Dallas Zoo Dallas Zoo News 2011
- Thread starter Trowaman
- Start date
The zoo has several scheduled keeper encounters throughout the day (a great feature - I love when zoos do this). The one that interested me was the predator encounter, which is in the middle of the lion and cheetah enclosures. They have a small yard with mesh and two television monitors above for when there is a big crowd watching. Keepers call in some cats from the main yard and do a training routine, getting them to stand up on the mesh, etc.
Posted times are 11am and 2pm. Map says either lion or cheetah, but currently they are doing lion only (the two young males). However, a keeper told me they do an unannounced cheetah session at 10am. This was on Saturday. So I went back to that spot at 10am Sunday and waited ten minutes, but no one showed up. Not sure if this was because it was too cold or because it was a Sunday and regular trainers were off. Anyway, if anyone is planning to go there, you may want to check out the predator encounter at 10am if you like cheetahs.
Posted times are 11am and 2pm. Map says either lion or cheetah, but currently they are doing lion only (the two young males). However, a keeper told me they do an unannounced cheetah session at 10am. This was on Saturday. So I went back to that spot at 10am Sunday and waited ten minutes, but no one showed up. Not sure if this was because it was too cold or because it was a Sunday and regular trainers were off. Anyway, if anyone is planning to go there, you may want to check out the predator encounter at 10am if you like cheetahs.
Dallaspachyderm
Well-Known Member
Yes! I enjoy all those interactions as well, a keeper said that the females lions are not under birth control. Meaning once the males become sexually mature at around 2, there could be LOTS of cubs.
So Valentines Day I spent at the Dallas Zoo, so I figured id post my review of it plus I haven't posted on here in a while. I was in Dallas to visit Southern Methodist University, since it was one of the colleges I applied and was accepted to, and while in town I of course couldn't pass up a visit to the Dallas Zoo. I got really lucky with the weather having it be 75 degrees and sunny on the day of my visit so all the animals were out. Very interesting though to see a few stray melted piles of snow. I guess the weather can change pretty quickly in Dallas. But anyways here goes my review:
The Best:
Giants of the Savanna- One of the best exhibits I have probably ever seen. The elephant exhibit is appsolutely fantastic and enormous, and the elephants were extremely active to make the habitat seem even more spectacular. They were in the process of introducing the hoofstock to the elephants which apparently makes Jenny and Gypsy both go crazy. They were running all over the yard, trumpeting, and Gypsy even went for a swim! So these must have been the most active elephants I have ever seen. They have a huge amount of space although their yards were a little dry much like the rest of Dallas, but im sure once spring comes, and the weather continues to be warm, they will become more lush again. Still they were pretty fantastic although some of the gates and a highway overpass that is sort of visible were kind of eye sores. The lion and cheetah exhibits are also spacious although with the recent wintry weather much of the vegetation all over the zoo was sparse so buildings, etc. were very visible which made for an eye sore. THe training demonstration are a great opportunity to see these otherwise sleepy cats, up close and active. The red river hog/warthog exhibits aren't too out of the ordinary but nonetheless they were spacious and perfect for both species of hogs with all of the mud. The best part of this exhibit is the vast Savanna the elephants and hoofstock roam, and their interactions with each other certainly are intriguing. The giraffe feeding here is also a wonderful opportunity to see these animals up close, and they soon will be introduced to the elephants. I'm not so sure how well that will work considering the elephants go crazy even with the small antelope. But overall my favorite section of the zoo, and one of the best exhibits I have seen.
Wilds of Africa- Im gonna count this as separate from Giants of the Savanna even though they are considered the same part I think. The gorilla exhibit, which is one of the first exhibits encountered when you cross over to Wilds of Africa is spacious and lush even thought the gorillas weren't out on my visit due to some maintenance on their exhibit. The only problem I have the exhibit is the walls are kind of ugly and their is a lot of visible hot wire. This definitely isn't a few acres even though the size is more than adequate for the apes. Still, a great exhibit and definitely one of the best for gorillas in America, but certainly Bronx must be better. The Chimp exhibit was also fantastic although again the wall is kind of an eyesore. Still much better than Los Angeles, which is also excellent. The chimps here have a lot of varied terrain and vegetation. So much that only 3 of 9 chimps were visible. Id rank it as one of the top five in America but then again I haven't seen too many spectacular chimp exhibits. The whole gorilla trail is beautiful, and the crocodiles, okapi, meerkats, aviary exhibits are all great. A rocky mandrill exhibit is decent but I wouldn't say spectacular. An average exhibit for penguins is also in this section. My favorite part of Wilds of Africa not including Giants of the Savanna was definitely the monorail. All of the exhibits are very scenic and excellent for the inhabitants. The only downfall is a lot of visible fencing which I am sure isn't so visible in the spring when everything is grown in. Just a week prior to my visit the Dallas area experienced some pretty crazy snowstorms which im assuming don't happen to often so that had to have something to do with the lack of vegetation which wasn't only visible at the zoo. It seemed like the whole city was this way, no trees, bushes, even the grass was bright yellow. But anyways, all the exhibits here are excellent. The river habitat particularly being my favorite.
Tiger Habitat- Im surprised this exhibit hasn't gotten more praise. I thought it was absolutely amazing and I loved all the different viewing opportunities. Very grassy and lots of trees. The tigers have tons of space, and this actually does replicate an Asian Forest quite well. Its a very comprehensive exhibit for tigers, and it seems to not get enough credit. Definitely one of the best I have seen.
Average:
Otter Outpost- Very good exhibit but it isn't really that hard to make a good exhibit for otters. Maybe if their weren't so many exhibits like this I would rank it higher.
Ghosts of the Bayou/Reptile House- Not really spectacular, just sort of what you would expect. The alligator exhibit is intriguing but nothing too special.
Primate Place- Again, much like the rest of ZooNorth just average. Nice exhibits with vegetation but they are still cages so I wouldn't place them in my best category.
Worst:
The rest of ZooNorth- Cat Row, the Snout Route, and the large mammal building are all in need of an overhaul. I am shocked the black rhino yard use to house elephants as it is extremely small. It was decent for the single rhino considering it was muddy and shady but still not that great. Very ugly building. Most of ZooNorth seemed kind of old and outdated and doesn't really compare to the other side of the zoo.
Overall:
I didn't have a chance to visit the Children's Zoo, but overall I really loved the Dallas Zoo. I am a huge fan of large African mammals so to have nearly 26 acres of solely spectacular African exhibits was a major plus for me. Of the zoos I have been to I would definitely rank Dallas as one of the best. I will hopefully be visiting Bronx sometime in April so we'll see how Dallas compares! Overall though having top 5 exhibits for elephants, giraffes, chimpanzees, tigers and maybe even gorillas makes for a solid institution and I would definitely recommend a visit.
The Best:
Giants of the Savanna- One of the best exhibits I have probably ever seen. The elephant exhibit is appsolutely fantastic and enormous, and the elephants were extremely active to make the habitat seem even more spectacular. They were in the process of introducing the hoofstock to the elephants which apparently makes Jenny and Gypsy both go crazy. They were running all over the yard, trumpeting, and Gypsy even went for a swim! So these must have been the most active elephants I have ever seen. They have a huge amount of space although their yards were a little dry much like the rest of Dallas, but im sure once spring comes, and the weather continues to be warm, they will become more lush again. Still they were pretty fantastic although some of the gates and a highway overpass that is sort of visible were kind of eye sores. The lion and cheetah exhibits are also spacious although with the recent wintry weather much of the vegetation all over the zoo was sparse so buildings, etc. were very visible which made for an eye sore. THe training demonstration are a great opportunity to see these otherwise sleepy cats, up close and active. The red river hog/warthog exhibits aren't too out of the ordinary but nonetheless they were spacious and perfect for both species of hogs with all of the mud. The best part of this exhibit is the vast Savanna the elephants and hoofstock roam, and their interactions with each other certainly are intriguing. The giraffe feeding here is also a wonderful opportunity to see these animals up close, and they soon will be introduced to the elephants. I'm not so sure how well that will work considering the elephants go crazy even with the small antelope. But overall my favorite section of the zoo, and one of the best exhibits I have seen.
Wilds of Africa- Im gonna count this as separate from Giants of the Savanna even though they are considered the same part I think. The gorilla exhibit, which is one of the first exhibits encountered when you cross over to Wilds of Africa is spacious and lush even thought the gorillas weren't out on my visit due to some maintenance on their exhibit. The only problem I have the exhibit is the walls are kind of ugly and their is a lot of visible hot wire. This definitely isn't a few acres even though the size is more than adequate for the apes. Still, a great exhibit and definitely one of the best for gorillas in America, but certainly Bronx must be better. The Chimp exhibit was also fantastic although again the wall is kind of an eyesore. Still much better than Los Angeles, which is also excellent. The chimps here have a lot of varied terrain and vegetation. So much that only 3 of 9 chimps were visible. Id rank it as one of the top five in America but then again I haven't seen too many spectacular chimp exhibits. The whole gorilla trail is beautiful, and the crocodiles, okapi, meerkats, aviary exhibits are all great. A rocky mandrill exhibit is decent but I wouldn't say spectacular. An average exhibit for penguins is also in this section. My favorite part of Wilds of Africa not including Giants of the Savanna was definitely the monorail. All of the exhibits are very scenic and excellent for the inhabitants. The only downfall is a lot of visible fencing which I am sure isn't so visible in the spring when everything is grown in. Just a week prior to my visit the Dallas area experienced some pretty crazy snowstorms which im assuming don't happen to often so that had to have something to do with the lack of vegetation which wasn't only visible at the zoo. It seemed like the whole city was this way, no trees, bushes, even the grass was bright yellow. But anyways, all the exhibits here are excellent. The river habitat particularly being my favorite.
Tiger Habitat- Im surprised this exhibit hasn't gotten more praise. I thought it was absolutely amazing and I loved all the different viewing opportunities. Very grassy and lots of trees. The tigers have tons of space, and this actually does replicate an Asian Forest quite well. Its a very comprehensive exhibit for tigers, and it seems to not get enough credit. Definitely one of the best I have seen.
Average:
Otter Outpost- Very good exhibit but it isn't really that hard to make a good exhibit for otters. Maybe if their weren't so many exhibits like this I would rank it higher.
Ghosts of the Bayou/Reptile House- Not really spectacular, just sort of what you would expect. The alligator exhibit is intriguing but nothing too special.
Primate Place- Again, much like the rest of ZooNorth just average. Nice exhibits with vegetation but they are still cages so I wouldn't place them in my best category.
Worst:
The rest of ZooNorth- Cat Row, the Snout Route, and the large mammal building are all in need of an overhaul. I am shocked the black rhino yard use to house elephants as it is extremely small. It was decent for the single rhino considering it was muddy and shady but still not that great. Very ugly building. Most of ZooNorth seemed kind of old and outdated and doesn't really compare to the other side of the zoo.
Overall:
I didn't have a chance to visit the Children's Zoo, but overall I really loved the Dallas Zoo. I am a huge fan of large African mammals so to have nearly 26 acres of solely spectacular African exhibits was a major plus for me. Of the zoos I have been to I would definitely rank Dallas as one of the best. I will hopefully be visiting Bronx sometime in April so we'll see how Dallas compares! Overall though having top 5 exhibits for elephants, giraffes, chimpanzees, tigers and maybe even gorillas makes for a solid institution and I would definitely recommend a visit.
Yes, I like how the side viewing is metal fencing in the shape of bamboo. Very realistic looking. The only problem with the main upper viewing window is that it faces the sun so there is a lot of glare most of the time. But overall quite nice, as you say. Another plus is they alternate malayan and sumatran tigers.
Dallas Zoo thread 2
Since the original thread was getting exceedingly long, let's start a new thread here for Dallas Zoo news or comments.
Since the original thread was getting exceedingly long, let's start a new thread here for Dallas Zoo news or comments.
Does anyone know of any birds in the forest aviary which are not listed on the sign? Unless I missed it, I didn't see Taveta Golden Weaver or Speckled Mousebird on the signage anymore but I believe they are both still there. Are there any others? The lapwings from the bird/reptile building were in there one time a while ago too.
Dallaspachyderm
Well-Known Member
I'm going to the zoo on tuesday! I could check that out for you.
-2.0 warthogs born
-2.0 warthogs born
Thanks! The birds that I know that are in there are:
Taveta Golden Weaver (unsigned)
White-headed Buffalo-weaver
Speckled Pigeon
Pink Pigeon
Fischer's Lovebird
Rose-ringed Parakeet
Cape Thick-knee
Masked Lapwing (unsigned and may have been removed)
Speckled Mousebird (unsigned)
Hottentot Teal
Waldrap
Hammerkop
Superb Starling (unsigned and I haven't seen it the last few times)
Jackson's Hornbill
Vulturine Guineafowl
Blue-bellied Roller
Blue-breasted Kingfisher
Snowy-crowned Robin-chat
White-faced Whistling-duck
Crested Guineafowl (removed?)
If there are any others that are possibly in there, or if you can confirm any of the unsigned species besides the weavers, that would be great!
Also, ISIS lists Dallas as having 1.1 Emerald-spotted Doves. Are these off exhibit?
Taveta Golden Weaver (unsigned)
White-headed Buffalo-weaver
Speckled Pigeon
Pink Pigeon
Fischer's Lovebird
Rose-ringed Parakeet
Cape Thick-knee
Masked Lapwing (unsigned and may have been removed)
Speckled Mousebird (unsigned)
Hottentot Teal
Waldrap
Hammerkop
Superb Starling (unsigned and I haven't seen it the last few times)
Jackson's Hornbill
Vulturine Guineafowl
Blue-bellied Roller
Blue-breasted Kingfisher
Snowy-crowned Robin-chat
White-faced Whistling-duck
Crested Guineafowl (removed?)
If there are any others that are possibly in there, or if you can confirm any of the unsigned species besides the weavers, that would be great!
Also, ISIS lists Dallas as having 1.1 Emerald-spotted Doves. Are these off exhibit?
Dallaspachyderm
Well-Known Member
The Dallas zoo has a number of birds behind the scenes, so if the doves were there it wouldn't surprise me.
I can help you with several species right now:
-both species of guinea fowl have been removed and placed on the Savanna
-I am nearly positive that a family of blue crowned mouse birds were moved from the children's zoo to the Aviary!
-You may have not seen the superb starling because he was moved to the children's zoo bird landing
I have the other species written down, and I will get back to you as soon as I can!
I can help you with several species right now:
-both species of guinea fowl have been removed and placed on the Savanna
-I am nearly positive that a family of blue crowned mouse birds were moved from the children's zoo to the Aviary!
-You may have not seen the superb starling because he was moved to the children's zoo bird landing
I have the other species written down, and I will get back to you as soon as I can!
Dallaspachyderm
Well-Known Member
No idea! I'm more of an elephant insider
but I will try to find out as much as the aviaries as possible!
but I will try to find out as much as the aviaries as possible!I hope some of you guys can answer to the following questions:
- 1a. How many differnt species are living in the "Bug U"-exhibit? (and has anyone a species list and would it publish here please)
- 1b. Are there also other kind of species then invertebrates there (and if so: which one)
2. Does Dallas Zoo exhibit Blackbucks and/or Nilgais within 1990 and now?
3. When does Dallas Zoo stopped keeping Californian Sealions?
4. Has Dallas Zoo ever kept Malayan Leopards (Panthera pardus delacouri)?
Thank you very much in advance for all your replies.
- 1a. How many differnt species are living in the "Bug U"-exhibit? (and has anyone a species list and would it publish here please)
- 1b. Are there also other kind of species then invertebrates there (and if so: which one)
2. Does Dallas Zoo exhibit Blackbucks and/or Nilgais within 1990 and now?
3. When does Dallas Zoo stopped keeping Californian Sealions?
4. Has Dallas Zoo ever kept Malayan Leopards (Panthera pardus delacouri)?
Thank you very much in advance for all your replies.
Dallas Zoo
Thank you for your inquiry about the Dallas Zoo's Bug U! invertebrate exhibit. All animals on exhibit in Bug U! are native to Texas and the collection changes regularly. We have arachnids, insects, and crayfish on exhibit.
We have not exhibited blackbuck or nilgai since 1990.
The last time the Zoo had sealions was in the 1960s.
We've never exhibited a Malayan leopard.
Thank you for your inquiry about the Dallas Zoo's Bug U! invertebrate exhibit. All animals on exhibit in Bug U! are native to Texas and the collection changes regularly. We have arachnids, insects, and crayfish on exhibit.
We have not exhibited blackbuck or nilgai since 1990.
The last time the Zoo had sealions was in the 1960s.
We've never exhibited a Malayan leopard.
jbnbsn99
Well-Known Member
I went by BugU! yesterday during lunch. I counted 43 different inverts on display. The actual species count is slightly higher as there are multiple species of velvet and and darkling beetle in a single exhibit. Of course the actual number changes according to the season and what bugs are available.
As for the Leopard, it is quite possible that the black leopards that the zoo used to display even into the early 90's were at least partially if not wholly of delacouri lineage.
As for the Leopard, it is quite possible that the black leopards that the zoo used to display even into the early 90's were at least partially if not wholly of delacouri lineage.
Dallaspachyderm
Well-Known Member
0.1 reticulated giraffe born at giants of the savanna! She is so adorable. Saw her today! She was only ten days old!
. Saw her today! She was only ten days old!