Fall North American Zoo Road Trip

@Arizona Docent is the second yard/viewing area you mention accessed the same way (up the stairs/elevator)? If so then yes that area was open, I just got a little too hung up on the stairs/height of the initial viewing area.

@Echobeast thanks for the additional information, I'm glad to hear the tree kangaroos do have outdoor access.
I did briefly go through that gallery though I didn't spend much time in there as it was quite crowded and nothing in there grabbed my attention. From my brief glimpse I think "unique" is a great way to describe it.
 
Day 16 – Sedgwick County Zoo

This began what I’m referring to as the second leg of my trip; the latter portion is distinguished by visiting zoos which I have visited before (except for Audubon). When I first visited Sedgwick two and a half years ago I was impressed but a little underwhelmed. Reading reviews of the zoo following my trip, I felt that my experience was somewhat out of sync compared with others who highly regarded this zoo. I chalked this up to my visit just being an off day and thus felt a second visit was warranted. This visit was a little rushed as an impending storm was due to strike by early afternoon; even in the morning I had to pull out the rain gear for the camera twice. Overall though it was a very enjoyable experience, and I came away with a much more positive view of Sedgwick than I had from before.

Elephants of the Zambezi River Valley

This is the newest exhibit and it is exceptional. Six African elephants have several very large, grassy fields to explore. The yards have several bodies of water for the elephants and a notable amount of trees. Guests have many different vantage points for the yards, walking along the edge to a walkway through the middle that leads to a central lodge that looks out into all the yards. I was a little disappointed as the middle portion of the lodge had shades hung and locked blocking guests from walking to sides of the lodge and depending on the elephants position meant that they could only be seen through the shades. Viewing angles continue down a walkway and offers two perspectives from docks that lets you see the elephants across the water. There are a couple of downsides to this exhibit, a number of the trees are wrapped in hotwire (necessary but unsightly) and the backdrop of the yards are the non-naturalistic looking favourite: cable wires. Overall though this is an exceptional exhibit; I was quite impressed with the amount of size afforded the elephants. It was quite enjoyable to watch several of the elephants playing with each other and running throughout the habitat while others snacked and explored the large plies of trees left for them.

The Downing Gorilla Forest

Gorilla’s occupy the primary exhibit here with a spacious outdoor yard that offers multiple climbing opportunities. This is a very good gorilla exhibit and the rest of the section is completed by other exhibit including two decent okapi yards.

Pride of the Plains

This is another above average section of the zoo. Lions have a hilly exhibit that can be viewed from multiple perspectives and red river hogs also have a good exhibit. The section includes a fairly standard meerkat exhibit (with the adorable presence of meerkat pups) and a moated and decently sized African wild dog exhibit.

Rest of Africa

The rest of the African exhibits range from decent to not great. The size of the yards of for the rhinos is respectable while the hippo exhibit is a very dated and too small exhibit. Neither of these exhibits nor the rest of this section is particularly inspiring. Giraffes have an adequately sized yard, with a small platform that guests can feed the giraffes from. Zebras have a decently sized habitat that is separated from the bongo exhibit via a moat. Caracal’s and baboons each have older cage style exhibits that are functional yet very dated. All of the exhibits, aside from the hippo exhibit, are functional and adequate for the animals but none are particularly noteworthy.

Asia

Tigers have two very good yards that can be viewed through fencing, glass and via an elevated platform. Both yards are spacious, lush and offer enrichment and privacy options for the cats. In the middle of the pathway is an above average red panda habitat that has many climbing opportunities. Opposite of the one tiger yard is a deer exhibit, both exhibits can be viewed from the platform creating a nice predator prey experience. The entire exhibit is filled with educational information about tigers and the threats they are facing in the wild. Amur leopards have a similar cage exhibit to the baboons. The exhibit is passable in terms of space and climbing opportunities, but the old style of the enclosure is depressing. During my visit I could also see the off exhibit leopard, which can be seen through the windows beneath the primary enclosure.

North America

This section has several decent enclosures. Bisons have an adequately sized yard, as do prairie dogs and gray wolves. The wolf exhibit is less than inspiring though, as it is primarily a grassy field. Black bears and grizzlies also have decent exhibits.

Tropics Building

This building contains a densely planted indoor forest and a large number of bird species. While the collection is notable, the building and layout feels rather dated.

Australia/South America

I’m treating these two sections together as they are combined in the same walkthrough. The walkthrough contains free flying birds, bird enclosures and is connected with exhibits for animals like maned wolves through caging. Even though many of the bird species were already off exhibit due to the cooler temperatures, this is an exceptional collection of exhibits. There are a variety of solid exhibits for a variety of animals. One of the highlights was listening to several macaws scattered through out the South America section communicating with each other.

Orangutan/Chimpanzees

This two primate species have passable indoor exhibits and standard outdoor yards, with the orangutan habitat being the stronger of the two. Both habitats offer a variety of climbing opportunities for the apes.


I left Sedgwick impressed by the number of above average exhibits. While there may not be any sections that I would classify as “best of” there are multiple ones that are exceptional. The new elephant exhibit is a terrific addition to an already good zoo, and solidifies the zoo as a must see.
 
Day 17 – Oklahoma City Zoo

First, I was once again amazed by the cost of visiting this zoo. An adult rate of $11 for a zoo with a such large collection is astounding. The OKC zoo has many spacious habitats, offering enrichment and hiding opportunities for the animals. Save for one section, the exhibits are not the most naturalistic. However, the size of the collection and the decent habitats make for an enjoyable visit.

Oklahoma Trails

This is an exceptional area that does offer naturalistic immersive habitats exposing guests to species native to their surroundings with lots of educational information. Some of the standout exhibits include a very large black bear exhibit and a large grizzly bear exhibit complete with a massive water area. The grizzlies are viewable via a walkway above the water, a window at the end of the walkway and indoors in a building that contains several other enclosures and a window view into the black bear exhibit. The walk through this section on its own is enjoyable, and the exhibits are largely well done adding to the enjoyment.

Pachyderms

There are three very large yards for greater one horned rhinos and one moderately sized yard for a pygmy hippo. The rhino yards are exceptional for their space, and each offers the rhinos mud wallows (the one male apparently doesn’t like mud and thus has a pool at his disposal). The yards lack anything in the form of naturalism, and while that is certainly a knock against them the amount of space they offer the rhinos is exceptional.

Great Escape

The zoo is home to chimps, orangutans and two gorilla troops. The family gorilla troop has an above average sized enclosure that offers some hills and privacy options for the gorillas, this is the most naturalistic of the enclosures. The outdoor orangutan yard is notably large as well but is somewhat limited in the climbing opportunities that it offers. The second gorilla yard is much smaller and the climbing structures are wooden platforms that are quite functional for the animals if not visually appealing. Chimps have a decently sized yard with a fairly standard exhibit.

Elephant Habitat

Considering the on-going construction at the zoo to expand the elephant habitat (as well as other additions), it is remarkable how large the existing elephant habitat is. There is one massive yard that is occupied by several females and a young calf, with two separate yards for the male. Either of the yards for the male are bigger than some zoo’s entire elephant exhibit. The exhibit also scores points for having grass and thus not being a giant dust field. Viewing options including a ground level view in the corner of the main yard, and then multiple vantage points of each yard while working your way up a massive boardwalk. Again, the exhibit lacks naturalistic elements and the backdrop is not spectacular looking at fencing/cable wire. However, on the whole this exhibit offers a very good space for the elephants.

Cat Forest

On my first visit to OKC three years ago, I’m not sure if I fully appreciated the depth of the cat collection. Fishing cats, ocelots, snow leopards, jaguars, clouded leopards, caracal’s and tigers comprise the zoo’s cat collection (I’m sure I’m forgetting something). Entering this section brings you two moderately sized but well planted tiger yards. Disappointingly the four cubs were not yet on exhibit during my visit. The smaller cat yards are mostly above average, offering varied terrain, enrichment and privacy options. I wasn’t particularly enthralled with the jaguar and snow leopard enclosures. Neither was too small, but were both on the smaller side. Additionally, I think the exhibits could offer more in the way of climbing opportunities. This section of the zoo offers a great collection in mostly good exhibits.

Lion Overlook

Guests can view the lion pride through either fencing or glass. The exhibit itself is decent but not particularly remarkable or noteworthy.

Giraffe/Okapi

There are several yards in this section including large enclosures for okapi, zebra and giraffes. The giraffe large was particularly large, although all the feeders were kept along the night house wall thus the giraffes never seemed to venture far from that wall. All of these exhibits offer the animals lot of space and again are quite functional while not being naturalistic and in this case not particularly inspiring. Note that there are also yards for cheetahs, wild dogs and others in this area of the zoo but that pathway is currently closed off.


The OKC Zoo provides a very enjoyable day at the zoo. The decent collection combined with spacious habitats offers guests a lot of animal activity to observe. Where the zoo is limited is that the exhibits are frequently not naturalistic and at times serve as functional but not inspiring. I am intrigued to see the finished product of the current construction, both the new animal habitats and the expanded elephant yard for an already spacious elephant exhibit.
 
m30t said:
Day 16 – Sedgwick County Zoo

This began what I’m referring to as the second leg of my trip; the latter portion is distinguished by visiting zoos which I have visited before (except for Audubon). When I first visited Sedgwick two and a half years ago I was impressed but a little underwhelmed. Reading reviews of the zoo following my trip, I felt that my experience was somewhat out of sync compared with others who highly regarded this zoo. I chalked this up to my visit just being an off day and thus felt a second visit was warranted. This visit was a little rushed as an impending storm was due to strike by early afternoon; even in the morning I had to pull out the rain gear for the camera twice. Overall though it was a very enjoyable experience, and I came away with a much more positive view of Sedgwick than I had from before.

Elephants of the Zambezi River Valley

This is the newest exhibit and it is exceptional. Six African elephants have several very large, grassy fields to explore. The yards have several bodies of water for the elephants and a notable amount of trees. Guests have many different vantage points for the yards, walking along the edge to a walkway through the middle that leads to a central lodge that looks out into all the yards. I was a little disappointed as the middle portion of the lodge had shades hung and locked blocking guests from walking to sides of the lodge and depending on the elephants position meant that they could only be seen through the shades. Viewing angles continue down a walkway and offers two perspectives from docks that lets you see the elephants across the water. There are a couple of downsides to this exhibit, a number of the trees are wrapped in hotwire (necessary but unsightly) and the backdrop of the yards are the non-naturalistic looking favourite: cable wires. Overall though this is an exceptional exhibit; I was quite impressed with the amount of size afforded the elephants. It was quite enjoyable to watch several of the elephants playing with each other and running throughout the habitat while others snacked and explored the large plies of trees left for them.

The Downing Gorilla Forest

Gorilla’s occupy the primary exhibit here with a spacious outdoor yard that offers multiple climbing opportunities. This is a very good gorilla exhibit and the rest of the section is completed by other exhibit including two decent okapi yards.

Pride of the Plains

This is another above average section of the zoo. Lions have a hilly exhibit that can be viewed from multiple perspectives and red river hogs also have a good exhibit. The section includes a fairly standard meerkat exhibit (with the adorable presence of meerkat pups) and a moated and decently sized African wild dog exhibit.

Rest of Africa

The rest of the African exhibits range from decent to not great. The size of the yards of for the rhinos is respectable while the hippo exhibit is a very dated and too small exhibit. Neither of these exhibits nor the rest of this section is particularly inspiring. Giraffes have an adequately sized yard, with a small platform that guests can feed the giraffes from. Zebras have a decently sized habitat that is separated from the bongo exhibit via a moat. Caracal’s and baboons each have older cage style exhibits that are functional yet very dated. All of the exhibits, aside from the hippo exhibit, are functional and adequate for the animals but none are particularly noteworthy.

Asia

Tigers have two very good yards that can be viewed through fencing, glass and via an elevated platform. Both yards are spacious, lush and offer enrichment and privacy options for the cats. In the middle of the pathway is an above average red panda habitat that has many climbing opportunities. Opposite of the one tiger yard is a deer exhibit, both exhibits can be viewed from the platform creating a nice predator prey experience. The entire exhibit is filled with educational information about tigers and the threats they are facing in the wild. Amur leopards have a similar cage exhibit to the baboons. The exhibit is passable in terms of space and climbing opportunities, but the old style of the enclosure is depressing. During my visit I could also see the off exhibit leopard, which can be seen through the windows beneath the primary enclosure.

North America

This section has several decent enclosures. Bisons have an adequately sized yard, as do prairie dogs and gray wolves. The wolf exhibit is less than inspiring though, as it is primarily a grassy field. Black bears and grizzlies also have decent exhibits.

Tropics Building

This building contains a densely planted indoor forest and a large number of bird species. While the collection is notable, the building and layout feels rather dated.

Australia/South America

I’m treating these two sections together as they are combined in the same walkthrough. The walkthrough contains free flying birds, bird enclosures and is connected with exhibits for animals like maned wolves through caging. Even though many of the bird species were already off exhibit due to the cooler temperatures, this is an exceptional collection of exhibits. There are a variety of solid exhibits for a variety of animals. One of the highlights was listening to several macaws scattered through out the South America section communicating with each other.

Orangutan/Chimpanzees

This two primate species have passable indoor exhibits and standard outdoor yards, with the orangutan habitat being the stronger of the two. Both habitats offer a variety of climbing opportunities for the apes.


I left Sedgwick impressed by the number of above average exhibits. While there may not be any sections that I would classify as “best of” there are multiple ones that are exceptional. The new elephant exhibit is a terrific addition to an already good zoo, and solidifies the zoo as a must see.
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One tiny complaint here -- it would be nice to know what bird species are held.
 
Day 18 – Fort Worth Zoo

I’m always encouraged when I see lots of construction at any zoo. At Fort Worth this is especially the case as the zoon is in need of some upgrades. Walking along the outdoor exhibits of World of Primates you cannot miss the signs for the African exhibit expansion and see some of the on-going construction for it. Aside from excitement on the potential for these future exhibits, the zoo is a mixed bag with some things to like and some areas to hope for reform sooner than later.

World of Primates

Bonobos, orangutans, mandrills, gibbons and gorillas occupy the outdoor yards in the first exhibit you arrive at when entering the zoo. The outdoor yards are all decently sized and offer above adequate climbing structures, though they lack a lot in the way of naturalism. Guests view these exhibits via a boardwalk along side the exhibits (other than the gorilla yard). The indoor facilities are fairly average exhibits; being functional while limited in size and imagination.

African Savannah

The black rhino and giraffe exhibits here are passable, decent amounts of space are afforded to the animals. The rhino yard offers enrichment. On the negative side is the hippo exhibit. Abysmal is the most apt word I can use to describe this enclosure. Two hippos share a moderately sized pool with a grazing area that seems barely big enough for one of them. This exhibit needs is drastically in need of being replaced, which it will be once the construction is completed.

Asian Elephant

After seeing such a spacious habitat for Asian elephants at OKC the day before and seeing the massive Giants of Savanna habitat at Dallas today, nestling the Fort Worth elephant exhibit in the middle underscores how undersized it is. Simply put, this exhibit is too small. There are two main yards on view, each containing several elephants. The first yard seems like a typical size from twenty years ago, which is outdated now. The second yard is far too small for one elephant yet alone two or more. There is an off exhibit bull yard. All the yards are dust bowls. Overall this is another section of the zoo that needs to be enhanced.

Asian Falls

I treated elephants as a separate category as the rest of this section is no where nears as bad. There are two greater one horned rhino habitats, one of which is moderately spaced the other feels a touch on the small side. Combined with the landscaping here, you get the feeling as if you are coming up the rhinos while wondering through the jungle. It creates a nice atmosphere. The tiger yard is intriguing as there are two yards separated by a massive waterfall. One yard is home to an (I assume) aging white tiger while the other has Malayan tigers. Visually this exhibit is pleasing, and it offers the cats some nice climbing opportunities.

Miscellaneous African Exhibits

Leaving Asian falls you come into several more African animal exhibits. African lions have two exhibits. On my previous visit here, I was fortunate to see an adult male quite active in his habitat, a first for me. That experience had influenced my opinion of the habitat which on this visit I realized how dated it was. The first yard is entirely rock and seems to lack in the way of enrichment, the second yard has some greenery, but remains lacking in enrichment. A pair of hyenas have a yard that ranges on the smaller side. Three zebras, including one baby, have quite a spacious yard. The exhibit doesn’t offer much in the way of imagination but it is a decently sized exhibit.

Raptor Canyon

This is another dated section but I found it more enjoyable than either the elephants or lions (yes, this could be interpreted as faint praise). Guests are surrounding by large cages on both sides of the walkway and overhead. Several birds such as king vultures and harpy eagles inhabit this section, that overall is an adequate section of the zoo.

Texas Wild!

The theming in this section is spectacular. Building fronts are designed to make it seem as if you are walking through an old western town. There are a bunch of areas and activities for kids, and combined with the theming I’m sure this section is a hit for visitors with little ones. The design continues with some of the exhibits, for example entering a lodge for the first several exhibits. Alligators, otters, black bears, cougars and jaguars are just some of the animals in this area. The exhibit quality varies, the jaguar exhibit wants for space and naturalism while black bears have an adequately sized enclosure. Photography wise, the glass on some of these exhibits is maddening as it is nearly impossible to shot through.

Museum of Living Art

I cannot do this exhibit justice here. This is an exceptional building that standouts not only within the Fort Worth Zoo, but I would argue within zoos in general. There are a massive number of exhibits, with the zoo stating the MOLA building is home to 5,000 amphibians and reptiles. The building itself is beautiful as are many of the enclosures. This building is a must see.


I really think the future of this zoo is going to be shaped by the African Savanna exhibit set to open next spring. This new section offers the zoo the chance to show that it is taking serious steps away from some of its less desirable exhibits. After going through MOLA I’m optimistic that the zoo can deliver with the new exhibits. As it stands there are some decent exhibits at Fort Worth and some less than stellar exhibits. What makes the zoo a must see is MOLA, which is by and far the best part of the zoo.
 
Day 19 – Dallas Zoo

By many regards, Dallas is or should be one of the zoo mega powers. The Wilds of Africa section is exceptional and there are few comparable sections in other North American zoos. Zoo North on the other hand is decent but lacks the exceptionalism that categorizes its counterpart. With that said, Dallas is a zoo that any zoo enthusiast needs to visit and one that will certainly leave a memorable impact.

Hippo Outpost

The newest section of the zoo offers one of the largest bodies of water for a hippo exhibit that I have seen. Guests are able to view the hippos from a walkway along the edge of the entire pool and underwater via two smaller windows at the end of the exhibit. The windows are not that large and unless the hippos are right by them, it’s unlikely that you can see the hippos through the windows. With that said, I loved the ability to walk along side the exhibit and take some photos when the hippos emerged. The water is remarkably clear and thus you could see the animals easily as they navigate the water. Another plus is that the hippos have an above average sized grazing area. Okapi are neighbours to the hippos. Opposite of the one end of the hippo pool is a small yard for okapi that is not particularly inspiring. Behind the grazing area of the hippo exhibit is a much more spacious and well planted okapi yard. Unfortunately the wiring at the edge of the okapi exhibit detracts from any illusion of the two species sharing a similar space. Based on its size and viewing angles, this may be my favourite hippo exhibit.

Lion/Cheetah

The two cat species have decent exhibits. The cheetahs enjoy a larger yard that is primarily viewed through several windows. Lions have what seems like a smaller exhibit with a moderately sized hill in the middle. The lions can be viewed through glass, including from a restaurant, and a slight area through chain link fencing.

Giants of the Savanna

One of my all time favourite exhibits. African elephants have a massive, varied terrain and naturalistic habitat. On my visit, five elephants including a one year old were in the main yard while two were in the smaller yard in the front. I ended up spending a considerable amount of time both in the morning and in the afternoon watching the elephants; it is a truly pleasurable experience in this exhibit. Giraffes, kudu, ostrich and zebras inhabit an adjacent and spacious yard. Once again this is an exceptional space for these species.

Gorilla Trail

Beginning with the namesake species, two gorilla troops have particularly lush yards. The yards are so densely vegetated that is can at times be difficult to see the apes. It took me several trips through the area to finally see gorillas from each of the troops. Guests can view the habitats through glass windows, including a lodge between the two habitats and via several open air areas through the space. These are above average habitats if not the most easily viewable for guests. The section has two aviaries, meerkats, crocodiles and an exceptional chimpanzee habitat. The chimps are situated in a sizable enclosure that ascends a hill and is densely planted. On my first pass by the exhibit today, I watched several chimpanzees near the floor of the exhibit not realizing that two more were incredibly high up in one of the trees. It was only when the tree started shaking did I realize that the two chimps were so high up in the tree.

Lemur

The first habitat you come to when entering the zoo is a spacious island habitat for ring tailed, collared and black and white ruffed lemurs. The exhibit offers lots of trees and climbing ropes for the lemurs to move around the habitat and rest in the trees.

Primate Place

This section is home to several primate species such as colobus monkeys and spider monkeys. The exhibits are decently sized enclosures that offer climbing opportunities for the animals. There is nothing inherently wrong with this section but this is nothing particularly remarkable about it either.

Wings of Wonder

Bald Eagles, Harpy Eagles, King vultures and other bird species inhabit old style but spacious cages here.

Tiger

I have mixed feelings on the tiger habitat. It seems quite spacious and to be an above average habitat, but the viewing for it sucks. The exhibit can be primarily viewed through windows from either end of the exhibit, and along the sides through bamboo style fencing visitors can sometimes catch a glimpse of the cats. I find that the windows only offer a very limited opportunity to actually see the tigers in this otherwise very nice habitat.

Photo Ark

This isn’t an actual animal exhibit, but it is quite a nice (and unfortunately I think temporary) additions to the zoo. The tunnel that guests must pass through to head to the Wilds of Africa has been covered with massive photos from photographer Joel Sartore’s Photo Ark. The ark aims to photography as many species as possible. This is an exceptional design feature for the zoo as the photographs are often brilliant and by including the conservation status with the photo, it does a good job of driving home the conservation message.


So far on this trip, Dallas is one of the zoos that I have spent the most amount of time at. A large chunk of that time was spent watching the elephants in what is a spectacular habitat. I struggle to find much to gripe about this zoo. I’d like to see the north section of the zoo further developed, but that is far from a significant concern. At most, all I could really complain about here is that Dallas is the only zoo I’ve been to that serves neither Coke nor Pepsi, but only Dr. Pepper.
 
Surprised you do not mention the monorail in Wilds of Africa at Dallas Zoo. Did you take it? Otherwise agree with everything you say (about every zoo you review). Dallas is outstanding and as I state in my book it is the best zoo in the southwest.
 
@Arizona Docent i did not take the monorail. I'm generally not a fan of rides, I prefer to go at my own pace and rides can frustrate me when trying to get a photograph. I did debate going on the monorail but spent a lot longer than expected at several exhibits and ran out of time.
 
m30t said:
@Arizona Docent i did not take the monorail. I'm generally not a fan of rides, I prefer to go at my own pace and rides can frustrate me when trying to get a photograph. I did debate going on the monorail but spent a lot longer than expected at several exhibits and ran out of time.
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You do realize there are an entire set of habitats and animals that can only be viewed from the monorail? It is a great ride and also a rarity, being one of only two remaining zoo monorails in the country (several others having closed over the years). See this thread: Zoo Monorails
 
@Arizona Docent i was aware that I would be missing some animals as a result. Rides just really aren't my thing.

Also, my apologies as the reviews have slacked off the last couple of days. The traveling has caught up to me. Just exited Memphis Zoo and hopefully will have a chance to catch up when I get to Nashville tonight.
 
Day 20 – Houston Zoo

An already solid zoo when I first visited in April 2015 has made some notable strides since then. On my first visit I missed the opening of the new gorilla exhibit by about one month. That new exhibit combined with an expanded bull elephant yard (and a baby elephant) more than warranted a return visit. There is a lot to like about Houston Zoo; I’m further encouraged by on going construction to enhance their exhibits. In addition to the just mentioned elephant expansion, on my visit there was a lot of work on the former bear grottos to enhance the bear habitats. Hopefully this renovated will produce a positive result in once was one of their less desirable enclosures.

Asian Elephant

There are two yards for the elephants, one has several adult females along with the 3 month old calf. The second and recently expanded yard is home to an adult bull, an adolescent bull and a young bull. Overall these habitats are decent, they aren’t naturalistic to any degree, but they do offer some forms of enrichment and are certainly two of the larger yards compared with other zoos. In the first yard, the elephants were easily spread out from each other, with the mom, calf and a younger elephant together while two other elephants mingled in different parts of the exhibit. The recent addition to the bull yard makes its size much more adequate, although it did seem a tad crammed when all three males were in it (but still larger than most other elephant exhibits). On my first pass the bull yard was only occupied by the adult male, while on subsequent passes all three males were in there and it was quite enjoyable to watch the teenage male spar with the adult. I’d considered this exhibit as good but not exceptional.

Okapi/Bongo/Tapir/Maned Wolf/Ankole Cattle

Following the path from the elephant exhibit I passed these rather straight forward and standard exhibits. All of the animals have decently sized but unimaginative yards. Each exhibit is functional but nothing here (aside from a young tapir) grabs your attention.

African Forest

This is a terrific section! You begin by entering an indoor area where there are massive windows which look into the first section of the gorilla exhibit. This area of the gorilla exhibit is shared with an area for red river hogs at the bottom of the exhibit. Exiting this section you come to an elevated platform that looks over a very large gorilla habitat. The habitat has a varied landscape and is quite lush, offering the apes enrichment opportunities and plenty of space to hide. This exhibit is incredibly naturalistic and deserves to be in the conversation of top gorilla exhibits. Leaving the outdoor portion of the gorilla habitat brings you into another building with windows looking out into a spacious chimpanzee exhibit and opposite of that is the day room for the gorillas. The day room was not particularly impressive. The chimp exhibit however, is another exceptional exhibit. The chimp enclosure is not quite as naturalistic as the gorilla exhibit; however, it is still one of the better chimp exhibits. African Forest is a must see exhibit for any zoo enthusiast.

Rhinos/Giraffes/Ostrich

Overall I wasn’t particularly impressed with this section. The rhinos have an adequately sized yet dusty yard, the highlight of which is a mud-rock wall at the back of part of the exhibit. Giraffes are confined to a smallish dirt yard that offers little in the way of imagination or inspiration. This yard is also home to ostriches. Granted coming to this section following the exceptional African Forest sets expectations high, but I didn’t find much to rave about in this section.

Cats

The zoo’s cat population are contained in a series of exhibits basically in the middle of the zoo. A pair of cheetah cubs occupied the cheetah habitat on my visit to the delight of many guests. The yard is viewed through a fence and felt a bit small. For the two young cubs it was more than spacious enough, but it felt like it would be on the small side for two full grown adults. Up next is a passable lion exhibit, that is moderately sized with several small hills. The exhibit can be viewed via moat, through windows at the one side and there are some very odd viewing windows from a tunnel beneath the exhibit. There is nothing inherently wrong with this exhibit, but it shows its age. Crossing a walkway brings you to a collection of cat exhibits. Tigers have a small to moderately sized yard that is viewed via moat and windows. The cougar exhibit seemed to be adequately spaced, but lacking in the way of naturalism and enrichment (to be fair though, the viewing window area of this exhibit was closed for maintenance, so I couldn’t get a great look at it). Jaguars complete this side of the cat section with a decently sized habitat that offers lots of climbing opportunities. On the other side of the cat section are decent but uninspiring exhibits for clouded leopards, fossa and racoons. Finally, the section is completed by a somewhat depressing amur leopard habitat. The habitat is on the smaller side and really doesn’t offer much for climbing opportunities. This is a section of the zoo that would benefit from a renovation. Aside from the amur leopard exhibit, nothing here is awful but everything is showing its age and would be well served by some construction attention.

World of Primates

Houston quite a nice variety of primates in this winding walk through. Some animals such as lemurs and orangutans have moated habitats while the rest are viewed through fencing. Overall these habitats tend to offer the animals lots of climbing structures, albeit not always in the most naturalistic of settings. The diversity of species contained here though is an asset for the zoo.

Meerkat/Red Pandas

I’m treating these two exhibits together due to their proximity to each other. The red panda habitat is rather lacklustre, an indoor habitat that is viewed in a corridor that is particularly dark. On the positive side, the meerkats have an exceptionally large habitat with multiple viewing angles.

Houston Zoo has a lot of positives associated with it, the world class African Forest, a well sized Asian elephant habitat that is having breeding success and very respectable cat and primate collections. As I mentioned off the top, it is especially encouraging to see the zoo renovating the bear section which was not spectacular. Hopefully that trend will continue as the cat section would benefit from some attention. As is, Houston is a must see zoo and hopefully future development will further solidify that position.
 
Houston Zoo also has one of the largest bird collections in the country, set in a tropical house and an outdoor bird garden and a couple other places. They are one of only three or so zoos in the country with marabou stork. I know you are not a bird person, but neglecting to mention this outstanding bird collection is an injustice. There is also a somewhat standard reptile house and a small aquarium building (a rarity in zoos).

One item on your review is the source of our first disagreement. The lion habitat is outstanding and still being lush is NOT showing its age. The "small hills" are actually a massive rock kopje. This is absolutely one of the best lion exhibits I have seen (top five for sure) and I am a cat fanatic.
 
@Arizona Docent i can't believe I forgot to mention the aquarium, I actually did an extra loop through it to make sure I had enough to comment on. I thought it was a decently sized aquarium for a zoo, that had a notable number of tanks.

I'll defer to you on the lion exhibit. My impression of it was that it was a little tired, although like you said very lush. But I respect your love of cats and your zoo knowledge. I generally am not a list maker, but what would your top 5 lion exhibits be? Off the top of my head I look much more favourably on exhibits in Omaha and Columbus.
 
I have not seen some of the newest lion exhibits, including Omaha or Columbus or Cincinnati. "Top five" was just a number I picked randomly. San Diego Safari Park is outstanding (maybe the best), Fresno Chaffee Zoo is excellent, and as I said Houston is excellent.
 
Day 21 – Audubon Zoo

It was an interesting drive from Houston to New Orleans the night before. While I am fully aware of the political climate, it was still a little surreal to see Border Patrol vehicles every few miles along I-10. It was also distributing to see billboard after billboard for a truck stop that features live tigers, which passing by on the highway, looked like the tigers were confined to incredibly small cages. I’ve heard stories of such places but to see it from that proximity is disgusting. It baffles me that resources can’t be committed to shutting those places down.

Decided to splurge for the hotel in New Orleans and stay in the French Quarter, which gave me a great opportunity to experience just a fraction of what this very interesting city has to offer. Heading to the Audubon Zoo, the first thing that struck me was the beautiful environment it is situated in. Massive palm trees are every where, including surrounding a beautiful fountain and sculpture just a little inside the zoo gate. The zoo itself is a bit of a mixed bag; there are some less than stellar portions and a lot of average/decent exhibits.

Asia

This section starts with a large orangutan exhibit with some particularly tall climbing structures. Unfortunately the exhibit was closed for some minor construction upkeep on my visit, but it looked like it was a decent exhibit. Up next a pair of amur leopards have a well shaded and decently sized exhibit with lots of climbing structures. This is followed by another well shade exhibit for sun bears, that doesn’t offer great views of the bears and isn’t particularly inspiring. The tiger yard is viewed via moat, and was functional but appeared on the smaller side. Finally, a pair of Asian elephants have a slightly above average but still far too small yard. Most troubling with the elephants is that the barn looked especially small. I don’t know how frequently the elephants have to be indoors in New Orleans, but based on the apparent size of the barn I would hope it’s not too frequently.

Primates

For some of the smaller primates this section does well. It was a nice change to see a pair of white faced saki and golden lion tamarin in an open air exhibit, that was not obstructed by fencing. On the other hand, for the larger primates, such as gorillas, this area is not particularly great. The gorilla exhibit is small and lacks much in the way of naturalism and inspiration. Even for some of the smaller primates, their exhibits are quite dated, surrounded on both sides and the top with mock rock, presenting the primates almost as if they were being viewed in a theatre.

African Savanna

This was one of the less impressive sections of the zoo. Rhinos have a decently sized habitat that they share with wildebeest and just across from them is a decent sized yard for zebras. While the size is adequate, the yards aren’t overly imaginative and do little to capture your attention. Eland have a similar exhibit, as do painted dogs who can be viewed through a series of windows and then via moat at the end of their fairly basic enclosure. Giraffes basically have a small grass field and a smaller yard with a rock base. The giraffes had access to both yards during my visit but stayed on the hard surface.

Louisiana Swamp

This is the best section of the zoo, where they have done a nice job of showcasing local wildlife in naturalistic settings. The theming on this section is also well done, with items such as rusted out cars and bath tubs placed throughout the exhibits. Alligators were my favourite exhibit in this section, with a swamp style habitat that looked as if you were looking in on the gators in their natural environment. A group of five racoons made good use of the trees available to them, napping in the trees high above their habitat and guests. Otters have an intriguing exhibit. It is not noteworthy in terms of space and lacks underwater viewing, but approximately half of the dryland for the otters is made of a shell base (not sure if it was clam shells). There is an indoor exhibit for the rare white alligators. Not all of the exhibits in this section are spectacular, the bobcat exhibit for example was average at best. Overall though this section offers an enjoyable exposure to local wildlife.

Jaguar Jungle/South America

This section is under-going some construction currently as they work on additional expansion. There are some nice habitats here; spider monkeys have a very spacious exhibit that would benefit from additional climbing structures but is still quite nice. Macaws are situated on perches in a densely planted area alongside the visitor pathway and the namesake animal, jaguars have an exhibit that offers swimming opportunities and lots of climbing options. There is also a decent habitat for giant anteaters, sloths and An uninspiring mixed species habitat is viewed across a decent sized body of water. The exhibit is apparently home to capybaras and tapirs amongst other animals.

As a smaller zoo, the collection is obviously limited, and I feel that aside from the Louisiana Swamp and to a lesser extent Jaguar Jungle, Audubon doesn’t do the great job of exhibiting its collection. The majority of the habitats are decent, thought not enough to justify a trip to see them. However, the Louisiana Swamp section is exceptional and a rarity as I cannot recall too many zoos that feature such animals prominently. That section does make this zoo a must visit.
 
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