyderm House (Extinct)- When I visited this complex and its exhibits for elephants, hippos, pygmy hippos and others was an absolute monstrosity. Fortunately, it has been replaced by African Elephant Crossing and that area would probably be marked excellent if I were to come back again.
Wilderness Trek (excluding Wolf Wilderness)- This area has become better with the addition of Rosebrough Tiger Passage, which appears to be quite good. When I visited, the tiger exhibits were heavily outdated grottoes that were quite despicable. Also, when I was there this section contained one of the worst polar bear exhibits I have ever seen but that is gone now. However, as it stands, it still is a quite substandard complex.
The best part of the complex are the hoofstock habitats. Bactrian camels live in an ordinary yard that is decently sized but quite bare and uninspired. A caribou yard is similar and quite dull. The rare onager are a treat to see and they have a fairly expansive yard with a few natural trees. Tufted deer have the best yard of the bunch with lots of trees and vegetation as well as a good amount of space.
Afterwards things get much worse. While they have an excellent collection, Cleveland has bear grottoes that are not just outdated and substandard but downright atrocious pieces of junk. A grizzly bear exhibit has ZERO natural substrate, has minimal enrichment and is basically just a mock rock pit. American black bears have a brutal amount of land, a messy collection of concrete and dirt and not a drop of water or blade of grass. Sloth bears have some logs for enrichment and a bit of natural substrate but their habitat is still an utter disgrace with almost no room or naturalism. Sun bears are enclosed with mock rock and have almost no climbing opportunities. Andean bears have far too much mock rock and too little room. Pinniped pools are equally bad. A sea lion and harbor seal exhibit looks like a human swimming pool with minimal land area and tons of concrete. These disgraces should have been bulldozed by 1985.
Primate, Cat and Aquatics Building- Quite easily a candidate for worst exhibit complex at a major zoo. There are a few outdoor habitats that are quite weak. Gorillas have the worst outdoor exhibit for the species I have ever seen- their yard has a few enrichments and rocks but is beyond tiny, covered with mock rock with occasional grass, lacks any naturalism and has almost nothing to engage the apes. Cheetahs have an average, simple yard that has some trees for shade. Red pandas have a small netted exhibit with some climbing and hiding opportunities. Aldabara tortoises have a decent-sized grass yard that’s the best of the bunch. A horrible snow leopard exhibit is just a cage with a few branches- what a disgrace.
Inside things get even worse. The indoor snow leopard exhibit is just as bad as the outdoor one and the rooms for gorillas are all concrete. Black-foot cats have a concrete closet which is inhumane for any animal to live in. Mandrills are surrounded by concrete on all sides 24/7 in an exhibit that contains a fake, mock rock tree. This habitat apparently once housed chimpanzees and baboons. A mangabey exhibit looks like a mini-garage with a few logs and mock rock placed in- not a piece of vegetation in sight and no enrichment opportunities. An allen swamp monkey enclosure is depressing. Lemurs live in small concrete slobs with just a few ferns, a log, ball and mock rock put in. Hair armadillos have a similar exhibit with a bit of hay being all that’s not concrete. Squirrel monkeys, howler monkeys, gibbons, spider monkeys, sakis and titi monkeys live in concrete cells that are absolutely rotten. Tanks for sharks and other fish look awful. A huge embarrassment to the zoo that needs to go NOW.
The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo could easily be a zoo with a large collection but severely subpar exhibits like the Milwaukee County Zoo but is saved by a few great exhibit areas. African Elephant Crossing and Tiger Passage seemed to have elevated the exhibit quality of the zoo as well. I enjoyed my visit and would go back but this zoo needs to eliminate lots of subpar exhibits, especially those in Wilderness Trek and the Primates, Cats and Aquatics Building, if it wants to stay relevant in the modern zoo world. I would say it is the third or fourth best zoo in Ohio and I would probably rank it in the mid to late 30s in a ranking of America’s best zoos.
Date of Visit: July 2007
The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is a fairly large zoo that has a robust collection. One of its defining features is many of the exhibits are quite spread out and sometimes can almost feel like they are mini-zoos in themselves. This is especially true in the case of the Rainforest, Primate/Cat/Aquatics Building and Wilderness Trek, which are isolated from the other parts of the zoo. When I visited the Australian Adventure, Wolf Wilderness and Rainforest were excellent while the rest of the zoo was average and included some of the very worst exhibits I’ve ever seen.
Excellent
Wolf Wilderness- While only two animal habitats are found here this is hands down the best part of the zoo. A nicely detailed log cabin is found for viewing and this is one of the best and most sophisticated predator/prey matchups I have ever seen: for wolves and beavers. The exhibit is so expertly designed and immersive the beavers and wolves are able to actually live in the same enclosure without the carnivores eating the rodents! The body of water for the beavers is enormous with a waterfall running through, several places for them to build lodges and a great underwater viewing. The land area for the wolves has plenty of room, lots of realistic trees and vegetation, ample hiding spots and seemingly natural rockwork. Everywhere the attention to detail is flawless. Of the wolf exhibits I’ve seen, only the one at Brookfield is better and it is probably the best beaver exhibit I’ve seen. Nearby bald eagles live in an excellent, well-planted aviary. Small section but incredibly immersive and extremely well done.
Rainforest- An enormous structure and overall very good but mixed quality. This building feels dark and mysterious, which helps entice guests in. My biggest issue with the building is not surprisingly the all-indoor orangutan exhibit. Yes they do have sunlight and height but it is small and enclosed, which I do not appreciate. They do have simulated tropical storms in the building, which creates a great sense of atmosphere and authenticity. The langur exhibit is quite nice. Giant anteaters and capybaras share a solid exhibit and gharials have an amazing pool. The fishing cat one is better than many others and even has an underwater viewing. The Indian crested porcupine/mouse deer and Asian small-clawed otter exhibits are some of the best I've seen while a dwarf crocodile exhibit is average. A python exhibit uses the ruined temple motif so common in zoos these days and a tamarin exhibit is decently sized. I would have liked it if there were more large mixed species habitats for primates and wish most if not all of the primates in the dreadful Primate Cat and Aquatics building would be moved here. I almost ranked it as average because of the despicable orangutan exhibit but overall I would say this building is above average.
Australian Adventure- The best and most complete Australian section I’ve ever seen. The stars of the show are koalas, who have an above average exhibit with lots of trees for them to climb and plenty of shade. I like the fact they have an outdoor yard too in addition to an indoor exhibit, which is quite lush. Tree kangaroos have a solid exhibit as well with lots of climbing opportunities. Since I visited, dingos have been added to the area. I like how this exhibit actually tries to recreate Australia and goes past the generic Outback exhibits so common at zoos. A large grassy walkabout houses red kangaroos, gray kangaroos, wallabies and wallaroos and it is one of the best of its kind I have seen. It has plenty of room for the marsupials to hop and is fairly naturalistic. Kookaburras live in a good exhibit and the obligatory domestic animals and lorikeets are found. My one beef with this section is that it cost $10 million in 2000 and took money away from renovating and redeveloping outdated areas of the zoo which are still around today. It ticks me a little when zoos neglect animals, especially charismatic megafauna, in horribly outdated enclosures to bring new animals to the zoo in multi-million dollar exhibits (Omaha and Expedition Madagascar being a big-time offender of this.) However, this is still a very good exhibit and worthy addition to the zoo.
Average
African Savanna- The main feature of this section is a cluster of large grassy habitats for hoofstock. Giraffes live in a yard that is quite spacious and green but lacking a bit in terms of naturalism and detail. Zebras, bonteboks, ostriches, vultures, crowned cranes and marabou stork live in a similar, larger habitat. Overall I would say these habitats are pleasant and nice but forgettable and mundane. A nearby lion exhibit is fairly weak, with little space and minimal naturalism. At least they have a cave and it’s not a grotto. The fence in the back is also very unattractive. Hopefully a new lion exhibit will be built soon.
A caged leopard exhibit is not the worst I have seen but far from good. It is fairly tall but surprisingly lacking in climbing, hiding and enrichment opportunities. The cage itself is quite ugly. Klipspringers and colobus monkeys live on a mock rock island that is as old as dirt and should have been torn down 30 years ago at least. Even worse, there are no ropes and little enrichments for the monkeys. A black rhinoceros exhibit is average in terms of naturalism but decent for the pachyderms. It is quite barren and smallish but hilly and has a nice pool. Last, a flock of flamingos has a decent pool.
Waterfowl Lake- Aviaries for Andean condors and Stellar’s sea eagles are average at best.
Poor
Pachyderm House (Extinct)- When I visited this complex and its exhibits for elephants, hippos, pygmy hippos and others was an absolute monstrosity. Fortunately, it has been replaced by African Elephant Crossing and that area would probably be marked excellent if I were to come back again.
Wilderness Trek (excluding Wolf Wilderness)- This area has become better with the addition of Rosebrough Tiger Passage, which appears to be quite good. When I visited, the tiger exhibits were heavily outdated grottoes that were quite despicable. Also, when I was there this section contained one of the worst polar bear exhibits I have ever seen but that is gone now. However, as it stands, it still is a quite substandard complex.
The best part of the complex are the hoofstock habitats. Bactrian camels live in an ordinary yard that is decently sized but quite bare and uninspired. A caribou yard is similar and quite dull. The rare onager are a treat to see and they have a fairly expansive yard with a few natural trees. Tufted deer have the best yard of the bunch with lots of trees and vegetation as well as a good amount of space.
Afterwards things get much worse. While they have an excellent collection, Cleveland has bear grottoes that are not just outdated and substandard but downright atrocious pieces of junk. A grizzly bear exhibit has ZERO natural substrate, has minimal enrichment and is basically just a mock rock pit. American black bears have a brutal amount of land, a messy collection of concrete and dirt and not a drop of water or blade of grass. Sloth bears have some logs for enrichment and a bit of natural substrate but their habitat is still an utter disgrace with almost no room or naturalism. Sun bears are enclosed with mock rock and have almost no climbing opportunities. Andean bears have far too much mock rock and too little room. Pinniped pools are equally bad. A sea lion and harbor seal exhibit looks like a human swimming pool with minimal land area and tons of concrete. These disgraces should have been bulldozed by 1985.
Primate, Cat and Aquatics Building- Quite easily a candidate for worst exhibit complex at a major zoo. There are a few outdoor habitats that are quite weak. Gorillas have the worst outdoor exhibit for the species I have ever seen- their yard has a few enrichments and rocks but is beyond tiny, covered with mock rock with occasional grass, lacks any naturalism and has almost nothing to engage the apes. Cheetahs have an average, simple yard that has some trees for shade. Red pandas have a small netted exhibit with some climbing and hiding opportunities. Aldabara tortoises have a decent-sized grass yard that’s the best of the bunch. A horrible snow leopard exhibit is just a cage with a few branches- what a disgrace.
Inside things get even worse. The indoor snow leopard exhibit is just as bad as the outdoor one and the rooms for gorillas are all concrete. Black-foot cats have a concrete closet which is inhumane for any animal to live in. Mandrills are surrounded by concrete on all sides 24/7 in an exhibit that contains a fake, mock rock tree. This habitat apparently once housed chimpanzees and baboons. A mangabey exhibit looks like a mini-garage with a few logs and mock rock placed in- not a piece of vegetation in sight and no enrichment opportunities. An allen swamp monkey enclosure is depressing. Lemurs live in small concrete slobs with just a few ferns, a log, ball and mock rock put in. Hair armadillos have a similar exhibit with a bit of hay being all that’s not concrete. Squirrel monkeys, howler monkeys, gibbons, spider monkeys, sakis and titi monkeys live in concrete cells that are absolutely rotten. Tanks for sharks and other fish look awful. A huge embarrassment to the zoo that needs to go NOW.
The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo could easily be a zoo with a large collection but severely subpar exhibits like the Milwaukee County Zoo but is saved by a few great exhibit areas. African Elephant Crossing and Tiger Passage seemed to have elevated the exhibit quality of the zoo as well. I enjoyed my visit and would go back but this zoo needs to eliminate lots of subpar exhibits, especially those in Wilderness Trek and the Primates, Cats and Aquatics Building, if it wants to stay relevant in the modern zoo world. I would say it is the third or fourth best zoo in Ohio and I would probably rank it in the mid to late 30s in a ranking of America’s best zoos.
