Bronx Zoo How To Make The Most Out Of A Trip To The Bronx Zoo?

Sarus Crane

Sarus Crane

Well-Known Member
5+ year member
I am thinking of visiting the Bronx Zoo for a 2-day trip at the end of October to film during fall when hopefully the leaves look nice and colorful. My plan would be to focus chiefly on the outdoor exhibits first to capture them with the fall scenery and with the extra time I have left go to the indoor exhibits. I called the zoo to see if I could book a Wild Encounter to see the Wild Asia animals on foot (Gaur, Sambar Barasingha, Eld's Deer, Bactrian Deer) and the person I talked with said they don't do any programs with them. I even offered to pay $350 to do it like their White Rhino encounter. I was so disappointed and it makes me think I might as well skip Wild Asia Monorail altogether because to see those species up close I might as well just go to TX instead. Still, I figured I ought to go finally visit one of the the most famous zoos in America even if all my most wanted to see species won't be able to be filmed easily. I have several questions and if anyone can help me I'd greatly appreciate it.

1) Is it safer to book a hotel closer to the zoo or in Manhattan and take the Subway each day??? I've never been to the Bronx before. Which hotels would you recommend that are in a safe area and close to the zoo?

2) Given the unusually hot summer this year will I likely to see lots of fall colors or more subdued ones at the end of October?

3) Which gate is best to enter to zoo for the specific animals I want to see and film (see below)?

4) Are the Lesser Adjutant Storks in the aviary by the Aquatic Bird House on view during this time or are moved inside due to avian influenza? Also is there a specific time that the male Sokha (moved back from Racine) who is in Jungle World gets closer to where the visitors are instead of staying on the high perch I've seen him in photos and videos so I don't have to pay for additional visits to go in Jungle World?

5) Are the Storm's storks always viewable inside the Aquatic Bird House?

6) Are there certain open bird species that will be off display due to avian flu like the Peruvian & Dalmatian Pelicans, Chilean & American Flamingos, Red Crowned Cranes, White Naped Cranes etc?

7) When are the Pere David's Deer most active during the day and will the stags still have their antlers by this time? From photos I found it looks like they start growing back in March & April.

8) Are the Barasingha in Wild Asia viewable from Jungle World?

9) When are the Geladas most active? My hope is to catch them at a time when they are closer to the viewing windows.

10) When is the best time to see the Nyalas & Grevy's Zebras active?

11) What time are the White Rhinos viewable inside Zoo Center?

12) Where were Gunda the Indian Elephant and Rapunzel the Sumatran Rhino kept in the old elephant house (now Zoo Center)? The side facing Astor Court or the opposite side?

Thanks for your help. I greatly appreciate it. My hope is that if I can get the outdoor exhibits I can always come back to film the indoor exhibits I didn't get at another time during a different future visit.
 
Sarus Crane said:
I am thinking of visiting the Bronx Zoo for a 2-day trip at the end of October to film during fall when hopefully the leaves look nice and colorful. My plan would be to focus chiefly on the outdoor exhibits first to capture them with the fall scenery and with the extra time I have left go to the indoor exhibits. I called the zoo to see if I could book a Wild Encounter to see the Wild Asia animals on foot (Gaur, Sambar Barasingha, Eld's Deer, Bactrian Deer) and the person I talked with said they don't do any programs with them. I even offered to pay $350 to do it like their White Rhino encounter. I was so disappointed and it makes me think I might as well skip Wild Asia Monorail altogether because to see those species up close I might as well just go to TX instead. Still, I figured I ought to go finally visit one of the the most famous zoos in America even if all my most wanted to see species won't be able to be filmed easily. I have several questions and if anyone can help me I'd greatly appreciate it.

1) Is it safer to book a hotel closer to the zoo or in Manhattan and take the Subway each day??? I've never been to the Bronx before. Which hotels would you recommend that are in a safe area and close to the zoo?

2) Given the unusually hot summer this year will I likely to see lots of fall colors or more subdued ones at the end of October?

3) Which gate is best to enter to zoo for the specific animals I want to see and film (see below)?

4) Are the Lesser Adjutant Storks in the aviary by the Aquatic Bird House on view during this time or are moved inside due to avian influenza? Also is there a specific time that the male Sokha (moved back from Racine) who is in Jungle World gets closer to where the visitors are instead of staying on the high perch I've seen him in photos and videos so I don't have to pay for additional visits to go in Jungle World?

5) Are the Storm's storks always viewable inside the Aquatic Bird House?

6) Are there certain open bird species that will be off display due to avian flu like the Peruvian & Dalmatian Pelicans, Chilean & American Flamingos, Red Crowned Cranes, White Naped Cranes etc?

7) When are the Pere David's Deer most active during the day and will the stags still have their antlers by this time? From photos I found it looks like they start growing back in March & April.

8) Are the Barasingha in Wild Asia viewable from Jungle World?

9) When are the Geladas most active? My hope is to catch them at a time when they are closer to the viewing windows.

10) When is the best time to see the Nyalas & Grevy's Zebras active?

11) What time are the White Rhinos viewable inside Zoo Center?

12) Where were Gunda the Indian Elephant and Rapunzel the Sumatran Rhino kept in the old elephant house (now Zoo Center)? The side facing Astor Court or the opposite side?

Thanks for your help. I greatly appreciate it. My hope is that if I can get the outdoor exhibits I can always come back to film the indoor exhibits I didn't get at another time during a different future visit.
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1. As far as booking a hotel, if you do so in Manhattan it will be a more difficult time to take the subway to Bronx as there's no direct stop. The closest one you'll get to the Asia Gate would be the West Farms Sq/East Tremont Avenue stop, and it should be a 3 block walk from there.
2. You'll see quite a few fall colors at the end of October, two years ago I went around October 28th.
3. Asia Gate for sure. Easy access to the Wild Asia Monorail and JungleWorld.
4. I don't remember seeing lesser adjutants outside ABH, I remember seeing one pretty prominently inside JungleWorld. If you get a Total Experience ticket or a membership, all you gotta do is show said ticket, you shouldn't have to pay for it repeatedly.
5. I've only been inside ABH once but the Storm's storks were hard to miss for me.
6. I'm honestly not sure. While I did go in late October, that was when avian flu was dying down, but still Aquatic Bird House was closed off.
7. The Pere David's deer are pretty active all day.
8. They are, you may have to squint to see them through the fall leaves.
9. I'd try and catch the geladas first thing in the morning or see if there's a feeding time for them.
10. Both species are active throughout the day, if you do want to film them in particular you probably might need a couple days in the city.
11. This I'm unsure about, I've only seen the rhinos inside during the winter.
12. Rapunzel was on the side facing Astor Court, where the komodo dragon exhibit is now. Unsure about Gunda.
 
What is the best hotel to stay at in the area and since it’ll be a 2-day trip is there a 2-day ticket option like when I went to Omaha and they had a 2-day ticket deal? I saw there was a hotel near the Asia gate but its only rated at 2 stars so if anyone else has stayed in the area and could give me recommendations I’d really appreciate it.

Since I film in 4K 60fps with my iPhone 13 Pro Max what is the distance between most of the animals and where you are in Jungle World and the other outdoor exhibits? My iPhone only zooms in about 3x optical and then the remaining up to 9x digital. I’m debating whether to bring my old Canon camera which films at only 1080p 30fps but can zoom in optically a little farther.

When are the Lesser Adjutant Storks (by Aquatic Burd House & in Jungle World) most active??? They’re my #1 species to see. Then my other top species would be the Geladas and Pere Davids Deer.

Lastly are the restaurants accomodating to making foods without allergens? I’m lactose intolerant so I’ll be bringing Lactaids but you know how cross contamination can happen. Any good restaurants in the area to recommend to eat at if I decide to wait and eat a big dinner instead?

Thanks for all your help!

Right now beforehand I’m trying to make AI generated songs for the video I’ll be making as the result of my trip. Besides the American Bison, Geladas and Lesser Adjutant Storks what other species is the Bronx known for that I can use to make songs?
 
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Sarus Crane said:
What is the best hotel to stay at in the area and since it’ll be a 2-day trip is there a 2-day ticket option like when I went to Omaha and they had a 2-day ticket deal? I saw there was a hotel near the Asia gate but its only rated at 2 stars so if anyone else has stayed in the area and could give me recommendations I’d really appreciate it.
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There is not a two-day ticket option. However, consider purchasing a membership as depending on when you plan to visit, how many people you travel with, whether you need to park at the zoo, and how many star attractions you plan to visit, it may end up being your cheaper option. This is especially true if you are planning to visit any of the other WCS facilities while in New York too. When I visited all of the WCS zoos in 2023, the original plan was to primarily focus on Bronx- but because of the price difference we ended up getting a membership and visiting all five facilities instead (as well as Staten Island, Bergen County, and Turtle Back- all of which participated in AZA reciprocals).

Sarus Crane said:
When are the Lesser Adjutant Storks (by Aquatic Burd House & in Jungle World) most active??? They’re my #1 species to see. Then my other top species would be the Geladas and Pere Davids Deer.
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You should have no problem with the deer any time of day- their herd is huge. I had no problem seeing the geladas on my trip, but they were located near the back of the exhibit. I'll defer to a more frequent visitor on whether there is a best time to see the adjutants.

Sarus Crane said:
I called the zoo to see if I could book a Wild Encounter to see the Wild Asia animals on foot (Gaur, Sambar Barasingha, Eld's Deer, Bactrian Deer) and the person I talked with said they don't do any programs with them. I even offered to pay $350 to do it like their White Rhino encounter. I was so disappointed and it makes me think I might as well skip Wild Asia Monorail altogether
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I don't think you want to miss the monorail. It's a really unique exhibit, and given that the Bronx Zoo is a lot of walking it's a great way to rest your legs. I rode it on both days of my visit. Plus, you may never have a chance again to ride a monorail in a zoo given it's the last one remaining in the United States.

I can get being disappointed about wanting to see the animals up close, however I am sure the zoo has its reasons for declining the program- not all animals at a zoo are going to be comfortable with strangers approaching them in an up-close setting, the barns may not be set up in a safe way to let members of the public enter, zoo staff may not have the time to accommodate your request, or there could be any number of other legitimate reasons for your request to be denied. Bronx Zoo already offers many "Wild Encounters", and frankly it reeks of entitlement to expect the zoo to be able to accommodate a request for a different encounter with whatever animals in the collection someone wants.
 
After looking at how expensive the whole trip will be from hotel costs and of getting the all experience ticket for 2 days and the fact that its really only the Lesser Adjutants I want to see I've changed plans and won't be going to the zoo.
 
It's a shame Racine no longer has lesser adjutant, as while it is by no means a great zoo, you would have had a great and much more inexpensive chance to see the species, if that is really all you're after.
 
Batto said:
"How To Make The Most Out Of A Trip To The Bronx Zoo?"
By going to San Diego instead...*runs for cover* :p:p:p:D
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Ever since they got rid of the rare hoofstock especially the Gaur at SDSP Ive never really cared to visit. Plus Ive seen so many of the species they have there on the East Coast Id rather save my money and go to Six Flags Magic Mountain or visit LA’s Natural History Museum & the La Brea Tar Pits.
 
JVM said:
It's a shame Racine no longer has lesser adjutant, as while it is by no means a great zoo, you would have had a great and much more inexpensive chance to see the species, if that is really all you're after.
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Yeah and Ive seen Lesser Adjutant specimens before and once a Lesser Adjutant mod becomes available for Planet Zoo Ill be good. Ive decided its better for me to go to TX and visit Ox Safari or Aggieland Safari where I can see all the exotic hoofstock I want and make a side trip to Dallas/Ft. Worth or Houston to see the zoos and Six Flags Over TX. And I get the reasons that have been stated above but overall I still feel that Bronx is really ridiculous for not offering behind the scenes experiences in Wild Asia!
 
Sarus Crane said:
Ever since they got rid of the rare hoofstock especially the Gaur at SDSP Ive never really cared to visit. Plus Ive seen so many of the species they have there on the East Coast Id rather save my money and go to Six Flags Magic Mountain or visit LA’s Natural History Museum & the La Brea Tar Pits.
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Well, then you'll have to bite the bullet and travel to Zoo Zlín or one of the various Asian zoos that keep Lesser Adjutants. All in all, that might be cheaper and more enjoyable than visiting NYC...:p
 
Sarus Crane said:
Ive decided its better for me to go to TX and visit Ox Safari or Aggieland Safari
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Unbelievable, someone choosing to visit unaccredited roadside zoos over what's widely considered one of the best zoos in the United States purely due to the fact they get closer to animals. Sometimes I'm really disappointed by what the motivations of many ZooChatters really are. Getting up close to rare animals should never take priority over conservation, education, and most importantly, animal welfare.

One of Zoo Chat's leading hoofstock experts did recently post this about Aggieland Safari in another thread, by the way:
Kudu21 said:
If you are debating between Natural Bridge and Aggieland, it should really be Natural Bridge, no question. The two facilities are not comparable in my mind. Natural Bridge is now an active AZA Sustainability Partner and is actively working to improve. Aggieland is a roadside safari, plain and simple, that has obviously placed more of an importance on making money than animal welfare. Of the 67 zoological facilities I have visited, it is only one of two that I regret visiting. To me, the Eld’s deer and crab-eating raccoons would not be worth it (no black wildebeest). And for what it’s worth, when I visited in January 2023, I only saw a single Eld’s deer female.
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Sarus Crane said:
Yeah and Ive seen Lesser Adjutant specimens before and once a Lesser Adjutant mod becomes available for Planet Zoo Ill be good. Ive decided its better for me to go to TX and visit Ox Safari or Aggieland Safari where I can see all the exotic hoofstock I want and make a side trip to Dallas/Ft. Worth or Houston to see the zoos and Six Flags Over TX.
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Dallas and Fort Worth both sound like excellent zoos, and Six Flags Over TX is probably a great park. I wasn't familiar with Ox Safari or Aggieland before this thread but I would probably look at population numbers for what you want to see. There have been multiple stories of unique hoofstock at various walk-through safaris turning out to be a single, rarely-seen elderly individual overshadowed by domestics, so I would be wary of visiting one if it was only for a specific species.

I think @Neil chace has brought up some interesting points. I don't know any more than his post but he and @Kudu21 are both people I would trust on these topics.

Sarus Crane said:
And I get the reasons that have been stated above but overall I still feel that Bronx is really ridiculous for not offering behind the scenes experiences in Wild Asia!
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You're far from the only zoochatter who would wish there was a behind the scenes experience in that part of the park, and I think to a certain point you'd be in very good company -- everyone here who would visit the Bronx is going to visit during monorail season for the chance to experience this habitat in full. If there was a behind the scenes experience in Wild Asia, I'm sure you wouldn't be the first zoochatter to have found it and we'd all be feverishly, excitedly discussing the idea!

I wouldn't have said "ridiculous" though. It's a behind the scenes area that isn't open to the public. If it were open to public access, I'm sure it would be a public animal encounter already, not hidden for only people who ask in specific. It's important to remember that things like safety standards and aesthetics are going to be very different for private, behind the scenes spaces than for areas meant to be open and accessible. Many animal spaces off display are pretty clinical and will include some smaller spaces - the kind even zoochat loathes - and areas behind the scenes are sometimes not accessible to large groups or disabled visitors (ie small doors, narrow hallways, old creaky steps) and don't always meet public safety standards, only intended for access by a couple regular keepers who are trained.
 
I see what people are saying and I certainly understand. One of the reasons I wanted to visit Bronx is because of its history and all the conservation it has done over the years. For some Zoochatters like myself we like to go to certain facilities to see certain species. When I was adding up the positives vs negatives of going to Bronx I thought of different variables such as cost, specific species there, time allocated to spending at different exhibits, and peak fall foliage.

A huge factor for me was peak fall foliage. I did my research and after going through images on Flickr I could see that the Bronx Zoo seems to get its peak fall foliage around the 1st-2nd week of November. Due to the different el nino\la nina effects that can cause a long or early fall season I had no clue of certifying whether the Bronx would have peak fall foliage during my visit. The cost of the trip seemed expensive for what I was going to get out of it. I've seen so many of the species that are housed there in other facilities and while I acknowledge the dedication and artisty that went into Jungle World, World of Birds, Congo Gorilla Forest and others its just not worth spending the money to me when I can see more of what I want at another location.

Its the same with San Diego. I was about to have the opportunity to visit San Diego in 2015 on a family vacation to California but it ended up being too expensive when everybody got together and discussed what they wanted to do throughout the state. After Nola the Northern White Rhino passed away and when I learned how they've downgraded their rare species of ungulates in the collection I really have no desire to visit. The one reason I'd like to visit is to see the Miilky Storks but they're behind the scenes at the Safari Park and like Wild Asia at Bronx you probably can't try to have a behind the scenes tour to see them. I'll just wait until enough breed to send offspring to a closer facility on the east coast like how the Malagasy Sacred Ibis program is kicking off at Houston. Same thing with Disney's Animal Kingdom. After riding Kilimanjaro Safaris in 2017 and remebering how they don't really stop for you to get good photos or long video clips and trying to stay still in the bumpy jeep I had enough and when I went to Disney last year I had no interest going back to Animal Kingdom. It was hard enough trying to wait for several hours just to film their Eld's Deer which liked to hide on the other side of the ridge in Maharajah Jungle Trek. Luckily I did get to see them that visit because a couple years later they were no longer at DAK. Staying onsite at DAK Lodge (someone else paid for it) instead of staying a entire day at Hollywood Studios was totally worth it and I got all the film I wanted to.

I am a very much "bang for my buck" kinda person. If I can check off numerous boxes of things I want to see or accomplish and over 75% of those boxes get checked its a go. That's why ever since I discovered ther exotics industry in TX about a decade ago I have always wanted to visit, some exotics ranches and hopefully have some exotics of my own one day. Over the past several years when I would research various facilities for seeing hoofstock I discovered that several TX locations have many of the ungulates that are on my to see list. 2 years ago I came across Texas Safari Ranch in Clifton which to me seems awesome!!! They have several exotic hoofstock species on my list and the best part is they let you drive around the property on your own and the animals can come up to you including several of my favorites Grevy's Zebra, Dama Gazelle and Sable! Yeah you have to pay like $1,000/night but the chance to get unique up close shots and footage to me is unreal and being able to have so muxch more freedom in access is the selling point to me. Another ranch I mentioned Ox Safari just recently acquired a herd of Gaur and are committed to making sure the species doesn't die out in the US. Lastly a great thing about TX is theres so many things to do. Going to one of these ranches and then stopping in Houston/Dallas/Ft. Worth seems to me like the ultimate exotics vacation!

In the mean time due to the exceptional realism capable in Planet Zoo I'm fine with creating my own digital zoo experiences and then going out to see certain collections when I feel like I really want to spend the money to make the trips.
 
Oh my gosh, you mentioned peak fall foliage-- I went to the Bronx Zoo in early November 2022 and even though I was sad I didn't get to ride the monorail, it felt like I was walking through a dream come true with the incredibly gorgeous fall foliage. It felt like summer, it looked like a picture-perfect fall day, and the Christmas decorations were already out. The perfect absurd combination of seasons.

It was maybe half a week past peak, but that meant that beautiful colorful leaves blanketed the zoo and that was gorgeous. Watching the gorillas play and frolic in the fall leaves was worth the price of admission and then some. Getting to eat my lunch outdoors as peacocks wandered around me and crunched over the fall leaves around me made me almost cry from happiness.

I spent the entire day at the zoo and somehow couldn't even find JungleWorld (I didn't know the entrance was near the monorail), so even without that and the monorail, or some of the other areas that were closed for the season (like the Children's Zoo) or for renovations, it was still an unbelievably wonderful experience.

If you do change your mind and go to the Bronx Zoo, I took an express bus from Manhattan to the zoo and it was a great, comfy experience.

I can't wait to go back again and ride the monorail and see JungleWorld one day, but I'm also thrilled with my beautiful November experience.
 
So I've decided to try this again. I'm planning on visiting in October and was wondering if the zoo by that point will have certain bird species not on view due to bird flu. If not outside in their aviary by the seabird aviary will the Lesser Adjutants still be on view in Jungle World and will bird flu cause the closure of Aquatic Bird House and Birds of the World as well? I'm planning right now and if certain bird exhibits are going to be closed I will just spend a day there instead of 2 and only focus on the outdoor fall vibes and enclosures when I could come back and do the indoor stuff outside of bird flu season. Thanks for your help and suggestions in advance!
 
Sarus Crane said:
So I've decided to try this again. I'm planning on visiting in October and was wondering if the zoo by that point will have certain bird species not on view due to bird flu. If not outside in their aviary by the seabird aviary will the Lesser Adjutants still be on view in Jungle World and will bird flu cause the closure of Aquatic Bird House and Birds of the World as well? I'm planning right now and if certain bird exhibits are going to be closed I will just spend a day there instead of 2 and only focus on the outdoor fall vibes and enclosures when I could come back and do the indoor stuff outside of bird flu season. Thanks for your help and suggestions in advance!
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I visited a week and a half ago and pretty much every bird was back on exhibit including the Lesser Adjutants. Only birds off display right now to my knowledge are the Mergansers and Barnacle Geese in the Northern Ponds, which is typical for the summer months (although they might be back out come October.) You should have no problems in terms of the Avian flu, no birds went off display last year until January I believe. In general really there aren’t many closed exhibits and no major construction projects going on right now at the zoo, so October would likely be a perfect time to go!
 
Sarus Crane said:
So I've decided to try this again. I'm planning on visiting in October and was wondering if the zoo by that point will have certain bird species not on view due to bird flu. If not outside in their aviary by the seabird aviary will the Lesser Adjutants still be on view in Jungle World and will bird flu cause the closure of Aquatic Bird House and Birds of the World as well? I'm planning right now and if certain bird exhibits are going to be closed I will just spend a day there instead of 2 and only focus on the outdoor fall vibes and enclosures when I could come back and do the indoor stuff outside of bird flu season. Thanks for your help and suggestions in advance!
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I was at Bronx Zoo a couple of weeks ago and posted a short review (by my standards;)) on the link below. None of the bird aviaries were closed during my visit.

Bronx Zoo review 2025 [Bronx Zoo] - ZooChat
 
What hotel near the zoo would you recommend staying at? I don’t want to have to take the bus or metro from Manhattan.
 
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