I took my first trip to the Jackson Zoo in nearly a decade today, even though it's the closest institution to me, for obvious systemic reasons it's not a place to visit for the fun of going. I have decided to take a few trips over the next year to attempt to photograph an archive of what very well could be the end of the century-old institution. Recently the zoo has passed it's USDA inspection for September 2024 with no non-compliant items to report, and it has also been toured by city leadership who as is tradition now promised to work on improving the zoo as well as the west side as a whole.
Many have followed the steady decline of the facility over the past two decades and sadly there's not much positive to report, this year has brought about more deaths and more losses so that the zoo is now reporting between 150-200 animals under its care, continuing the steady decline of residents that has plagued the last decade of the capital city zoo. The infrastructure is also in continual decline, as of my visit today around half of the aquatic/semi-aquatic exhibits were either part or fully drained, the pathways and concrete structures including exhibit barriers are falling apart and in many cases unsafe, and in a desperate attempt to combat the cold weather coming in residential extension cords and water hoses are running in all directions.
On a personal note, I have always loved visiting smaller institutions, you often get a unique experience that you just don't get at larger facilities, this is in a way very true at Jackson, even eerily so. I spent around three hours on the grounds today, visiting each exhibit two or three times at least, I saw eight people excluding myself during my visit, five other guests and three staff members. The animals often seem surprised to see visitors, many responding to the best of their abilities if you talk to or imitate them, and the vocalizations ringing out over the cold winter day were amazing, from the time you exit your vehicle you hear the gibbons calling, all of the primates on the campus are extremely vocal alongside a very present accompaniment of birds and big cats.
A complete list of the displayed collection as of 12/7/2024- Note Cold Weather may play a part in some absences from the list. Collection listed in order of appearance.
1x Asiatic Black Bear
1x Sumatran Tiger
2x White Cockatoo
2x Black Headed Spider Monkey
1x Ball Python
1x Yellow Anaconda
2x Copperheads
1x Western Diamondback
1x Speckled Kingsnake
3x American Alligators
2x Cougar
2x Red Eared Slider
2x Diamondback Terrapin
2x Hawaiian Geese
1x North American River Otter
2x Pied Imperial Pigeons
1x Long Billed Corella
2x Laughing Kookaburra
1x Major Mitchells Cockatoo
1x Red Macaw
2x Yellow-Crowned Amazons
3x Red Ruffed Lemurs
2x Crested Screamers
1x White Rhino
3x Black Necked Swans
1x Grevy Zebra
1x Wattled Crane
6x Red River Hog
2x Ostrich
1x Sable Antelope
1x Pigmy Hippo
4x Chimpanzee
1x Colobus Monkey
1x Red-tailed Monkey
1x Fishing Cat
2x Lar Gibbon
1x American Black Bear
Species which I believe are still in the collection due to fresh feed and enrichment in their exhibits but I was not able to physically see:
Diana Monkey
Blue and Yellow Macaw
Prairie Dog
64 Animals representing 37 species on display to the best of my observations as of 12/7/24
I look forward to visiting again in the Spring to see how my observations change and to continue photographing. I sadly don't have high hopes for the zoo due to a considerable number of complex issues including geographic location, local government oversight, failing infrastructure, and loss of reputation. I wish that there was a way to help bring the zoo back to life, but it would require mountains to be moved, but nothing is impossible.
