Within the zoo community, Detroit has become one of the most polarizing major zoos in the United States. From species being removed left and right, a now former director with ties to animal rights groups, and a penguin house full of leaks, there has been a plethora of problems that have plagued the park as of late. These are a few topics that are often cited when discussing the zoo's decline. I must say though, I don't actually think these are the reasons why Detroit is a fundamentally flawed zoo. Some species have begun to return, that director has now retired and new management has been brought in, and about as many of the penguin house leaks that were able to be fixed have indeed been repaired. Detroit's primary issue goes much deeper than this.
However, from an outsider's perspective it may be a little harder to understand what all the hate is for. For one, it’s not an exaggeration to say that Detroit probably has the highest standard of exhibitry out of any zoo in the US. There is not a single even remotely cramped enclosure anywhere on the grounds and there are several exhibits that can be accurately described as the best of their kind both in America and across the world. The past decade has been filled with progress and many enhanced and renovated enclosures have been unveiled. Lions, tigers, grizzly bears, wolves, red pandas, anteaters and giant salamanders have all received significant renovations or expansions to their exhibit spaces just within the last decade or so. A good majority of major ABCs are still present along with a wide variety of birds and reptiles plus one of the best amphibian collections in the US. There is also a rich history which the zoo celebrates and maintains very well. These are the building blocks for a top tier zoological park, so what on earth could they possibly be doing wrong?
My visit to Detroit was one of the most bizarre zoo visits I’ve ever had. I nearly had a heart attack as I checked the zoo's website the day before my visit, seeing that the park inexplicably was closing at 1:00 PM both days that weekend. I would have to speed through the zoo at breakneck speed if I were to see it all, which would have made for a terribly unsatisfying visit. Luckily I figured out they only closed for an hour before reopening again for their annual "boo in the zoo" event. I spent three hours at the zoo in the morning, left to grab a quick lunch at a high-end coffee shop across the road, and returned for another four hours. The latter half of the visit really was a fever dream with all of the halloween themed glitz and glamor plus the children dressed in costumes. One second I’m looking at chimpanzees, then I turn to see the mad hatter and a Fortnite skin right next to me. Overall though, it was a beautiful autumn day well spent.
Before we really get into the nitty gritty of things, I want to start positive by highlighting the zoo at its best. Starting off with the zoo's most recent major endeavor, the Polk Penguin Conservation Center is a masterful piece of exhibit design. More than any other zoo exhibit it really feels like you're going through a living museum. A few months back there was a debate here which compared the quality of the penguin houses at Detroit and Saint Louis. I’ll touch on the Saint Louis exhibit at a later date (I have a Saint Louis trip report that I’ve been meaning to finish for ages), but having now seen both in person, I can with confidence say that Detroit’s building blows Penguin and Puffin Coast out of the water. As cool as it was to get inches away from penguins in the same space, the overall experience that Detroit has created is unparalleled. The two underwater viewing tunnels are an easy crowd pleaser. Seeing penguins freely torpedoing through the water was incredible. So few exhibits are able to provide that for them and it was such a cool behavior to observe. I could have spent hours in this building and not been bored. There is one other thing I want to bring attention to: the use of window glare to project informative signage on the glass that fades in and out like holograms is pure genius and one of the most creative features I’ve ever seen in a zoo exhibit.
My impression of the National Amphibian Conservation Center was unfortunately hampered by several exhibits being under renovation or maintenance. Between all of the enhancements, I think I saw no more than nine or ten species in this building. All good stuff though: hellbenders, lake titicaca frogs, a few dart frogs and some mantellas. With that being said, I was still absolutely fascinated by this house. The open-topped river tanks are great, although they would be significantly more interesting if I saw more than just freshwater sunfish in them. Detroit continues to spare no expense on space even for its smallest residents, with undoubtedly the largest hellbender tank I’ve ever seen and some extremely spacious vivaria for at least 20 or so frog species. At the tail end of the house is the Japanese giant salamander enclosure, which is amazing and I’m sure I would have loved it even more if it wasn’t under maintenance for the millionth time. Think I’m kidding? Take a break from reading this and go to the ZooChat gallery. Literally every single photo of this exhibit between when it opened (2018) to now shows it under maintenance. Regardless, it’s a fantastic exhibit that I’m sure really showcases its residents well when they’re actually there. I look forward to making a return visit and seeing this house under better circumstances, especially the giant salamander gallery. The wetlands trail was equally brilliant. We’re deep into the fall season at this point so while it was probably too cool for any wild herps, I did see a great blue heron among the foliage. I really think the whole thing is super neat and a smart way to teach guests about local conservation. There are also a pair of adjacent enclosures for river otters and beavers which were perfectly adequate without being particularly memorable.
That brings us to the Arctic Ring of Life, the zoo's most iconic magnum opus. I was preparing myself for disappointment here and for a few moments I thought I got it when I was met with an empty polar bear exhibit. Several unfavorable changes have occurred here within the last few years. I initially wasn’t sure if the most recent one was a good thing or not, but now seeing it first hand I can safely say the removal of the arctic fox exhibit in favor of more polar bear viewing was totally unnecessary. There were already several other views of the yard and you were already able to see the bears from behind the foxes which made for a nice panorama. What a genuinely dumb decision this was. Then of course there’s the seals being replaced by a pair of sea otters. I love sea otters so I certainly wasn’t upset, but the exhibit was clearly meant for pinnipeds and unless they come back one day it’ll always feel a bit off. During my visit half of the exhibit was (and currently still is) blocked off for pathway replacements so I only caught a fleeting glimpse of the ice pack yard which was unfortunate. This all added up to me being pretty underwhelmed my first time through. When I came back a few hours later however, my impression completely shifted.
Approaching polar bear exhibits in zoos has always left me feeling a bit anxious. Pretty much every exhibit I’ve seen up to this point has ranged from decent at best to downright horrid. I remember how badly I pitied Milwaukee’s old polar bear, who almost always lethargically pacing along the edge of her abominable grotto. It got to a point where I couldn’t even bring myself to pass by that exhibit and after hearing the news she passed last year, I was more relieved than saddened. After seeing such underwhelming exhibits in the past, I can’t put into words how happy it made me to see a young bear playfully tossing a toy around his large pool. It was absolutely wonderful! After he finished romping around in the water, he ran out of the pool and began to roll around the grass with a toy in its mouth. There’s a reason why this exhibit has yet to be surpassed by any other American collection even after 20 years, and it seems almost no other zoos actually picked up on it. Just about every polar bear complex that followed this one has failed to create a visually open environment for the bears. Both Chicago zoos, for example, use tall rock walls as a means of containment. There are other very good polar bear exhibits in the United States: Columbus, North Carolina, even San Diego's much older exhibit holds up decently well even if the climate isn’t ideal. However, I don’t think anything has matched this two decade old exhibit. Now I just need an excuse to get to Canada to see both Assiniboine Park’s Journey to Churchill and whatever Calgary has in the works for their upcoming polar bear complex.
So right off the bat Detroit has a trio of exhibits that are all undeniably “must-see.” So what’s up with the rest of the zoo that makes it so flawed? While the amphibian center wowed me even with many of the inhabitants out of sight, the reptile house does feel a tad second rate. The exhibit quality is very good and all of the vivaria are spacious, but my goodness is it boring. It’s clearly much older than the other “conservation centers” at the zoo and it definitely shows. The layout is basic and compared to the newer buildings it is extremely dull. The hard tile flooring and general lack of vibrance really made it a bit mediocre in my eyes. The one big highlight is an enormous common water monitor habitat which was definitely a treat. It would be great for Detroit to one day have a world-class reptile campus to match the amphibian center, but right now it just doesn't stack up in my opinion.
It has been well documented that Detroit has done a phenomenal job of making sure each and every one of the zoo's residents have plenty of space. Quite frankly however, there are many instances where they are overdoing it a bit. The entire back half of the zoo is where all of the larger mammals are held and this whole portion of the zoo has the aesthetic of a golf course with animals - fitting as there is an actual golf course directly behind the zoo. The exhibit that really takes the cake for me is the aardvark enclosure, which is without question the most ridiculously oversized exhibit I’ve ever seen. This is a paddock that once held hippos and aardvarks clearly aren’t the appropriate residents for this space. It's undoubtedly the greatest aardvark exhibit in the world for the inhabitants themselves, but from a visitor perspective it’s pretty awful. I would love for the locals to chime in here, because I can’t imagine there is any way you ever see these guys reliably. Another one that probably would be one of the most egregious offenses if it weren't being replaced soon is a two acre paddock that once held tapirs, capybaras, guanacos and various other South American species that now only contains a pair of sandhill cranes. This would be inexcusable if the area wasn't being emptied for the new children’s zoo which breaks ground next year.
Then there are the exhibits which are more appropriately sized, but woefully understocked. The wolf exhibit is excellent, but with only two wolves you’ll hardly ever see any action. The kangaroo walkthrough is enormous, but I only spotted a trio of roos resting to the side of the enclosure. There’s a nearly two acre paddock just for a half dozen camels and a single white-lipped deer x Bactrian deer hybrid (an unusual specimen), why not have a variety of other Asian hoofstock to really make this a dynamic exhibit (which I believe was the case in the past)? The African savanna with similar, with just two zebras and a single wildebeest filling a spacious paddock. These are all serious flaws in my eyes, but this is also an easy fix. Simply filling these enclosures with more animals would make them about a million times more engaging. This isn’t to say all of the exhibit expansions have been unnecessary. Binturongs were removed in favor of an expanded anteater yard, painted dogs got the boot and the warthog exhibit was expanded over that space, three bear grottos were combined into one large habitat for grizzlies, etc. I’d say all of these changes took exhibits that were maybe a bit on the small side and really made them something far more impressive.
It's also important to remember that space isn't everything. Nowhere is this better demonstrated than the Great Apes of Harambee. Huge enclosures for gorillas and chimpanzees, but beyond how large they are these yards really aren't anything particularly noteworthy. Great apes don't like open spaces, which is exactly what these exhibits give them. The only trees I saw were hot-wired off and to that I ask, why? Kansas City allows their chimps access to the tall trees in their famous exhibit and it makes for an amazing experience for all parties. Why not do the same here? All the chimps have here are those hideous faux trees that dot parts of the landscape. I also really didn't care for the ape bedrooms either, which are extremely dark cement bunkers that do little to evoke the image of a modern zoo.
I’ve gone on for a bit about how many exhibits felt empty, but I’d be remiss not to mention the many highlights as well. An active pair of giant anteaters digging around their exhibit was wonderful and you are able to get very close to the animals. I was under the impression they would be getting a new exhibit alongside the upcoming children’s zoo, although I now realize after overlapping the site plan that it’ll essentially be the same exhibit with a few modifications. The adjacent yard where the bush dogs will eventually go currently holds a cassowary who you are also able to get super close to. The wolverines were running all around their spacious yard, I was really impressed with how large the giraffe house is and the japanese macaques were putting on a great show more entertaining than any broadway performance. A younger one grabbed a stick and started chasing the others up and down their iconic mountain habitat. Seriously, it’s moments like these that make me realize Japanese macaques are a fantastic exhibit animal. They are charismatic, almost always doing something interesting and can be exhibited outdoors year-round. It’s no surprise many American zoos have invested in them in recent years. I also want to say that the rhino house really felt like a blast from the past and I did cringe a little at the thought of the indoor stalls once holding elephants. Lastly, I will add that although I felt it was a bit underutilized, the Wildlife Interpretive Gallery is one of the coolest historic buildings in any American zoo.
So in summary, what’s Detroit’s real issue? In my opinion the biggest problem all boils down to one key element of a good zoo: layout. The layout of the grounds is absolutely baffling to me. I lost count of how many times I found myself walking for minutes on end before seeing another animal. Prime pieces of land that could and should be used for exhibit spaces are filled with picnic areas or are just unused entirely. There is a three acre stretch of land behind the historic Wildlife Interpretive Gallery occupied by picnic benches, event tents and puny little playgrounds There is a ton of open space to work with and do something truly amazing especially near the front of the zoo. After the penguins it’s a bit of a walk before you reach the amphibian center so some filling in here and there would be good. It simply appears that Detroit hasn't figured out how to effectively manage the space it has at its disposal. The zoo is over 120 acres, yet I can think of many zoos that have done far more with far less.
This may have sounded harsh, but I still really enjoyed myself at Detroit. It gave me shades of Brookfield in many aspects, just with far less animal houses. Really, they both suffer from similar issues which I have gone on about in other threads: underutilized spaces, spread-out grounds, multiple poorly maintained areas, phase out of larger species and several empty or abandoned enclosures at both. However, as I’ve recently become far more optimistic about Brookfield’s future, it’s yet to be seen how Detroit will continue on. Hope is certainly on the horizon with new management, but we will have to see how everything plays out first. The upcoming children’s zoo should have a little something for everyone at least: elaborate play areas for children, comfortable rest areas for parents, and bush dogs for us nerds. Everyones happy! In spite of its problems, Detroit is still a wonderful zoo and at its best it reaches the same level of greatness as the world's leading zoological giants.
However, from an outsider's perspective it may be a little harder to understand what all the hate is for. For one, it’s not an exaggeration to say that Detroit probably has the highest standard of exhibitry out of any zoo in the US. There is not a single even remotely cramped enclosure anywhere on the grounds and there are several exhibits that can be accurately described as the best of their kind both in America and across the world. The past decade has been filled with progress and many enhanced and renovated enclosures have been unveiled. Lions, tigers, grizzly bears, wolves, red pandas, anteaters and giant salamanders have all received significant renovations or expansions to their exhibit spaces just within the last decade or so. A good majority of major ABCs are still present along with a wide variety of birds and reptiles plus one of the best amphibian collections in the US. There is also a rich history which the zoo celebrates and maintains very well. These are the building blocks for a top tier zoological park, so what on earth could they possibly be doing wrong?
My visit to Detroit was one of the most bizarre zoo visits I’ve ever had. I nearly had a heart attack as I checked the zoo's website the day before my visit, seeing that the park inexplicably was closing at 1:00 PM both days that weekend. I would have to speed through the zoo at breakneck speed if I were to see it all, which would have made for a terribly unsatisfying visit. Luckily I figured out they only closed for an hour before reopening again for their annual "boo in the zoo" event. I spent three hours at the zoo in the morning, left to grab a quick lunch at a high-end coffee shop across the road, and returned for another four hours. The latter half of the visit really was a fever dream with all of the halloween themed glitz and glamor plus the children dressed in costumes. One second I’m looking at chimpanzees, then I turn to see the mad hatter and a Fortnite skin right next to me. Overall though, it was a beautiful autumn day well spent.
Before we really get into the nitty gritty of things, I want to start positive by highlighting the zoo at its best. Starting off with the zoo's most recent major endeavor, the Polk Penguin Conservation Center is a masterful piece of exhibit design. More than any other zoo exhibit it really feels like you're going through a living museum. A few months back there was a debate here which compared the quality of the penguin houses at Detroit and Saint Louis. I’ll touch on the Saint Louis exhibit at a later date (I have a Saint Louis trip report that I’ve been meaning to finish for ages), but having now seen both in person, I can with confidence say that Detroit’s building blows Penguin and Puffin Coast out of the water. As cool as it was to get inches away from penguins in the same space, the overall experience that Detroit has created is unparalleled. The two underwater viewing tunnels are an easy crowd pleaser. Seeing penguins freely torpedoing through the water was incredible. So few exhibits are able to provide that for them and it was such a cool behavior to observe. I could have spent hours in this building and not been bored. There is one other thing I want to bring attention to: the use of window glare to project informative signage on the glass that fades in and out like holograms is pure genius and one of the most creative features I’ve ever seen in a zoo exhibit.
My impression of the National Amphibian Conservation Center was unfortunately hampered by several exhibits being under renovation or maintenance. Between all of the enhancements, I think I saw no more than nine or ten species in this building. All good stuff though: hellbenders, lake titicaca frogs, a few dart frogs and some mantellas. With that being said, I was still absolutely fascinated by this house. The open-topped river tanks are great, although they would be significantly more interesting if I saw more than just freshwater sunfish in them. Detroit continues to spare no expense on space even for its smallest residents, with undoubtedly the largest hellbender tank I’ve ever seen and some extremely spacious vivaria for at least 20 or so frog species. At the tail end of the house is the Japanese giant salamander enclosure, which is amazing and I’m sure I would have loved it even more if it wasn’t under maintenance for the millionth time. Think I’m kidding? Take a break from reading this and go to the ZooChat gallery. Literally every single photo of this exhibit between when it opened (2018) to now shows it under maintenance. Regardless, it’s a fantastic exhibit that I’m sure really showcases its residents well when they’re actually there. I look forward to making a return visit and seeing this house under better circumstances, especially the giant salamander gallery. The wetlands trail was equally brilliant. We’re deep into the fall season at this point so while it was probably too cool for any wild herps, I did see a great blue heron among the foliage. I really think the whole thing is super neat and a smart way to teach guests about local conservation. There are also a pair of adjacent enclosures for river otters and beavers which were perfectly adequate without being particularly memorable.
That brings us to the Arctic Ring of Life, the zoo's most iconic magnum opus. I was preparing myself for disappointment here and for a few moments I thought I got it when I was met with an empty polar bear exhibit. Several unfavorable changes have occurred here within the last few years. I initially wasn’t sure if the most recent one was a good thing or not, but now seeing it first hand I can safely say the removal of the arctic fox exhibit in favor of more polar bear viewing was totally unnecessary. There were already several other views of the yard and you were already able to see the bears from behind the foxes which made for a nice panorama. What a genuinely dumb decision this was. Then of course there’s the seals being replaced by a pair of sea otters. I love sea otters so I certainly wasn’t upset, but the exhibit was clearly meant for pinnipeds and unless they come back one day it’ll always feel a bit off. During my visit half of the exhibit was (and currently still is) blocked off for pathway replacements so I only caught a fleeting glimpse of the ice pack yard which was unfortunate. This all added up to me being pretty underwhelmed my first time through. When I came back a few hours later however, my impression completely shifted.
Approaching polar bear exhibits in zoos has always left me feeling a bit anxious. Pretty much every exhibit I’ve seen up to this point has ranged from decent at best to downright horrid. I remember how badly I pitied Milwaukee’s old polar bear, who almost always lethargically pacing along the edge of her abominable grotto. It got to a point where I couldn’t even bring myself to pass by that exhibit and after hearing the news she passed last year, I was more relieved than saddened. After seeing such underwhelming exhibits in the past, I can’t put into words how happy it made me to see a young bear playfully tossing a toy around his large pool. It was absolutely wonderful! After he finished romping around in the water, he ran out of the pool and began to roll around the grass with a toy in its mouth. There’s a reason why this exhibit has yet to be surpassed by any other American collection even after 20 years, and it seems almost no other zoos actually picked up on it. Just about every polar bear complex that followed this one has failed to create a visually open environment for the bears. Both Chicago zoos, for example, use tall rock walls as a means of containment. There are other very good polar bear exhibits in the United States: Columbus, North Carolina, even San Diego's much older exhibit holds up decently well even if the climate isn’t ideal. However, I don’t think anything has matched this two decade old exhibit. Now I just need an excuse to get to Canada to see both Assiniboine Park’s Journey to Churchill and whatever Calgary has in the works for their upcoming polar bear complex.
So right off the bat Detroit has a trio of exhibits that are all undeniably “must-see.” So what’s up with the rest of the zoo that makes it so flawed? While the amphibian center wowed me even with many of the inhabitants out of sight, the reptile house does feel a tad second rate. The exhibit quality is very good and all of the vivaria are spacious, but my goodness is it boring. It’s clearly much older than the other “conservation centers” at the zoo and it definitely shows. The layout is basic and compared to the newer buildings it is extremely dull. The hard tile flooring and general lack of vibrance really made it a bit mediocre in my eyes. The one big highlight is an enormous common water monitor habitat which was definitely a treat. It would be great for Detroit to one day have a world-class reptile campus to match the amphibian center, but right now it just doesn't stack up in my opinion.
It has been well documented that Detroit has done a phenomenal job of making sure each and every one of the zoo's residents have plenty of space. Quite frankly however, there are many instances where they are overdoing it a bit. The entire back half of the zoo is where all of the larger mammals are held and this whole portion of the zoo has the aesthetic of a golf course with animals - fitting as there is an actual golf course directly behind the zoo. The exhibit that really takes the cake for me is the aardvark enclosure, which is without question the most ridiculously oversized exhibit I’ve ever seen. This is a paddock that once held hippos and aardvarks clearly aren’t the appropriate residents for this space. It's undoubtedly the greatest aardvark exhibit in the world for the inhabitants themselves, but from a visitor perspective it’s pretty awful. I would love for the locals to chime in here, because I can’t imagine there is any way you ever see these guys reliably. Another one that probably would be one of the most egregious offenses if it weren't being replaced soon is a two acre paddock that once held tapirs, capybaras, guanacos and various other South American species that now only contains a pair of sandhill cranes. This would be inexcusable if the area wasn't being emptied for the new children’s zoo which breaks ground next year.
Then there are the exhibits which are more appropriately sized, but woefully understocked. The wolf exhibit is excellent, but with only two wolves you’ll hardly ever see any action. The kangaroo walkthrough is enormous, but I only spotted a trio of roos resting to the side of the enclosure. There’s a nearly two acre paddock just for a half dozen camels and a single white-lipped deer x Bactrian deer hybrid (an unusual specimen), why not have a variety of other Asian hoofstock to really make this a dynamic exhibit (which I believe was the case in the past)? The African savanna with similar, with just two zebras and a single wildebeest filling a spacious paddock. These are all serious flaws in my eyes, but this is also an easy fix. Simply filling these enclosures with more animals would make them about a million times more engaging. This isn’t to say all of the exhibit expansions have been unnecessary. Binturongs were removed in favor of an expanded anteater yard, painted dogs got the boot and the warthog exhibit was expanded over that space, three bear grottos were combined into one large habitat for grizzlies, etc. I’d say all of these changes took exhibits that were maybe a bit on the small side and really made them something far more impressive.
It's also important to remember that space isn't everything. Nowhere is this better demonstrated than the Great Apes of Harambee. Huge enclosures for gorillas and chimpanzees, but beyond how large they are these yards really aren't anything particularly noteworthy. Great apes don't like open spaces, which is exactly what these exhibits give them. The only trees I saw were hot-wired off and to that I ask, why? Kansas City allows their chimps access to the tall trees in their famous exhibit and it makes for an amazing experience for all parties. Why not do the same here? All the chimps have here are those hideous faux trees that dot parts of the landscape. I also really didn't care for the ape bedrooms either, which are extremely dark cement bunkers that do little to evoke the image of a modern zoo.
I’ve gone on for a bit about how many exhibits felt empty, but I’d be remiss not to mention the many highlights as well. An active pair of giant anteaters digging around their exhibit was wonderful and you are able to get very close to the animals. I was under the impression they would be getting a new exhibit alongside the upcoming children’s zoo, although I now realize after overlapping the site plan that it’ll essentially be the same exhibit with a few modifications. The adjacent yard where the bush dogs will eventually go currently holds a cassowary who you are also able to get super close to. The wolverines were running all around their spacious yard, I was really impressed with how large the giraffe house is and the japanese macaques were putting on a great show more entertaining than any broadway performance. A younger one grabbed a stick and started chasing the others up and down their iconic mountain habitat. Seriously, it’s moments like these that make me realize Japanese macaques are a fantastic exhibit animal. They are charismatic, almost always doing something interesting and can be exhibited outdoors year-round. It’s no surprise many American zoos have invested in them in recent years. I also want to say that the rhino house really felt like a blast from the past and I did cringe a little at the thought of the indoor stalls once holding elephants. Lastly, I will add that although I felt it was a bit underutilized, the Wildlife Interpretive Gallery is one of the coolest historic buildings in any American zoo.
So in summary, what’s Detroit’s real issue? In my opinion the biggest problem all boils down to one key element of a good zoo: layout. The layout of the grounds is absolutely baffling to me. I lost count of how many times I found myself walking for minutes on end before seeing another animal. Prime pieces of land that could and should be used for exhibit spaces are filled with picnic areas or are just unused entirely. There is a three acre stretch of land behind the historic Wildlife Interpretive Gallery occupied by picnic benches, event tents and puny little playgrounds There is a ton of open space to work with and do something truly amazing especially near the front of the zoo. After the penguins it’s a bit of a walk before you reach the amphibian center so some filling in here and there would be good. It simply appears that Detroit hasn't figured out how to effectively manage the space it has at its disposal. The zoo is over 120 acres, yet I can think of many zoos that have done far more with far less.
This may have sounded harsh, but I still really enjoyed myself at Detroit. It gave me shades of Brookfield in many aspects, just with far less animal houses. Really, they both suffer from similar issues which I have gone on about in other threads: underutilized spaces, spread-out grounds, multiple poorly maintained areas, phase out of larger species and several empty or abandoned enclosures at both. However, as I’ve recently become far more optimistic about Brookfield’s future, it’s yet to be seen how Detroit will continue on. Hope is certainly on the horizon with new management, but we will have to see how everything plays out first. The upcoming children’s zoo should have a little something for everyone at least: elaborate play areas for children, comfortable rest areas for parents, and bush dogs for us nerds. Everyones happy! In spite of its problems, Detroit is still a wonderful zoo and at its best it reaches the same level of greatness as the world's leading zoological giants.
Otherwise the majority of the collection is housed in a large rainforest aviary connected to the Wildlife Interpretive Center (which was originally a bird house). I didn’t find it very noteworthy so I didn’t mention it in the report, but it does hold about 20 species give or take. There are also plenty of larger birds like greater flamingo, ostrich, cassowary, cinereous vulture, and white stork in and around the larger paddocks at the back of the park. Not the most exciting collection, but definitely not non-existent either.