Well, I really had high hopes for this zoo. I've been reading Snowleopard's review on the zoo and although he listed quite a few negative things, I also know he's been to a lot of zoo. For me not visiting many zoos, especially the top ones in the nation, I thought I could overlook things. Some I could, some I couldn't.
A big perk is I got my partner and myself in for free. I have a membership to the Buffalo Zoo, but starting this year with their membership you only get 50% off at reciprocal zoos. Well, I have a feeling I dealt with a seasonal admissions worker who didn't know the policy and we got to go in for no charge. So the trip did start out on a positive note! Even from the start of the zoo with it's escalator, the zoo borrows from its natural landscape of hillsides. Most of the exhibits, even the ones inside seem to be tall exhibits having different levels to them. They may be narrow for some, but they are tall. May I also note I'm trying to really get used to children at a zoo. I've mastered blocking them out for the most part at my local zoo, but when I'm at other zoos seeing new things, children can really ruin the experience. It's sad because both here and Toronto it's hard to be engaged and be excited when school groups are following behind you to every exhibit being rude and loud. It gets to be too much and it starts to stress me out. I would also like to know how everyone paces themselves at zoo. I feel at times I see so many new things and I get overstimulated. I want to make sure I see animals at the right moment, to get that great photo, and there's too much going on at once. So it's like my first stroll around the zoo, I'm zipping along making sure I get everything. It's almost as if I have to go back a second time to really observe things. But going to the Columbus Zoo next month, I know I won't have the luxury to walk around a second time because the zoo is so big. Well, I'm sure I could, but my partner has only so much tolerance and energy to absorb it all.
ASIAN FOREST:
There's really not much to it. I agree with Snowleopard that the snow leopard exhibit is very poorly constructed. A tall exhibit, but very narrow with a little opening in the rocks for the snow leopard to sleep in or on top. Not a lot a room at all. I didn't mind the tiger exhibit. It isn't the worst I've seen and I liked the waterfall, different levels, and spots for visitors to view the exhibit. However the water was all green due to algae and there was only one tiger pacing around. Across the way was probably the best exhibit in this section -- the Komodo Dragon exhibit. The Komodo Dragon was right by the glass and I was able to get a very nice picture. I'm not sure if this one was bigger than the one I saw at the Toronto Zoo, but maybe being close up I noticed more its big size. The flamingos don't have a lot of room and I don't like the viewing options for visitors. Most of it is covered with fencing that may go up to my chest, but that's not the best for taking pictures. There is a spot where there's no (glass window), but then the flamingos are too far away. The Amur Leopard was off exhibit because they are renovating its exhibit, which I believe is a wise choice. --> This animal may have been more in the African Savanna section.
AFRICAN SAVANNA:
Starting with the Black Rhino and Dwarf Crocodile I would assume this is the start of this section of the zoo. An okay size exhibit for the one Black Rhino with a termite mound in the middle. One thing I did like was when you were by the African Painted Dogs you could look down into the Black Rhino exhibit to get a different look at it. The Lions had a pretty good exhibit with space to roam and different levels to occupy. They were sleeping up high on one of the cliffs, which was unfortunate for me because I've seen photos of the male lion and he has such a cute face. But I'm starting to get used to the idea that most of the big cats will be sleeping at zoos unless it's during feeding or enrichment time. Just around the corner is the paddock for the Ostrich and the Gazelles. The Ostrich was right up by the fence, but I worried because when I returned a few hours later, she was in the same spot. The Zebras are no longer there, but I was aware of this already. I looked forward to seeing the herd of African Elephants. To be honest with you, I've only seen the maximum of two African Elephants at a zoo. I know Toronto has three of them, but I only saw Iringa out for her demo when I walked by. It was so nice to see a whole bunch of them. One thing I was confused about was there was only one baby elephant. There are still two baby elephants at the zoo, right? I felt like I saw the older one and I'm not sure where the youngest was, which was unfortunate since they are so adorable! I'm sure there are a lot of better elephant exhibits out there, but I thought this one had adequate space and I enjoyed their big pool to swim in. The barn had ugly colored walls, but maybe the elephants enjoy that bright color? Despite the look, I did enjoy all the space and many stalls. Seeing Buffalo Zoo's elephant barn that JUST meets the minimum requirement, this barn was refreshing! I also saw Jackson the Bull Elephant in the back. Does he ever go out with the female elephants? I enjoyed seeing the Giraffes in the background when I saw the elephants and it was also nice to see them up close. Their paddock could definitely be a bit more bigger for them to walk around. An amusing sight was seeing one the giraffes chase after the peacock in their exhibit. The giraffe didn't appreciate the peacock and lowered his neck to butt the bird with his head. I've seen a rhino try to bite a peacock's feathers, but it was amusing to see a giraffe chase after one.
TROPICAL FOREST:
I couldn't really enjoy this exhibit because this is when the school groups came in following behind me being annoying as possible. I wouldn't say the building was horrible, but it could definitely use an modern make over. The exhibits were small, yet tall with space that went down beyond visitors' feet. But they did look dirty and outdated. The perk of the building was that there are some very amusing primates to watch. I enjoyed seeing the one arm female gibbon after seeing photos of her. She was adorable! I wish I had more time to observe them, but these kids really got under my skin. If I had to chose the worst exhibit in this building it would be the orangutan exhibit. Yes being tall, they had levels to climb. However the slanted windows for this area were awful for visitors. When I first saw it, the orangutans were above us and it was almost impossible to see them from that angle. I only saw a mother and her baby so I'm not sure if there's any more orangutans who were off exhibit. It was also very dim and cold/sterile looking (think concrete). I was glad to see that the gorillas were outside in their big yard. I agree there aren't a lot of trees for shade, although they are planted conveniently in the middle of the exhibit. And the gorillas really had no areas to climb. But it was very nice to see gorillas outside for a change in a spacious area. I stopped for a bit to eat after seeing them and I watched them a little more at this point. They were rolling around, playing with each other, etc. Are there two males? I thought I saw both with distinct silver backs, but perhaps one was a female. An area that's more in the African Savanna, but comes after the Tropical Forest is the African Painted Dogs. There's an window area where you watch them below and get an overview of their exhibit. Another window was on the other side where the dogs seemed to get up closer to their admirers. Of course when I got there, they decided to go to the deck where I just left.
BEARS:
Typical OLD bear grottoes. I didn't think the Kodiak Bear's grotto was the worst bear grotto I've seen. It did have a waterfall and decent size pool for the bear to go in. However the other bear grottoes were a step down and even smaller pool areas. The Spectacled Bear was facing the door where his keeper feeds him. He remained in the spot every time I walked by this area. The black bears were a bit active when I first saw them, but passed out when I returned. A renovation in their exhibit should definitely be on the zoo's to do list. One a positive note, it was bear day so there were activities for kids, wonderful chalk drawings of a brown bear by a zoo employee, and the black bears had camping items in their exhibit for enrichment.
PPG AQUARIUM/WATER EDGE:
So my partner and I really wanted to catch the Sea Otter feeding and we had to rush to get there. He took me into the aquarium instead of around it to try to find the otters. This was a mistake for me because I saw all these cool exhibits and I didn't have a moment to stop and enjoy them. So I really wanted to take my time and I was rushed. But it all worked out as we returned to the area after the feeding. The Sea Otters were adorable and much bigger than I expected. I'm glad we did see them during their feeding because it was their most active time. I didn't mind the Polar Bear exhibit. Different levels for the Polar Bears, a waterfall, and a tunnel for polars to swim around visitors. It shows that the exhibit was built around the time zoos decided to upgrade their Polar Bear exhibits and years later, other zoos have upgraded even better. I definitely look forward to seeing Columbus Zoo's polar bear exhibit next month! Seeing them walk around in natural scenery with grass, like the Toronto Zoo, will be nice. I also enjoyed the mock town setting in Water's Edge. I've already seen photos of it and I knew I would enjoy walking into town. I even got into the Polar Bear carrier/trap for a fun photo. I would have taken more of these photos as there were many opportunities around the zoo, but too many kids around with the same idea. I seemed to keep missing the Polar Bears swim in the water when I was in the tunnel. When I returned to the area later on, they were active and it was quite a fun experience. Moving back to the aquarium, I think it's the best and most modern exhibit at the zoo! With two floors, it uses the space quite well. I enjoyed having overviews of the exhibit being on the top floor. There was a tall tank that was on both floors and it was mesmerizing to see sharks and fish swimming about. I also enjoyed the touch tank and all the individual tanks with different fish. This is definitely an area I would like to return and spend more time there. The Penguin exhibit was too small for all those Penguins, but I admit I loved seeing all the different types of Penguin and having Emperor Penguins swim right up to me. When I first walked around the aquarium, the Pacific Octopus had its tentacles stuck on the glass, but I didn't have time to observe it. And of course when I return, it was tucked in an upper corner.
KIDS KINGDOM/WORLD OF DISCOVERIES:
I was disappointed! This is the exhibit I've read is one of the best at the zoo. And it's ranked #1 in the Best Zoos in America book. But I had so much more fun in the Erie Zoo's children area. Now I know I'm an adult so a kid's opinion could be different, but I expected more. Yes there was thw spiderweb to climb, slides, little rides, but I skipped those areas. First off, the sea lion pool. I enjoyed seeing so many sea lions, especially the baby! One of the sea lions is pregnant and due any day now, but she was still very active during their demonstration. I was shocked though because I saw a news story stating she was due in June. Anyway, here's a big complaint -- where is the seating area around the exhibit? If you're going to have a sea lion show, why wouldn't you have rows of seats like most other zoos? It's very hard for people to see if they don't come in time and have a spot up front. A perk though was I got a spot right above the platform where they do the behaviors with the sea lions. So I got some great pictures! They need to turn up the volume on the interpreter's mic and she needs to be more excited about it. The sea lions really stole the show and I don't think anyone was listening to her. I was a demonstration interpreter at a zoo last summer so I know there has to be an equal balance for the demonstration to work. Yes, most of the time the audience won't be really listening to you, but if you engage them in questions about things you said previously, it's nice when you're surprised that they did listen. Another note on the exhibit, I didn't like seeing a pile of random leaves in their pool. Not sure if this was enrichment for the sea lions, but it just looked dirty and something I thought the keeper could have taken care of before the show. I felt most of the exhibits were dirty and outdated. Modern at the time they were made, but they need a little touch up to look nice again. I have no idea where the Skunk was and I have a feeling I may never see one at a zoo. The River Otters had a naturalistic exhibit, but I didn't like the layout for visitors. There was no viewing area to watch them under water and it could have been designed better with visitors in mind. One thing I will commend is active beavers! I caught them at the right time, but it was finally nice to see a beaver that wasn't sleeping! I'm not sure about the bird aviary -- I didn't see a single bird. The kangaroo yard was the smallest one I've seen at a zoo. I also didn't like seeing the llama and camel in their small stalls looking miserable. I'm also not sure why there was a yard for sheep which I assume is used for people to pet them, but the sheep was kept in a fenced off area in the back. The big bridge up high was fun to cross, but I'm not sure why so many people were scared to climb it at a normal pace. The Worlds of Discovery building was okay, but I still like the similar building that's in Erie Zoo's children area. The Meerkat exhibit was cute and if there were less people around, I would have totally gone in the tunnel and stuck my head in the bubble. I did come around the time there was a small animal encounter so I was able to pet a snake, chinchilla, ferret, and opossum. It was nice to see a opossum once again at a zoo and she was adorable. I asked what her name was and the older docent was like, "Her name is Blossom! What else would you name an opossum?!" Yes, that's a cute rhyming name, but I'm sure zoos use a lot more names, Seneca Park Zoo used Thelma and Louise. I skipped the stage show in this area because it didn't look like there was a lot of animals. I'm sorry I missed the Safari show in the African section.
I went to the gift shop and was shocked at the prices of souvenirs. A bit expensive if you ask me. I always collect a magnet from each zoo I visit, but they had a horrible selection. Most of them were cut outs of cartoon animals that could be used at any zoo. There was one with the logo and dangling animals attached at the bottom, but being so small, it was too expensive. So I end up not getting one. I'm not sure why they couldn't have a basic square magnet with their logo.
All in all, the Pittsburgh Zoo is a decent zoo. There are some really nice exhibits, but like Snowleopard said in his review, it would be nice to see other exhibits upgraded to match the integrity. It's probably not a zoo I'd travel to again, but if I was in the area and still had reciprocity, I'd definitely give it another chance! I'll be posting pictures tomorrow. I tried to get a mix of exhibits shots and some of the animals. I just read an old thread about people posting multiple pictures and I'll be sure to be selective with my choices.
A big perk is I got my partner and myself in for free. I have a membership to the Buffalo Zoo, but starting this year with their membership you only get 50% off at reciprocal zoos. Well, I have a feeling I dealt with a seasonal admissions worker who didn't know the policy and we got to go in for no charge. So the trip did start out on a positive note! Even from the start of the zoo with it's escalator, the zoo borrows from its natural landscape of hillsides. Most of the exhibits, even the ones inside seem to be tall exhibits having different levels to them. They may be narrow for some, but they are tall. May I also note I'm trying to really get used to children at a zoo. I've mastered blocking them out for the most part at my local zoo, but when I'm at other zoos seeing new things, children can really ruin the experience. It's sad because both here and Toronto it's hard to be engaged and be excited when school groups are following behind you to every exhibit being rude and loud. It gets to be too much and it starts to stress me out. I would also like to know how everyone paces themselves at zoo. I feel at times I see so many new things and I get overstimulated. I want to make sure I see animals at the right moment, to get that great photo, and there's too much going on at once. So it's like my first stroll around the zoo, I'm zipping along making sure I get everything. It's almost as if I have to go back a second time to really observe things. But going to the Columbus Zoo next month, I know I won't have the luxury to walk around a second time because the zoo is so big. Well, I'm sure I could, but my partner has only so much tolerance and energy to absorb it all.
ASIAN FOREST:
There's really not much to it. I agree with Snowleopard that the snow leopard exhibit is very poorly constructed. A tall exhibit, but very narrow with a little opening in the rocks for the snow leopard to sleep in or on top. Not a lot a room at all. I didn't mind the tiger exhibit. It isn't the worst I've seen and I liked the waterfall, different levels, and spots for visitors to view the exhibit. However the water was all green due to algae and there was only one tiger pacing around. Across the way was probably the best exhibit in this section -- the Komodo Dragon exhibit. The Komodo Dragon was right by the glass and I was able to get a very nice picture. I'm not sure if this one was bigger than the one I saw at the Toronto Zoo, but maybe being close up I noticed more its big size. The flamingos don't have a lot of room and I don't like the viewing options for visitors. Most of it is covered with fencing that may go up to my chest, but that's not the best for taking pictures. There is a spot where there's no (glass window), but then the flamingos are too far away. The Amur Leopard was off exhibit because they are renovating its exhibit, which I believe is a wise choice. --> This animal may have been more in the African Savanna section.
AFRICAN SAVANNA:
Starting with the Black Rhino and Dwarf Crocodile I would assume this is the start of this section of the zoo. An okay size exhibit for the one Black Rhino with a termite mound in the middle. One thing I did like was when you were by the African Painted Dogs you could look down into the Black Rhino exhibit to get a different look at it. The Lions had a pretty good exhibit with space to roam and different levels to occupy. They were sleeping up high on one of the cliffs, which was unfortunate for me because I've seen photos of the male lion and he has such a cute face. But I'm starting to get used to the idea that most of the big cats will be sleeping at zoos unless it's during feeding or enrichment time. Just around the corner is the paddock for the Ostrich and the Gazelles. The Ostrich was right up by the fence, but I worried because when I returned a few hours later, she was in the same spot. The Zebras are no longer there, but I was aware of this already. I looked forward to seeing the herd of African Elephants. To be honest with you, I've only seen the maximum of two African Elephants at a zoo. I know Toronto has three of them, but I only saw Iringa out for her demo when I walked by. It was so nice to see a whole bunch of them. One thing I was confused about was there was only one baby elephant. There are still two baby elephants at the zoo, right? I felt like I saw the older one and I'm not sure where the youngest was, which was unfortunate since they are so adorable! I'm sure there are a lot of better elephant exhibits out there, but I thought this one had adequate space and I enjoyed their big pool to swim in. The barn had ugly colored walls, but maybe the elephants enjoy that bright color? Despite the look, I did enjoy all the space and many stalls. Seeing Buffalo Zoo's elephant barn that JUST meets the minimum requirement, this barn was refreshing! I also saw Jackson the Bull Elephant in the back. Does he ever go out with the female elephants? I enjoyed seeing the Giraffes in the background when I saw the elephants and it was also nice to see them up close. Their paddock could definitely be a bit more bigger for them to walk around. An amusing sight was seeing one the giraffes chase after the peacock in their exhibit. The giraffe didn't appreciate the peacock and lowered his neck to butt the bird with his head. I've seen a rhino try to bite a peacock's feathers, but it was amusing to see a giraffe chase after one.
TROPICAL FOREST:
I couldn't really enjoy this exhibit because this is when the school groups came in following behind me being annoying as possible. I wouldn't say the building was horrible, but it could definitely use an modern make over. The exhibits were small, yet tall with space that went down beyond visitors' feet. But they did look dirty and outdated. The perk of the building was that there are some very amusing primates to watch. I enjoyed seeing the one arm female gibbon after seeing photos of her. She was adorable! I wish I had more time to observe them, but these kids really got under my skin. If I had to chose the worst exhibit in this building it would be the orangutan exhibit. Yes being tall, they had levels to climb. However the slanted windows for this area were awful for visitors. When I first saw it, the orangutans were above us and it was almost impossible to see them from that angle. I only saw a mother and her baby so I'm not sure if there's any more orangutans who were off exhibit. It was also very dim and cold/sterile looking (think concrete). I was glad to see that the gorillas were outside in their big yard. I agree there aren't a lot of trees for shade, although they are planted conveniently in the middle of the exhibit. And the gorillas really had no areas to climb. But it was very nice to see gorillas outside for a change in a spacious area. I stopped for a bit to eat after seeing them and I watched them a little more at this point. They were rolling around, playing with each other, etc. Are there two males? I thought I saw both with distinct silver backs, but perhaps one was a female. An area that's more in the African Savanna, but comes after the Tropical Forest is the African Painted Dogs. There's an window area where you watch them below and get an overview of their exhibit. Another window was on the other side where the dogs seemed to get up closer to their admirers. Of course when I got there, they decided to go to the deck where I just left.
BEARS:
Typical OLD bear grottoes. I didn't think the Kodiak Bear's grotto was the worst bear grotto I've seen. It did have a waterfall and decent size pool for the bear to go in. However the other bear grottoes were a step down and even smaller pool areas. The Spectacled Bear was facing the door where his keeper feeds him. He remained in the spot every time I walked by this area. The black bears were a bit active when I first saw them, but passed out when I returned. A renovation in their exhibit should definitely be on the zoo's to do list. One a positive note, it was bear day so there were activities for kids, wonderful chalk drawings of a brown bear by a zoo employee, and the black bears had camping items in their exhibit for enrichment.
PPG AQUARIUM/WATER EDGE:
So my partner and I really wanted to catch the Sea Otter feeding and we had to rush to get there. He took me into the aquarium instead of around it to try to find the otters. This was a mistake for me because I saw all these cool exhibits and I didn't have a moment to stop and enjoy them. So I really wanted to take my time and I was rushed. But it all worked out as we returned to the area after the feeding. The Sea Otters were adorable and much bigger than I expected. I'm glad we did see them during their feeding because it was their most active time. I didn't mind the Polar Bear exhibit. Different levels for the Polar Bears, a waterfall, and a tunnel for polars to swim around visitors. It shows that the exhibit was built around the time zoos decided to upgrade their Polar Bear exhibits and years later, other zoos have upgraded even better. I definitely look forward to seeing Columbus Zoo's polar bear exhibit next month! Seeing them walk around in natural scenery with grass, like the Toronto Zoo, will be nice. I also enjoyed the mock town setting in Water's Edge. I've already seen photos of it and I knew I would enjoy walking into town. I even got into the Polar Bear carrier/trap for a fun photo. I would have taken more of these photos as there were many opportunities around the zoo, but too many kids around with the same idea. I seemed to keep missing the Polar Bears swim in the water when I was in the tunnel. When I returned to the area later on, they were active and it was quite a fun experience. Moving back to the aquarium, I think it's the best and most modern exhibit at the zoo! With two floors, it uses the space quite well. I enjoyed having overviews of the exhibit being on the top floor. There was a tall tank that was on both floors and it was mesmerizing to see sharks and fish swimming about. I also enjoyed the touch tank and all the individual tanks with different fish. This is definitely an area I would like to return and spend more time there. The Penguin exhibit was too small for all those Penguins, but I admit I loved seeing all the different types of Penguin and having Emperor Penguins swim right up to me. When I first walked around the aquarium, the Pacific Octopus had its tentacles stuck on the glass, but I didn't have time to observe it. And of course when I return, it was tucked in an upper corner.
KIDS KINGDOM/WORLD OF DISCOVERIES:
I was disappointed! This is the exhibit I've read is one of the best at the zoo. And it's ranked #1 in the Best Zoos in America book. But I had so much more fun in the Erie Zoo's children area. Now I know I'm an adult so a kid's opinion could be different, but I expected more. Yes there was thw spiderweb to climb, slides, little rides, but I skipped those areas. First off, the sea lion pool. I enjoyed seeing so many sea lions, especially the baby! One of the sea lions is pregnant and due any day now, but she was still very active during their demonstration. I was shocked though because I saw a news story stating she was due in June. Anyway, here's a big complaint -- where is the seating area around the exhibit? If you're going to have a sea lion show, why wouldn't you have rows of seats like most other zoos? It's very hard for people to see if they don't come in time and have a spot up front. A perk though was I got a spot right above the platform where they do the behaviors with the sea lions. So I got some great pictures! They need to turn up the volume on the interpreter's mic and she needs to be more excited about it. The sea lions really stole the show and I don't think anyone was listening to her. I was a demonstration interpreter at a zoo last summer so I know there has to be an equal balance for the demonstration to work. Yes, most of the time the audience won't be really listening to you, but if you engage them in questions about things you said previously, it's nice when you're surprised that they did listen. Another note on the exhibit, I didn't like seeing a pile of random leaves in their pool. Not sure if this was enrichment for the sea lions, but it just looked dirty and something I thought the keeper could have taken care of before the show. I felt most of the exhibits were dirty and outdated. Modern at the time they were made, but they need a little touch up to look nice again. I have no idea where the Skunk was and I have a feeling I may never see one at a zoo. The River Otters had a naturalistic exhibit, but I didn't like the layout for visitors. There was no viewing area to watch them under water and it could have been designed better with visitors in mind. One thing I will commend is active beavers! I caught them at the right time, but it was finally nice to see a beaver that wasn't sleeping! I'm not sure about the bird aviary -- I didn't see a single bird. The kangaroo yard was the smallest one I've seen at a zoo. I also didn't like seeing the llama and camel in their small stalls looking miserable. I'm also not sure why there was a yard for sheep which I assume is used for people to pet them, but the sheep was kept in a fenced off area in the back. The big bridge up high was fun to cross, but I'm not sure why so many people were scared to climb it at a normal pace. The Worlds of Discovery building was okay, but I still like the similar building that's in Erie Zoo's children area. The Meerkat exhibit was cute and if there were less people around, I would have totally gone in the tunnel and stuck my head in the bubble. I did come around the time there was a small animal encounter so I was able to pet a snake, chinchilla, ferret, and opossum. It was nice to see a opossum once again at a zoo and she was adorable. I asked what her name was and the older docent was like, "Her name is Blossom! What else would you name an opossum?!" Yes, that's a cute rhyming name, but I'm sure zoos use a lot more names, Seneca Park Zoo used Thelma and Louise. I skipped the stage show in this area because it didn't look like there was a lot of animals. I'm sorry I missed the Safari show in the African section.
I went to the gift shop and was shocked at the prices of souvenirs. A bit expensive if you ask me. I always collect a magnet from each zoo I visit, but they had a horrible selection. Most of them were cut outs of cartoon animals that could be used at any zoo. There was one with the logo and dangling animals attached at the bottom, but being so small, it was too expensive. So I end up not getting one. I'm not sure why they couldn't have a basic square magnet with their logo.
All in all, the Pittsburgh Zoo is a decent zoo. There are some really nice exhibits, but like Snowleopard said in his review, it would be nice to see other exhibits upgraded to match the integrity. It's probably not a zoo I'd travel to again, but if I was in the area and still had reciprocity, I'd definitely give it another chance! I'll be posting pictures tomorrow. I tried to get a mix of exhibits shots and some of the animals. I just read an old thread about people posting multiple pictures and I'll be sure to be selective with my choices.
