jbnbsn99's Texas Zoos #2

Fort worth has countless reptiles that would be considered rare (e.g. Jamaican Iguana, Giant salamander) Malayan Tiger, Birds of Paradise, and Harpy eagle, ringtail, and Saddle billed stork... (are you talking endangered?) because they also have: Asian elephant, Sun bear, Bonobo, Bornean Orangutan, Gorilla, Chimpanzee, and Gibbon (representing all five species of ape) ocelot, Jaguar, Black footed ferret, red wolf, Black rhino, Indian rhino, bongo, and Komodo Dragon.

Caldwell does not really have any rarities (they gave their Blue monkeys and Blue Gnus away) besides Attwater's prarie chicken. Endangered: African elephant, Black Rhino, Grevy's Zebra, and numerous amphibeans... They may also have African leopards... I am unsure of their origin.

Cameron Park really has all the standard animals... Lion, African elephant, White rhino, Giraffe, Orangutan, Sumatran tiger, Gibbons, Lemur, Bison, Meerkats, Jaguar, Herpetarium (a very nice one actually), cappybara, galapagos giant tortoise.

Here is how I rank the level of importance of each of these zoos you wish to visit

1.)DALLAS ZOO- for their african section alone
2.)DALLAS WORLD AQUARIUM- for their collection of animals that are found no where else in the U.S.
3.)FORT WORTH-very well rounded zoo with a pleasant asian section, and sparkly new herpetarium
4.)CAMERON PARK- Less of a drive than to Caldwell, and an over all better larger zoo
4.)FOSSIL RIM- The place basically speaks for itself! But it is kind of far from Dallas.
5.)CALDWELL- It disappointed me last time, it has not maintained some of it's exhbits to par.
 
Thank you very much for the info Dallaspachyderm. I am really looking forward to seeing MOLA. Thanks for the list as well, I helps alot :)
 
Never even heard of it. I heard a rumor once about a zoo in Corpus Christi, so this must be it. The person who told me this also said not to bother, it was more like a petting zoo.
 
I just moved from Corpus Christi a few weeks ago and visited John Sablatura Park in Fall 2009 in hopes of seeing a zoo, but there is no longer a zoo there. The zoo has shut down and it is only a park now.
 
jbnbsn99 -- Always like your reviews and a lot of fun to read. I have a question about the fanaloka you saw when you were in the capital of Texas zoo. How was the exhibit condition it was in and does it look healthy to you. Thanks.
 
I think I might have to tread around this one carefully. The actual exhibit is very small. if memory serve me correctly it is about 2'x3'x4' or there abouts. Personally, I would love to see an exhibit 3-4 times this size at least. As for the health of the animal, I can only comment as to say that it appeared healthy and well taken care of. I'm sure there is a new member of the forum who can correct me on anything I may have misspoken about.
 
Also, inquiries are being made about the possibility of a new female being acquired. The original female died at about age 18, being much older than the male, and never reproduced.
 
Good to hear, both on the new animal and the new exhibit. I really need to come and visit again.
 
SEALIFE Grapevine

Well, well, well. IT is time once again for a new zoo review. I am sitting in a small cafe just outside of the new SEALIFE in Grapevine, TX. This will be an easy review to write. One word, don't. (Although some grammarians will claim this is technically two words.)

I was in and out in about 30 minutes. $20, 30 minutes, honestly I can think of better ways to spend my money. Another English import, such as a nice brown ale, comes to mind.

Crappy things, I now have to wait 2 hours before my movie starts.

So Sealife, too small, too crowded, too commercial, too cheesy, too fake, and too overpriced.

If you want to visit an aquarium in the Dallas area there is still only 1 choice.
 
Hey my friend, Jbnbsn99, "don't" is not a review! That's a summary. How 'bout a bit more. Honestly, while I agree with the overpricing point, I found the SeaLife Aquarium out in California (at LegoLand) to be quite nice, especially for kids. And I have zero problems with being "commercial", especially for an Aquarium. If you think about it, how many of the USA's aquariums are owned or run by a big commercial corporation?
SeaLife's (4), Ripley's (2), Landry's Downtown Aqms (2), Adventure Aquarium-NJ (1), Atlantis-Long Island, and others. Heck, even the nation's best aquarium, Georgia, is owned by a big corporation (Home Depot).
 
I have absolutely no problem with commercial aquariums or zoos for that matter, but this was just sad. A bunch of fake-ness. Fake coral, fake fossils, fake ruins.
 
jbnbsn99 said:
I have absolutely no problem with commercial aquariums or zoos for that matter, but this was just sad. A bunch of fake-ness. Fake coral, fake fossils, fake ruins.
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That sounds like the top quality of a Sea-life centre that those of us in Europe know and love to hate!!
 
And people were queuing up for at least a 30 minute wait just to get in to the place. Most of that is the newness I think though. Unless they get something really spectacular like a baleen whale I probably won't go back.
 
I was really looking forward to the one in Kansas City, but not anymore. Thanks for this though jbnbsn99.
 
jbnbsn99 said:
The Aquarium is housed in a gigantic pyramid. In fact there are 3 pyramids that make up the “scientific” part of the Moody Gardens complex. The other two are the Discovery pyramid (basically kid-friendly science exhibits and an IMAX) and the Rainforest Pyramid. I read somewhere that there was a master plan to have 7 total pyramids. I have no clue if this is true or not. Each separate exhibit has a separate entrance fee, so to see everything it can get a bit pricey.
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Thanks for the Moody Gardens review. If I ever make it to Texas this will likely be on my list of places to see. Do you know if there are any specific plans for future pyramids? I'm curious if there is an African savanna pyramid in the future. Maybe they'll need a giraffe biologist for that pyramid.

Is the giant otter exhibit in the rain forest pyramid or the aquarium pyramid?
 
Yes, the GRO is in the rainforest pyramid. I doubt a savanna pyramid, but who knows.
 
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