Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo Henry Doorly Zoo News

Zoos in Australia range from $49 for Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo, $39 for Taronga and at least $20 everywhere else. Zoos in England regularly exceed DOUBLE the price for North American institutions...which for the most part average around $15 per adult. There are some exceptions to the rule (San Diego, Bronx, Toronto, etc) but the zoo admission price in North America is cheap!

I don't know what else to say about Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo, as anyone wishing to debate its merits must really visit it and see for themselves. The two co-authors of "America's Best Zoos" are vastly experienced in visiting zoos, have had personal tours with the zoo's director Lee G. Simmons, and they think that it's either the #2 or #3 best zoo on the continent. ZooChat member Reduakari has heavily criticized the zoo but still ranked it as one of the top 10 best in North America. Others condemn some of the flaws in mega-projects such as Lied Jungle, Desert Dome and Kingdoms of the Night, but while there is no debate that Omaha has the biggest exhibits on the planet there is a lot of debate whether or not those huge construction masterpieces are the best. Each to their own...

@Sun Wukong: where would you rank Omaha in a list of great North American zoos? What about copying Reduakari, myself and many others and posting your top ten list for North America?
 
This is my top ten list for the US:
(Cut me a little slack, I'm 17 so I haven't visited that many zoos)

1. San Diego / SDWAP (I consider them one entity, because SDWAP would be #2)
2. Bronx
3. Omaha
4. Portland
5. Miami
6. Columbus
7. Fort Worth
8. Los Angeles
9. St. Louis
10. Cincinnati

I know some of the major zoos didnt make my top ten but the National, Brookfield, Riverbanks, jacksonville, and Seattle are all in my top twenty.

Columbus is #6. I'm not going to lie, obviously I'm biased. But, with one of the largest collections in the country (Over 5,000 animals and 700 species) and a long list of significant achievements I think Columbus is always overlooked when ranked. We have a very diverse collection and have ben popping out new exhibits like babies.

I do think Omaha deserves to be in the top five.
 
We are totally getting off topic here, but never mind as I adore lists and agree with 5 of your top ten, and really 6 out of 11 with the San Diego Wild Animal Park. Everyone has their own opinion, but for me the Oregon Zoo at #4 and Los Angeles Zoo at #8 are totally bizarre choices.
 
Almost all of my choices are based on collection (diversity and abundance). Oregon I agree is a weird choice at #4 but I dont think many zoos surpass their taxonomic diveristy and on average their exhibits are above average and the exhibits themselves are well designed.

The L.A. Zoo was extremely hard for me to rank because while numerically their numbers are low (~1,000 animals) they (like Portland) have great diversity. I think of L.A. as a smaller version of San Diego. It's a great zoo with a great history but I'm just not as impressed as some other people.]

@Snowleopard: Could you refresh my memory and display your top ten list again?
 
What hits me over the head, looking at the new Omaha web site, is the entry charge. It's extraordinary: $11.50 for an adult. Even with dodgy exchange rates, it's about half of what it would cost to get in to most UK zoos. And you get to see dead owls there as well!
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It is very true what snowleopard has mentioned...$11.50 for an adult admission to a large US zoo is rather cheap! Many zoos that i have visited in the US are between $20 - $30 per adult. I laugh sometimes when some northern zoos charge $7 and the locals complain that they raise the price by $0.25!
 
okapikpr said:
It is very true what snowleopard has mentioned...$11.50 for an adult admission to a large US zoo is rather cheap! Many zoos that i have visited in the US are between $20 - $30 per adult. I laugh sometimes when some northern zoos charge $7 and the locals complain that they raise the price by $0.25!
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The Los Angeles Zoo recently raised it's adult admission from $10 to $12, and the first couple of months people were complaining that it was too expensive.
 
Dr. Lee Simmons is a legend in the zoo industry, and by stepping aside in Omaha he ends a powerful legacy at one of North America's top 5 zoos. Dennis Pate has done wonders in Jacksonville, and hopefully has the ability to fit some big shoes. The upcoming mega-projects in Omaha make that zoo an exciting place to be over the next decade.
 
snowleopard said:
Dr. Lee Simmons is a legend in the zoo industry, and by stepping aside in Omaha he ends a powerful legacy at one of North America's top 5 zoos. Dennis Pate has done wonders in Jacksonville, and hopefully has the ability to fit some big shoes. The upcoming mega-projects in Omaha make that zoo an exciting place to be over the next decade.
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I agree. I consider Simmons and Jack Hanna to be the leaders today in creating modern zoos. But from my talk with Simmons last summer, I seriously doubt that he's completely retiring. He's got far too many big plans for his great zoo! What I'm guessing is that he'll be stepping away from the day-to-day business of running the Zoo and concentrating more on fund-raising and building great new exhibits (with those raised funds). He is one of the premier zoo exhibit designers today, so we can expect more greatness from him.
 
There are still a couple of dinosaurs stalking the territory in San Antonio, Brownsville, Riverbanks and Cleveland, but in general you are correct.
 
Minus San Diego, where/which are these average $20-$30 priced zoos many of you are mentioning?

I can't recall the last zoo I've been to that cost more than $20. I don't think I've ever been to a zoo that cost more than that.
 
reduakari said:
There are still a couple of dinosaurs stalking the territory in San Antonio, Brownsville, Riverbanks and Cleveland, but in general you are correct.
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Do you mean that ("dinosaurs") as an insult? These are ALL great zoos and the leadership at each has been terrific! I've been to each many, many times and saw NO real "problems" at any of them.
 
tigertiger said:
Minus San Diego, where/which are these average $20-$30 priced zoos many of you are mentioning?

I can't recall the last zoo I've been to that cost more than $20. I don't think I've ever been to a zoo that cost more than that.
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You are very much right. Sorry, the last time I paid to enter a zoo was at Atlanta and Lowry Park where it costs about $20 each to enter. Though in the last 5 years I have seen several zoos in Florida jump from averaging $10 to $15 or more dollars From some quick research most zoos are between $10-$20. However, aquariums in the US are much more expension ranging from $15-$30.
 
ANyhuis said:
Do you mean that ("dinosaurs") as an insult? These are ALL great zoos and the leadership at each has been terrific! I've been to each many, many times and saw NO real "problems" at any of them.
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As in long-time directors. Simmons, Maruska, Robinson, Schroeder, Rabb, Perkins, Conway, Freiheit were all old-school directors. Dont get defensive Anyhuis just because reduakari makes a post...not all of them are critiques of zoos.
 
I LIKE dinosaurs, and tuataras for that matter. No disrespect intended.

But there are certainly many "problems" at nearly every zoo in the country. The primate/cat house in Cleveland, the awful hoofed stock grottoes in San Antonio, etc. etc.

Let me reiterate--I love zoos, but not blindly....
 
Not that I want to jump into the shark tank - but I think a nicer way of saying "problems" is saying the exhibits could be improved. I think a lot of people, myself included, sometimes forget that exhibits evolve at such a rapid rate something can become outdated within a year. Money and space are large factors, so I like to say that zoos could improve certain exhibits, not that they are problems.
 
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