The first time I visited the Honolulu Zoo was in September 1987, and the second – and last – time was in August 1988. Since then the major change at the zoo has been the creation of the “African Savanna”, a multi-exhibit project that was still in the planning stages when I last visited but now occupies about a third of the zoo.
Two other changes I observed: a new Entrance and Gift Shop (about 50 feet from the old one, which I think is now being used as offices), the Gift Shop greatly enlarged;
http://www.zoochat.com/571/zoo-entrance-264724/
and a significant improvement in labels. I know many Zoochatters are interested in labels, and those from the 80’s were pathetic (I have attached some examples at the bottom of this post) but the current crop are excellent with colour photos and plenty of information.
http://www.zoochat.com/571/example-animal-label-264733/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/labels-african-walkthrough-aviary-264735/
While on the subject of signage, I also saw many of these around the zoo –
http://www.zoochat.com/571/general-notice-all-visitors-264765/
In 1988 I was amused by this sign on an empty enclosure
http://www.zoochat.com/571/sign-1987-a-53658/
Whereas this time around I was amused by this one
http://www.zoochat.com/571/empty-enclosure-notice-264761/
I was also amused by the location of this graphic:
http://www.zoochat.com/571/graphic-male-toilets-266166/
The zoo is shaped like a big triangle, with the main entrance at the bottom.
http://www.zoochat.com/571/map-zoo-264787/
The first enclosure is the duckpond, and to the right the flamingo pond. Both these exhibits are pretty much as I remember them although there are no Chilean Flamingos anymore, only Americans.
http://www.zoochat.com/571/duck-pond-266152/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/rosy-billed-pochard-266203/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/northern-pintail-266195/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/american-flamingo-pond-264671/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/american-flamingo-264670/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/american-white-ibis-264672/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/comb-duck-264684/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/roseate-spoonbill-266209/
Behind these enclosures is a row of aviaries, several of them connected into one long aviary, and with some well-established vegetation within. Unfortunately, this area was roped off and not accessible: two nights before my visit, some vandals had cut holes in a number of the bird cages and some birds had escaped. One male pigeon was hanging around these aviaries because his mate was inside so the public was excluded in the hope he would come down and be caught. A mist net had been set up but while I was there all it had caught was a Red-crested Cardinal. From the labels I could see these aviaries housed Laughing Gulls, Scarlet Ibis, Roseate Spoonbills, Golden Conures, Golden White-eyes, Bluecrowned Motmot, Crested Oropendolas, Toco Toucans, Ringed Teal, and the end aviary had King Vultures.
http://www.zoochat.com/571/forest-bird-aviary-264696/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/black-headed-gull-264712/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/king-vulture-266184/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/king-vulture-266182/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/removing-red-crested-cardinal-mistnet-266181/
Alongside the duckpond and running up the left hand side of the zoo are a number of rectangular aviaries, most split in half to form two cages. Apart from Two-toed Sloths and Golden Lion Tamarins these also contained birds, including Trumpeters, Victoria Crowned Pigeons, Pheasant Pigeons, Argus Pheasants, and three species of Birds of Paradise.
http://www.zoochat.com/571/sloth-aviary-264768/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/magnificent-bird-paradise-male-vocalising-266187/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/superb-bird-paradise-264773/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/raggianas-bird-paradise-264751/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/green-naped-pheasant-pigeon-264711/
Nearby were more aviaries, two of which were very large dome-like constructions, one of which had a Wrinkled Hornbill pair. These two aviaries were well planted, but most of the others were almost identical to each other – soil base, a few small trees (like Ficus) which had all been pruned back in the same fashion, and a couple of branches for perching. But if the cages were disappointing, the occupants weren’t - Golden White-eyes, Marianas Fruit Doves, Hill Mynas, Black-naped Orioles Crested Wood Partridges. Unfortunately for me, many of these aviaries had the wire fronts in full sun – see the Sloth Aviary pic above – so, even though the wire was painted black, photography was very difficult (and the results were often crap).
http://www.zoochat.com/571/bird-aviaries-264673/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/more-bird-aviaries-264674/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/large-aviary-264736/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/black-naped-fruit-dove-male-266133/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/silver-eared-mesia-264766/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/hill-myna-266173/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/fairy-bluebird-264695/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/black-naped-oriole-264680/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/crested-wood-partridge-264686/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/wrinkled-hornbill-male-264786/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/golden-white-eye-264704/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/golden-white-eye-264705/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/marianas-fruit-dove-266188/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/buff-headed-ground-dove-male-266139/
The larger parrot aviaries were better planted, but the Scarlet Macaws could not fly because there was too much foliage and branches.
http://www.zoochat.com/571/hawkheaded-parrot-264721/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/cuban-amazon-264690/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/palm-cockatoo-266197/
In Australia all the zoos and fauna parks display pretty much the same birds (mostly native), so what the rest of the world probably thinks is common (like the Mynas) were a treat for me. Conversely, the Galahs, kookaburras, Bowerbird, Bronzewing, Tawny Frogmouth and Cockatiels were of no interest, although I was disappointed to see the three cockatiels on display were mutations and not the wild morph.
http://www.zoochat.com/571/fawn-breasted-bowerbird-266157/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/cockatiel-white-face-266147/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/cockatiel-cinnamon-266148/
Next to the parrot aviaries is a building with a display of nests, eggs and an incubator.
http://www.zoochat.com/571/egg-nest-display-266154/
The remaining birds were indigenous to Hawai’i: Nene, Hawaiian Hawk and Hawaiian Owl.
There are several Nene in their large enclosure, but I could only see one Hawk in his cage, and one owl. Interestingly, Hawaiian Owls are diurnal but this one was asleep on the ground whenever I went past.
http://www.zoochat.com/571/ne-ne-enclosure-266191/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/hawaiian-goose-ne-ne-264719/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/hawaiian-hawk-io-264720/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/hawaiian-owl-aviary-266169/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/hawaiian-owl-266168/
Apart from the birds in the African Savanna (which I will describe later), the only other birds of interest to me were the species flying wild in the zoo. A number of birds have either been released or escaped and become established in Hawaii. Feral pigeons and Indian Mynas are common in the zoo grounds and, interestingly, around 90% of the pigeons are either white or tan (or both). Probably the commonest species in the zoo was the Zebra Doves – they were everywhere. Almost as common was the Red-vented Bulbuls which seemed to be in every tree. I also sighted Java Sparrows, Red-crested Cardinals, Northern Cardinals, White-rumped Shama, Spotted Turtledoves, Japanese White-eye (building a nest) and Ring-necked Parrots. Pacific Golden Plovers are migratory visitors, and I saw a White Tern and it’s chick sitting in a tree near the Orangutans. Little Egrets were stalking the long grass in the African Savanna, and Black-crowned Night Herons were sighted hunting near bodies of water (Monkey Island moat and Flamingo Pond) and nesting in the top of a tree.
http://www.zoochat.com/571/zebra-dove-wild-266223/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/red-vented-bulbul-wild-266204/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/red-vented-bulbul-wild-264754/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/ring-neck-parrot-wild-264756/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/red-crested-cardinal-wild-264752/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/pacific-golden-plover-female-wild-264748/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/pacific-golden-plover-male-wild-264749/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/java-sparrows-wild-266180/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/japanese-white-eye-wild-building-nest-266177/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/northern-cardinal-female-baboon-enclosure-266194/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/white-tern-adult-wild-264780/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/white-tern-chick-wild-264781/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/white-tern-chick-wild-264782/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/white-rumped-shama-male-wild-264785/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/cattle-egret-266142/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/black-crowned-night-heron-264679/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/black-crowned-night-heron-wild-266132/
Onto the primates, and the two worst exhibits in the zoo. Two horrid cages – concrete substrate, and domed wire mesh, with little shade – one housing a few spider monkeys, the other appeared to have a single Francois Langur. The langur cage had some vegetation – a rather spiky looking palm.
http://www.zoochat.com/571/francois-langur-cage-264697/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/spider-monkey-cage-264772/
The other primate exhibits were better. The Siamangs have their own island; this island housed Siamangs back when I first visited, and my photos show only the trees on the island have grown somewhat.
http://www.zoochat.com/571/siamang-264759/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/siamang-island-264760/
In a nearby enclosure are three islands – referred to as the Monkey Islands – that display Lar Gibbons, Ringtailed and Ruffed Lemurs. The pond is full of turtles of several different species, and the labels are titled “Turtles of Monkey Island”. A bit of a misnomer, as none of the islands have monkeys!
http://www.zoochat.com/571/monkey-islands-264775/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/ringtailed-lemur-266207/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/ringtailed-lemur-266208/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/white-handed-gibbon-yawn-264783/
However the best exhibit is the Orang’s. Not only large, with a couple of climbing structures, but two enormous trees that would make any primate keeper drool with envy. However, I never saw the orangs in the trees, only sitting on the ground ripping up grass. I expected to see them high up in the branches doing what orangs do best. As the exhibit seems fairly new, maybe the orangs are not comfortable climbing (if they have never had the opportunity before).
http://www.zoochat.com/571/orang-enclosure-264744/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/orang-info-264745/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/orang-info-264746/
If you like Turtles and Tortoises, then Honolulu Zoo will be a paradise for you – they have around 18 different species listed. The turtles are all in the moats around the Monkey Islands and the tortoises are in outdoor yards, except for the Fly River Turtle and Pancake Tortoises which are in the Reptile House. The Pancakes had hatchlings. They even have a seat shaped like a Tortoise.
http://www.zoochat.com/571/pancake-tortoise-264750/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/galapagos-tortoise-264699/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/indian-star-tortoise-264725/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/turtle-264776/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/turtles-264778/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/massive-turtle-264777/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/tortoise-seat-266214/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/galapagos-tortoise-exhibit-264698/
The Reptile House is a long building with at least a dozen tanks housing mainly lizards but with a few amphibians and the only two legal snakes in Hawaii – a Ball Python and an amelanistic (commonly referred to as ‘albino’) Burmese Python. Despite both being rainforest species, they were housed in desert environments. As the African Bullfrog was right next to the Ball python in a more tropical exhibit, it seemed odd that they hadn’t done the same for the snakes. For me, highlights were the Black Tegu and Surinam Toads although others might see the New Caledonian Gecko, Fly River Turtle or Prehensile-tailed Skink as exciting. A Komodo Dragon lives in a large specially built enclosure near the Nene’s.
http://www.zoochat.com/571/interior-reptile-house-264755/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/australian-lizard-exhibit-266130/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/african-lizard-exhibit-264669/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/giant-plated-lizard-264702/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/giant-plated-lizards-266160/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/tegu-tank-264774/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/black-tegu-264677/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/black-tegu-264678/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/african-bullfrog-tank-264666/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/african-bullfrog-266126/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/ornate-horned-frog-264747/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/solomon-islands-prehensile-tailed-skink-266201/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/inland-bearded-dragon-266176/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/leopard-gecko-266185/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/ball-python-tank-264675/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/burmese-python-tank-264681/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/philippine-tree-skink-266200/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/komodo-dragon-264728/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/komodo-dragon-264730/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/komodo-dragon-enclosure-264732/
Other reptiles exhibited are three species of Crocodilians – Alligators, Gharials, and Nile Crocodile in the African Savanna (which also displays Nile Monitors and African Spurthighed Tortoises).
http://www.zoochat.com/571/gharial-264700/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/gharial-enclosure-264701/
Many years ago Green Anoles used to be present in the zoo grounds (another introduced species). A few years ago the smaller Cuban Anole appeared and the Green Anoles disappeared. Although smaller, the Cubans are more aggressive. I often sighted them around the zoo, sometimes displaying their gular flap.
http://www.zoochat.com/571/cuban-anole-wild-266150/
The Sumatran Tiger exhibit consists of two large enclosures, overgrown with grass and with a pond. I could only catch glimpses of the tigers as they slept in the long grass. Nothing wrong with the exhibit, just unimpressive.
As many ZooChatters may be aware, Honolulu Zoo has recently opened a new exhibit for their Asian Elephants. This enclosure is much larger than the previous, very outdated concrete structure that lies empty near the Monsarratt Avenue gate. However, despite its size the new exhibit looks – to me anyway – to be barren. The exhibit consists of two large interconnected yards of roughly equal size, each with a waterfall and pool, and some unsightly concrete structures topped by plants and hotwires. The substrate was soil. One exhibit has a pile of logs and there were tyres and balls for the elephants to play with. I didn’t see any shade structures, although there may have been some present but not visible. The back wall had a couple of gaps in it which I surmise would be for keepers to access the yard (or egress in an emergency). The photos below do not adequately illustrate the size of the yards – because the viewing areas obscure the entire enclosure, it was impossible for me to get a good overall photo. But in my opinion the two elephants have plenty of room in the exhibit.
http://www.zoochat.com/571/keeper-access-elephant-exhibit-266156/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/elephant-exhibit-266155/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/elephant-enclosure-264693/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/elephant-enclosure-264694/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/old-elephant-exhibit-266196/
The last and largest part of the Zoo is the African Savanna. A winding trail takes you past four different African habitats – Rivers and Marshes, Grasslands, Kopjes and Woodlands. Each habitat has a number of enclosures of varying sizes displaying a variety of species (predominantly mammalian) particular to that environment. Most of the smaller enclosures have a back wall made to simulate a river bank or a rockface. The larger grassland enclosures have terrain in the middle of the enclosure elevated to viewing height but then descending to a wall in front of and invisible to the public (see the Part of the Cheetah Exhibit pic below). The terrain descends to a similar wall at the back of the enclosure, so the exhibit is essentially a pit with a hill in the middle. This means that the animals are actually a fair distance from the public, but they can also vanish completely from view if they wish and in some enclosures more than half the enclosure appeared to be not viewable. Consequently, most of these large grassy enclosures appeared empty. Many exhibits had more than one viewing area, but each only with a very small area to view (the lion enclosure was particularly bad in this respect). The smaller enclosures in the Kopje and Woodland areas were much easier to see the occupants, and you didn’t have to walk a long way to see nothing.
http://www.zoochat.com/571/graphic-264708/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/entrance-african-savanna-264668/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/part-cheetah-exhibit-266143/
As already mentioned, Spurthighed Tortoises (which were off display), Nile Monitors and Nile Crocodiles were the only reptiles on display – the Monitors having a Perspex window at the back of the exhibit so the Sacred Baboons could watch the monitors if they wanted, and the Nile Crocodile’s pool complete with skull and bones.
http://www.zoochat.com/571/nile-monitor-264743/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/nile-monitor-exhibit-264742/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/window-monitors-baboons-266222/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/nile-crocodile-exhibit-266193/
Birds found in the Savanna included Eastern White Pelican, Sacred Ibis, White Stork, Grey-necked Crowned Crane, Lesser Flamingo, African Spoonbill, Ostrich, Southern Ground Hornbill, Marabou and Secretary Bird.
http://www.zoochat.com/571/crowned-crane-dancing-264687/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/lesser-flamingo-264739/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/lesser-flamingos-264738/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/lesser-flamingo-pond-264737/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/eastern-white-pelican-266153/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/southern-ground-hornbill-264770/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/white-stork-266219/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/african-savanna-view-266127/
In the woodland section is a walkthrough aviary. The aviary is circular in shape, once inside you can see there are cages around the perimeter and the central part is the free-flight area. Many of the cages have wire large enough for the free-flying Starlings, Lovebirds and Finches to fly through, so they come and they go as they please. One of the cages contains a serval – with very small mesh – and the label, despite being detailed in the biology and habits of servals, never once mentions they can catch birds in mid-flight. Birds in here include Cape Teal, Cape Thick-knee, Hooded Vulture, Buffalo Weavers and Hammerkops. The labels list Madagascan Lovebirds but I didn’t see any, only Masked and Peachface (pastels).
http://www.zoochat.com/571/walkthrough-aviary-exterior-266215/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/walkthrough-aviary-interior-266218/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/walkthrough-aviary-interior-266217/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/walkthrough-aviary-interior-266216/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/sign-walkthrough-aviary-266210/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/waxbill-264685/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/waxbill-nest-264779/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/blacksmith-plover-266138/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/hammerkop-264718/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/hammerkop-264716/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/hammerkop-nest-264714/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/golden-breasted-starling-264706/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/golden-breasted-starling-264707/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/cape-teal-266140/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/cape-thick-knee-266141/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/green-wood-hoopoe-264710/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/hooded-vulture-266175/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/red-yellow-barbet-266202/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/peachfaced-lovebird-pastel-266199/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/white-headed-buffalo-weaver-266220/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/serval-enclosure-264758/
Many of the mammals are what you would expect to see in an African display – Giraffe, Zebra, Rhino, Hippo, Lion, Cheetah, Meerkat, Baboon, Wild Dog, Chimp, Warthog – but I was also surprised to see an Aardvark. Unfortunately, every time I went past he was asleep.
http://www.zoochat.com/571/african-savanna-264703/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/aardvark-266125/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/black-rhino-266131/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/black-rhino-exhibit-266206/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/giraffe-266163/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/fennec-exhibit-fennec-right-266158/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/cheetah-264682/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/dik-dik-enclosure-264691/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/african-crested-porcupine-264667/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/klipspringer-enclosure-264726/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/hippo-exhibit-264723/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/sacred-baboon-enclosure-264713/
The Chimp enclosure is quite large and glass fronted. They have nine chimps (six males) and they all seemed to be getting along when I was there (i.e. no fighting). Because of the size and shape of the exhibit, I had to take a few photos from different angles.
http://www.zoochat.com/571/graphic-264709/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/part-chimp-enclosure-266146/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/part-chimp-enclosure-266145/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/part-chimp-enclosure-266144/
Also in the zoo is a Children’s area called Keiki Zoo with farmyard animals, but I didn’t visit this place. There are also several large lawn areas in the middle of the zoo, ideal for picnics or for kids to play, and a few statues.
http://www.zoochat.com/571/hippo-statues-266174/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/dolphin-statue-266151/
The gardens are well established with many of the plants labelled and include some very mature banyans, stands of Hibiscus tilaceus (a fast growing and resilient browse tree), and Mindanao Painted Gums – a eucalypt with multicoloured bark.
http://www.zoochat.com/571/topiary-266213/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/pandanus-fruit-266198/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/banyan-tree-266129/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/sign-banyan-tree-266211/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/hibiscus-tree-266172/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/hibiscus-266171/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/heliconia-flower-266170/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/ginger-flower-spike-266162/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/ginger-flower-spike-266161/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/example-plant-label-264734/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/mindanao-gum-264741/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/mindanao-gum-264740/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My overall impression of the zoo was that it was a nice zoo, not overly impressive (to me, at least) but not bad either. It has a nice, diverse collection of birds and reptiles, although most of the mammals are of the commoner varieties. However, I would have liked to have seen more endemic birds on display (I’iwi, Apapane, Amakihi, Palila etc). Best enclosure would be the Orangs, worst would be the Spider Monkey/Francois Langur cages. The $14.95 entrance fee is very reasonable and with its close proximity to Waikiki, I would recommend it to anyone visiting Hawaii.
As always, the opinions above are my own and I welcome other objective viewpoints.
Hix
Note: these are some labels from 1987/88.
Two other changes I observed: a new Entrance and Gift Shop (about 50 feet from the old one, which I think is now being used as offices), the Gift Shop greatly enlarged;
http://www.zoochat.com/571/zoo-entrance-264724/
and a significant improvement in labels. I know many Zoochatters are interested in labels, and those from the 80’s were pathetic (I have attached some examples at the bottom of this post) but the current crop are excellent with colour photos and plenty of information.
http://www.zoochat.com/571/example-animal-label-264733/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/labels-african-walkthrough-aviary-264735/
While on the subject of signage, I also saw many of these around the zoo –
http://www.zoochat.com/571/general-notice-all-visitors-264765/
In 1988 I was amused by this sign on an empty enclosure
http://www.zoochat.com/571/sign-1987-a-53658/
Whereas this time around I was amused by this one
http://www.zoochat.com/571/empty-enclosure-notice-264761/
I was also amused by the location of this graphic:
http://www.zoochat.com/571/graphic-male-toilets-266166/
The zoo is shaped like a big triangle, with the main entrance at the bottom.
http://www.zoochat.com/571/map-zoo-264787/
The first enclosure is the duckpond, and to the right the flamingo pond. Both these exhibits are pretty much as I remember them although there are no Chilean Flamingos anymore, only Americans.
http://www.zoochat.com/571/duck-pond-266152/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/rosy-billed-pochard-266203/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/northern-pintail-266195/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/american-flamingo-pond-264671/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/american-flamingo-264670/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/american-white-ibis-264672/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/comb-duck-264684/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/roseate-spoonbill-266209/
Behind these enclosures is a row of aviaries, several of them connected into one long aviary, and with some well-established vegetation within. Unfortunately, this area was roped off and not accessible: two nights before my visit, some vandals had cut holes in a number of the bird cages and some birds had escaped. One male pigeon was hanging around these aviaries because his mate was inside so the public was excluded in the hope he would come down and be caught. A mist net had been set up but while I was there all it had caught was a Red-crested Cardinal. From the labels I could see these aviaries housed Laughing Gulls, Scarlet Ibis, Roseate Spoonbills, Golden Conures, Golden White-eyes, Bluecrowned Motmot, Crested Oropendolas, Toco Toucans, Ringed Teal, and the end aviary had King Vultures.
http://www.zoochat.com/571/forest-bird-aviary-264696/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/black-headed-gull-264712/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/king-vulture-266184/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/king-vulture-266182/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/removing-red-crested-cardinal-mistnet-266181/
Alongside the duckpond and running up the left hand side of the zoo are a number of rectangular aviaries, most split in half to form two cages. Apart from Two-toed Sloths and Golden Lion Tamarins these also contained birds, including Trumpeters, Victoria Crowned Pigeons, Pheasant Pigeons, Argus Pheasants, and three species of Birds of Paradise.
http://www.zoochat.com/571/sloth-aviary-264768/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/magnificent-bird-paradise-male-vocalising-266187/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/superb-bird-paradise-264773/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/raggianas-bird-paradise-264751/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/green-naped-pheasant-pigeon-264711/
Nearby were more aviaries, two of which were very large dome-like constructions, one of which had a Wrinkled Hornbill pair. These two aviaries were well planted, but most of the others were almost identical to each other – soil base, a few small trees (like Ficus) which had all been pruned back in the same fashion, and a couple of branches for perching. But if the cages were disappointing, the occupants weren’t - Golden White-eyes, Marianas Fruit Doves, Hill Mynas, Black-naped Orioles Crested Wood Partridges. Unfortunately for me, many of these aviaries had the wire fronts in full sun – see the Sloth Aviary pic above – so, even though the wire was painted black, photography was very difficult (and the results were often crap).
http://www.zoochat.com/571/bird-aviaries-264673/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/more-bird-aviaries-264674/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/large-aviary-264736/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/black-naped-fruit-dove-male-266133/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/silver-eared-mesia-264766/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/hill-myna-266173/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/fairy-bluebird-264695/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/black-naped-oriole-264680/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/crested-wood-partridge-264686/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/wrinkled-hornbill-male-264786/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/golden-white-eye-264704/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/golden-white-eye-264705/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/marianas-fruit-dove-266188/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/buff-headed-ground-dove-male-266139/
The larger parrot aviaries were better planted, but the Scarlet Macaws could not fly because there was too much foliage and branches.
http://www.zoochat.com/571/hawkheaded-parrot-264721/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/cuban-amazon-264690/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/palm-cockatoo-266197/
In Australia all the zoos and fauna parks display pretty much the same birds (mostly native), so what the rest of the world probably thinks is common (like the Mynas) were a treat for me. Conversely, the Galahs, kookaburras, Bowerbird, Bronzewing, Tawny Frogmouth and Cockatiels were of no interest, although I was disappointed to see the three cockatiels on display were mutations and not the wild morph.
http://www.zoochat.com/571/fawn-breasted-bowerbird-266157/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/cockatiel-white-face-266147/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/cockatiel-cinnamon-266148/
Next to the parrot aviaries is a building with a display of nests, eggs and an incubator.
http://www.zoochat.com/571/egg-nest-display-266154/
The remaining birds were indigenous to Hawai’i: Nene, Hawaiian Hawk and Hawaiian Owl.
There are several Nene in their large enclosure, but I could only see one Hawk in his cage, and one owl. Interestingly, Hawaiian Owls are diurnal but this one was asleep on the ground whenever I went past.
http://www.zoochat.com/571/ne-ne-enclosure-266191/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/hawaiian-goose-ne-ne-264719/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/hawaiian-hawk-io-264720/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/hawaiian-owl-aviary-266169/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/hawaiian-owl-266168/
Apart from the birds in the African Savanna (which I will describe later), the only other birds of interest to me were the species flying wild in the zoo. A number of birds have either been released or escaped and become established in Hawaii. Feral pigeons and Indian Mynas are common in the zoo grounds and, interestingly, around 90% of the pigeons are either white or tan (or both). Probably the commonest species in the zoo was the Zebra Doves – they were everywhere. Almost as common was the Red-vented Bulbuls which seemed to be in every tree. I also sighted Java Sparrows, Red-crested Cardinals, Northern Cardinals, White-rumped Shama, Spotted Turtledoves, Japanese White-eye (building a nest) and Ring-necked Parrots. Pacific Golden Plovers are migratory visitors, and I saw a White Tern and it’s chick sitting in a tree near the Orangutans. Little Egrets were stalking the long grass in the African Savanna, and Black-crowned Night Herons were sighted hunting near bodies of water (Monkey Island moat and Flamingo Pond) and nesting in the top of a tree.
http://www.zoochat.com/571/zebra-dove-wild-266223/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/red-vented-bulbul-wild-266204/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/red-vented-bulbul-wild-264754/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/ring-neck-parrot-wild-264756/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/red-crested-cardinal-wild-264752/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/pacific-golden-plover-female-wild-264748/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/pacific-golden-plover-male-wild-264749/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/java-sparrows-wild-266180/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/japanese-white-eye-wild-building-nest-266177/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/northern-cardinal-female-baboon-enclosure-266194/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/white-tern-adult-wild-264780/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/white-tern-chick-wild-264781/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/white-tern-chick-wild-264782/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/white-rumped-shama-male-wild-264785/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/cattle-egret-266142/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/black-crowned-night-heron-264679/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/black-crowned-night-heron-wild-266132/
Onto the primates, and the two worst exhibits in the zoo. Two horrid cages – concrete substrate, and domed wire mesh, with little shade – one housing a few spider monkeys, the other appeared to have a single Francois Langur. The langur cage had some vegetation – a rather spiky looking palm.
http://www.zoochat.com/571/francois-langur-cage-264697/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/spider-monkey-cage-264772/
The other primate exhibits were better. The Siamangs have their own island; this island housed Siamangs back when I first visited, and my photos show only the trees on the island have grown somewhat.
http://www.zoochat.com/571/siamang-264759/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/siamang-island-264760/
In a nearby enclosure are three islands – referred to as the Monkey Islands – that display Lar Gibbons, Ringtailed and Ruffed Lemurs. The pond is full of turtles of several different species, and the labels are titled “Turtles of Monkey Island”. A bit of a misnomer, as none of the islands have monkeys!
http://www.zoochat.com/571/monkey-islands-264775/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/ringtailed-lemur-266207/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/ringtailed-lemur-266208/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/white-handed-gibbon-yawn-264783/
However the best exhibit is the Orang’s. Not only large, with a couple of climbing structures, but two enormous trees that would make any primate keeper drool with envy. However, I never saw the orangs in the trees, only sitting on the ground ripping up grass. I expected to see them high up in the branches doing what orangs do best. As the exhibit seems fairly new, maybe the orangs are not comfortable climbing (if they have never had the opportunity before).
http://www.zoochat.com/571/orang-enclosure-264744/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/orang-info-264745/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/orang-info-264746/
If you like Turtles and Tortoises, then Honolulu Zoo will be a paradise for you – they have around 18 different species listed. The turtles are all in the moats around the Monkey Islands and the tortoises are in outdoor yards, except for the Fly River Turtle and Pancake Tortoises which are in the Reptile House. The Pancakes had hatchlings. They even have a seat shaped like a Tortoise.
http://www.zoochat.com/571/pancake-tortoise-264750/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/galapagos-tortoise-264699/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/indian-star-tortoise-264725/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/turtle-264776/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/turtles-264778/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/massive-turtle-264777/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/tortoise-seat-266214/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/galapagos-tortoise-exhibit-264698/
The Reptile House is a long building with at least a dozen tanks housing mainly lizards but with a few amphibians and the only two legal snakes in Hawaii – a Ball Python and an amelanistic (commonly referred to as ‘albino’) Burmese Python. Despite both being rainforest species, they were housed in desert environments. As the African Bullfrog was right next to the Ball python in a more tropical exhibit, it seemed odd that they hadn’t done the same for the snakes. For me, highlights were the Black Tegu and Surinam Toads although others might see the New Caledonian Gecko, Fly River Turtle or Prehensile-tailed Skink as exciting. A Komodo Dragon lives in a large specially built enclosure near the Nene’s.
http://www.zoochat.com/571/interior-reptile-house-264755/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/australian-lizard-exhibit-266130/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/african-lizard-exhibit-264669/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/giant-plated-lizard-264702/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/giant-plated-lizards-266160/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/tegu-tank-264774/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/black-tegu-264677/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/black-tegu-264678/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/african-bullfrog-tank-264666/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/african-bullfrog-266126/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/ornate-horned-frog-264747/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/solomon-islands-prehensile-tailed-skink-266201/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/inland-bearded-dragon-266176/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/leopard-gecko-266185/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/ball-python-tank-264675/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/burmese-python-tank-264681/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/philippine-tree-skink-266200/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/komodo-dragon-264728/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/komodo-dragon-264730/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/komodo-dragon-enclosure-264732/
Other reptiles exhibited are three species of Crocodilians – Alligators, Gharials, and Nile Crocodile in the African Savanna (which also displays Nile Monitors and African Spurthighed Tortoises).
http://www.zoochat.com/571/gharial-264700/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/gharial-enclosure-264701/
Many years ago Green Anoles used to be present in the zoo grounds (another introduced species). A few years ago the smaller Cuban Anole appeared and the Green Anoles disappeared. Although smaller, the Cubans are more aggressive. I often sighted them around the zoo, sometimes displaying their gular flap.
http://www.zoochat.com/571/cuban-anole-wild-266150/
The Sumatran Tiger exhibit consists of two large enclosures, overgrown with grass and with a pond. I could only catch glimpses of the tigers as they slept in the long grass. Nothing wrong with the exhibit, just unimpressive.
As many ZooChatters may be aware, Honolulu Zoo has recently opened a new exhibit for their Asian Elephants. This enclosure is much larger than the previous, very outdated concrete structure that lies empty near the Monsarratt Avenue gate. However, despite its size the new exhibit looks – to me anyway – to be barren. The exhibit consists of two large interconnected yards of roughly equal size, each with a waterfall and pool, and some unsightly concrete structures topped by plants and hotwires. The substrate was soil. One exhibit has a pile of logs and there were tyres and balls for the elephants to play with. I didn’t see any shade structures, although there may have been some present but not visible. The back wall had a couple of gaps in it which I surmise would be for keepers to access the yard (or egress in an emergency). The photos below do not adequately illustrate the size of the yards – because the viewing areas obscure the entire enclosure, it was impossible for me to get a good overall photo. But in my opinion the two elephants have plenty of room in the exhibit.
http://www.zoochat.com/571/keeper-access-elephant-exhibit-266156/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/elephant-exhibit-266155/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/elephant-enclosure-264693/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/elephant-enclosure-264694/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/old-elephant-exhibit-266196/
The last and largest part of the Zoo is the African Savanna. A winding trail takes you past four different African habitats – Rivers and Marshes, Grasslands, Kopjes and Woodlands. Each habitat has a number of enclosures of varying sizes displaying a variety of species (predominantly mammalian) particular to that environment. Most of the smaller enclosures have a back wall made to simulate a river bank or a rockface. The larger grassland enclosures have terrain in the middle of the enclosure elevated to viewing height but then descending to a wall in front of and invisible to the public (see the Part of the Cheetah Exhibit pic below). The terrain descends to a similar wall at the back of the enclosure, so the exhibit is essentially a pit with a hill in the middle. This means that the animals are actually a fair distance from the public, but they can also vanish completely from view if they wish and in some enclosures more than half the enclosure appeared to be not viewable. Consequently, most of these large grassy enclosures appeared empty. Many exhibits had more than one viewing area, but each only with a very small area to view (the lion enclosure was particularly bad in this respect). The smaller enclosures in the Kopje and Woodland areas were much easier to see the occupants, and you didn’t have to walk a long way to see nothing.
http://www.zoochat.com/571/graphic-264708/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/entrance-african-savanna-264668/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/part-cheetah-exhibit-266143/
As already mentioned, Spurthighed Tortoises (which were off display), Nile Monitors and Nile Crocodiles were the only reptiles on display – the Monitors having a Perspex window at the back of the exhibit so the Sacred Baboons could watch the monitors if they wanted, and the Nile Crocodile’s pool complete with skull and bones.
http://www.zoochat.com/571/nile-monitor-264743/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/nile-monitor-exhibit-264742/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/window-monitors-baboons-266222/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/nile-crocodile-exhibit-266193/
Birds found in the Savanna included Eastern White Pelican, Sacred Ibis, White Stork, Grey-necked Crowned Crane, Lesser Flamingo, African Spoonbill, Ostrich, Southern Ground Hornbill, Marabou and Secretary Bird.
http://www.zoochat.com/571/crowned-crane-dancing-264687/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/lesser-flamingo-264739/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/lesser-flamingos-264738/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/lesser-flamingo-pond-264737/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/eastern-white-pelican-266153/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/southern-ground-hornbill-264770/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/white-stork-266219/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/african-savanna-view-266127/
In the woodland section is a walkthrough aviary. The aviary is circular in shape, once inside you can see there are cages around the perimeter and the central part is the free-flight area. Many of the cages have wire large enough for the free-flying Starlings, Lovebirds and Finches to fly through, so they come and they go as they please. One of the cages contains a serval – with very small mesh – and the label, despite being detailed in the biology and habits of servals, never once mentions they can catch birds in mid-flight. Birds in here include Cape Teal, Cape Thick-knee, Hooded Vulture, Buffalo Weavers and Hammerkops. The labels list Madagascan Lovebirds but I didn’t see any, only Masked and Peachface (pastels).
http://www.zoochat.com/571/walkthrough-aviary-exterior-266215/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/walkthrough-aviary-interior-266218/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/walkthrough-aviary-interior-266217/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/walkthrough-aviary-interior-266216/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/sign-walkthrough-aviary-266210/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/waxbill-264685/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/waxbill-nest-264779/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/blacksmith-plover-266138/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/hammerkop-264718/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/hammerkop-264716/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/hammerkop-nest-264714/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/golden-breasted-starling-264706/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/golden-breasted-starling-264707/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/cape-teal-266140/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/cape-thick-knee-266141/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/green-wood-hoopoe-264710/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/hooded-vulture-266175/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/red-yellow-barbet-266202/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/peachfaced-lovebird-pastel-266199/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/white-headed-buffalo-weaver-266220/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/serval-enclosure-264758/
Many of the mammals are what you would expect to see in an African display – Giraffe, Zebra, Rhino, Hippo, Lion, Cheetah, Meerkat, Baboon, Wild Dog, Chimp, Warthog – but I was also surprised to see an Aardvark. Unfortunately, every time I went past he was asleep.
http://www.zoochat.com/571/african-savanna-264703/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/aardvark-266125/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/black-rhino-266131/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/black-rhino-exhibit-266206/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/giraffe-266163/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/fennec-exhibit-fennec-right-266158/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/cheetah-264682/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/dik-dik-enclosure-264691/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/african-crested-porcupine-264667/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/klipspringer-enclosure-264726/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/hippo-exhibit-264723/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/sacred-baboon-enclosure-264713/
The Chimp enclosure is quite large and glass fronted. They have nine chimps (six males) and they all seemed to be getting along when I was there (i.e. no fighting). Because of the size and shape of the exhibit, I had to take a few photos from different angles.
http://www.zoochat.com/571/graphic-264709/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/part-chimp-enclosure-266146/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/part-chimp-enclosure-266145/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/part-chimp-enclosure-266144/
Also in the zoo is a Children’s area called Keiki Zoo with farmyard animals, but I didn’t visit this place. There are also several large lawn areas in the middle of the zoo, ideal for picnics or for kids to play, and a few statues.
http://www.zoochat.com/571/hippo-statues-266174/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/dolphin-statue-266151/
The gardens are well established with many of the plants labelled and include some very mature banyans, stands of Hibiscus tilaceus (a fast growing and resilient browse tree), and Mindanao Painted Gums – a eucalypt with multicoloured bark.
http://www.zoochat.com/571/topiary-266213/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/pandanus-fruit-266198/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/banyan-tree-266129/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/sign-banyan-tree-266211/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/hibiscus-tree-266172/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/hibiscus-266171/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/heliconia-flower-266170/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/ginger-flower-spike-266162/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/ginger-flower-spike-266161/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/example-plant-label-264734/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/mindanao-gum-264741/
http://www.zoochat.com/571/mindanao-gum-264740/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My overall impression of the zoo was that it was a nice zoo, not overly impressive (to me, at least) but not bad either. It has a nice, diverse collection of birds and reptiles, although most of the mammals are of the commoner varieties. However, I would have liked to have seen more endemic birds on display (I’iwi, Apapane, Amakihi, Palila etc). Best enclosure would be the Orangs, worst would be the Spider Monkey/Francois Langur cages. The $14.95 entrance fee is very reasonable and with its close proximity to Waikiki, I would recommend it to anyone visiting Hawaii.
As always, the opinions above are my own and I welcome other objective viewpoints.
Hix
Note: these are some labels from 1987/88.
