Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Garden Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Garden Species List and Review 7-11-2023

[Bactrian Deer]

Mesker Park Zoo, better than Indianapolis in my opinion.

REVIEW:
North America was empty, a decent habitat for wolves, no complaints.

Amazonia was the best part of the zoo, Tapir could have used a better habitat.

African Panorama’s singular habitat was impressive, the overlook was closed as the crane was in an enclosed habitat, I saw no springbok.

Penguin’s habitat could have been more naturalistic.

Enchanted Forest was very nice, Otters could have used more water and the rest was good.

Asia was copy and paste with habitat structure, a grass field with a singular tree, takin habitat was impressive, and the Sun Bear was cool, the axis deer were off exhibit for construction.

Kley building has a nice Komodo habitat, nocturnal zone could have used more diversity as there were 2 habitats for each species of 3 animals .

Discovery Center was bland.

The sitatunga walkthrough is no more, bummer, no white storks and the path is very eroded. The giraffe/zebra habitat is terrible as it is just gravel.

SPECIES LIST
Italic means unseen
Amazonia

1. Giant Anteater, Patagonian Mara
2. Turkey Vulture, Blue Duiker
3. Keel-Billed Toucan
4. Squirrel Monkey, Black Howler Monkey, Yellow-Knobbed Currasow
5. White-Faced Saki Monkey, Geoffrey’s Marmoset
6. Axolotl
7. Aquatic Caecilian
8. Neon Tetra
9. Columbian Tetra
10. Emerald Tree Boa
11. Curlyhaired Tarantula
12. Emerald Tree Boa
13. Giant Cockroach
14. Brazilian Rainbow Boa
15. Jamaican Fruit Bat, Pallas’s Long-Tongued Bat, Seba’s Short-Tailed Bat
16. Prehensile-Tailed Porcupine
17. Baird’s Tapir
18. Screaming Hairy Armadillo
19. Dwarf Caiman, Black Skirt Tetra, Rummynose Tetra, Plecostomus, South American Puffer Fish
20. Silver Dollar, Silver Insignis, Chaleus, Thorny Catfish, Redhook Myleus, White-Blotched River Stingray, Blue Hook Silver Dollar, False Jaguar Catfish, Leporinus
21. Blue Hook Silver Dollar, Bugtoothed Piranha
22. Jaguar

Free Flight: Venezuelan Troupial, Sunbittern, White-Faced Whistling Duck, Scarlet Ibis, Roseate Spoonbill, Brazilian Cardinal

Asia and Australia

1. Asian Brown Tortoise
2. Laughing Kookaburra
3. Donkey, Miniature Horse
4. Reeve’s Muntjac, Sichuan Takin
5. Malayan Sun Bear
6. Jacob’s Sheep (Temporary for Axis Deer)
7. Bactrian Camel
8. Little Button Quail
9. Mueller’s Grey Gibbon
10. Aldabra Tortoise
11. Indian Rhinoceros

African Panorama

1. Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, Sitatunga, Great Kudu, Common Ostrich, Springbok?
2. Grey-Crowned Crane

African Rift

1. African Spurred Tortoise
2. Sitatunga
3. Giraffe, Grant’s Zebra

North America

1. Mexican Gray Wolf
2. Northern Leopard Tortoise

Discovery Center

1. Francois Langur
2. Red Panda
3. Ring-Tailed Lemur
4. Hellbender (multiple tanks)
5. Pygmy Slow Loris, Crested Wood Partridge, Diamond Dove
6. Egyptian Tortoise
7. Lesser Hedgehog Tenrec
8. Hyacinth Macaw
9. Panamanian Golden Frog
10. California Kingsnake
11. Vietnamese Giant Centipede
12. Kenyan Sand Boa
13. Ocelot

Kley Memorial Building

1. Rhinoceros Iguana
2. McCords Box Turtle
3. Madagascan Tree Boa
4. Kenyan Sand Boa
5. Spider Tortoise
6. Desert Horned Lizard
7. Red-Tailed Green Rattlesnake
8. Komodo Dragon

Creatures of the Night (In Kley)

1. Southern Three-Banded Armadillo
2. Ringtail
3. Ringtail
4. Alligator Snapping Turtle
5. Fennec Fox
6. Sand Cat
7. Sand Cat

Lemur Forest

1. Coquerel’s Sifaka, Red Ruffed Lemur, Ring-Tailed Lemur

Children’s Enchanted Forest

1. Budgierar
2. Cape Porcupine
3. Scarlet Macaw
4. Eurasian Eagle Owl
5. Binturong
6. North American River Otter
7. Black and White Colobus Monkey
8. Domestic Goat

The Kinney Family Penguins of Patagonia

1. Humboldt Penguin