On July 23, 2019, Albuquerque Biopark Zoo (formerly Rio Grande Zoo) opened Penguin Chill. This new exhibit cost 19.1 million US Dollars and is enclosed in a new 14,550 square foot building. During the exhibit's opening summer months the zoo experienced record visitor numbers. However I visited on a Monday (September 23) after the start of the school year, so visitor numbers were pleasantly low.
The building is on the site of a former tropical building that was demolished for this project. In my opinion that is no loss as the exhibits were mediocre at best and the stench was ever present (I have personally witnessed visitors walk into the building and turn around and walk out due to the smell). The new building has some nice landscaping surrounding it and is approached via a sloping ramp to the main entrance. To the right of this are some very wide stairs that lead to the small outdoor cafe and patio.
The entrance doors are traditional wood doors (there are two sets one around a corner from the other) and are so nondescript that it is not entirely clear whether this is the entrance or a service closet or a keeper access door. There is not even a sign that says “entrance” and the whole setup is a bit bizarre. I would expect a new building of this magnitude to use automatic sliding glass doors.
Once inside you are in a very small entry room, with another set of plain double doors on the left. There is one small (but tall) viewing window into a small side section of the penguin pool and to the right of that a display case that sort of replicates what tourists would see welcoming them to Chile (at the airport?). If you look carefully down into the penguin pool you can see another viewing area below with people looking in. However this entire entry room is so small that I can't imagine how crowded it would be on busy days. The need to open a second set of doors is also inconvenient to say the least. Why the zoo would choose to funnel the crowds into this cramped space right at the start is beyond understanding. This design is a huge blunder in my opinion, but thankfully things get better from here.
Once inside the second set of doors there is a large open area with semi-circular amphitheater seating behind. (Why isn't this the first room visitors walk into?). In front is the main penguin exhibit, a rocky area with underwater viewing at the base. On the right a path slopes downhill offering additional views (increasingly underwater as you progress) and another window into the small section on the right that you first saw in the opening room. To access this pool, penguins swim under your feet which you can see via acrylic floor boards. As you might imagine, these are quite scuffed making viewing difficult. If they are this scuffed only two months after opening, I can only imagine how long it will be before they are marred to the point of being useless (unless the zoo plans to change the panels regularly).
Penguins are the only live animals in the building and the singular exhibit mingles three species: king (Aptenodytes patagonicus), macaroni (Eudyptes chrysolophus), gentoo (Pygoscelis papua). Due to my rush to get back to the cat area, I did not take time to distinguish the different penguins on display. Early reports from zoo staff indicated the kings were hesitant to come out and were staying in their holding area.
A curving hallway slopes down to the lower level and the right side of this features life-size replicas of all the world's penguin species. This is nicely done and my favorite part of the building. A replicated scientific explorer ship has both hands-on and static displays. My favorite is a large electronic map/table in the middle. I watched as a father and daughter ran their fingers over it. When their finger (representing a penguin) came across various kinds of penguin food it would show a display of what they had discovered to eat. At one end of the room video monitors allow guests to tap a question with their finger and a video shows an antarctic scientist answering the question.
Beyond this is the lower viewing window into the side pool that we saw looking down from the opening room, as well as underwater viewing of the main pool. There is also a selfie station where you can take your photo and copy a number to retrieve your photo (how you retrieve it I am not entirely sure but the station was not working anyway).
The exit goes to an outdoor pathway that leads back into the zoo. Thankfully the first part is covered (shaded) so that you are not blinded by sunlight when you open the doors to go back outside. If you go up the stairs to the aforementioned patio, you can stop at the cafe or use the restroom (bathroom, water closet, toilet). Surprisingly for such a major building, the restroom is a locking, single-use facility (as in only one person at a time can use it). The cafe offers primarily snacks and drinks, but also has fish & chips or chicken & chips. I did partake of the fish & chips, and paid two bucks extra to upgrade from American potato chips (crisps in British) to waffle fries (chips in British). It was quite tasty but also quite expensive – with tax (which is never included in the listed price as it is in Europe) it came to 18.33 US dollars. I did not order a beverage or any extras; that was the price for fish & chips only. Since zoo admission is cheap (especially with my reciprocal discount) I did not mind supporting the zoo in this way. But a family of four with drinks and ice cream could easily drop a hundred bucks – ouch! My biggest complaint is the lack of healthy sides so that when I finished the meal I had to walk to the main zoo cafe (not far away) and get a fruit cup. In hindsight I should have bought the fruit cup first and carried it with me to the penguin cafe, but why don't they have small items like this at both?
This new exhibit is a huge plus for this mid-sized zoo and takes it one step closer to the big leagues of the zoo world. Considering this is the only major zoo in the state of New Mexico, it is even more significant. I would categorize it as a very good exhibit, but not an outstanding, world-class exhibit. What is missing? If I had to summarize my feeling of the building complex in one word it would be sterile. While the main exhibit does have faux rocky cliffs, they are somewhat bland. Even some older and less expensive exhibits like the one at Oregon Zoo I find more enjoyable. The large expanses of white walls have an almost clinical feel – like being in a hospital. As I have mentioned, there is no logical explanation for the cramped opening room. However the educational elements and clear underwater viewing add enough to elevate the exhibit beyond the mediocre. Conclusion: worth seeing if you are in the area, but don't book a flight just for this.
The building is on the site of a former tropical building that was demolished for this project. In my opinion that is no loss as the exhibits were mediocre at best and the stench was ever present (I have personally witnessed visitors walk into the building and turn around and walk out due to the smell). The new building has some nice landscaping surrounding it and is approached via a sloping ramp to the main entrance. To the right of this are some very wide stairs that lead to the small outdoor cafe and patio.
The entrance doors are traditional wood doors (there are two sets one around a corner from the other) and are so nondescript that it is not entirely clear whether this is the entrance or a service closet or a keeper access door. There is not even a sign that says “entrance” and the whole setup is a bit bizarre. I would expect a new building of this magnitude to use automatic sliding glass doors.
Once inside you are in a very small entry room, with another set of plain double doors on the left. There is one small (but tall) viewing window into a small side section of the penguin pool and to the right of that a display case that sort of replicates what tourists would see welcoming them to Chile (at the airport?). If you look carefully down into the penguin pool you can see another viewing area below with people looking in. However this entire entry room is so small that I can't imagine how crowded it would be on busy days. The need to open a second set of doors is also inconvenient to say the least. Why the zoo would choose to funnel the crowds into this cramped space right at the start is beyond understanding. This design is a huge blunder in my opinion, but thankfully things get better from here.
Once inside the second set of doors there is a large open area with semi-circular amphitheater seating behind. (Why isn't this the first room visitors walk into?). In front is the main penguin exhibit, a rocky area with underwater viewing at the base. On the right a path slopes downhill offering additional views (increasingly underwater as you progress) and another window into the small section on the right that you first saw in the opening room. To access this pool, penguins swim under your feet which you can see via acrylic floor boards. As you might imagine, these are quite scuffed making viewing difficult. If they are this scuffed only two months after opening, I can only imagine how long it will be before they are marred to the point of being useless (unless the zoo plans to change the panels regularly).
Penguins are the only live animals in the building and the singular exhibit mingles three species: king (Aptenodytes patagonicus), macaroni (Eudyptes chrysolophus), gentoo (Pygoscelis papua). Due to my rush to get back to the cat area, I did not take time to distinguish the different penguins on display. Early reports from zoo staff indicated the kings were hesitant to come out and were staying in their holding area.
A curving hallway slopes down to the lower level and the right side of this features life-size replicas of all the world's penguin species. This is nicely done and my favorite part of the building. A replicated scientific explorer ship has both hands-on and static displays. My favorite is a large electronic map/table in the middle. I watched as a father and daughter ran their fingers over it. When their finger (representing a penguin) came across various kinds of penguin food it would show a display of what they had discovered to eat. At one end of the room video monitors allow guests to tap a question with their finger and a video shows an antarctic scientist answering the question.
Beyond this is the lower viewing window into the side pool that we saw looking down from the opening room, as well as underwater viewing of the main pool. There is also a selfie station where you can take your photo and copy a number to retrieve your photo (how you retrieve it I am not entirely sure but the station was not working anyway).
The exit goes to an outdoor pathway that leads back into the zoo. Thankfully the first part is covered (shaded) so that you are not blinded by sunlight when you open the doors to go back outside. If you go up the stairs to the aforementioned patio, you can stop at the cafe or use the restroom (bathroom, water closet, toilet). Surprisingly for such a major building, the restroom is a locking, single-use facility (as in only one person at a time can use it). The cafe offers primarily snacks and drinks, but also has fish & chips or chicken & chips. I did partake of the fish & chips, and paid two bucks extra to upgrade from American potato chips (crisps in British) to waffle fries (chips in British). It was quite tasty but also quite expensive – with tax (which is never included in the listed price as it is in Europe) it came to 18.33 US dollars. I did not order a beverage or any extras; that was the price for fish & chips only. Since zoo admission is cheap (especially with my reciprocal discount) I did not mind supporting the zoo in this way. But a family of four with drinks and ice cream could easily drop a hundred bucks – ouch! My biggest complaint is the lack of healthy sides so that when I finished the meal I had to walk to the main zoo cafe (not far away) and get a fruit cup. In hindsight I should have bought the fruit cup first and carried it with me to the penguin cafe, but why don't they have small items like this at both?
This new exhibit is a huge plus for this mid-sized zoo and takes it one step closer to the big leagues of the zoo world. Considering this is the only major zoo in the state of New Mexico, it is even more significant. I would categorize it as a very good exhibit, but not an outstanding, world-class exhibit. What is missing? If I had to summarize my feeling of the building complex in one word it would be sterile. While the main exhibit does have faux rocky cliffs, they are somewhat bland. Even some older and less expensive exhibits like the one at Oregon Zoo I find more enjoyable. The large expanses of white walls have an almost clinical feel – like being in a hospital. As I have mentioned, there is no logical explanation for the cramped opening room. However the educational elements and clear underwater viewing add enough to elevate the exhibit beyond the mediocre. Conclusion: worth seeing if you are in the area, but don't book a flight just for this.
