The Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium is located in Point Defiance Park in Tacoma, Washington. Point Defiance is a peninsula jutting out into Puget Sound and enjoys an amazing view. The Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium tries to focus on species found within the Pacific Rim (the land surrounding the Pacific Ocean). The zoo has a very pleasant atmosphere with spectacular scenery and diverse and beautiful gardens.
Rocky Shores is an outdoor complex featuring marine mammals and birds from the North Pacific. The first enclosure guests encounter houses a trio of Pacific Walrus, including the famed “E.T.” who is celebrating his 30th birthday this summer. There are at least three above ground viewing areas where guests can view the walruses relaxing on the shore or swimming through their underwater environment. The next exhibit encountered is a large pool which formerly housed beluga whales but is now home to a large group of Eastern Pacific Harbor Seals. Guests then travel below ground to a gallery where they have underwater viewing of the two previously mentioned exhibits plus viewing for Sea Otters and an alcid display. Marine mammal skeletons hang from the ceiling and large graphics tell about the natural history of marine mammals and birds. After visiting the underwater viewing, guests then travel above ground out into the alcid aviary which houses Tufted Puffins and Common Murres. While inside this walkthrough aviary there are windowed views into the Sea Otter Exhibit. The Rocky Shores complex is showing its age, but is still an excellent experience. The layout of the exhibit is particularly masterful. From any given area guests can view at least two of the exhibits at once and nowhere do guests have cross views of other guests viewing the animals as well.
Arctic Tundra is an outdoor exhibit complex which won an AZA exhibit award when it was constructed. It features exhibits for Polar Bears, Arctic Foxes, Reindeer, and Musk Ox. The polar bear exhibit is good, with a stream and a large swimming pool. A fence extension has been constructed on the rear wall of the exhibit, hindering what could have been an excellent layered view into the musk ox exhibit on the hill behind. The Arctic Fox exhibit is basic but nice. Hillside enclosures are built for reindeer and rarely exhibited musk oxen. The reindeer were off-show and the exhibit looked to be completely vacated so I’m not sure they were still in the collection. A small waterfowl pond holding wood ducks finishes off the complex. Arctic Tundra too is an aging complex in need of rejuvenation, but was designed very well to begin with.
Asian Forest Sanctuary is an outdoor simulated tropical forest environment. Animals here are rotated through 6 different exhibit areas. Animals that are potentially found in this exhibit include Sumatran Tiger, Malayan Tapir, Northern White-cheeked Gibbon, Siamang, Lowland Anoa, Indian Porcupine, and Asian Small-clawed Otter. On our visit we only saw the tigers, anoas and both gibbon species. These rotational exhibits are presented very nicely and are an interesting guest experience. However, due to the need to accommodate such a wide range of species the exhibits themselves are not particularly tailored to any given species on display. The landscaping in this area was very nice and helped pull off a believable tropical forest atmosphere. Also included in this zone were a very small, dusty and uninspiring elephant exhibit and the amazing Cats of the Canopy display which houses Clouded Leopards in a multistory forest environment. A side den area houses the cubs, all of which are handraised for management reasons, and at the time of my visit there were two adorable young cubs enjoying this fairly basic space. The main exhibit itself has a maze of climbing structures and it was very impressive to watch the cats walk along these aerial balance beams.
The North Pacific Aquariumis a fairly small aquarium complex which emphasizes the sea life found in the diverse habitats of Puget Sound. A large central tank is home to sturgeon, spiny dogfish, numerous species of rockfish and more. Smaller tanks surrounding the perimeter house a variety of native fish and invertebrates including Moon Jellies and Giant Pacific Octopus. This facility is also quite old and they intend to replace this facility in the future. Outside, a small tide pool and a bronze seal statue complete the experience. The second floor of the aquarium houses the Marine Discovery Center which is a child-focused area with learning activities based on marine biology.
The South Pacific Aquarium provides a more immersive experience. Guests enter through an indoor, simulated, tropical island where they travel down to a beach and look down on reef fish. Guests then travel below the surface, viewing the same fish through glass windows. Finally, you descend into the deep for a close encounter with seven species of sharks, some of which are quite large. Shark species housed were Sand Tiger, Lemon, Sandbar, Blacktip Reef, Nurse, and Japanese Wobbegong. The back of the aquarium is unlit providing the illusion that the water goes on forever into the depths of the sea. This complex is quite fun and very well executed.
Red Wolf Woods is an attractive, wooded pair of habitats for red wolves. This is a slight deviation from their collection plan of focusing on species from the Pacific Rim, but it is an important conservation project. Point Defiance is the largest breeder of red wolves in the nation. In the 1970’s, when the last remaining red wolves were pulled from the wild, Point Defiance Zoo stepped up to the plate in breeding this species. Breeding continues to this day and on my visit a group of pups had just made their public debut. The exhibits are well landscaped, viewing is good and the interpretive elements were excellent.
Kid’s Zone is Point Defiance Zoo’s children’s area. An attempt is made to create a fun and playful environment where children are connected to animals. However, the reality doesn’t quite add up. Play areas are separate from animal exhibits, most of which are subpar or overly “whimsical”. A wallaby exhibit which appears to have been designed as a walkthrough provides dismal viewing for the Parma Wallabies as a non-walk-through attraction. A large indoor outdoor Meerkat exhibit is the highlight, as is a maze of tunnels for Damaraland Mole-rats. A large outdoor exhibit for Ring-tailed and Black Lemurs has climbing structures which imitate those found in the children’s play area. All in all, I admire what was attempted in this exhibit but felt that it fell flat in the execution.
Other small exhibits were Budgie Buddies housing budgerigars of various domestic colorations and Discovery Outpost which houses the bizarre combination of displays for Burmese Pythons and Gyrfalcon.
The Point Defiance Zoo is a small zoo in an attractive setting. The collection is not very well rounded but does include a large number of rarities such as Pacific Walrus and Musk Oxen. Future plans call for addition of animals from eastern Asia and South America.
After touring the zoo we decided to see the rest of Point Defiance Park. Throughout the park there are a multitude of signs saying not to feed any wildlife. We soon learned the reason for this. We saw a raccoon sitting on the side of the road. When we stopped to take a picture he approached us because he thought he was going to be fed. We encountered three other raccoons participating in this same behavior. First public park I've ever encountered with panhandling raccoons!
Rocky Shores is an outdoor complex featuring marine mammals and birds from the North Pacific. The first enclosure guests encounter houses a trio of Pacific Walrus, including the famed “E.T.” who is celebrating his 30th birthday this summer. There are at least three above ground viewing areas where guests can view the walruses relaxing on the shore or swimming through their underwater environment. The next exhibit encountered is a large pool which formerly housed beluga whales but is now home to a large group of Eastern Pacific Harbor Seals. Guests then travel below ground to a gallery where they have underwater viewing of the two previously mentioned exhibits plus viewing for Sea Otters and an alcid display. Marine mammal skeletons hang from the ceiling and large graphics tell about the natural history of marine mammals and birds. After visiting the underwater viewing, guests then travel above ground out into the alcid aviary which houses Tufted Puffins and Common Murres. While inside this walkthrough aviary there are windowed views into the Sea Otter Exhibit. The Rocky Shores complex is showing its age, but is still an excellent experience. The layout of the exhibit is particularly masterful. From any given area guests can view at least two of the exhibits at once and nowhere do guests have cross views of other guests viewing the animals as well.
Arctic Tundra is an outdoor exhibit complex which won an AZA exhibit award when it was constructed. It features exhibits for Polar Bears, Arctic Foxes, Reindeer, and Musk Ox. The polar bear exhibit is good, with a stream and a large swimming pool. A fence extension has been constructed on the rear wall of the exhibit, hindering what could have been an excellent layered view into the musk ox exhibit on the hill behind. The Arctic Fox exhibit is basic but nice. Hillside enclosures are built for reindeer and rarely exhibited musk oxen. The reindeer were off-show and the exhibit looked to be completely vacated so I’m not sure they were still in the collection. A small waterfowl pond holding wood ducks finishes off the complex. Arctic Tundra too is an aging complex in need of rejuvenation, but was designed very well to begin with.
Asian Forest Sanctuary is an outdoor simulated tropical forest environment. Animals here are rotated through 6 different exhibit areas. Animals that are potentially found in this exhibit include Sumatran Tiger, Malayan Tapir, Northern White-cheeked Gibbon, Siamang, Lowland Anoa, Indian Porcupine, and Asian Small-clawed Otter. On our visit we only saw the tigers, anoas and both gibbon species. These rotational exhibits are presented very nicely and are an interesting guest experience. However, due to the need to accommodate such a wide range of species the exhibits themselves are not particularly tailored to any given species on display. The landscaping in this area was very nice and helped pull off a believable tropical forest atmosphere. Also included in this zone were a very small, dusty and uninspiring elephant exhibit and the amazing Cats of the Canopy display which houses Clouded Leopards in a multistory forest environment. A side den area houses the cubs, all of which are handraised for management reasons, and at the time of my visit there were two adorable young cubs enjoying this fairly basic space. The main exhibit itself has a maze of climbing structures and it was very impressive to watch the cats walk along these aerial balance beams.
The North Pacific Aquariumis a fairly small aquarium complex which emphasizes the sea life found in the diverse habitats of Puget Sound. A large central tank is home to sturgeon, spiny dogfish, numerous species of rockfish and more. Smaller tanks surrounding the perimeter house a variety of native fish and invertebrates including Moon Jellies and Giant Pacific Octopus. This facility is also quite old and they intend to replace this facility in the future. Outside, a small tide pool and a bronze seal statue complete the experience. The second floor of the aquarium houses the Marine Discovery Center which is a child-focused area with learning activities based on marine biology.
The South Pacific Aquarium provides a more immersive experience. Guests enter through an indoor, simulated, tropical island where they travel down to a beach and look down on reef fish. Guests then travel below the surface, viewing the same fish through glass windows. Finally, you descend into the deep for a close encounter with seven species of sharks, some of which are quite large. Shark species housed were Sand Tiger, Lemon, Sandbar, Blacktip Reef, Nurse, and Japanese Wobbegong. The back of the aquarium is unlit providing the illusion that the water goes on forever into the depths of the sea. This complex is quite fun and very well executed.
Red Wolf Woods is an attractive, wooded pair of habitats for red wolves. This is a slight deviation from their collection plan of focusing on species from the Pacific Rim, but it is an important conservation project. Point Defiance is the largest breeder of red wolves in the nation. In the 1970’s, when the last remaining red wolves were pulled from the wild, Point Defiance Zoo stepped up to the plate in breeding this species. Breeding continues to this day and on my visit a group of pups had just made their public debut. The exhibits are well landscaped, viewing is good and the interpretive elements were excellent.
Kid’s Zone is Point Defiance Zoo’s children’s area. An attempt is made to create a fun and playful environment where children are connected to animals. However, the reality doesn’t quite add up. Play areas are separate from animal exhibits, most of which are subpar or overly “whimsical”. A wallaby exhibit which appears to have been designed as a walkthrough provides dismal viewing for the Parma Wallabies as a non-walk-through attraction. A large indoor outdoor Meerkat exhibit is the highlight, as is a maze of tunnels for Damaraland Mole-rats. A large outdoor exhibit for Ring-tailed and Black Lemurs has climbing structures which imitate those found in the children’s play area. All in all, I admire what was attempted in this exhibit but felt that it fell flat in the execution.
Other small exhibits were Budgie Buddies housing budgerigars of various domestic colorations and Discovery Outpost which houses the bizarre combination of displays for Burmese Pythons and Gyrfalcon.
The Point Defiance Zoo is a small zoo in an attractive setting. The collection is not very well rounded but does include a large number of rarities such as Pacific Walrus and Musk Oxen. Future plans call for addition of animals from eastern Asia and South America.
After touring the zoo we decided to see the rest of Point Defiance Park. Throughout the park there are a multitude of signs saying not to feed any wildlife. We soon learned the reason for this. We saw a raccoon sitting on the side of the road. When we stopped to take a picture he approached us because he thought he was going to be fed. We encountered three other raccoons participating in this same behavior. First public park I've ever encountered with panhandling raccoons!
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