Well, there are no posts in this zoo's message board so I thought I start the first one! I went to Erie Zoo yesterday and I wasn't sure what to expect. I knew it was a small zoo and I couldn't tell much about it because their website is really not that great. Growing up with only small zoos around me, Seneca Park Zoo & Buffalo Zoo, I was prepared for what limitations it may have. Despite its size, it had amazing potential! Their may have not been one top exhibit, but what they did with the space was great. It was charming.
I skipped the main building and headed over to the polar bear exhibit. There's two compartments for the bears to go in and out and I saw the first one, which they weren't in. Figuring they weren't out, and not being happy about it, I headed over to the horse barn. Nothing too special about the barn, it was old and had some horses, ponies, pigs, alpacas, etc. But they did have a monitor where you could watch the Amur tiger and her new born cub sleeping off exhibit. I thought that was a considerate touch for guests. I went back to the polar bears and saw them in their other compartment. The design is very similar to Buffalo Zoo's bear pits. Old and outdated, yet gives the visitors a nice view of the polar bears. The female Patches, was sleeping when I first saw them and Norton was pacing around. Later on I saw both of them up and eventually I saw Norton use the swimming pool. Next door was the lions in a similar style exhibit, but perhaps more grass and branches. I believe they have a male lion, but I only saw the lionesses out. The trend on this warm day was the animals sleeping! Next door was the tiger exhibit which had a decent design. Mock small mountains in the back, grass area, and a waterfall in the middle. A viewing area of this exhibit was all behind glass. This is where the male white tiger was sleeping. I almost wish he was active since I don't see white tigers every day, but I don't expect the animals to accommodate me!
Next was the African part of the zoo. You can see the warthogs first and you hear some African music in the background, which I thought helped created the atmosphere. Kiboka Outpost was a building in the center of African section allowing a view of all the animals. Inside it was set up to look like a house/office of a safari traveler. I apologize for my vague description. I can't remember too much of what was inside, I just remember reptiles and a viewing area to see the African Wild Dogs. There's a cheetah on the map, but I assume it's outdated because I've heard the wild dogs have been there for awhile. I thought they had a nice size exhibit for them to roam around in. Now there was an upstairs patio that wrapped around the whole building. So you have a nice viewing area of the African Wild Dogs and White Rhinoceros. I thought the rhinos had a nice size exhibit as well, being use to the small area the rhinos have at the Seneca Park Zoo. The keeper was kind enough to spray a hose on the rhino outside to cool it off. Past the outdoor part of the exhibit are zebras off to the side with fencing in front of them. You could also see the inside of the building where they kept the rhinos. After this there was a winding ramp that took you down to the giraffes. The actual giraffe house I think is rather small for them. Probably the same size as Buffalo Zoo, but less compartments because they only have two giraffes. Later on, another visitor commented on this when they had the giraffes inside, but I didn't think it was cruel to have in when there was a rain storm coming in! The two giraffes are on a peninsula with a moat filled with Australian Black Swans and mallard ducks circling around it. Next door there is a small monkey island with spidermonkeys as the residents. Hearing about the island, I expected it to be bigger like at the Cleveland Zoo. Off to the side, there was an area with the most active sloth I've ever seen, golden lion tamarins, and agouti.
There's a bridge that leads to the children's zoo. Mill Creek reminds you that you are still in PA and it had local mallard ducks on the banks. The bridge was also charming with little touches here and there. The lamps were held by silhouettes of monkeys and giraffes. Now I am a fan of Heritage Farm, the new children's zoo at Buffalo Zoo, but compared to size, variety, and interaction for children, Erie wins hands down! On your right you'll see an old fashion carousel with different animals to ride on. And you can guess this adult took advantage of it and rode on a manatee! What carousel has a manatee? Other animals I can think off my head are a giant otter, panda, polar bear, sun bear, giraffe with a monkey hiding behind the saddle, dolphin, hippo, zebra, etc. And there was a beautiful mural wrapped around the top of the carousel of all the animals featured. And above each animal that you could ride gave its name in case you were unsure what it was. Moving on there was a lorikeet landing area which was unfortunately closed off. On Memorial Day I found it odd they didn't have enough staffing for the area. But it may have been for another reason. Anyway, Australian Walkabout was open and I loved it! It was very similar to Cleveland's Australian walkabout with their wallabies and wallaroos. But Erie had Grey Kangaroos and Bennett Wallabies. I just love being in an area where you can be so close to these animals. Seeing them grazing on clovers, it was precious. Next door was Mystery Mountain which I didn't feel served much of a purpose. I guess you could have a nice view of the children zoo. The top part wraps around but stops where there is the waterfall. It looks like a bridge might have been there in the past, but it was no longer there. And you could go in the actual mountain too which was kind of dark...the mystery part of it? Next was more hands on area where you could pet the donkeys, llamas, sheep, goats, and my favorite the zebus. I fell in love with one of their zebu. It was so cute and when I walk away and come back, it was always looking at me. Both had really soft fur so I assume they get a nice grooming each day. There was also a children's adventure garden where you could pump water like you could in the old days. I didn't pay much attention to it being more fascinated with the animals. Next was the American Alligator and African Black Footed Penguin. Like at Seneca Park Zoo, the penguins used to warm weather still hide out inside in air conditioning. I didn't know until I returned later there was a window where you could see their inside exhibit. I thought that was unique because usually that area in zoos is off view. So you saw them all together and the crates some were in lying on their eggs. Across the way was Adventure Center where children could do interactive things and play with toys. Inside they had some small animals, mostly reptiles and cockroaches. Just outside there was also metal blocks on the ground kids could step on to make music. And to finish off the area, there was a nice animal jungle gym for kids to play on.
You leave Children's Adventure walking across another bridge and on the other end is North American River Otters. They must be successful with breeding, because there were a lot of otters out. And come to think of it, there was many babies around the zoo! I felt the otters main pool was having problems because that area was just filled with hay and blankets. Off to the side was a water area that wouldn't even be sufficient for one otter. And there was like five of them in there wrestling each other. The exhibit could definitely use an upgrade! From here you enter Wild Asia, which I found to be the gem of the zoo. I can't explain the architecture, almost like Asian ruins. Please look at the photos I've posted to make sense of this! Off to the side was a pair of adorable red pandas, Syringa and Samuel. Although there was small mesh in front of them it was very easy to erase with any camera if you got close enough. Further down on the other side was the siamang gibbon, muntjac and orangutans. I preferred their orangutan exhibit over Cleveland's. It was mostly covered with glass in front of it giving great viewing areas for people. But there were tree branches and other obstacles that could give the orangutans private areas away from the public. The male, Joey, was a crowd favorite. When I first saw him, he was laying down on his blankie. He eventually moved to another corner and a zoo regular did a routine with him. I believe he did actually recognize her because she'd pucker her lips for a kiss and he'd do the same. She kept doing this and he kept following her lead. I tried this as well wondering if he'd do it with anyone, but I think he sensed I was a man. But he did eventually look at me which resulted in a cute photo. There's also Kasa, the mother with her baby, Ollie. Ollie also has an older sister.
This leads you back to the front of the zoo where the main building was. This was one of the disappointments I had with the zoo. I had so much fun seeing the animals and seeing all the areas, that I wished it continued! The main building had ruffed lemurs, sandcat, gorilla, meerkats, a type of monkey, and an indoor/outdoor area for the Amur Leopard and Jaguar. Both cats were beautiful, but with all their pacing that they did, it was hard to get a photo. Perhaps they need more enrichment to keep them entertained. There's also a waterfall with some free flighted birds in the main building. Keep in mind it's smelly, but I tend to ignore it when I saw the animals.
And that was the Erie Zoo. The Little Zoo with Big Potential!
I skipped the main building and headed over to the polar bear exhibit. There's two compartments for the bears to go in and out and I saw the first one, which they weren't in. Figuring they weren't out, and not being happy about it, I headed over to the horse barn. Nothing too special about the barn, it was old and had some horses, ponies, pigs, alpacas, etc. But they did have a monitor where you could watch the Amur tiger and her new born cub sleeping off exhibit. I thought that was a considerate touch for guests. I went back to the polar bears and saw them in their other compartment. The design is very similar to Buffalo Zoo's bear pits. Old and outdated, yet gives the visitors a nice view of the polar bears. The female Patches, was sleeping when I first saw them and Norton was pacing around. Later on I saw both of them up and eventually I saw Norton use the swimming pool. Next door was the lions in a similar style exhibit, but perhaps more grass and branches. I believe they have a male lion, but I only saw the lionesses out. The trend on this warm day was the animals sleeping! Next door was the tiger exhibit which had a decent design. Mock small mountains in the back, grass area, and a waterfall in the middle. A viewing area of this exhibit was all behind glass. This is where the male white tiger was sleeping. I almost wish he was active since I don't see white tigers every day, but I don't expect the animals to accommodate me!
Next was the African part of the zoo. You can see the warthogs first and you hear some African music in the background, which I thought helped created the atmosphere. Kiboka Outpost was a building in the center of African section allowing a view of all the animals. Inside it was set up to look like a house/office of a safari traveler. I apologize for my vague description. I can't remember too much of what was inside, I just remember reptiles and a viewing area to see the African Wild Dogs. There's a cheetah on the map, but I assume it's outdated because I've heard the wild dogs have been there for awhile. I thought they had a nice size exhibit for them to roam around in. Now there was an upstairs patio that wrapped around the whole building. So you have a nice viewing area of the African Wild Dogs and White Rhinoceros. I thought the rhinos had a nice size exhibit as well, being use to the small area the rhinos have at the Seneca Park Zoo. The keeper was kind enough to spray a hose on the rhino outside to cool it off. Past the outdoor part of the exhibit are zebras off to the side with fencing in front of them. You could also see the inside of the building where they kept the rhinos. After this there was a winding ramp that took you down to the giraffes. The actual giraffe house I think is rather small for them. Probably the same size as Buffalo Zoo, but less compartments because they only have two giraffes. Later on, another visitor commented on this when they had the giraffes inside, but I didn't think it was cruel to have in when there was a rain storm coming in! The two giraffes are on a peninsula with a moat filled with Australian Black Swans and mallard ducks circling around it. Next door there is a small monkey island with spidermonkeys as the residents. Hearing about the island, I expected it to be bigger like at the Cleveland Zoo. Off to the side, there was an area with the most active sloth I've ever seen, golden lion tamarins, and agouti.
There's a bridge that leads to the children's zoo. Mill Creek reminds you that you are still in PA and it had local mallard ducks on the banks. The bridge was also charming with little touches here and there. The lamps were held by silhouettes of monkeys and giraffes. Now I am a fan of Heritage Farm, the new children's zoo at Buffalo Zoo, but compared to size, variety, and interaction for children, Erie wins hands down! On your right you'll see an old fashion carousel with different animals to ride on. And you can guess this adult took advantage of it and rode on a manatee! What carousel has a manatee? Other animals I can think off my head are a giant otter, panda, polar bear, sun bear, giraffe with a monkey hiding behind the saddle, dolphin, hippo, zebra, etc. And there was a beautiful mural wrapped around the top of the carousel of all the animals featured. And above each animal that you could ride gave its name in case you were unsure what it was. Moving on there was a lorikeet landing area which was unfortunately closed off. On Memorial Day I found it odd they didn't have enough staffing for the area. But it may have been for another reason. Anyway, Australian Walkabout was open and I loved it! It was very similar to Cleveland's Australian walkabout with their wallabies and wallaroos. But Erie had Grey Kangaroos and Bennett Wallabies. I just love being in an area where you can be so close to these animals. Seeing them grazing on clovers, it was precious. Next door was Mystery Mountain which I didn't feel served much of a purpose. I guess you could have a nice view of the children zoo. The top part wraps around but stops where there is the waterfall. It looks like a bridge might have been there in the past, but it was no longer there. And you could go in the actual mountain too which was kind of dark...the mystery part of it? Next was more hands on area where you could pet the donkeys, llamas, sheep, goats, and my favorite the zebus. I fell in love with one of their zebu. It was so cute and when I walk away and come back, it was always looking at me. Both had really soft fur so I assume they get a nice grooming each day. There was also a children's adventure garden where you could pump water like you could in the old days. I didn't pay much attention to it being more fascinated with the animals. Next was the American Alligator and African Black Footed Penguin. Like at Seneca Park Zoo, the penguins used to warm weather still hide out inside in air conditioning. I didn't know until I returned later there was a window where you could see their inside exhibit. I thought that was unique because usually that area in zoos is off view. So you saw them all together and the crates some were in lying on their eggs. Across the way was Adventure Center where children could do interactive things and play with toys. Inside they had some small animals, mostly reptiles and cockroaches. Just outside there was also metal blocks on the ground kids could step on to make music. And to finish off the area, there was a nice animal jungle gym for kids to play on.
You leave Children's Adventure walking across another bridge and on the other end is North American River Otters. They must be successful with breeding, because there were a lot of otters out. And come to think of it, there was many babies around the zoo! I felt the otters main pool was having problems because that area was just filled with hay and blankets. Off to the side was a water area that wouldn't even be sufficient for one otter. And there was like five of them in there wrestling each other. The exhibit could definitely use an upgrade! From here you enter Wild Asia, which I found to be the gem of the zoo. I can't explain the architecture, almost like Asian ruins. Please look at the photos I've posted to make sense of this! Off to the side was a pair of adorable red pandas, Syringa and Samuel. Although there was small mesh in front of them it was very easy to erase with any camera if you got close enough. Further down on the other side was the siamang gibbon, muntjac and orangutans. I preferred their orangutan exhibit over Cleveland's. It was mostly covered with glass in front of it giving great viewing areas for people. But there were tree branches and other obstacles that could give the orangutans private areas away from the public. The male, Joey, was a crowd favorite. When I first saw him, he was laying down on his blankie. He eventually moved to another corner and a zoo regular did a routine with him. I believe he did actually recognize her because she'd pucker her lips for a kiss and he'd do the same. She kept doing this and he kept following her lead. I tried this as well wondering if he'd do it with anyone, but I think he sensed I was a man. But he did eventually look at me which resulted in a cute photo. There's also Kasa, the mother with her baby, Ollie. Ollie also has an older sister.
This leads you back to the front of the zoo where the main building was. This was one of the disappointments I had with the zoo. I had so much fun seeing the animals and seeing all the areas, that I wished it continued! The main building had ruffed lemurs, sandcat, gorilla, meerkats, a type of monkey, and an indoor/outdoor area for the Amur Leopard and Jaguar. Both cats were beautiful, but with all their pacing that they did, it was hard to get a photo. Perhaps they need more enrichment to keep them entertained. There's also a waterfall with some free flighted birds in the main building. Keep in mind it's smelly, but I tend to ignore it when I saw the animals.
And that was the Erie Zoo. The Little Zoo with Big Potential!
I was very sad to hear about Norton the polar bear's death. He was a huge, magnificent bear. Erie has not had much luck with polar bears recently. I was reading the update on their website