Not really a mistake, but just a clarification that the Nature's Neighborhood is a completely new space and not just a renovation of the previous children's zoo area. They bulldozed the old area and built a new facility. When I visited in June 2016 the place was still a very active construction zone.
Franklin Park Zoo is my home zoo and I frequently visit. While it has some less desirable exhibits, it still has a strong collection though it's been going down in quality recently (more species have left). However, based on the future plans, the Zoo has many improvements which they are doing which will improve the quality.
And here is the species breakdown. The Zoo has more species but there was some construction going on along with no sight of the animal ambassadors (cockatoos, fennec Fox, prehensile tailed skink, etc.)
Total Species Count - 111+
Waterfowl (Order Anseriformes) - 12
Pelicans, Herons, Ibises, and Allies (Order Pelecaniformes) - 6
Perching Birds (Order Passeriformes) - 6
Landfowl (Order Galliformes) - 4
Cranes, Rails, and Allies (Order Gruiformes) - 3
Parrots (Order Psittaciformes) - 3
Hawks, Eagles, Kites, and Allies (Order Accipitriformes) - 2
Kingfishers, Bee-eaters, Rollers and Allies (Order Coraciiformes) - 2
Pigeons and Doves (Order Columbiformes) - 2
Storks (Order Ciconiiformes) - 2
Turacos (Order Musophagiformes) - 2
Woodpeckers, Barbets, Toucans and Honeyguides (Order Piciformes) - 2
Bustards (Order Otidiformes) - 1
Cassowaries and Emu (Order Casuariiformes) - 1
Falcons and Caracaras (Order Falconiformes) - 1
Frogmouths (Order Podargiformes) - 1
Kagu and Sunbittern (Order Eurypygiformes) - 1
Kiwis (Order Apterygiformes) - 1
Owls (Order Strigiformes) - 1
Even-toed Ungulates and Cetaceans (Order Artiodactyla) - 10
Primates (Order Primates) - 5
Carnivorans (Order Carnivora) - 4
Odd-toed Ungulates (Order Perissodactyla) - 3
Bats (Order Chiroptera) - 2
Kangaroos, Possums, Wombats, and Allies (Order Diprotodontia) - 2
Sloths and Anteaters (Order Pilosa) - 2
Rodents (Order Rodentia) - 1
Cockroaches and Termites (Order Blattodea) - 3
Beetles (Order Coleoptera) - 2
Spiders (Order Araneae) - 2
Iron Millipedes (Order Spirobolida) - 1
Order Spirostreptida - 1
Scorpions (Order Scorpiones) - 1
Stick Insects (Order Phasmida) - 1
True Bugs, Hoppers, Aphids, and Allies (Order Hemiptera) - 1
Snakes and Lizards (Order Squamata) - 5
Turtles and Tortoises (Order Testudines) - 4
Crocodilians (Order Crocodylia) - 1
Cichlids and Allies (Order Cichliformes) - 4
Catfishes (Order Siluriformes) - 1
Freshwater Sunfishes, Grunters, and Allies (Order Centrarchiformes) - 1
Frogs and Toads (Order Anura) - 1
Birds are a majority at Franklin Park Zoo, making more than 50% of the collection with waterfowl dominating the bird collection. Bird's World, Tropical Forest, and Nature's Neighborhood make this total so high. Most of these birds are in free-flight aviaries. The true number of birds in the Zoo will be likely higher with more signage updates, the Butterfly exhibit (I heard there were free-flight birds), the penguins, and possibly more species in both Bird's World and Tropical Forest.
Mammals come at 29 though it's likely in the low 30s due to the African Experience animals. Invertebrates follow with 12 species though the actual number is 30+ due to the Butterfly Exhibit which was closed for the season. There are at 10 reptiles but there might be some reptiles in the Butterfly exhibit along with some unsigned ones in Bird's World. Fish and Amphibians are last but there are more fish in the Hippo Theater along with the Butterfly Exhibit but I didn't identify all of them.
And that will do it for my review and species list of the Franklin Park Zoo. Please identify any mistakes as I want this to be as helpful as possible. The @Astrotom3000 design has made my species lists better so I would like to shout out them.
I'm not likely to post a new species list soon until it gets warmer.
Ino is still at the zoo. Since there are 3 hippos and only 2 exhibits there is always one hippo in back holding (this rotates so they all have some exhibit time).
There are 2 Red Pandas who rotate time on exhibit; One Himalayan and one Chinese. The sign does need to be updated, but I think this may be why Chinese/Himalayan is not specified on it.
There is also the Giraffe Savannah which opened in 1999. It was originally made for rhinos but now has Masai Giraffes along with Somali Wild Ass. Until recently, grevy's Zebra and Somali Wild ass rotated being in the enclosure. All animals were signed
The Zebra and Wild Ass only rotated exhibit time when introductions were being done or if there were other issues (health concerns, exams, training...). Other than those times, both species were on exhibit together until Menelik passed in 2023
