I visited the Folsom Zoo Sanctuary yesterday, and thought I'd do a species list. The review thought came a bit later on, and as such I don't have pictures in the gallery of the exhibits. There are some by @Hipporex and @snowleopard however.
Being non-AZA accredited and city/donation funded, this is a small facility that definitely could use a face-lift. The species list is low, mostly rescued natives, but also some exotics. 26 species call this little zoo home, plus several domestic species.
Mammals - 14
Crab-eating Macaque
Squirrel Monkey - species un-noted, unable to photograph
Red Fox
Coyote
Wolf-Dog hybrid
Tiger - mixed subspecies
Mountain Lion
Bobcat
Raccoon
Kinkajou
Striped Skunk
Virginia Opossum
American Black Bear
Black-tailed Deer
Additionally - Nigerian Pygmy Goat, Miniature Horse, Zebu, a few other misc domestics.
Birds - 9
Common Raven
Turkey Vulture
Golden Eagle
Barn Owl
Great Horned Owl
Indian Peafowl
Yellow-headed Amazon
Blue-fronted Amazon
Blue & Yellow Macaw
Additionally - domestic chicken
Reptiles - 3
Ball Python
Prehensile-tailed Skink
Desert Tortoise
Overall Impressions:
Walking in and seeing the various black mesh cages wasn't bad. There is enough foliage and flowers to break it up and not give the place a cagey feel. Upon closer look, the place is largely held together by zip-ties and duct tape. I saw zip-ties on nearly all the smaller exhibits, holding patches, blocking worn areas, making old doors unusable. Duct tape was seen in a few different areas. The zoo definitely must have its share of volunteers who are not allowed in with the animals, as many of the smaller animals (parrots, kinkajous, skunk, etc) had doors cut in the caging to allow removal of water and food bowls. These were held closed by numerous clips and padlocks, which detracted further from the already so-so exhibits. The tiger and mountain lion exhibits are small and rather barren, and a few spots looked less sturdy than I'd like. The bear exhibits are fairly good, and along with the domestics and deer they have the most space. The raptor exhibits unquestionably rank the worst I've seen. Reptiles were ok, but nothing spectacular. Signage was one of the biggest drawbacks, nearly all of it was badly faded, falling apart, or even molding. A few were so bad I could hardly read them.
Macaque and Squirrel Monkeys: Lots of enrichment on both, which was good to see. Also they are both in pairs, and the macaques spent pretty much the whole time I was there grooming each other. The squirrel monkey exhibit is covered in acrylic panelling, and provides a poor look at the monkeys.
Red Fox/Coyote: Both decent for their inhabitants, plenty of area to retreat from view if they so wish.
Wolf hybrids: Two separate exhibits, both a good size with some rock work and ground soft enough for digging. One of the exhibits has much signage for wolves, and the two inhabitants do look quite a lot like wolves but are in fact hybrids.
Tiger: Small and barren, in fact both exhibits and the bts for them would probably fit in nearby Sacramento Zoo's old tiger exhibit. Little enrichment as well. A few areas were not so well secured as I would have liked on a big cat exhibit. Also I probably could nearly have touched the cage without crossing the public barrier.
Mountain Lion: Fairly good, but probably not big enough for the four cats living together in it. Two were sleeping on a ledge placed about 10 feet up on the wall closest to visitors.
Bobcat: Decent but on the small side. Regardless, both Bobcat looked excellent and both awake and alert. One was swatting around a ball and pouncing on it, which was entertaining to watch.
Raccoon and Kinkajou: Not housed together, just not much to say. Lots of enrichment, seemed happy.
Skunk/Opossum: These are housed together. Opossum was asleep, but skunk was awake and pacing in circles around one of their sleeping houses. Kept at it as long as I watched unfortunately. Someone had left the electrical cupboard open, and all the cords and powerstrip were easily visible and within potential reach of the possum.
Black Bears: Housed individually in large exhibits, if slightly barren ones. Many trees were available that could potentially be climbed, and one bear had a pool.
Deer: Literally built around a small canyon that would have been difficult to do anything else with but put a fence around it, if you're on a small budget. Lots of trees and fairly decent. The fencing is low, and the deer could easily jump out if they felt so inclined. There are signs saying "please do not feed or touch the deer", although the deer can walk up to the fence and put their heads fully into the visitor area, and similarly people could easily put their arms over the 4 foot fence.
Domestics: The best exhibits out of the lot. Large, well-fenced, trees and grass. I did not visit the newer Barnyard Experience, which was a bit of a walk for my low interest in domestics.
Ravens: Not great, but their space was good. Both seemed bored, and one kept repetitively bouncing off the front mesh and flying to the back, only to do it over.
Turkey Vulture: Housed 'off exhibit' at the present, but easily seen if you're paying attention. Most of the exhibit was unable to be seen well, so no comment.
Golden Eagles: Going to lay some harsh criticism here... They are lucky enough to have a compatible pair, which is their saving grace considering the exhibit. The raptor exhibits are tall and narrow, and to accommodate the pair they cut a 4x4 hole in two walls so the pair can move between three of the exhibits. The eagles are clearly fully flighted due to the height of the perching, but there is absolutely no space suitable for them to fly in this exhibit. Several days worth of food was sitting in the exhibit, to the point where you could smell rancid meat on the downwind side of the exhibit. Also the excess of meat had attracted an enormous amount of yellowjackets into the exhibit, there were easily 100 of them buzzing around inside and outside the exhibit, very probably more.
Barn Owl: The exhibit is cleverly constructed to resemble a barn, and that's about the only good thing I can say about the exhibit. It was very difficult to see into the exhibit, and it took some time for me to locate the owl in the fairly small exhibit. Hunched up in a dark corner and mostly hidden by two beams, the owl was nearly invisible. The exhibit itself was filthy, there was a large amount of poop running down the front mesh, enough the front center section was white. Lots of poop and feathers inside the exhibit as well.
Great Horned Owls: Two, not living together. Both in small, dark exhibits. Some 30 dead mice lay strewn in one of the exhibits.
Amazon Parrots: Decent exhibits but little enrichment except each other's company. No signs of feather plucking however, so they must be satisfied.
Blue & Yellow Macaw: Both an indoor and an outdoor exhibit, depending on the temperature. Viewing into the indoor one is terrible, and parts of the outside walls were poorly cut plywood held on with duct tape. The outdoor exhibit was ok, lots of climbing opportunities but a new rope net should have been added a while ago. Neither macaw showed any signs of feather plucking and looked excellent.
Peafowl: Roaming freely, and seem quite at ease.
Ball Python/Skink: Largest exhibits I've seen for either of the species, and decently furnished. However lighting and viewing were bad enough I couldn't find either. The humidifier placed directly in the skink's exhibit seemed rather out of place.
Desert Tortoise: A general barren tortoise exhibit, notable only because it was in a full cage like the others. A heated shelter was good to see, although their tortoise must be small or was not at home since I couldn't see her.
Final Takeaways: This little sanctuary zoo is clearly suffering from not having much money, and could really use a facelift. Their animals all appear to be in good condition however, much to their credit. I have some issues with whoever is taking care of their raptors, but otherwise their animal care seems to be good. A pity they appear to be struggling so much with their budget. The zoo seems much loved by the young families in the area, as I saw many family groups with young kids eagerly seeking out their favorite animals. Hopefully they can find a way to start replacing their worn-out signage and fixing up some of the exhibits.
Being non-AZA accredited and city/donation funded, this is a small facility that definitely could use a face-lift. The species list is low, mostly rescued natives, but also some exotics. 26 species call this little zoo home, plus several domestic species.
Mammals - 14
Crab-eating Macaque
Squirrel Monkey - species un-noted, unable to photograph
Red Fox
Coyote
Wolf-Dog hybrid
Tiger - mixed subspecies
Mountain Lion
Bobcat
Raccoon
Kinkajou
Striped Skunk
Virginia Opossum
American Black Bear
Black-tailed Deer
Additionally - Nigerian Pygmy Goat, Miniature Horse, Zebu, a few other misc domestics.
Birds - 9
Common Raven
Turkey Vulture
Golden Eagle
Barn Owl
Great Horned Owl
Indian Peafowl
Yellow-headed Amazon
Blue-fronted Amazon
Blue & Yellow Macaw
Additionally - domestic chicken
Reptiles - 3
Ball Python
Prehensile-tailed Skink
Desert Tortoise
Overall Impressions:
Walking in and seeing the various black mesh cages wasn't bad. There is enough foliage and flowers to break it up and not give the place a cagey feel. Upon closer look, the place is largely held together by zip-ties and duct tape. I saw zip-ties on nearly all the smaller exhibits, holding patches, blocking worn areas, making old doors unusable. Duct tape was seen in a few different areas. The zoo definitely must have its share of volunteers who are not allowed in with the animals, as many of the smaller animals (parrots, kinkajous, skunk, etc) had doors cut in the caging to allow removal of water and food bowls. These were held closed by numerous clips and padlocks, which detracted further from the already so-so exhibits. The tiger and mountain lion exhibits are small and rather barren, and a few spots looked less sturdy than I'd like. The bear exhibits are fairly good, and along with the domestics and deer they have the most space. The raptor exhibits unquestionably rank the worst I've seen. Reptiles were ok, but nothing spectacular. Signage was one of the biggest drawbacks, nearly all of it was badly faded, falling apart, or even molding. A few were so bad I could hardly read them.
Macaque and Squirrel Monkeys: Lots of enrichment on both, which was good to see. Also they are both in pairs, and the macaques spent pretty much the whole time I was there grooming each other. The squirrel monkey exhibit is covered in acrylic panelling, and provides a poor look at the monkeys.
Red Fox/Coyote: Both decent for their inhabitants, plenty of area to retreat from view if they so wish.
Wolf hybrids: Two separate exhibits, both a good size with some rock work and ground soft enough for digging. One of the exhibits has much signage for wolves, and the two inhabitants do look quite a lot like wolves but are in fact hybrids.
Tiger: Small and barren, in fact both exhibits and the bts for them would probably fit in nearby Sacramento Zoo's old tiger exhibit. Little enrichment as well. A few areas were not so well secured as I would have liked on a big cat exhibit. Also I probably could nearly have touched the cage without crossing the public barrier.
Mountain Lion: Fairly good, but probably not big enough for the four cats living together in it. Two were sleeping on a ledge placed about 10 feet up on the wall closest to visitors.
Bobcat: Decent but on the small side. Regardless, both Bobcat looked excellent and both awake and alert. One was swatting around a ball and pouncing on it, which was entertaining to watch.
Raccoon and Kinkajou: Not housed together, just not much to say. Lots of enrichment, seemed happy.
Skunk/Opossum: These are housed together. Opossum was asleep, but skunk was awake and pacing in circles around one of their sleeping houses. Kept at it as long as I watched unfortunately. Someone had left the electrical cupboard open, and all the cords and powerstrip were easily visible and within potential reach of the possum.
Black Bears: Housed individually in large exhibits, if slightly barren ones. Many trees were available that could potentially be climbed, and one bear had a pool.
Deer: Literally built around a small canyon that would have been difficult to do anything else with but put a fence around it, if you're on a small budget. Lots of trees and fairly decent. The fencing is low, and the deer could easily jump out if they felt so inclined. There are signs saying "please do not feed or touch the deer", although the deer can walk up to the fence and put their heads fully into the visitor area, and similarly people could easily put their arms over the 4 foot fence.
Domestics: The best exhibits out of the lot. Large, well-fenced, trees and grass. I did not visit the newer Barnyard Experience, which was a bit of a walk for my low interest in domestics.
Ravens: Not great, but their space was good. Both seemed bored, and one kept repetitively bouncing off the front mesh and flying to the back, only to do it over.
Turkey Vulture: Housed 'off exhibit' at the present, but easily seen if you're paying attention. Most of the exhibit was unable to be seen well, so no comment.
Golden Eagles: Going to lay some harsh criticism here... They are lucky enough to have a compatible pair, which is their saving grace considering the exhibit. The raptor exhibits are tall and narrow, and to accommodate the pair they cut a 4x4 hole in two walls so the pair can move between three of the exhibits. The eagles are clearly fully flighted due to the height of the perching, but there is absolutely no space suitable for them to fly in this exhibit. Several days worth of food was sitting in the exhibit, to the point where you could smell rancid meat on the downwind side of the exhibit. Also the excess of meat had attracted an enormous amount of yellowjackets into the exhibit, there were easily 100 of them buzzing around inside and outside the exhibit, very probably more.
Barn Owl: The exhibit is cleverly constructed to resemble a barn, and that's about the only good thing I can say about the exhibit. It was very difficult to see into the exhibit, and it took some time for me to locate the owl in the fairly small exhibit. Hunched up in a dark corner and mostly hidden by two beams, the owl was nearly invisible. The exhibit itself was filthy, there was a large amount of poop running down the front mesh, enough the front center section was white. Lots of poop and feathers inside the exhibit as well.
Great Horned Owls: Two, not living together. Both in small, dark exhibits. Some 30 dead mice lay strewn in one of the exhibits.
Amazon Parrots: Decent exhibits but little enrichment except each other's company. No signs of feather plucking however, so they must be satisfied.
Blue & Yellow Macaw: Both an indoor and an outdoor exhibit, depending on the temperature. Viewing into the indoor one is terrible, and parts of the outside walls were poorly cut plywood held on with duct tape. The outdoor exhibit was ok, lots of climbing opportunities but a new rope net should have been added a while ago. Neither macaw showed any signs of feather plucking and looked excellent.
Peafowl: Roaming freely, and seem quite at ease.
Ball Python/Skink: Largest exhibits I've seen for either of the species, and decently furnished. However lighting and viewing were bad enough I couldn't find either. The humidifier placed directly in the skink's exhibit seemed rather out of place.
Desert Tortoise: A general barren tortoise exhibit, notable only because it was in a full cage like the others. A heated shelter was good to see, although their tortoise must be small or was not at home since I couldn't see her.
Final Takeaways: This little sanctuary zoo is clearly suffering from not having much money, and could really use a facelift. Their animals all appear to be in good condition however, much to their credit. I have some issues with whoever is taking care of their raptors, but otherwise their animal care seems to be good. A pity they appear to be struggling so much with their budget. The zoo seems much loved by the young families in the area, as I saw many family groups with young kids eagerly seeking out their favorite animals. Hopefully they can find a way to start replacing their worn-out signage and fixing up some of the exhibits.
