Fall North American Zoo Road Trip

@snowleopard I did tour the Temperate Forest section. I found it to be most standard exhibits; unfortunately the maned wolf exhibit had a sign up indicating no animals on exhibit (although it sure smelled like there were still some nearby).

The day house is still closed.

You raise some important concerns about the hippo exhibit, particularly from an animal welfare perspective. I would temper my praise by situating it in the context of enabling a certain type of photos (a very limited criteria). Underwater viewing certainly is the most popular option for many, and I would hope that sooner than later the exhibit could be upgraded to address the concerns you mentioned.

@Milwaukee Man thank you, and I completely forgot to mention seeing the Hawaiian Monk Seals.
 
Day 9 – Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium

Point Defiance is a small to medium size zoo located in Tacoma, WA. Located within a park, the zoo is beautifully situated within the surrounding nature. There are a handful of primary sections of the zoo in addition to an aquarium that is in a bit of a transition stage as a new aquarium is being built and is set to open next year. I’ve omitted the current aquarium from this review as it would be difficult to comment too much on it since exhibits are being closed in preparation for the new building.

Asian Elephants

Unfortunately, the zoo does not start off on a high note. Neither the indoor barn or outdoor yard for its Asian Elephants are inspirational; the exhibits are in fact bordering on awful. Guests first come to the barn which does allow for indoor viewing of the elephants. The stalls are woefully small and have hard floors lacking anything like sand. Moving to the outdoor exhibit, it is not the smallest yard I’ve seen but it is still quite limited in space. The dusty habitat is made to be even smaller by the cables and posts used to divide the exhibit into separate yards.

Asian Forest Sanctuary

I separated elephants from the rest of this section, as the rest of the exhibits range from good to excellent. The clouded leopard habitat offers the cats a massive space, including multiple climbing opportunities. The exhibit is densely planted, to the extent that it can make it difficult to see the leopards. This is one of the better clouded leopard exhibits I have seen. The next set of exhibits offers rotational habitats, the first being a large yard that was occupied by several Indian crested porcupines. It was a rare opportunity to see porcupines out and very active. Next up was a very large yard occupied by a pair of Sumatran tiger sisters. The exhibit also offers the cats a large pool to utilize and would be classified as an above average exhibit. A hut to the side of the exhibit offers guests an additional moated view of the cats, along with educational information on the threats facing tigers and a window view into the next exhibit. The next exhibit is a smaller yard that on my visit was occupied by another tiger; at other times it is occupied by gibbons or a tapir. The yard is adequate size and has climbing opportunities for the gibbons, if not particularly naturalistic ones. The same can also be said for the next outdoor yard, which was home to the gibbons on my visit. From here guests also have a second exposure to the exhibit that was home to the porcupines on my visit, which gave me another enjoyable chance to watch this particularly active group of porcupines. Nothing in this section, save for the clouded leopard exhibit would be ranked best in class. However, once you get past the elephant exhibit there are no poor exhibits in this section and it offers several strong habitats.

Rocky Shores

Here guests can see animals such as sea lions, seals, otters, puffins and pacific walruses, a rarity for me to see. The pool for the walruses did not seem exceptionally large, although I’m not particularly confident in assessing how large such an exhibit should be. It was enjoyable though to see the walruses though, as I cannot recall seeing them in many if any other zoos.

Arctic Tundra

Artic foxes, reindeer and muskoxen all have decent if not exceptional habitats in this section. This section however is weighed down by a less than ideal enclosure for polar bears. Viewed through several different windows that offer the opportunity to see the bears under water, the pool is moderately sized and the limited land area consists primarily of rocks and stones.

Red Wolf Woods

My loop through the zoo ended on a positive note with a series of above average habitats for red wolves. The exhibits are quite naturalistic and spacious, and they are complimented by extensive information on the history of red wolves at the zoo and the zoos work with the species.


Point Defiance Zoo is in a beautiful setting, and if future exhibits starting with the aquarium next year can continue in the same direction as Asian Forest Sanctuary then the future will be positive for this facility. As it stands, the zoo is somewhat limited in its collection and below average exhibit for two marquee species.
 
I'm glad that Point Defiance is building a new aquarium building, I seem to remember the original building being dim and difficult to view the main exhibit. However the newer building addition with the tropical shark tank seemed adequate, I wonder if it will continue to be used?
 
Great review of Point Defiance Zoo! You mentioned the very poor Asian Elephant exhibit and the two elephants left at the zoo are both in their mid-fifties and certainly getting up there in age. The zoo announced a few years ago that when the elephants die then there will be Greater One-Horned Rhinos added to the Asian Sanctuary complex. You were also justifiably critical of the Polar Bear habitat and that area will be renovated beginning in 2018 and it will then re-open in 2020. Those two changes will clearly improve the zoo in the near future.

In answer to @geomorph question, the 1960's-era North Pacific Aquarium has been badly outdated for years and the new Pacific Seas Aquarium will be a fantastic replacement. At 35,000 sq. ft. it will be larger than most of the Sea Life centers and in that respect could probably stand as a separate attraction if it weren't part of the zoo. It is due to open in summer 2018 and here is a map of the facility:

Our New Aquarium > Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium

The South Pacific Aquarium (with all the sharks and in a separate building) was built in 1989 and is still holding up well and it will remain at the zoo. One of the really cool things about Point Defiance is that it will have two aquariums on the grounds and there are also a number of species that are rarely exhibited in American establishments these days. Polar Bears, Clouded Leopards, Pacific Walruses, Red Wolves, Southern Sea Otters, Tufted Puffins, Horned Puffins, Musk Oxen and Lowland Anoas are all found at very few zoos in the USA and I think that the smaller size and diversification of species helps attract visitors with Woodland Park Zoo only 45 minutes away.

Annual attendance of Seattle/Tacoma attractions:

Woodland Park Zoo - 1.3 million
Seattle Aquarium - 850,000
Point Defiance Zoo - 750,000
Northwest Trek Wildlife Park - 250,000
 
Day 10 – Oregon Zoo

After the smaller collection at Point Defiance, the Oregon Zoo offered a strong contrast with a decent sized collection divided into multiple sections including several exceptional exhibits. The zoo contains a few areas that are less than superb, but there are not any awful sections. Accordingly, the Oregon Zoo is a must visit for any true zoo enthusiast.

Pacific Shores

Both harbour seals and otters have decent exhibits in this section. Both offer underwater viewing, with a particularly large underwater viewing area for the seals.

Amur Cats

This section contains two somewhat dated exhibits, one for Amur leopards and the other for Amur tigers. The leopard exhibit is towards the upper end of average, with lots of climbing and hiding opportunities for the cat and it can be viewed from a couple different angles. The tiger exhibit does not hold up well, it is essentially a polished grotto. There is a lot of trees and plants and it does afford the tiger some enrichment, this exhibit however seems rather dated and due for an upgraded.

Africa

A large number of species comprise the zoo’s Africa section. Hippos and black rhinos have the most dated habitats. Neither exhibit is horrible, but neither is great either. The hippos have a moderate pool with a decent amount of dusty land space. The exhibit can be viewed through several dirty windows that are at water level or via a moated view at the other end of the exhibit. Guests can look out from a couple of different points on the long but narrow rhino exhibit. The exhibit quality picks up with the giraffe exhibit, which is spacey and green; and the exhibit quality drastically increases with a lush and picturesque habitat for bontebok.

Predators of the Serengeti

Technically this is a part of Africa, however I feel its quality warrants separate treatment. This is easily one of my favourite sections so far on this trip. The area begins with an outdoor glass view of an above average lion exhibit. I wouldn’t classify this as one of the best lion exhibits, but it certainly is a quality exhibit. Guests proceed into a building where they have another behind glass view of the lions. Beside the lion exhibit, guests look out into a hilly African Painted Dog exhibit through wire. This exhibit again is above average. The next exhibit is one of the better cheetah exhibits I have seen. The cheetahs are provided a large, hilly habitat. Finally, the superstar exhibit across from all of these is the largest caracal exhibit I have ever seen. In addition to its space, the exhibit is quite lush and offers a variety of naturalistic climbing and enrichment opportunities for the caracal. I really enjoyed this exhibit as I find these cats are often relegated to small, lower quality exhibits as if they were an after thought. At Oregon, the caracals are provided with a truly exceptional exhibit.

Elephant Lands

From a guest perspective, for such a new exhibit, this exhibit leaves something to be desired. Looking through cable wire at the dusty canvas is not appealing nor photographer friendly. Granted, by walking up the bridge you are afforded unobstructed views of the elephants. For the elephants themselves though, I think this is an above average exhibit. It is quite spacious, and offers several forms of enrichment. I stopped by this exhibit twice during my visit and on both instances, all the elephants were moving around, exploring the time feeders and interacting with each other. It was enjoyable to see them so active. Thus while this is not going to be classified by most as a top elephant exhibit, it is a notable step up on many of the exhibits from previous eras.

Sun Bears

I’ll included this section just note that sun bears do inhabit what is basically a spruced up grotto. The adjoining section is now closed for an upcoming renovation on the polar bear exhibit, so I’m not sure what the future holds for the sun bear exhibit.

Primate Forest

I found this section to offer some decent, but not excellent exhibits. Orangutans have a spacious outdoor exhibit that has some natural elements (an impressive looking fake tree) combined with some very unnatural components (hanging ropes as a climbing opportunity). The indoor exhibit for the orangs was decent, unfortunately the same could not be said for the mandrills and chimps both of whom have less than ideal indoor settings. The indoor exhibits for the chimps feel particularly cramped. The outdoor habitat for the chimp is relatively straight forward; a decent sized enclosure offering several artificial climbing structures. The outdoor exhibit for the mandrills is a little more lush and is moderately sized.

Great Northwest

This is another exception section in the zoo. Not everything is without flaw, the condor exhibit for example includes some odd installations in it. Yet the exhibit is self is quite spacious and affords lots of opportunities for the condor. For several exhibits in this section, the zoo has done a masterful job of making the visitor feel as if they are stumbling upon the animal in their natural environment. One of the best examples is a masterful otter exhibit, that is viewed indoors with windows offering both above ground and underwater viewing. This section is very well integrated with the existing trees and that contributes strongly to the immersive nature of the section. Combined with a variety of vantage points and lots of educational information, this makes the Great Northwest a terrific section of the zoo.


This was a very enjoyable zoo visit. The Oregon Zoo is situated in a beautiful setting and has crafted several exceptional exhibits. There are some areas in need of refurbishment, but thankfully none of those areas could be classified as dreadful. Elephant lands is not a home run, but it is very much a functional exhibit. I would gladly revisit the Oregon Zoo the first chance I got.
 
Day 11 – Zoo Boise

On the near final itinerary for this trip Zoo Boise was not on it. At the last minute, deciding that since the drive between Oregon and Salt Lake City was a two day endeavour and that we would be passing through Boise any way, this zoo was added in. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that was the wrong decision, however I was not impressed with Zoo Boise. A large chunk of the zoo felt dated, several exhibits seemed far too small or basic, and the walkways on several occasions dead ended rather than offering a continuous path.

Animals of Asia

The first animal you come to are snow leopards, who have a decently planted yet small exhibit. For comparisons sake, I’m pretty sure the caracal exhibit from Oregon is larger than the snow leopard exhibit at Boise. Moving along the pathway brings you to a binturong exhibit, which is decently sized and has plenty of enrichment opportunities for the animals. The exhibit though is poorly situated as guests can only view it from above and unless the animal is on one of the upper perches, guests are unable to see it. Up next is a passable grotto for sloth bears. The biggest oddity here is that the backdrop of the exhibit is designed to look something like a temple and is painted a hideous baby blue. Colour preferences aside, this paint job destroys any sense of naturalism in the exhibit and almost makes it look gimmicky. Red pandas have a decently sized exhibit that offers lots of climbing opportunities. Again, the exhibit is particularly limited in naturalism. The tiger was off exhibit today due to a veterinary procedure; the tiger exhibit seemed to be decently sized with climbing and enrichment opportunities.

Animals of the Pampas

This section continues standard and fairly basic exhibits for animals such as maned wolves and rhea. None of these exhibits are flawed, but none of them are inspiring or above average.

Africa

Two highlights in this section were the chance to see a large family of coatis and a stripped hyena. The coati exhibit is incredibly basic; a decent space with metal fencing and several climbing opportunities, but it was nice to see such a large number of them. The stripped hyena exhibit was spacious and did afford the animal some privacy options, and it was nice to see this rarely exhibited animal. Lions have a decently sized and rather standard exhibit; my only complaint is that from every perspective on this exhibit you are looking at a backdrop of fencing/wire. The giraffes were kept indoors during the time of my visit, but their outdoor exhibit seemed to be decently sized, and guests could get a decent view from an elevated platform.

Primate House

Approaching this building it looked like a garage and I felt more like I was approaching a jiffy lube than a zoo exhibit. Once inside I couldn’t bring myself to stop and spend anytime in it, the exhibits are dreadful. A series of primates are housed in hard wall and floored enclosures that offer no naturalism, immersion, and only a minimal degree of enrichment. This was one of the worst zoo exhibits I have seen.


I hope I’m not being too hard on Zoo Boise, but it really wasn’t an enjoyable visit. The vast majority of the exhibits lack any form of naturalism or immersion and feel very dated. There is not much modern about this zoo. On the positive front, there was a notable about of educational information and some displays set up that had a modern feel. Unfortunately that modern feel could not be integrated with the exhibits.
 
@m30t Did you see the indoor elephant quarters at Oregon and if so what did you think? I remember reading the plans for the exhibit back when it was under construction and I thought I remembered that they were planning a very large and impressive indoor exhibit space.

Also, what did you think of the bat exhibit at Oregon? It is personally one of my favorite zoo exhibits, as the shape of the enclosure really makes for an active and immersive exhibit.
 
@Coelacanth18 I took a brief glance inside the indoor exhibit, and it did appear to be of notable size. Guests can view a portion (I don't know how much) of the indoor exhibit from an elevated balcony. Unfortunately I didn't take notice of the bat exhibit, I'm not a very big bat person.

Day 12 – Hogle Zoo

Located in Salt Lake City, the Hogle Zoo is a smaller zoo located with a picturesque mountain backdrop. The zoo contains a mix of decent exhibit, one less than stellar area and one world class area. It is that last area which makes this zoo a must see for any zoo enthusiast.

African Savanna

This is the first exhibit you see when entering the zoo and the first impression that struck me was that it is a giant dust bowl. To its credit, the savanna exhibit is a massive space; unfortunately, the lack of grass or anything green results in the exhibit being less than visually appealing. Also on the negative front is the backdrop is not as naturalistic as it could be. On my visit in particular this was hampered by lighting for Halloween/Christmas lights in the backdrop. Taking those negatives into account there is still a lot to like about this space. As previously mentioned, it is a spacious area which is home to giraffes, zebras and ostriches. The exhibit offers lots of enrichment opportunities for the animals and can be viewed from several different heights and perspectives. It was from one of the elevated perspectives where I noticed that a portion of the savanna is overlooked by the lion exhibit. The lions are separated by fencing, thus preventing the picture perfect view of lions overlooking the savanna. Yet the view offers great visual stimulation for the cats, who I noticed at several points on my visit watching some of the prey animals in the savanna. The lion exhibit itself is also massive, and is certainly an above average exhibit. The exhibit offers guests multiple vantage points on the lions, but also affords the lions some private space, several small hills and lots of area to roam/play.

Primate Forest

The indoor portion of primate forest provides spider monkeys, colobus monkeys and others fairly typical indoor exhibits. The exhibits provide a moderate amount of space with decent climbing structures. The outdoor exhibits however, are exceptional. There are two spacious and naturalistic exhibits, on my visit one was home to spider monkeys and the other to black howler monkeys. Both exhibits are exceptionally large for their inhabitants.

Great Apes

This section of the zoo is rather unremarkable. Gorillas and orangutans each have average outdoor exhibits that provide a decent amount of space with ample climbing opportunities, which are not the least bit naturalistic. These exhibits are neither exemplary or awful.

Elephants/Rhinos

This is the worst section of the zoo by a notable margin. A pair of African elephants live in a small, dusty enclosure. The enclosure contains several yards, which does give the animals an opportunity to move around. However, the exhibit is aesthetically unpleasing and far too small for these animals. The rhino enclosure is also limited in size. Even if the space from the rhino exhibit was made available to the elephants, the amount of space would still be too small.

Rocky Shores

What first stands out about this section is the excellent theming in the section. This area is excellently designed to sell the visitor on the idea that they are on the coast. The section begins with a decent bald eagle exhibit followed by decent exhibits for otters and sea lions/seals. The main attraction in the area is the polar bear exhibit. The bears have a considerable amount of water and an average, but less than ideal amount of dry land. The dry space is also limited in that it is primarily rock/stone. This exhibit isn’t horrible, in fact it is likely in the upper half of exhibits in the country. It is not comparable though with top tier exhibits like Columbus, Assiniboine and Detroit. This section concludes with a moderate grizzly bear exhibit. The exhibit has some natural substrate but also has a notable amount of mock rock. Overall this section is decent but not stellar.

Asian Highlands

After raving about Predators of the Serengeti two days ago, I was impressed to once again be blown away by another zoo section. Much like Rocky Shores this section is also excellently themed. It is home to Siberian Lynx, amur tigers, amur leopards, snow leopards and pallas’ cats. As luck would have it, a mother amur leopard and her two cubs were taken off exhibit two days prior to my visit to prepare for the transfer of one of the cubs. All of the exhibits are incredibly spacious and naturalistic. There is dense vegetation in each, affording the cats lots of hiding opportunities and climbing structures. For a cat enthusiast this section is a must see. What was most notable for me is the pallas cat exhibit. In my collection of zoo photos I only have a couple of photos of this species. The reason is that so often their exhibits are small and not ideal to photograph. The pallas cat exhibit at Hogle is the opposite. The exhibit is massive, and it was a pleasure to watch and photograph of a large family as pallas cats as they moved around and played in the exhibit.


Hogle Zoo feels very much like a zoo on the cusp. The mixed species habitat in the African Savanna and Rocky shores are both decent exhibits that feel just a notch or two away from being exceptional. The lion and primate forest exhibits are both very strong. Finally, Asian Highlands is a terrific section and worthy of visiting the zoo on its own.
 
Day 12 – Wild Animal Sanctuary

This was the outlier on my trip and likely the destination that turned the most heads. I’m not going to approach this review like I have the zoos, as this facility isn’t divided up into sections. Instead I’m going to try and provide an overview on the facility and my thoughts on it.

Located 30-40 minutes north of Denver this facility is quite literally in the middle of no where, surrounded by fields. When you arrive you have to sign a waiver (always a lovely starting experience) and watch a 12 minute video describing the facility, it’s mission/structure and the rules. Billing itself as the largest sanctuary in the world, they state that they are home to approximately 450 animals (including tigers, lions, leopards, a black leopard, bobcats, bears, pumas, coatis) in over 700 acres. The vast majority of the animals they house were rescued from awful circumstances, including the idiots who think that tigers make a proper pet.

What sets this facility apart from others is that guests are never face to face with animals. They operate on the premise that animals feel their territory is threatened when strangers stand at the edge of their habitat looking it and this causes stress in the animals. However, they contend that animals do not pay attention to the sky, and thus guests view the entire facility from an elevated boardwalk looking down at the animals. I have no idea if there is any validity to this premise, and I’ll leave that discussion for the more educated minds.

The first impression is that the habitats are massive. Walking into the facility I was struck by just how much space was dedicated to each enclosure. There are some smaller enclosures, the facility’s approach to rehabilitating the animals is to slowly introduce them into larger habitats and other animals. As such the smaller enclosures (which are rather tiny) are a temporary measure according to the facility.

The next thought is that the enclosures are very primitive. In most instances shade opportunities come from in the form of large cylinders and caves with made them. This works, although I think more shady areas would be ideal (even in the form of pillars with tarps over them).

It was intriguing to observe some of the social dynamics. In one of the lion enclosures there was a pride of 3 adult males and at least 3 adult females. Many of the other prides contained a large number of cats, and often a mix of males and females. It was a different experience to see prides like this interacting with each other and roaming in such large spaces.

Spotting the animals was not always easy. The massive habitats make it challenging enough, as does the fact that there are often habitats starting at the back of the previous one. Using my 400mm zoom was insufficient to see many of those secondary enclosures.

It was a rather calming experience to stand and watch some of these animals interact. It wasn’t particularly busy and thus it offered a quiet place to watch the animals. I had debated on whether or not to include this facility and I am glad I did. It is very different from a zoo, but it does fulfill a very important role. It doesn’t have an anti-zoo thrust, but it is very clearly against other forms of captivity such as keeping these animals as pets or in road-side zoos Despite the positives, I’m not sure I would visit again in the near future nor would I say that this is a must visit.
 
Day 14 – Denver Zoo

Today featured one of the major zoos on this trip, the Denver Zoo. Denver has an extensive collection, which combined with several very good exhibits situates this zoo well relative to others. Unfortunately, there are some sections of the zoo that are showing their age and one section in particular that is in dire need of an upgrade. The zoo is also hindered by a confusing layout at times, but it all that I think is needed here is a little more signage.

Predator Ridge

The first section you arrive at is the exceptional predator ridge. Lions have a spacious habitat with a slightly varied terrain that can be viewed from multiple vantage points both outside and through glass inside. The second exhibit is rotated between spotted hyenas and African wild dogs. This habitat is also fantastic, offering plenty of hiding opportunities in a naturalistic environment. My one knock on this section is that the third exhibit, which was home to the wild dogs on my visit while the hyenas were in the second exhibit, is far from stellar.

Giraffe/Zebras

In separate exhibits, each species has a moderately spaced and dusty yard. These exhibits are decent and functional for the animals.

Felines

This section needs to be completely overhauled/torn down. There is a decent variety of species in this section including servals, red pandas, striped hyenas (no stripped ones today), amur and snow leopards. Aside from the hyenas have a decently sized yard, the vast majority of these exhibits are depressing. Both leopard species are confined to small enclosures surrounded by dark metal caging. For guests it is difficult to get a great look at the animals in such cramped and old school designed exhibits, and more significantly for the animals, it cannot be comfortable or stimulating. Even the red panda habitat, which is more appropriately sized for its inhabitants is challenging as the fencing makes it quite difficult to see into the exhibit. This section of the zoo cannot be replaced fast enough.

Northern Shores

Home to seal ions and polar bears, this section of the zoo also feels dated (though not as drastically as the felines section). The exhibits are moderately sized, although lack many elements of modern design. The polar bear enclosure’s dry surface is entirely comprised of rocks/hard surfaces.

The Edge

Seeing the signage for this new tiger exhibit I was left somewhat underwhelmed. There are two average sized yards that offer the cats enrichment, hiding opportunities and small bodies of water. The enclosures are surrounded by fencing, and connected by an overhead walkway the tigers can make use of when allowed. After walking by the old tiger exhibit this is most certainly a drastic upgrade for the animals. Additionally, the habitat appears to fulfill the necessary requirements for the animals. From a visitor perspective though, the exhibit feels like something from 10-15 years ago surrounded by shiny new fencing. By no means is it a horrible exhibit, but it doesn’t compare with many other tiger exhibits around.

Elephant Passage

I love the concept behind this section, with the animals rotating between different exhibit. After seeing several dusty elephant enclosures over the last week, it was also nice to see to elephants actually have grass! Overall, I think this is an excellent exhibit, albeit with some limitations. Most notably, I think it could be more spacious, especially for the elephants. The habitats which were home to greater one-horned rhinos and the permanent tapir exhibit were both well spaced for those animals. This was one of the first sections I visited at the zoo and I was rewarded with watching the clouded leopard entering and exploring his habitat. Denver has an exceptional clouded leopard habitat that is incredibly naturalistic, and it was very enjoyable to watch the clouded leopard move about in the morning.

Hoof stock/Kangaroo/Cheetah

I’m lumping all these animals together as they are neighbours in the middle of the zoo. There is a great variety of animals including okapi and cape buffalo. These habitats are all very functional for the inhabitants. In the case of the okapi, I was quite impressed with the amount of space offered to the animals. The cheetah yard also appeared quite decent. On the whole this section, as I said is functional, at times it does lack inspiration or even purpose, but I think the exhibits are all good for the animals.

Black Rhino/Hippo

Both of these animals have fairly dated but adequate exhibits. The hippo in particular has a notable amount of drying land space for grazing. While not in dire need of overhaul, this section shouldn’t be too far down the line in renovation plans.

Bear Mountain

Outdated grotto with mock rock that needs to go.

Primate Panorama

This might be one of the most exceptional collection of primate exhibits that I have seen. First the scope of the primate collection at Denver is noteworthy. Secondly, while the indoor enclosures for many of the primates are fairly normal, the outdoor enclosures are exceptional. A large number of primates have access to spacious, naturalistic enclosures that often contained actual trees for them to climb. I was very impressed by both the size of the collection and the exhibit quality. For the great apes, the orangutans have an excellent and incredibly spacious outdoor exhibit as door the gorillas. Thought I was particularly impressed with the orang enclosure. Overall this is a stand-out section that warrants a visit by any zoo enthusiast.


On the whole I was quite please with my visit to the Denver Zoo. The negatives were quite forceful, particularly the feline building. The positives however, were also very good. As noted throughout the main strength of the zoo is its collection, including extensive bird and primate collections. As well, Predator Ridge, Elephant Passage and particularly Primate Panorama are all terrific zoo exhibits.
 
Thanks very much for all of these reviews...great stuff! I do wish to comment on what I see as glaring omissions from your last couple of reviews and I'm curious whether you ventured inside a couple of buildings. I fully agree with your review of Utah's Hogle Zoo but there is also a Small Animal Building that contains a tiny walk-through jungle at the center that acts as an aviary. Then there are three long, curving hallways of exhibits (Tropics, Temperate, Desert), with many reptiles and amphibians on the inside walls in terrariums. While the building is a bit outdated and due for an overhaul, it is home to almost 80 species and half of the zoo's animal collection and yet you never mentioned it in your review. Did you go inside?

I might be nitpicking with the Utah review but the Denver Zoo contains what could arguably be called one of America's truly great zoo buildings. In your review you did not mention the 1975 Bird World building with its 70 species but of greater importance is the Tropical Discovery building. That indoor rainforest opened in 1993 and there are more than 1,000 animals of approximately 250 species beneath its glass pyramid roofs. There are also around 200 plant species and this combination Reptile House/Aquarium is fantastic and could easily take up 1-2 hours of a zoo visit all by itself as it is truly a zoo within a zoo. :) Did you go inside?
 
Excellent point on the review omissions @snowleopard. I don't know if its shown, but my biggest attention getter at the zoos are cats/primates. Unfortunately a side effect is that when reflecting on the zoos and typing up my reviews I sometimes neglect to mention other areas. The buildings you mentioned all deserved acknowledgement, particularly the Tropical Discovery building at Denver, which was exceptional.
The birds at Denver I tried to acknowledge at least with regards to the size of their collection. My bird knowledge is limited; so I am hesitant at times to go into detailed evaluations of the exhibits.

Thank you and everyone else for all your feedback so far, it is helpful and greatly appreciated.
 
Day 15 – Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

The name is not a misnomer for this, CMZ is actually located on a mountain. While that offers the zoo a unique setting, it also means a heck of a lot of walking. I’m far from being in great shape, but usually I have no issue walking around a zoo for hours. Today was an exception as the inclines and amount of walking required in this zoo justified having dessert at dinner. One of the unique features of this zoo is that for many enclosures guests have multiple vantage points as they work their way up the mountain side. This gives you the benefit of seeing an animal you previously couldn’t and also allows for a deeper appreciation of the exhibit design. The zoo is also complemented with several rare species.

African Rift Valley

Wow, that’s a lot of giraffes. My visit started with their giraffe exhibit and I was blown away by the number of giraffes at this zoo. You initially walk up to a lower view of the giraffes before walking along an elevated platform that offers guests multiple spots to feed the giraffes from. One of the funnier moments was when a family beside me had put the purchased lettuce in their stroller while the baby was held by the mother and the dad fed a single piece of a lettuce to one giraffe. They were so enthralled with this process they almost didn’t notice another giraffe leaning over and being just inches away from the lettuce in the stroller before they rolled it away. The exhibit itself isn’t the best I’ve seen, it feels a little crammed and is rather dusty but the wow factor of being so close to so many giraffes quickly wins you over. Okapi have a decently sized and lusher habitat; while a pair of zebras were held in a moderately sized but dusty habitat. There is an indoor and outdoor habitat for the lions. On my visit a pair of adolescent males were in the indoor enclosure while an adult male and females were in the outdoor habitat. The outdoor habitat is massive, and offers a hilly terrain for the cats in a very nice setting. Up next is a terrific colobus monkey exhibit that offers a substantial amount of vertical space to the monkeys. You can take an elevator to the top or take the stairs; if you are able, the benefit of the stairs are different perspectives of the monkey and zebra enclosures as you work your way up. Once at the top in addition to another view of the monkey habitat, a slight walk takes you to the top of the lion exhibit which offers a resting area for the cats if they choose to go that high and further down the path you can look down at the bottom area of the lion exhibit from a shaded resting area. Overall this is a very nice section.

Encounter Africa

The two main stars in this section are black rhinos and African elephants. There is also an acceptable porcupine and meerkat exhibit (the second for the species, the first being in the Valley). The rhinos have a decently sized exhibit, that is particularly long. My only real gripe here is that if the rhino is in the back half of the exhibit the viewing angles are not great. Overall though it is a nice exhibit. The elephants have a mid sized yet dusty yard. While the space for the elephants should be larger, I was impressed with the hills and inclines available to the elephants in the exhibit. Guests have a multitude of angles to view the elephants from, some perspectives offering an unobstructed views and other times having to look through cable wire. I can’t talk about this section without mentioning the great views offered of the city below. The walk way for the elephants runs along the edge of the mountain and turning around offers stunning views of the surrounding city and landscape.

Australia Walkabout

I think this would qualify as one of the nicer Australian sections on the trip so far. The walk through brings you along side wallabies, towards the end of the walk through there is a decent emu enclosure and after you exit the walk through you come to a decent alligator exhibit. Tree kangaroos have an adequate but unfortunately all indoor exhibit.

Asian Highlands

This section is home to mostly decent if not exceptional exhibits. The best exhibit in this section is the Amur tiger habitat. It’s a larger habitat with varied climbing opportunities for the cats. Snow leopards are unfortunately confined to a smaller less than inspiring enclosure. The amur leopard habitat was above average in both size and naturalism. I wasn’t completely in love with this exhibit though as it can be mainly viewed through glass and the glare of the glass was rather unbearable. Finally, there is an exhibit for pallas cats that appears decent and quite spacious. On my visit however, the enclosure was home to Leadbeater’s ground hornbills.

Rocky Mountain Wild

Much like the previous section, this area of the zoo is home to several decent but not great habitats. Bald eagles, Canadian lynx and porcupines all have decent exhibits though the lynx exhibit was on the smaller side. River otters have an adequately sized exhibit but unfortunately the primary viewing area is a smaller window that offers both above ground and underwater viewing. This smaller window makes it quite difficult during busier times to get a view of the otters. Gray wolves have an adequately sized habitat that is viewed through several windows. One of the better habitats is a particularly spacious habitat for a moose, that is particularly naturalistic. Grizzlies have a pretty spacious exhibit, that is viewed from a walkway above the exhibit. I mention the viewing platform as in order to view the bears, you either take an elevator or walk up upwards of 50 stairs. I like the perspective that you get of the bears from overhead, but it is a decent amount of stairs and I would imagine the elevator is quite busy and thus a long wait on crowded days at the zoo.

Monkey Pavilion

This section desperately screams for an upgrade. A decent collection of monkeys are confined to moderately sized but dated metal cages both inside and outside of the building. The cages are more spacious than what was offered at Zoo Boise, but they are still uncomfortable to look at. The habitats are functional, offering some forms of enrichment for the animals, but again a lot more could be done. The only notable feature of this building is a series of overhead vines installed to allow a sloth to climb overhead. This was a huge hit amongst the crowd; it was quite cool to have a sloth just several feet way from you without any barrier between you (a similar experience to what I had at Brookfield zoo). I would really like to see this section of the zoo completely overhauled though, and there’s no reason that a similar sloth exhibit couldn’t be incorporated in a future redesign.

Bear Grottos/Mountain Tapir

I’m grouping these two sections as though neither is a spectacular exhibit, they both contain rare species: mountain tapirs in the tapir exhibit and Asiatic black bears in the grottos. The tapir exhibit is spacious, but the exhibit is marred by large pillars and an unnatural feel. The grottos (also home to an Andean bear exhibit) are the typical and outdated mock rock exhibits.

Primate World

This section of the zoo also benefits from a decent collection, containing both orangutan species, golden lion tamarins, siamang’s and gorillas. I was blown away by the size of the outdoor gorilla exhibit. It is absolutely huge and very densely vegetated. I saw one gorilla in the indoor exhibit and two or three were laying against the window for the indoor viewing of the outdoor exhibit. However, there could have been more in the outdoor exhibit and it is entirely feasible that I wouldn’t be able to see them. For anyone reading this who has also been to this zoo, how much of this space do the gorillas make use of? I’m genuinely curious as the space was massive. The rest of the building was less impressive; the outdoor exhibits for the other species were decent but not exceptional.


Overall, much of this zoo can be summed up as decent but not great. There is a lot to like about this zoo. Additionally, walking towards primate world brings you past the construction site of the new hippo/penguin enclosure which based off the drawings looks to be very impressive. I’m hopeful for this new exhibit as what this facility lacks is a truly top-notch exhibit. The lion exhibit is close, and the size of the giraffe herd is also a big draw, but a great exhibit would be very beneficial for the zoo.
 
You only mention the elevated viewing platform for grizzly bears. When I visited there was an adjacent yard they had access to with an indoor viewing hut and a pond with underwater viewing. Pond had trout and a bear went in the water while I was there even though there was snow on the ground and it was only 40 degrees Farenheit.

Was this second area not open on your visit?
 
m30t said:
Day 15 – Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

The name is not a misnomer for this, CMZ is actually located on a mountain. While that offers the zoo a unique setting, it also means a heck of a lot of walking. I’m far from being in great shape, but usually I have no issue walking around a zoo for hours. Today was an exception as the inclines and amount of walking required in this zoo justified having dessert at dinner. One of the unique features of this zoo is that for many enclosures guests have multiple vantage points as they work their way up the mountain side. This gives you the benefit of seeing an animal you previously couldn’t and also allows for a deeper appreciation of the exhibit design. The zoo is also complemented with several rare species.

African Rift Valley

Wow, that’s a lot of giraffes. My visit started with their giraffe exhibit and I was blown away by the number of giraffes at this zoo. You initially walk up to a lower view of the giraffes before walking along an elevated platform that offers guests multiple spots to feed the giraffes from. One of the funnier moments was when a family beside me had put the purchased lettuce in their stroller while the baby was held by the mother and the dad fed a single piece of a lettuce to one giraffe. They were so enthralled with this process they almost didn’t notice another giraffe leaning over and being just inches away from the lettuce in the stroller before they rolled it away. The exhibit itself isn’t the best I’ve seen, it feels a little crammed and is rather dusty but the wow factor of being so close to so many giraffes quickly wins you over. Okapi have a decently sized and lusher habitat; while a pair of zebras were held in a moderately sized but dusty habitat. There is an indoor and outdoor habitat for the lions. On my visit a pair of adolescent males were in the indoor enclosure while an adult male and females were in the outdoor habitat. The outdoor habitat is massive, and offers a hilly terrain for the cats in a very nice setting. Up next is a terrific colobus monkey exhibit that offers a substantial amount of vertical space to the monkeys. You can take an elevator to the top or take the stairs; if you are able, the benefit of the stairs are different perspectives of the monkey and zebra enclosures as you work your way up. Once at the top in addition to another view of the monkey habitat, a slight walk takes you to the top of the lion exhibit which offers a resting area for the cats if they choose to go that high and further down the path you can look down at the bottom area of the lion exhibit from a shaded resting area. Overall this is a very nice section.

Encounter Africa

The two main stars in this section are black rhinos and African elephants. There is also an acceptable porcupine and meerkat exhibit (the second for the species, the first being in the Valley). The rhinos have a decently sized exhibit, that is particularly long. My only real gripe here is that if the rhino is in the back half of the exhibit the viewing angles are not great. Overall though it is a nice exhibit. The elephants have a mid sized yet dusty yard. While the space for the elephants should be larger, I was impressed with the hills and inclines available to the elephants in the exhibit. Guests have a multitude of angles to view the elephants from, some perspectives offering an unobstructed views and other times having to look through cable wire. I can’t talk about this section without mentioning the great views offered of the city below. The walk way for the elephants runs along the edge of the mountain and turning around offers stunning views of the surrounding city and landscape.

Australia Walkabout

I think this would qualify as one of the nicer Australian sections on the trip so far. The walk through brings you along side wallabies, towards the end of the walk through there is a decent emu enclosure and after you exit the walk through you come to a decent alligator exhibit. Tree kangaroos have an adequate but unfortunately all indoor exhibit.

Asian Highlands

This section is home to mostly decent if not exceptional exhibits. The best exhibit in this section is the Amur tiger habitat. It’s a larger habitat with varied climbing opportunities for the cats. Snow leopards are unfortunately confined to a smaller less than inspiring enclosure. The amur leopard habitat was above average in both size and naturalism. I wasn’t completely in love with this exhibit though as it can be mainly viewed through glass and the glare of the glass was rather unbearable. Finally, there is an exhibit for pallas cats that appears decent and quite spacious. On my visit however, the enclosure was home to Leadbeater’s ground hornbills.

Rocky Mountain Wild

Much like the previous section, this area of the zoo is home to several decent but not great habitats. Bald eagles, Canadian lynx and porcupines all have decent exhibits though the lynx exhibit was on the smaller side. River otters have an adequately sized exhibit but unfortunately the primary viewing area is a smaller window that offers both above ground and underwater viewing. This smaller window makes it quite difficult during busier times to get a view of the otters. Gray wolves have an adequately sized habitat that is viewed through several windows. One of the better habitats is a particularly spacious habitat for a moose, that is particularly naturalistic. Grizzlies have a pretty spacious exhibit, that is viewed from a walkway above the exhibit. I mention the viewing platform as in order to view the bears, you either take an elevator or walk up upwards of 50 stairs. I like the perspective that you get of the bears from overhead, but it is a decent amount of stairs and I would imagine the elevator is quite busy and thus a long wait on crowded days at the zoo.

Monkey Pavilion

This section desperately screams for an upgrade. A decent collection of monkeys are confined to moderately sized but dated metal cages both inside and outside of the building. The cages are more spacious than what was offered at Zoo Boise, but they are still uncomfortable to look at. The habitats are functional, offering some forms of enrichment for the animals, but again a lot more could be done. The only notable feature of this building is a series of overhead vines installed to allow a sloth to climb overhead. This was a huge hit amongst the crowd; it was quite cool to have a sloth just several feet way from you without any barrier between you (a similar experience to what I had at Brookfield zoo). I would really like to see this section of the zoo completely overhauled though, and there’s no reason that a similar sloth exhibit couldn’t be incorporated in a future redesign.

Bear Grottos/Mountain Tapir

I’m grouping these two sections as though neither is a spectacular exhibit, they both contain rare species: mountain tapirs in the tapir exhibit and Asiatic black bears in the grottos. The tapir exhibit is spacious, but the exhibit is marred by large pillars and an unnatural feel. The grottos (also home to an Andean bear exhibit) are the typical and outdated mock rock exhibits.

Primate World

This section of the zoo also benefits from a decent collection, containing both orangutan species, golden lion tamarins, siamang’s and gorillas. I was blown away by the size of the outdoor gorilla exhibit. It is absolutely huge and very densely vegetated. I saw one gorilla in the indoor exhibit and two or three were laying against the window for the indoor viewing of the outdoor exhibit. However, there could have been more in the outdoor exhibit and it is entirely feasible that I wouldn’t be able to see them. For anyone reading this who has also been to this zoo, how much of this space do the gorillas make use of? I’m genuinely curious as the space was massive. The rest of the building was less impressive; the outdoor exhibits for the other species were decent but not exceptional.


Overall, much of this zoo can be summed up as decent but not great. There is a lot to like about this zoo. Additionally, walking towards primate world brings you past the construction site of the new hippo/penguin enclosure which based off the drawings looks to be very impressive. I’m hopeful for this new exhibit as what this facility lacks is a truly top-notch exhibit. The lion exhibit is close, and the size of the giraffe herd is also a big draw, but a great exhibit would be very beneficial for the zoo.
Click to expand...
I’m glad you enjoyed your visit! Hopefully I can answer some of your questions. First, the tree kangaroo does have an outdoor section that he has access to parts of the day. When he’s not outside, the outdoor area is occupied by an eclectus parrot.

The gorilla enclosure is quite massive (only the elephants have more space) and it is funny that you mention how they use the space. All the time I’ve worked there, I’ve never seen the gorillas use the back portion of the exhibit and they tend to enjoy being up front near the viewing windows. I have seen them on occasion climb the pine trees that scatter the exhibit.
 
Also, I would love to get your opinion on the Scutes Family Gallery (reptile house) if you had the chance to see it. I know it can be divisive among people as it’s very unique and unusual especially considering Denver’s Tropical Discovery being nearby and being a world class exhibit.
 
I wonder (and this is an honest question) if the lack of use of the gorilla exhibit is due to it being on a hillside and these are lowland gorillas used to flat land? Probably not, just a passing thought.

(At least I think the exhibit is on a hillside from what little I recall from my visit almost a decade ago).
 
Arizona Docent said:
I wonder (and this is an honest question) if the lack of use of the gorilla exhibit is due to it being on a hillside and these are lowland gorillas used to flat land? Probably not, just a passing thought.

(At least I think the exhibit is on a hillside from what little I recall from my visit almost a decade ago).
Click to expand...

This mountain-side zoo probably has the steepest gorilla exhibit in the world and the habitat does not exactly look like an African jungle:

Gorilla Exhibit | ZooChat

However, the exhibit is enormous and contains many trees:

Gorilla - Outdoor Exhibit | ZooChat
 
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