KCZooFan
Well-Known Member
Well, I finally made it up to a very little known zoo, that I am guessing very few members have visited. It is one of three AZA accredited zoos in Nebraska. It is the quaint little Riverside Zoo in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. It is located in the shadow of the beautiful Scottsbluff,a huge rock formation of the midwest, as well as being near famous Chimney Rock. It is in no way a great zoo, and the grounds are rather messy. Not being in peak season, several exhibits were closed. The worst thing is a haphazard layout, where one has to walk to the far end of the zoo and back, following the same route. I’ll describe it from the front of the zoo, to the end. There aren’t any exhibit areas, as the zoo is pretty small.
The entrance building is a small and undecorated one, with a tall “Zoo” sign. Towards the front are two waterfowl ponds. There is quite a bit of walking before you come up to the first exhibit. It is two small side-by-side exhibits behind glass. One is for striped skunk, black-crowned night heron, and American crow. The second is for a northern raccoon. After this is a small bridge seperating two parts of the pond. Then is another small exhibit, with both glass and mesh viewing for a pair of bobcats. Up ahead is the first view of two nice hoofstock yards that can both be seen from several vantage points around the zoo. The first is North America, for American bison and mule deer. The second (larger) is for Common zebra and waterbuck. Both of these have moats in the front, but are separated from each other by ugly chain-link. After this is a very nice swift fox exhibit, with tons of burrows, and is possibly the best exhibit at the zoo. Near this a small “waterpark” for children. The next area is actually has some rare-ish animals. There is a cage for Waldrapp ibis and an unmarked pigeon species (speckled I think). Also here is a small pen for llamas, miniature donkey, and a Vietnamese pot-bellied pig. Between the llama and ibis exhibit is a “Rainforest Discovery Center” building. There are five glass-fronted exhibits inside. Two are for a nice collection of golden-headed lion tamarins, including a three-month-old baby. One of the tamarin exhibits is shared with Fischer’s lovebird. The other three contain Taveta golden weaver, green iguana, and some small unidentified turtle species. A bird section is next, with tall circular cages for great horned owl, turkey vulture, Swainson’s hawk, and a bald eagle. Across from this are two long cages for trumpeter swans. Next to the raptor cages is a closed building. Two cages on the outside are for brown-headed spider monkey and mantled guereza. Then is a tall netted aviary that was closed on my visit. Too bad, as it appeared to be fairly nice. Then are two circular cages, one for American badger, and one for yellow-bellied marmot. At the back of the zoo is a long yard for wild turkeys. I believe it held moose at one time. The last exhibits are several tall cages surrounding a closed building. All were empty, except for the Eurasian lynx cage. Other species found here are lion, tiger, leopard, and chimpanzee. Also here is a nice grassy muntjac yard and more views of the North American and African hoofstock yards I mentioned earlier. That's it, and to get out, one has to walk back past all the exhibits again. Not a good layout at all! There are also a number of Indian peafowl that roam the grounds, taunting monkeys and turkeys.
There were a lot of cages, few interesting species, and unkempt grounds. Overall, I would rank it about equal with David Traylor Zoo in Emporia, Kansas. It is larger and has more species, but isn’t as well kept. Nevertheless, it isn’t a bad zoo. It has a decent mix of native and exotic animals. And for a town of 25,000, in the middle of Nebraska it is okay. The nearest zoo is located in either Omaha, or Denver, both hundred of miles away. I wouldn’t have mad it out here probably if I didn’t have relatives living nearby. I shall upload some photos to the gallery in a few days.
The entrance building is a small and undecorated one, with a tall “Zoo” sign. Towards the front are two waterfowl ponds. There is quite a bit of walking before you come up to the first exhibit. It is two small side-by-side exhibits behind glass. One is for striped skunk, black-crowned night heron, and American crow. The second is for a northern raccoon. After this is a small bridge seperating two parts of the pond. Then is another small exhibit, with both glass and mesh viewing for a pair of bobcats. Up ahead is the first view of two nice hoofstock yards that can both be seen from several vantage points around the zoo. The first is North America, for American bison and mule deer. The second (larger) is for Common zebra and waterbuck. Both of these have moats in the front, but are separated from each other by ugly chain-link. After this is a very nice swift fox exhibit, with tons of burrows, and is possibly the best exhibit at the zoo. Near this a small “waterpark” for children. The next area is actually has some rare-ish animals. There is a cage for Waldrapp ibis and an unmarked pigeon species (speckled I think). Also here is a small pen for llamas, miniature donkey, and a Vietnamese pot-bellied pig. Between the llama and ibis exhibit is a “Rainforest Discovery Center” building. There are five glass-fronted exhibits inside. Two are for a nice collection of golden-headed lion tamarins, including a three-month-old baby. One of the tamarin exhibits is shared with Fischer’s lovebird. The other three contain Taveta golden weaver, green iguana, and some small unidentified turtle species. A bird section is next, with tall circular cages for great horned owl, turkey vulture, Swainson’s hawk, and a bald eagle. Across from this are two long cages for trumpeter swans. Next to the raptor cages is a closed building. Two cages on the outside are for brown-headed spider monkey and mantled guereza. Then is a tall netted aviary that was closed on my visit. Too bad, as it appeared to be fairly nice. Then are two circular cages, one for American badger, and one for yellow-bellied marmot. At the back of the zoo is a long yard for wild turkeys. I believe it held moose at one time. The last exhibits are several tall cages surrounding a closed building. All were empty, except for the Eurasian lynx cage. Other species found here are lion, tiger, leopard, and chimpanzee. Also here is a nice grassy muntjac yard and more views of the North American and African hoofstock yards I mentioned earlier. That's it, and to get out, one has to walk back past all the exhibits again. Not a good layout at all! There are also a number of Indian peafowl that roam the grounds, taunting monkeys and turkeys.
There were a lot of cages, few interesting species, and unkempt grounds. Overall, I would rank it about equal with David Traylor Zoo in Emporia, Kansas. It is larger and has more species, but isn’t as well kept. Nevertheless, it isn’t a bad zoo. It has a decent mix of native and exotic animals. And for a town of 25,000, in the middle of Nebraska it is okay. The nearest zoo is located in either Omaha, or Denver, both hundred of miles away. I wouldn’t have mad it out here probably if I didn’t have relatives living nearby. I shall upload some photos to the gallery in a few days.
