Then you should watch the movie, eh, documentary!
Slender Lorises, Duct Tape, and Whataburger: A Fish on Dry Land
- Thread starter Coelacanth18
- Start date
i mean actually in japanese folklore. no idea what "energy drink" will be in the story.Then you should watch the movie, eh, documentary!
OK, since you apparently refuse to watch the movie for whatever reason (which is a shame), let me explain it to you:
Just watch it. 
The movie connects the shapeshifting Tanuki with the consumption of modern Japanese energy shots in quite a funny way. Pom Poko may not be Studio Ghibli's masterpiece, but it's fun
The movie connects the shapeshifting Tanuki with the consumption of modern Japanese energy shots in quite a funny way. Pom Poko may not be Studio Ghibli's masterpiece, but it's fun
Day 4: A Stick is Shoved Up My Nose for Public Health
Today was a productive day finally. I was able to catch up on sleep, yet still had enough time to buy a few holiday presents online; schedule my next two hotel rooms so I could avoid starring in a sequel to Amarillo Midnight; catch up on photo uploads and clearing some space on my memory card; and investigate getting a COVID test. This last one I decided was a good idea before I went to see people on the East Coast, and after the crowded herp house at OKC Zoo I figured it wouldn’t hurt to confirm. I drove a couple hours to Arkansas’s capital city of Little Rock; after getting to the parking lot and experiencing far less fanfare than I’m now accustomed to, I buckled down and got to work.
Little Rock Zoo
Location: Little Rock, Arkansas
Size: ~30 acres
Species Count: 109 (excluding unseen sections of Animal Building)
Closed Areas: Bird and Primate sections of Animal Building (reasons COVID and unknown respectively), Lorikeet Aviary (still viewable from outside)
Rarities: Spotted-necked Otter (not seen), Bush Dog, Indian Crested Porcupine, Secretarybird, Kuhl’s Flying Gecko, Fire Skink (not seen)
Price: $13 admission + $3 parking = $16 total
Recommended Time: 3 hours w/o Tropical Bird Aviary; maybe up to 3.5 hours when it reopens
Link to Media Gallery: https://www.zoochat.com/community/media/categories/little-rock-zoo.1556/
Link to Species List: Little Rock Zoo Species List - Nov 2021 [Little Rock Zoo]
Little Rock was quite the contrast to follow up OKC with. While OKC has spent a decade overhauling half its area into brand-new complexes and lost many species in the process, Little Rock looks largely the same as it did 10 years ago. It is very much a zoo that is still working with a built-out infrastructure of older exhibit design: a lot of the layout is still a random, meandering grab-bag of species – which doesn’t really bother me, but is an older style that has been abandoned in new zoo projects aiming for more geographic consistency. There’s plenty of paddocks, cages, and terrariums that look like those in other zoos, but there’s also two large rings of mock-rock grottoes; a nearly century-old animal building that houses any kind of small animal under the sun; and a smattering of rarities from a zoo that hasn’t had the time this century to fully homogenize their collection.
This isn’t to say the zoo has been completely unchanged, however. The ring of rock grottoes are half-empty at this point, new mesh barriers have been installed at the ape and cat exhibits to prevent fall-ins, and two obviously newer habitats for African monkeys and serval suggest a potential blueprint for the future. A 2014 master plan lists the grottoes as needing to be demolished within 10 years and mentions that the main building is in need of significant renovation. Eight years later, those changes and nearly everything else in the master plan haven’t been realized. I also lost count of how many empty enclosures I saw, which I thought was a shame; the zoo has a fairly interesting collection, but it is below its potential collection size.
Link to Zoo Map: Zoo Map | Little Rock Zoo
(Normally I take a photo of one, but the only one I found in the whole zoo was outdated and the lighting was bad. The online map is more or less accurate.)
I first made my way past a moated yet also netted-over lemur enclosure (with a notable rarity – Blue-eyed Black Lemur – and Madagascar Teal signed) and a closed lorikeet aviary (with actual Madagascar Teals in it as well). Past that were a quartet of great ape enclosures – two for gorilla and one each for Bornean orangutan and chimpanzee. The enclosures were of a good size and had plenty of climbing structures; what was more surprising was how few gorillas and chimps I saw, with only two quiet individuals of each. Were the rest hiding or indoors? The orangutans consisted of a male, female, and baby, which is a more usual number for that species. All three were feasting on fruits, including the giant male orangutan absolutely housing a slice of pumpkin. Apparently zoo animals have their own equivalent to the “pumpkin spice latte” season!
At this point I was going to wander up to the big Animal Building – I wanted to prioritize getting ZC’s first species list from there in a decade – but I took a moment to stop by the elephant exhibit next door since the elephants were out and about, people-watching close to the viewing area. I noticed that at least one or two of the elephants was branded on their backside with a star – a hard-hitting reminder that watching circus elephants perform was a popular pastime far less than one generation back for American humans and proboscideans. There were no circus performances on display at Little Rock; the elephants quietly munched on their hay lunch stuffed inside barrels as they watched guests come and go.
Finally I reached the Animal Building and was met with a surprise that derailed my attempt at a comprehensive species list – the indoor Tropical Bird Aviary was closed due to COVID. This is an understandable response for the zoo, but one I wish they’d have mentioned on their website (which still says the “reptile/tropical bird building is open”). So no species list for that.
Another surprise was that the primate wing of the building was blocked off by a barrier, with no signage explaining why. The only enclosure visible was a mixed-species enclosure immediately across from the barrier, holding two primates (White-faced Saki and Geoffroy’s Marmoset), Green Iguana and Three-banded Armadillo. Of the many former primate enclosures lining two sides of the building, one side is blocked from view by a wooden billboard with a mural painted on it; the other has three larger cages, one of which is still inhabited by a couple of Tufted Capuchins. I peeked around the corner of the billboard to see the old cages in disuse; this was also the side of the building where the blocked path inside led. Given that the only primates on their website I *didn’t* find were bushbaby and two callitrichids – the rare talapoins and red-capped mangabeys of the recent past have gone at this point – it’s unclear whether this is a temporary or permanent arrangement.
Fortunately, I was thrown a lifeline in that the most speciose part of the building – the herp section – was still open along a one-way path. They have a smaller collection of over 35 species, including some cool finds like Kuhl’s Flying Gecko, Mexican Burrowing Python, and Puff Adder.
Moving on from the disappointment of not getting a full species list that day, I trudged on to check out the two rings of mock-rock grottoes. Both are primarily used for carnivores, and it seems that they are emptying out compared to what they held in years past: despite there being at least 20 enclosures between the two I only found a total of 11 signed species. This is where one finds the Spotted-necked Otters and Bush Dogs; unfortunately the Spotted-necked Otters were a no-show, for both that try and another attempt later in the day. The Bush Dogs, however, were out and very active: two animals followed each other around the enclosure, squeaking adorably and occasionally stopping to peer over at me. It’s a shame the species is becoming rarer in US zoos, as they are an absolute delight.
The two rings’ other inhabitants included caracal, a clouded leopard, a couple of foxes, a fossa, invisible muntjac, three grottoes worth of river otters, a grizzly bear in a larger glass-fronted enclosure, and three sloth bears. The sloth bears were a bit of a shock to see in the grottoes, even though theoretically I knew the zoo had them over there. The one that was in an enclosure by itself decided it wanted to size me up: it was standing on the edge of the grotto moat as close as it could get, chuffing and sneezing. I chuffed back; I’m not one to back down from a challenge. The bear took that personally and decided I’d be more scared if I knew how tall it was:
If I said the bear was the first one to back down, is there any chance you’d believe me...? Alright fine, I left first. But I swear it’s only because I had other things to do! I wasn’t intimidated at all...
I normally try to err on the side of caution when criticizing enclosure designs – I’m not a husbandry expert and don’t know what bears need – but even the zoo itself has officially stated that small rock grottoes for bears are an outdated practice at this point. Husbandry needs aside, it doesn’t take that small or ugly an enclosure to make people feel negatively towards keeping large and popular mammals like bears in zoos, and it doesn’t contextualize the animal in nature at all. It was a far cry from Oklahoma City’s grassy treed meadows, where the bears dig their own den in real earth for the winter. Hopefully the emptiness of these grotto rings implies that they will get knocked down in the near future and eventually replaced with larger, more dynamic modern enclosures – maybe for sloth bears? One can only hope.
After the grottoes was what can be characterized as a very long loop in the western half of the zoo, consisting primarily of many African species early on but then gradually turning into more of a geographic grab-bag of medium-sized wildlife. I won’t do the whole thing piece-by-piece; I’m not here to spoonfeed all of you, crack open those links and sate your own curiosities for a change! It’s mostly a long path full of well-vegetated yards viewed either across moats or (primarily) from overhead viewing walkways. Among the highlighted denizens of the West Side were Black Rhinos (including a hyperactive newborn calf) in a large complex; a brand-new mesh exhibit for Angolan Colobus and Lesser Spot-nosed Guenon (a rarer primate in the US); an Indian Crested Porcupine (most or nearly all of the Hystrix in American zoos now are African I believe); and a pair of Secretarybirds, one actively patrolling while the other stood still for photo ops.
There was also a couple of large shaded yards for Cheetahs, of which I saw three. Part of that complex included a “Cheetah Conservation Outpost” building which is home to Naked Mole Rats and a weird mish-mash of herp terrariums, some of which were missing signage and some of which were missing animals. One interesting find was signage for Fire Skink (Mochlus fernandi), a species I had never seen before and was only vaguely aware of. Unfortunately, there were no fire skinks to be found. Hopefully the zoo didn’t lose them; you can’t assume losing an animal that can breathe fire would be great for a wooden building. Fire skinks breathe fire, right? I don’t know how animals work; I’m here for the attention and praise, mainly.
The remaining parts of the zoo included a quartet of exhibits for a pride of lions (including females hanging out in a tree!), a pair of tigers and a black jaguar; a roughly decade-old mesh-domed penguin pool; and several more odds and ends that didn’t make the cut for this review. I ended up heading out at 3:30; for the first day but not the last, my camera battery lived through the entire zoo. I feel like a proud parent!
Traveling
I thought I would have enough time to get a COVID test before heading off to my next city, and I was technically right; after accidentally missing the turn-in multiple times and having my registration call drop while waiting in line, I was the last car in before the parking garage entrance was shut behind me. In the name of public health a giant swab was unceremoniously shoved up my nostril and through my sinus cavity to tickle my brain, which is presumably where all of the COVID lives. Once that was done I was immediately waved out so everybody could go home. I sympathize; getting a swab halfway through your skull is rough, but imagine having to shove a bunch of swabs into a bunch of people’s skulls all day. The coughing probably makes it hard to get it all the way up to the brain.
Rather than leaving you all in suspense, I’ll skip ahead a moment and tell you that I tested negative... so when you imagine me enjoying all of the zoos that follow, imagine me enjoying them disease-free rather than Corrupted Blood-style infecting the populace. Just a little World of Warcraft reference to round out the day.
Fast Food Review of the Day: Popeyes
The world mocks us for having food that’s bad, and in many cases that’s fair... we did invent spray cheese and the art of deep frying Skittles. As an American, I think I’m qualified – obligated, even – to issue a formal apology for those. But there are a few areas where America holds its own, and one of those is fried chicken. Of course I’m only reviewing fast food here, but when it comes to fast food fried chicken, Popeyes is the way to go.
Anyone overseas is probably more familiar with KFC. I’m not going to review KFC, because I don’t eat there. Here’s my review for KFC: it sucks. Cook better chicken, KFC!
(I’ve heard it’s actually not bad in Asian countries, but I don’t live in an Asian country so whatever.)
The chicken at Popeyes is exactly what you want from a good fried piece of bird meat: the skin is crispy, flaky, and buttery, and the meat is tender and juicy. You can get it spicy or mild. The sides are also, as the kids said at one point and probably no longer do, “on fleek”. Their red beans and rice and macaroni and cheese in particular are representative of the restaurant’s Cajun roots and are definitely the pairings to go for with your delicious avian limbs. The Cajun fries are also decent for fast food generally, but I wouldn’t bother getting them; despite the name, they’re essentially just regular fries. Why get fries when you can have Southern classics?
To summarize, Popeyes is one of the best fast food joints America has to offer. If they weren’t, would my response to them telling me at the drive-thru window “we won’t have any chicken for 20 minutes” be to simply pull into a parking space and wait 22 minutes? Of course not, I was hungry and there were other places to eat closer than that. I needed fried chicken! (Also yes, it *is* unfortunate that a chicken restaurant momentarily didn’t have chicken – it’s so popular they can’t keep up!)
Today was a productive day finally. I was able to catch up on sleep, yet still had enough time to buy a few holiday presents online; schedule my next two hotel rooms so I could avoid starring in a sequel to Amarillo Midnight; catch up on photo uploads and clearing some space on my memory card; and investigate getting a COVID test. This last one I decided was a good idea before I went to see people on the East Coast, and after the crowded herp house at OKC Zoo I figured it wouldn’t hurt to confirm. I drove a couple hours to Arkansas’s capital city of Little Rock; after getting to the parking lot and experiencing far less fanfare than I’m now accustomed to, I buckled down and got to work.
Little Rock Zoo
Location: Little Rock, Arkansas
Size: ~30 acres
Species Count: 109 (excluding unseen sections of Animal Building)
Closed Areas: Bird and Primate sections of Animal Building (reasons COVID and unknown respectively), Lorikeet Aviary (still viewable from outside)
Rarities: Spotted-necked Otter (not seen), Bush Dog, Indian Crested Porcupine, Secretarybird, Kuhl’s Flying Gecko, Fire Skink (not seen)
Price: $13 admission + $3 parking = $16 total
Recommended Time: 3 hours w/o Tropical Bird Aviary; maybe up to 3.5 hours when it reopens
Link to Media Gallery: https://www.zoochat.com/community/media/categories/little-rock-zoo.1556/
Link to Species List: Little Rock Zoo Species List - Nov 2021 [Little Rock Zoo]
Little Rock was quite the contrast to follow up OKC with. While OKC has spent a decade overhauling half its area into brand-new complexes and lost many species in the process, Little Rock looks largely the same as it did 10 years ago. It is very much a zoo that is still working with a built-out infrastructure of older exhibit design: a lot of the layout is still a random, meandering grab-bag of species – which doesn’t really bother me, but is an older style that has been abandoned in new zoo projects aiming for more geographic consistency. There’s plenty of paddocks, cages, and terrariums that look like those in other zoos, but there’s also two large rings of mock-rock grottoes; a nearly century-old animal building that houses any kind of small animal under the sun; and a smattering of rarities from a zoo that hasn’t had the time this century to fully homogenize their collection.
This isn’t to say the zoo has been completely unchanged, however. The ring of rock grottoes are half-empty at this point, new mesh barriers have been installed at the ape and cat exhibits to prevent fall-ins, and two obviously newer habitats for African monkeys and serval suggest a potential blueprint for the future. A 2014 master plan lists the grottoes as needing to be demolished within 10 years and mentions that the main building is in need of significant renovation. Eight years later, those changes and nearly everything else in the master plan haven’t been realized. I also lost count of how many empty enclosures I saw, which I thought was a shame; the zoo has a fairly interesting collection, but it is below its potential collection size.
Link to Zoo Map: Zoo Map | Little Rock Zoo
(Normally I take a photo of one, but the only one I found in the whole zoo was outdated and the lighting was bad. The online map is more or less accurate.)
I first made my way past a moated yet also netted-over lemur enclosure (with a notable rarity – Blue-eyed Black Lemur – and Madagascar Teal signed) and a closed lorikeet aviary (with actual Madagascar Teals in it as well). Past that were a quartet of great ape enclosures – two for gorilla and one each for Bornean orangutan and chimpanzee. The enclosures were of a good size and had plenty of climbing structures; what was more surprising was how few gorillas and chimps I saw, with only two quiet individuals of each. Were the rest hiding or indoors? The orangutans consisted of a male, female, and baby, which is a more usual number for that species. All three were feasting on fruits, including the giant male orangutan absolutely housing a slice of pumpkin. Apparently zoo animals have their own equivalent to the “pumpkin spice latte” season!
At this point I was going to wander up to the big Animal Building – I wanted to prioritize getting ZC’s first species list from there in a decade – but I took a moment to stop by the elephant exhibit next door since the elephants were out and about, people-watching close to the viewing area. I noticed that at least one or two of the elephants was branded on their backside with a star – a hard-hitting reminder that watching circus elephants perform was a popular pastime far less than one generation back for American humans and proboscideans. There were no circus performances on display at Little Rock; the elephants quietly munched on their hay lunch stuffed inside barrels as they watched guests come and go.
Finally I reached the Animal Building and was met with a surprise that derailed my attempt at a comprehensive species list – the indoor Tropical Bird Aviary was closed due to COVID. This is an understandable response for the zoo, but one I wish they’d have mentioned on their website (which still says the “reptile/tropical bird building is open”). So no species list for that.
Another surprise was that the primate wing of the building was blocked off by a barrier, with no signage explaining why. The only enclosure visible was a mixed-species enclosure immediately across from the barrier, holding two primates (White-faced Saki and Geoffroy’s Marmoset), Green Iguana and Three-banded Armadillo. Of the many former primate enclosures lining two sides of the building, one side is blocked from view by a wooden billboard with a mural painted on it; the other has three larger cages, one of which is still inhabited by a couple of Tufted Capuchins. I peeked around the corner of the billboard to see the old cages in disuse; this was also the side of the building where the blocked path inside led. Given that the only primates on their website I *didn’t* find were bushbaby and two callitrichids – the rare talapoins and red-capped mangabeys of the recent past have gone at this point – it’s unclear whether this is a temporary or permanent arrangement.
Fortunately, I was thrown a lifeline in that the most speciose part of the building – the herp section – was still open along a one-way path. They have a smaller collection of over 35 species, including some cool finds like Kuhl’s Flying Gecko, Mexican Burrowing Python, and Puff Adder.
Moving on from the disappointment of not getting a full species list that day, I trudged on to check out the two rings of mock-rock grottoes. Both are primarily used for carnivores, and it seems that they are emptying out compared to what they held in years past: despite there being at least 20 enclosures between the two I only found a total of 11 signed species. This is where one finds the Spotted-necked Otters and Bush Dogs; unfortunately the Spotted-necked Otters were a no-show, for both that try and another attempt later in the day. The Bush Dogs, however, were out and very active: two animals followed each other around the enclosure, squeaking adorably and occasionally stopping to peer over at me. It’s a shame the species is becoming rarer in US zoos, as they are an absolute delight.
The two rings’ other inhabitants included caracal, a clouded leopard, a couple of foxes, a fossa, invisible muntjac, three grottoes worth of river otters, a grizzly bear in a larger glass-fronted enclosure, and three sloth bears. The sloth bears were a bit of a shock to see in the grottoes, even though theoretically I knew the zoo had them over there. The one that was in an enclosure by itself decided it wanted to size me up: it was standing on the edge of the grotto moat as close as it could get, chuffing and sneezing. I chuffed back; I’m not one to back down from a challenge. The bear took that personally and decided I’d be more scared if I knew how tall it was:
If I said the bear was the first one to back down, is there any chance you’d believe me...? Alright fine, I left first. But I swear it’s only because I had other things to do! I wasn’t intimidated at all...
I normally try to err on the side of caution when criticizing enclosure designs – I’m not a husbandry expert and don’t know what bears need – but even the zoo itself has officially stated that small rock grottoes for bears are an outdated practice at this point. Husbandry needs aside, it doesn’t take that small or ugly an enclosure to make people feel negatively towards keeping large and popular mammals like bears in zoos, and it doesn’t contextualize the animal in nature at all. It was a far cry from Oklahoma City’s grassy treed meadows, where the bears dig their own den in real earth for the winter. Hopefully the emptiness of these grotto rings implies that they will get knocked down in the near future and eventually replaced with larger, more dynamic modern enclosures – maybe for sloth bears? One can only hope.
After the grottoes was what can be characterized as a very long loop in the western half of the zoo, consisting primarily of many African species early on but then gradually turning into more of a geographic grab-bag of medium-sized wildlife. I won’t do the whole thing piece-by-piece; I’m not here to spoonfeed all of you, crack open those links and sate your own curiosities for a change! It’s mostly a long path full of well-vegetated yards viewed either across moats or (primarily) from overhead viewing walkways. Among the highlighted denizens of the West Side were Black Rhinos (including a hyperactive newborn calf) in a large complex; a brand-new mesh exhibit for Angolan Colobus and Lesser Spot-nosed Guenon (a rarer primate in the US); an Indian Crested Porcupine (most or nearly all of the Hystrix in American zoos now are African I believe); and a pair of Secretarybirds, one actively patrolling while the other stood still for photo ops.
There was also a couple of large shaded yards for Cheetahs, of which I saw three. Part of that complex included a “Cheetah Conservation Outpost” building which is home to Naked Mole Rats and a weird mish-mash of herp terrariums, some of which were missing signage and some of which were missing animals. One interesting find was signage for Fire Skink (Mochlus fernandi), a species I had never seen before and was only vaguely aware of. Unfortunately, there were no fire skinks to be found. Hopefully the zoo didn’t lose them; you can’t assume losing an animal that can breathe fire would be great for a wooden building. Fire skinks breathe fire, right? I don’t know how animals work; I’m here for the attention and praise, mainly.
The remaining parts of the zoo included a quartet of exhibits for a pride of lions (including females hanging out in a tree!), a pair of tigers and a black jaguar; a roughly decade-old mesh-domed penguin pool; and several more odds and ends that didn’t make the cut for this review. I ended up heading out at 3:30; for the first day but not the last, my camera battery lived through the entire zoo. I feel like a proud parent!
Traveling
I thought I would have enough time to get a COVID test before heading off to my next city, and I was technically right; after accidentally missing the turn-in multiple times and having my registration call drop while waiting in line, I was the last car in before the parking garage entrance was shut behind me. In the name of public health a giant swab was unceremoniously shoved up my nostril and through my sinus cavity to tickle my brain, which is presumably where all of the COVID lives. Once that was done I was immediately waved out so everybody could go home. I sympathize; getting a swab halfway through your skull is rough, but imagine having to shove a bunch of swabs into a bunch of people’s skulls all day. The coughing probably makes it hard to get it all the way up to the brain.
Rather than leaving you all in suspense, I’ll skip ahead a moment and tell you that I tested negative... so when you imagine me enjoying all of the zoos that follow, imagine me enjoying them disease-free rather than Corrupted Blood-style infecting the populace. Just a little World of Warcraft reference to round out the day.
Fast Food Review of the Day: Popeyes
The world mocks us for having food that’s bad, and in many cases that’s fair... we did invent spray cheese and the art of deep frying Skittles. As an American, I think I’m qualified – obligated, even – to issue a formal apology for those. But there are a few areas where America holds its own, and one of those is fried chicken. Of course I’m only reviewing fast food here, but when it comes to fast food fried chicken, Popeyes is the way to go.
Anyone overseas is probably more familiar with KFC. I’m not going to review KFC, because I don’t eat there. Here’s my review for KFC: it sucks. Cook better chicken, KFC!
(I’ve heard it’s actually not bad in Asian countries, but I don’t live in an Asian country so whatever.)
The chicken at Popeyes is exactly what you want from a good fried piece of bird meat: the skin is crispy, flaky, and buttery, and the meat is tender and juicy. You can get it spicy or mild. The sides are also, as the kids said at one point and probably no longer do, “on fleek”. Their red beans and rice and macaroni and cheese in particular are representative of the restaurant’s Cajun roots and are definitely the pairings to go for with your delicious avian limbs. The Cajun fries are also decent for fast food generally, but I wouldn’t bother getting them; despite the name, they’re essentially just regular fries. Why get fries when you can have Southern classics?
To summarize, Popeyes is one of the best fast food joints America has to offer. If they weren’t, would my response to them telling me at the drive-thru window “we won’t have any chicken for 20 minutes” be to simply pull into a parking space and wait 22 minutes? Of course not, I was hungry and there were other places to eat closer than that. I needed fried chicken! (Also yes, it *is* unfortunate that a chicken restaurant momentarily didn’t have chicken – it’s so popular they can’t keep up!)
Your little standoff is probably the most stimulation that sloth bear has experienced in forever. I thought all of the larger species had been removed from the central grottos by now, so it's disappointing to see that is not the case. Little Rock really appears to be a blast from the past in a lot of ways with some retired circus elephants, primates in mangy cages, and those horrendous grottos.The sloth bears were a bit of a shock to see in the grottoes, even though theoretically I knew the zoo had them over there. The one that was in an enclosure by itself decided it wanted to size me up: it was standing on the edge of the grotto moat as close as it could get, chuffing and sneezing. I chuffed back; I’m not one to back down from a challenge. The bear took that personally and decided I’d be more scared if I knew how tall it was:
If I said the bear was the first one to back down, is there any chance you’d believe me...? Alright fine, I left first. But I swear it’s only because I had other things to do! I wasn’t intimidated at all...
I can't tell you how happy it makes me to read this. KFC does suck and Popeyes is infinitely better, even if they like to make you wait over 45 minutes for a few chicken tenders.
With that said I have a cousin who knew a guy who inspected restraints and he said Popeyes was one of the most disgusting looking places he had ever seen. I'm gonna choose to believe it was a just bad location for my own sake. 
If it makes you feel better, I've had to do it to myself on a monthly basis for the last 18 months, as part of an ongoing survey into the spread and transmission of the virus
along with having to drain a fingerful of blood each month for the same reason!I'd say you get used to it, but not really!
Thanks for another entertaining review! I hope you don't mind, but I'll post a few facts from my 2012 visit as a comparison as hardly any zoo nerds ever make their way to Little Rock. It's clearly a zoo that had issues back then, and almost a full decade down the road it doesn't sound any better. For an older-style zoo, it was amazing for me to see (in 2012) elephants, giraffes, black rhinos, white rhinos, 9 feline species, 4 bear species and 16 primate species. Plus, I recorded 64 species of reptiles and amphibians on my Snowleopard's 2012 Road Trip thread. The zoo packed a lot into around 30 acres, with hit-and-miss exhibitry.
Between the semi-closure of the carnivore grottoes (a good thing as those are awful!), the closed primate gallery wing, the closed tropical bird section and other empty areas, it seems as if you saw 50% less species than I did back in 2012. Even the herp collection is almost 50% less of what I listed during my visit. That sounds ominous for the zoo.
The bad news is that Little Rock Zoo is in an unfortunate financial situation. A long-proposed sales tax increase received a NO vote in September, by a landslide 62-38 percentage. More than $50 million would have been generated for ballparks, a sports complex and various zoo projects, but Arkansas citizens decided overwhelmingly (although only 18% of registered voters cast a ballot) to vote against the proposal. Contrast that with Tacoma's Point Defiance Zoo, which has had bond tax votes with around 65% YES votes each time. I've mentioned Arkansas in non-glowing terms on past road trips and somehow I'm not at all surprised that such a positive thing for the community would be a hard NO vote. Here's an article about the situation, which means that the zoo will likely continue to erode unless there is financial help from elsewhere.
Voters say no to Little Rock sales tax increase - Arkansas Times
Between the semi-closure of the carnivore grottoes (a good thing as those are awful!), the closed primate gallery wing, the closed tropical bird section and other empty areas, it seems as if you saw 50% less species than I did back in 2012. Even the herp collection is almost 50% less of what I listed during my visit. That sounds ominous for the zoo.
The bad news is that Little Rock Zoo is in an unfortunate financial situation. A long-proposed sales tax increase received a NO vote in September, by a landslide 62-38 percentage. More than $50 million would have been generated for ballparks, a sports complex and various zoo projects, but Arkansas citizens decided overwhelmingly (although only 18% of registered voters cast a ballot) to vote against the proposal. Contrast that with Tacoma's Point Defiance Zoo, which has had bond tax votes with around 65% YES votes each time. I've mentioned Arkansas in non-glowing terms on past road trips and somehow I'm not at all surprised that such a positive thing for the community would be a hard NO vote. Here's an article about the situation, which means that the zoo will likely continue to erode unless there is financial help from elsewhere.
Voters say no to Little Rock sales tax increase - Arkansas Times
Rare in zoos, but I've seen a fair few in pet stores. Bit of a pity honestly, as Fire Skinks are a very gorgeous species and not that difficult to maintain from my understanding.
Taunting kookaburras, whooping at hyenas, chuffing at bears, what's next, roaring at tigers?
I'm vote for the challenge!roaring at tigers?
How well can a Coelacanth roar anyway?
I've never been to a Popeyes but I am a huge fan of Chick-Fil-A. How would you compare them?
In fairness to the zoo, the grottoes appear to have fewer animals now than in the past - including large carnivores - and the only inhabitants of the outdoor 1936 building's primate cages (which I assume is what you were referring to) are a couple of capuchins. But yes, it was still disheartening to see.
No reason to read past this part
but if it makes you feel any better, I stated earlier in the thread that I've never gotten food poisoning from a fast food restaurant.It's not permanently closed as far as I could tell, so I'd assume there are still birds in there - although I don't know how their collection has changed in the last decade.
I strongly suspected that was the case, and almost framed my description of the zoo that way so people would have more context; I just wasn't certain enough about the details to have made declarative statements about their finances, and wanted to get this out before the weekend so I didn't take the time to research it.
It is very unfortunate, and Little Rock is not the only zoo in the US that has suffered from lack of community investment. It's sad to see; the zoo still has a decent collection and a decently pretty setting. If money from somewhere was dumped into remodeling the place, it could be a great mid-sized zoo.
Taunting kookaburras, whooping at hyenas, chuffing at bears, what's next, roaring at tigers?
I actually chuff at tigers as well
I'm an equal opportunist when it comes to instigating.Bystanders find out when I trip over mock-rock placed into the zoo path, which has happened multiple times on this trip for absolutely no good reason.
I actually haven't eaten at Chick-fil-A in years, though not because of the food - I used to love their chicken and waffle fries when I was growing up. Unfortunately I don't agree with some of the company's policies and statements in relation to the LGBT community, and so eating there no longer brings me any joy. It's not my desire to really get into it on this thread, but feel free to PM me or do some outside research on it if you're interested in knowing more.
That aside, Popeyes also has better sides and is open 7 days a week.
You and me both, except I am so useless at producing blood I have dropped out of that part of the study.If it makes you feel better, I've had to do it to myself on a monthly basis for the last 18 months, as part of an ongoing survey into the spread and transmission of the virus
I'd say you get used to it, but not really!
If fact this may be not at all a bad thing ! I even would call this a kind of enrichment for the birds ! At zoos the birds don't have that many times introdures in their territory which happens in nature of course regulary and protecting their territory belongs to their natural behaviour, so no I don't see it as a bad thing. I however hope that not every single visitor now starts to play-back Kookaburra-laughing at every Kookaburra-enclosure because then it may become a bad thing
BTW, I provoke this behaviour myself regulary at the time I was working at Walsrode with the Trumpeter birds. I was quite skilled in making Trumpeter bird-sounds and when I was in front off or in their aviary I started to make these sounds and normaly the birds reacted by also starting to call. The surrounding visitors appriciated this in almost all cases
.
KFC, Popeyes, Chick-fil-A etc. don't stand a chance against an original Salzburger Backhendl or a good Karaage / Dakgangjeong fried chicken. Try and see for yourself.
I'm a big fan of karaage and Korean fried chicken, actually; I don't think it's any contest there
I have a soft spot for fast food, but I make a distinction between what constitutes "good fast food" and what's actually "good food". If I ever do make my Germany & Co. trip happen though, I'll have to give the Backhendl a try!That line of thinking makes sense to me as well; obviously you don't want zoo animals to be constantly stressed out - which is why I spend far more time discouraging people from disturbing them - but a little bit of adrenaline and encouraging natural instincts presumably has some positive effect when done sparingly. Part of why I like talking to both wild and captive animals is actually for that reason; few other visitors either think to or know how to mimic the sound or behavior of a species, so when I do the animals usually respond with curiosity or excitement.
My only concern in that moment was that the netting on the enclosure isn't part of that equation in the wild, and I wasn't sure if the kookaburra had practiced dive-bombing it enough to not get itself hurt. They're pretty feisty birds though, so assuming I'm the first person they've tried to attack might be giving myself too much credit
Bengal Tiger
Well-Known Member
Lucky duck... I mean coelacanth, you saw a bush dog, I can’t tell you how jealous I am.
Day 5: I Cheat the Night Cycle for a Glimpse of Bear Cuscus
A review so long I've split it into two posts! Take a bathroom break and grab something to eat and drink before diving in.
Today was the easiest start to a morning I’ve had this trip – probably because, for the first time this trip, reality aligned with my initial plan of spending the night in the city my next zoo was in. I was so confident, in fact, that I would finish this zoo in time that I even strolled in an hour late at 10 AM – which nevertheless tied for the earliest I’d gotten to a zoo thus far. I’m now glad I didn’t get even cockier than I already had been; I ended up finishing at 4:15 PM, 15 minutes before they made the announcement for everyone to begin exiting. To be fair, I spent 30 minutes eating food (mostly waiting in line for food, as it happens) and another 30-45 minutes backtracking through previous areas for better photos.
The takeaway headline for today, however, is that I saw nearly all of my target species for the day! And hoo boy, were there a lot.
Memphis Zoo
Location: Memphis, TN
Size: ~50 acres
Species Count: 266
Closed Areas: Aviary in Zambezi River Hippo Camp (under renovation), Walk-through Kangaroo Complex (only accessible through dedicated tour)
Price: $21 admission + $10 parking = $31 total
Recommended Time: 5-6 hours or entire day
Rarities: Sulawesi Bear Cuscus, Greater Bulldog Bat, Potto, Slender Loris, Banded Palm Civet, Large-spotted Genet, Northern Luzon Giant Cloud Rat, Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat (not seen), Bonobo, Lesser Spot-nosed Guenon, Magpie Shrike, Sulawesi Crested Macaque, Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot, Yellow-casqued Hornbill... should I keep going? Alright... Purple-throated Fruit Crow, Yellow-hooded Blackbird, Paradise Whydah, Black Pond Turtle, Mexican Burrowing Python, Elephant Trunk Snake, Australian and West African Lungfish, Mudflat Octopus... yeah let’s just stop there
Species List: Memphis Zoo Species List - Nov 2021 [Memphis Zoo]
Media Gallery: Memphis Zoo - ZooChat
Zoo Map: https://assets.speakcdn.com/assets/2510/memphiszoo_final_no-seasonals.png
Where to begin with Memphis? A rarity powerhouse, some of the most incredibly designed themed complexes, outdated buildings and half-abandoned paddocks, hieroglyphics on bathroom tiles and neon nightclub lights in the aquarium. In other words, it’s a zoo that probably has a little bit of everything a ZooChatter picked at random loves or hates in a zoo. It’s not so much a Jekyll-and-Hyde situation like zoos with clearly distinct old and new sections; it's more like making a stir fry with Wagyu beef, wild truffles, Maruchan ramen noodles and random leftovers you found in your fridge. It almost felt like visiting 8 different zoos in 4 different time skips. In other words, it's a hard place to generalize.
One thing that's fairly indisputable, however, is that Memphis is a hotspot for some very rare captive species, both in the United States and globally. As an avid rarity hunter myself, my view of Memphis is probably rosier than it could have been simply by way of luck: I saw nearly all of the target species I had hoped to see, at a zoo with so many that missing a handful would’ve been easy. I also finished the zoo in time despite myself; can you imagine that at one point I was considering squeezing Little Rock and Memphis into the same day to save on hotel rooms? (Fortunately, @snowleopard – who unsurprisingly has been to both zoos – advised me on this idea and I’m glad he talked some sense into me.)
I was a little taken aback by the $10 parking fee (which I’d either forgotten about or neglected to see on the website) which upped my total to $31 – the most expensive ticket you’ll see this trip. However, I was only annoyed for a brief moment; when I pulled up into the lot, one of the first things I noticed was a private security vehicle guarding the lot. I breathed a sigh of relief at this. As some readers may be aware, Memphis is not one of the safer cities in our country, and while that fact alone would not have deterred me from visiting I've been on-and-off concerned about the security of my luggage and belongings in my vehicle. Parking in a busy lot in the middle of the day is fairly low-risk, but I've had my car broken into before and have been paranoid about a repeat ever since. On this trip I've employed several strategies to minimize the risk, from bringing all valuables into hotel rooms at night, staying in hotels outside urban centers, double and triple-checking car locks, and covering everything behind the front seats with a large black blanket. A weight lifted off my shoulders by the security presence, I proceeded towards the gates.
The entrance to Memphis Zoo is one of my favorites, mainly due to its unique local theme. Memphis, Tennessee was named for the ancient Egyptian city of Memphis, and there are references to the ancient culture and region throughout the city – most visibly in the obsidian-colored Bass Pro Shops pyramid overlooking the Mississippi River. The zoo embraced this theme, and the entrance plaza is designed to look like a modernized version of the ancient city. Massive gates adorned with hieroglyphics welcome guests into the animal park, stereotypical but enjoyable “Ancient Egyptian” music drones from loudspeakers, and a large stone obelisk overlooks a reflecting pool – though the theme is jarred currently by the presence of a life-sized light display of Santa Claus and his sleigh in said pool. Even the bathrooms by the entrance, I would find out later, had tiling with hieroglyphics and Egyptian-styled art designs. This attention to detail would often be found elsewhere in Memphis’s exhibit complexes I will describe later on – although oddly enough Memphis does not have any Egyptian-themed exhibits currently.
credit for 1st photo: @geomorph
The part of the zoo I knew I would love the most was right across from the entrance, and other than a minute spared to watch a pair of gibbons swinging for an audience’s attention I wasted no time making my way in there. Animals of the Night is arguably one of the nation’s three premier nocturnal houses, along with the ones at Omaha and Cincinnati; having now been to all three, I can say without a doubt that I liked Memphis a lot more than Cincinnati. Omaha is more of a toss-up; overall I slightly liked the species I saw at Memphis more, but Omaha’s nocturnal house involves a lot more variety throughout and holds its own species-wise with aye-ayes and a staggeringly large bat collection. I’m not really into ranking things, so I’ll leave it at that – they’re all worth visiting!
Animals of the Night was where several of my target species were, but I wasn’t sure how many I’d actually see; nobody had taken a species list in years (or ever, really) and nocturnal houses are famously dark and shadowy. However, my first stroke of luck for the day hit when I walked into the house just past 10 AM because, for the first 90 minutes that the zoo is open, the nocturnal house lights are kept on their daylight levels rather than reverse nighttime levels. For that reason, I was able to spend a solid half-hour getting daylight photographs inside of the building – a first for ZooChat – and visually confirm nearly every species in the building!
I’m glad to report that the nocturnal house at Memphis remains an American bastion for rarities: if you like any nocturnal animals besides aye-ayes, chances are Memphis has ‘em. Owl monkeys, fishing bats, genets, civets, galagos, pottoes, and a whole list of other oddly-named creatures that if you started listing them to a zoo Muggle they might think you were having a stroke. Of the roughly 30 species in the house, my two premier target species were ones that Memphis is (to my knowledge) the only exhibitor and possibly only holder of in the country. The first of these is the slender loris, which is held in a few places in Europe but unfortunately has all but disappeared here. Not only was I able to see a couple of them at Memphis, but I even got a clear photo of one staring right at me with its humongous eyes!
The second target was a single individual of such a rare species I actually sort of doubted it would be on-exhibit. Usually I’m the jokester, but today the joke was on me: I turned away from a pair of dozing aardvarks and a pair of barely visible galago shadows to stare directly into the eyes of a Sulawesi Bear Cuscus, climbing down a fake tree right at eye level! As a codependent agouti ran around the enclosure desperately wanting my attention, I only had eyes for the ultra-rare marsupial. While unfortunately nearly all of my pics came out blurry, the reason for this was that the animal was quite active – pacing back and forth right in front of the glass, gazing around its room, climbing up and down the branches.
In addition to these awesome finds, I was also able to see some of the only Banded Palm Civets on exhibit in the country (in the world?), as well as a baby tamandua announced on social media the same day I saw it.
I won’t dwell too much on the nocturnal house – I could write a whole separate review just for it – but I think everyone gets the point: night animals, very rare, deep-sea fish happy. The species list and media gallery are linked above. I’ll move on.
The Tropical Bird House was my next priority; after accidentally wandering down a side path and doing the zoo’s large cat complex of unremarkable piano-wire enclosures set against rock walls, I eventually made my way to it. Some people stan biogeographic complexes hard; I’m more of a person who enjoys a simple birds-only or herps-only house that gets all those pesky ubiquitous megafauna out of the way. The house was disappointing design-wise; it was mostly two hallways full of small, glass-fronted enclosures for a variety of both common and rarer tropical birds. I’m not a fan of glass-fronted bird habitats; I prefer piano wire or at least wide-holed mesh, both for photography reasons and also so the sound of bird calls doesn’t get muffled. They also had a limited amount of flying and climbing space for some of the larger birds. Of course you could still hear the Kookaburra loud and clear after it got upset by whistling duck calls – I purposefully didn’t make eye contact with this one and just moved on.
The two best parts of the Tropical Bird House, however, are very good. One is in a short hallway joining the two main ones at the far side of the building; this is a large mesh-fronted aviary with 4 or 5 species in it, including another target for the day: two of the country’s only Yellow-casqued Hornbills (again, to my knowledge). The first wasn’t hard to find; he was perched up in the higher branches at the front of the enclosure, and repeatedly made soft honks hoping for a response. I responded back, feeling obligated to give him attention because (not seeing another bird) I thought perhaps his mate had died – only to come back to the house on a return trip later that day, where I saw her sitting just beyond him! The clever girl was invisible from the best angle to see the male, but standing on the other side and looking further in I’m not sure how I missed her originally. Maybe she was in a nest box prior; either way, I now have the gallery’s first clear photographs of Memphis’s rare hornbills – A+ for me.
The second best part of the house was the free-flight room. It was a fairly small (though densely-planted) sky-lit room, but the size belied the collection; a large section of wall was covered in nearly two dozen species placards. Of the 22 species signed I saw all but 3, but also saw 3 unsigned species so I came out even... yes, I’m that good. Some rarities in here include Purple-throated Fruit Crow, Yellow-hooded Blackbird, Northern Red Bishop, Paradise Whydah, Pompadour Cotinga, Magpie Shrike, and Red-and-Yellow Barbet (the last two of which, I would find out later, were unsigned because they normally live in an aviary by the hippos). I spent a total of maybe 40 minutes in this room between 2 visits. Was it worth? Of course it was.
Post II will coming up momentarily; please stow your comments and questions in the overhead compartment or under the seat in front of you while the captain prepares the post for arrival.
A review so long I've split it into two posts! Take a bathroom break and grab something to eat and drink before diving in.
Today was the easiest start to a morning I’ve had this trip – probably because, for the first time this trip, reality aligned with my initial plan of spending the night in the city my next zoo was in. I was so confident, in fact, that I would finish this zoo in time that I even strolled in an hour late at 10 AM – which nevertheless tied for the earliest I’d gotten to a zoo thus far. I’m now glad I didn’t get even cockier than I already had been; I ended up finishing at 4:15 PM, 15 minutes before they made the announcement for everyone to begin exiting. To be fair, I spent 30 minutes eating food (mostly waiting in line for food, as it happens) and another 30-45 minutes backtracking through previous areas for better photos.
The takeaway headline for today, however, is that I saw nearly all of my target species for the day! And hoo boy, were there a lot.
Memphis Zoo
Location: Memphis, TN
Size: ~50 acres
Species Count: 266
Closed Areas: Aviary in Zambezi River Hippo Camp (under renovation), Walk-through Kangaroo Complex (only accessible through dedicated tour)
Price: $21 admission + $10 parking = $31 total
Recommended Time: 5-6 hours or entire day
Rarities: Sulawesi Bear Cuscus, Greater Bulldog Bat, Potto, Slender Loris, Banded Palm Civet, Large-spotted Genet, Northern Luzon Giant Cloud Rat, Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat (not seen), Bonobo, Lesser Spot-nosed Guenon, Magpie Shrike, Sulawesi Crested Macaque, Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot, Yellow-casqued Hornbill... should I keep going? Alright... Purple-throated Fruit Crow, Yellow-hooded Blackbird, Paradise Whydah, Black Pond Turtle, Mexican Burrowing Python, Elephant Trunk Snake, Australian and West African Lungfish, Mudflat Octopus... yeah let’s just stop there
Species List: Memphis Zoo Species List - Nov 2021 [Memphis Zoo]
Media Gallery: Memphis Zoo - ZooChat
Zoo Map: https://assets.speakcdn.com/assets/2510/memphiszoo_final_no-seasonals.png
Where to begin with Memphis? A rarity powerhouse, some of the most incredibly designed themed complexes, outdated buildings and half-abandoned paddocks, hieroglyphics on bathroom tiles and neon nightclub lights in the aquarium. In other words, it’s a zoo that probably has a little bit of everything a ZooChatter picked at random loves or hates in a zoo. It’s not so much a Jekyll-and-Hyde situation like zoos with clearly distinct old and new sections; it's more like making a stir fry with Wagyu beef, wild truffles, Maruchan ramen noodles and random leftovers you found in your fridge. It almost felt like visiting 8 different zoos in 4 different time skips. In other words, it's a hard place to generalize.
One thing that's fairly indisputable, however, is that Memphis is a hotspot for some very rare captive species, both in the United States and globally. As an avid rarity hunter myself, my view of Memphis is probably rosier than it could have been simply by way of luck: I saw nearly all of the target species I had hoped to see, at a zoo with so many that missing a handful would’ve been easy. I also finished the zoo in time despite myself; can you imagine that at one point I was considering squeezing Little Rock and Memphis into the same day to save on hotel rooms? (Fortunately, @snowleopard – who unsurprisingly has been to both zoos – advised me on this idea and I’m glad he talked some sense into me.)
I was a little taken aback by the $10 parking fee (which I’d either forgotten about or neglected to see on the website) which upped my total to $31 – the most expensive ticket you’ll see this trip. However, I was only annoyed for a brief moment; when I pulled up into the lot, one of the first things I noticed was a private security vehicle guarding the lot. I breathed a sigh of relief at this. As some readers may be aware, Memphis is not one of the safer cities in our country, and while that fact alone would not have deterred me from visiting I've been on-and-off concerned about the security of my luggage and belongings in my vehicle. Parking in a busy lot in the middle of the day is fairly low-risk, but I've had my car broken into before and have been paranoid about a repeat ever since. On this trip I've employed several strategies to minimize the risk, from bringing all valuables into hotel rooms at night, staying in hotels outside urban centers, double and triple-checking car locks, and covering everything behind the front seats with a large black blanket. A weight lifted off my shoulders by the security presence, I proceeded towards the gates.
The entrance to Memphis Zoo is one of my favorites, mainly due to its unique local theme. Memphis, Tennessee was named for the ancient Egyptian city of Memphis, and there are references to the ancient culture and region throughout the city – most visibly in the obsidian-colored Bass Pro Shops pyramid overlooking the Mississippi River. The zoo embraced this theme, and the entrance plaza is designed to look like a modernized version of the ancient city. Massive gates adorned with hieroglyphics welcome guests into the animal park, stereotypical but enjoyable “Ancient Egyptian” music drones from loudspeakers, and a large stone obelisk overlooks a reflecting pool – though the theme is jarred currently by the presence of a life-sized light display of Santa Claus and his sleigh in said pool. Even the bathrooms by the entrance, I would find out later, had tiling with hieroglyphics and Egyptian-styled art designs. This attention to detail would often be found elsewhere in Memphis’s exhibit complexes I will describe later on – although oddly enough Memphis does not have any Egyptian-themed exhibits currently.
credit for 1st photo: @geomorph
The part of the zoo I knew I would love the most was right across from the entrance, and other than a minute spared to watch a pair of gibbons swinging for an audience’s attention I wasted no time making my way in there. Animals of the Night is arguably one of the nation’s three premier nocturnal houses, along with the ones at Omaha and Cincinnati; having now been to all three, I can say without a doubt that I liked Memphis a lot more than Cincinnati. Omaha is more of a toss-up; overall I slightly liked the species I saw at Memphis more, but Omaha’s nocturnal house involves a lot more variety throughout and holds its own species-wise with aye-ayes and a staggeringly large bat collection. I’m not really into ranking things, so I’ll leave it at that – they’re all worth visiting!
Animals of the Night was where several of my target species were, but I wasn’t sure how many I’d actually see; nobody had taken a species list in years (or ever, really) and nocturnal houses are famously dark and shadowy. However, my first stroke of luck for the day hit when I walked into the house just past 10 AM because, for the first 90 minutes that the zoo is open, the nocturnal house lights are kept on their daylight levels rather than reverse nighttime levels. For that reason, I was able to spend a solid half-hour getting daylight photographs inside of the building – a first for ZooChat – and visually confirm nearly every species in the building!
I’m glad to report that the nocturnal house at Memphis remains an American bastion for rarities: if you like any nocturnal animals besides aye-ayes, chances are Memphis has ‘em. Owl monkeys, fishing bats, genets, civets, galagos, pottoes, and a whole list of other oddly-named creatures that if you started listing them to a zoo Muggle they might think you were having a stroke. Of the roughly 30 species in the house, my two premier target species were ones that Memphis is (to my knowledge) the only exhibitor and possibly only holder of in the country. The first of these is the slender loris, which is held in a few places in Europe but unfortunately has all but disappeared here. Not only was I able to see a couple of them at Memphis, but I even got a clear photo of one staring right at me with its humongous eyes!
The second target was a single individual of such a rare species I actually sort of doubted it would be on-exhibit. Usually I’m the jokester, but today the joke was on me: I turned away from a pair of dozing aardvarks and a pair of barely visible galago shadows to stare directly into the eyes of a Sulawesi Bear Cuscus, climbing down a fake tree right at eye level! As a codependent agouti ran around the enclosure desperately wanting my attention, I only had eyes for the ultra-rare marsupial. While unfortunately nearly all of my pics came out blurry, the reason for this was that the animal was quite active – pacing back and forth right in front of the glass, gazing around its room, climbing up and down the branches.
In addition to these awesome finds, I was also able to see some of the only Banded Palm Civets on exhibit in the country (in the world?), as well as a baby tamandua announced on social media the same day I saw it.
I won’t dwell too much on the nocturnal house – I could write a whole separate review just for it – but I think everyone gets the point: night animals, very rare, deep-sea fish happy. The species list and media gallery are linked above. I’ll move on.
The Tropical Bird House was my next priority; after accidentally wandering down a side path and doing the zoo’s large cat complex of unremarkable piano-wire enclosures set against rock walls, I eventually made my way to it. Some people stan biogeographic complexes hard; I’m more of a person who enjoys a simple birds-only or herps-only house that gets all those pesky ubiquitous megafauna out of the way. The house was disappointing design-wise; it was mostly two hallways full of small, glass-fronted enclosures for a variety of both common and rarer tropical birds. I’m not a fan of glass-fronted bird habitats; I prefer piano wire or at least wide-holed mesh, both for photography reasons and also so the sound of bird calls doesn’t get muffled. They also had a limited amount of flying and climbing space for some of the larger birds. Of course you could still hear the Kookaburra loud and clear after it got upset by whistling duck calls – I purposefully didn’t make eye contact with this one and just moved on.
The two best parts of the Tropical Bird House, however, are very good. One is in a short hallway joining the two main ones at the far side of the building; this is a large mesh-fronted aviary with 4 or 5 species in it, including another target for the day: two of the country’s only Yellow-casqued Hornbills (again, to my knowledge). The first wasn’t hard to find; he was perched up in the higher branches at the front of the enclosure, and repeatedly made soft honks hoping for a response. I responded back, feeling obligated to give him attention because (not seeing another bird) I thought perhaps his mate had died – only to come back to the house on a return trip later that day, where I saw her sitting just beyond him! The clever girl was invisible from the best angle to see the male, but standing on the other side and looking further in I’m not sure how I missed her originally. Maybe she was in a nest box prior; either way, I now have the gallery’s first clear photographs of Memphis’s rare hornbills – A+ for me.
The second best part of the house was the free-flight room. It was a fairly small (though densely-planted) sky-lit room, but the size belied the collection; a large section of wall was covered in nearly two dozen species placards. Of the 22 species signed I saw all but 3, but also saw 3 unsigned species so I came out even... yes, I’m that good. Some rarities in here include Purple-throated Fruit Crow, Yellow-hooded Blackbird, Northern Red Bishop, Paradise Whydah, Pompadour Cotinga, Magpie Shrike, and Red-and-Yellow Barbet (the last two of which, I would find out later, were unsigned because they normally live in an aviary by the hippos). I spent a total of maybe 40 minutes in this room between 2 visits. Was it worth? Of course it was.
Post II will coming up momentarily; please stow your comments and questions in the overhead compartment or under the seat in front of you while the captain prepares the post for arrival.
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Everyone hold on to your butts; Side B just dropped 
I made it a priority to hit the other two animal buildings before moving to the east half of the zoo where most of the outdoor complexes were, being cognizant of my limited camera battery (although nearly all signage photos were done with phone camera today). The Herpetarium was interesting to say the least, and I still don’t know quite how I feel about it other than that it wasn’t one of my favorites. One zig-zaggy hallway with variously sized terrariums and three tiny crocodilian grottoes totals around 65 species; barriers prevented people from getting too close to some of the terrariums (which is probably a good idea for the animals and for crowding, but compromises viewing and photography) and electronic signs would display 4 different species for 4 different terrariums without specifying which one was which. Curse you, electronic signage! You and I do battle once more, my nefarious foe.
Interesting species I may or may not have seen included Pakistani Pond Turtle, Blue-legged Mantella, Mexican Burrowing Python, Yellow-spotted Climbing Toad, Elephant Trunk Snake, Indian Rock Python, Ethiopian Mountain Viper, West African Dwarf Crocodile, and my redemption for Slender-snouted Crocodile – the best African crocodile and anyone who disagrees who is just a Nile crocodile in disguise.
1st photo credit: @Milwaukee Man
The zoo’s aquarium is surely one of the oldest in use throughout the country, with an endearingly historic brick facade. The entrance room consists of colorfully-painted walls with two totally unsigned reef tanks one might see in a dentist’s or doctor’s office – actually, to be honest I’ve seen bigger and more interesting tanks in a doctor’s office. The main part of the aquarium is just beyond, and is a single dark room with tanks lining every wall, illuminated by red-and-green neon light bars that adds a futuristic aesthetic to the decor and also messed up most of my photographs of the tanks and fish. Get better lights!
1st photo credit: @Milwaukee Man
I was told by a me-certified fish expert (what do you call a fish expert anyway? A fishologist? a fishapod? a fishmonger?) that the collection doesn’t have much that was rare or unusual; I couldn’t have guessed either way. A little over 40 species inhabit the room and the most interesting (to me) were the Mudflat Octopus, Iridescent Shark, Black Spot Piranha, Electric Blue Crawfish, 2 lungfishes and 3 or 4 puffers. I like puffers; they’re like the friendly dogs of the fish world! The room was one-way traffic oriented, which is an understandable move but made it hard to look at everything when foot traffic was fairly high and people spent a long time gazing at the same tanks (I know it’s like, supes funny to prank-call your boyfriend at the zoo but can you, like, not when you’re standing at the same tank for, like, ever?)
I’ll move through some of the rest of the zoo in the interest of time: there’s an outdoor primate complex that’s fairly short and nondescript (although it has Lesser Spot-nosed Guenons and Patas Monkeys, both of which are rarer primates around here); a Komodo Dragon house with a few tortoise yards and three indoor/outdoor enclosures for three Komodos (plus two more Komodos in the Herpetarium – how many Komodos does this place have?); a historic Round Barn ringed by paddocks that has been almost thoroughly emptied out (only inhabitants seen were ground hornbill, crowned crane, a lone bontebok and a rogue turkey); an African Veldt area with the standard megafauna in dirt yards (elephants, hippos, rhinos, giraffes, zebras, yawn) and some bongo and red river hogs in an absolutely massive grassy yard with a pond and mature oak trees; an exhibit for kangaroos that I guess are so terrifying they must be locked away from the public by a Jurassic Park-style gate; a standard penguin rock; and a former sea lion pool inhabited by pelicans, except presumably when Michael Phelps comes to town and uses it for training.
2nd photo credit: @Moebelle
That leaves us at the four themed complexes on the east side of the zoo. Northwest Passage and Teton Trek were saved for last since they didn’t have much that was new for me; both contain North American animals (and inexplicably, a White-necked Raven – where did all of these African ravens come from?) and are both new within the past decade or two. Both were expertly themed, not very large, and low on species, but while Northwest Passage was sort of a passing thought for me Teton Trek has one of the most beautiful bear exhibits I’ve ever seen. Imagine a sun-lit grassy valley with a fast-flowing stream in the wilds of the Rocky Mountains, with a large wooden lodge and crashing waterfalls in the background while two large grizzly bears play-fight with each other right in front of you. Now imagine that, but you’re standing in Memphis. Neat, right?
1st photo credit: @ZooNerd1234
The CHINA complex (I don’t know why it’s in caps – I guess you have to pronounce it loudly?) ditches the usual pan-Asian motifs of Cambodian temples, Indian prayer flags, and koi ponds for a much more laser-focused theme on the country I’m sure owns a not-insignificant portion of my student loan debt. CHINA reminded me a lot more of the brand-new Chinese garden complex at Huntington Gardens I saw a month ago than any zoo exhibit I’ve seen before: beautifully styled East Asian gardens, courtyards with taihu stones and sculptures of the four animal rulers of Chinese mythology, and buildings designed in Imperial Chinese palace fashion. The complex is most famous for its Giant Pandas, as it’s currently only one of three zoos in the country that has them. I snapped a few obligatory photos of the world’s most expensive lawnmowers in monochromatic fur suits, but I was there for a different rarity: a troop of Sulawesi Crested Macaques. Sure enough, across from a waterfowl pond thick with a mix of feathered poop machines were half a dozen black macaques grooming each other. Other inhabitants included a small herd of Pere David’s deer in a wooded pen; a troop of Francois’ langurs with a newborn baby; 3 or 4 small aviaries for East Asian birds; and a well-furnished Red Panda habitat that for some reason can only be seen through designer slats.
The final complex is the Zambezi River Hippo Camp, lauded as one of the best hippo exhibits the nation currently has to offer. As far as size, water and land area, and aesthetic goes I was impressed – though of course a grassy yard for the hippos to graze in would have been nice to see. An adjoining, similar enclosure held a basking Nile crocodile, and both can be viewed both from water level or from above on a wooden walkway. African cichlids swam around in the water, and other unremarkable enclosures held flamingos, dik-dik, okapis, guineafowl, storks, and frankly a very disappointing Mandrill habitat (though oddly enough I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Mandrill habitat that impressed me). The complex ends with a walk-through aviary, which turned out to be closed. That made sense to me – it was almost winter after all, and although it was now sitting around 60 F / 15 C by 3 PM it had been closer to freezing in the early morning. However, what I did not expect was to walk around the other side of it and find that it was missing an entire section of wall. I guess having the birds contained is also a fairly important prerequisite for an aviary? Fortunately, even from a distance I was able to nab photos of all the signage – again, because I’m a completionist.
I ended up finishing the whole zoo by around 3:30 or so, which gave me time to wander back through the nocturnal and bird houses again just for funsies. I finally made it back to my car – safe and sound with a security guard parked nearby – and took 20 minutes or so to just rest and relax. It had been a long day, and I had enjoyed the vast majority of the seconds in it. For anybody who likes rare species, go to Memphis – even at a $31 total, I trust you’ll get your money’s worth.
Traveling
I had one more stop to make before leaving America’s Egypt – I made a call, drove 15 or 20 minutes to downtown Memphis, parked in an alley, and walked in and out of a building with a delectable feast of a Memphis specialty. Wanting to continue minimizing the COVID risk, I drove to a gas station just outside of town and ate it in my car. My taste buds cared not one bit.
(Not Quite As Fast) Food Review of the Day: Memphis-style Barbecue
Barbecue is a big thing in a lot of the United States, especially the southern parts – savory meat, heavy sides, buttery biscuits and the most delightfully creamy desserts this side of the Prime Meridian. Barbecue varies a lot by region, restaurant, and individual cook, but there are basically four well-known and well-established regional types of barbecue in the States: Carolina, Texas, Memphis, and Kansas City. I had been hoping to hit 3 of the 4 on this road trip, but as all of the barbecue restaurants had closed hours before my sorry state pulled into Amarillo three nights prior that plan didn’t pan out. I wasn’t going to let that stop my determination to taste the delicious dry rub pork ribs from the river city, complete with a specialty barbecue dipping sauce, sides of baked beans and spicy slaw, and (for dessert a few hours later) a small and decadent chocolate chess pie. It’s hard to understate just how good barbecue can be in America – maybe we can’t think, read, or lead the free world that well, but we can sure roast a hog!
Look out for the next review either tomorrow or Thursday!
I made it a priority to hit the other two animal buildings before moving to the east half of the zoo where most of the outdoor complexes were, being cognizant of my limited camera battery (although nearly all signage photos were done with phone camera today). The Herpetarium was interesting to say the least, and I still don’t know quite how I feel about it other than that it wasn’t one of my favorites. One zig-zaggy hallway with variously sized terrariums and three tiny crocodilian grottoes totals around 65 species; barriers prevented people from getting too close to some of the terrariums (which is probably a good idea for the animals and for crowding, but compromises viewing and photography) and electronic signs would display 4 different species for 4 different terrariums without specifying which one was which. Curse you, electronic signage! You and I do battle once more, my nefarious foe.
Interesting species I may or may not have seen included Pakistani Pond Turtle, Blue-legged Mantella, Mexican Burrowing Python, Yellow-spotted Climbing Toad, Elephant Trunk Snake, Indian Rock Python, Ethiopian Mountain Viper, West African Dwarf Crocodile, and my redemption for Slender-snouted Crocodile – the best African crocodile and anyone who disagrees who is just a Nile crocodile in disguise.
1st photo credit: @Milwaukee Man
The zoo’s aquarium is surely one of the oldest in use throughout the country, with an endearingly historic brick facade. The entrance room consists of colorfully-painted walls with two totally unsigned reef tanks one might see in a dentist’s or doctor’s office – actually, to be honest I’ve seen bigger and more interesting tanks in a doctor’s office. The main part of the aquarium is just beyond, and is a single dark room with tanks lining every wall, illuminated by red-and-green neon light bars that adds a futuristic aesthetic to the decor and also messed up most of my photographs of the tanks and fish. Get better lights!
1st photo credit: @Milwaukee Man
I was told by a me-certified fish expert (what do you call a fish expert anyway? A fishologist? a fishapod? a fishmonger?) that the collection doesn’t have much that was rare or unusual; I couldn’t have guessed either way. A little over 40 species inhabit the room and the most interesting (to me) were the Mudflat Octopus, Iridescent Shark, Black Spot Piranha, Electric Blue Crawfish, 2 lungfishes and 3 or 4 puffers. I like puffers; they’re like the friendly dogs of the fish world! The room was one-way traffic oriented, which is an understandable move but made it hard to look at everything when foot traffic was fairly high and people spent a long time gazing at the same tanks (I know it’s like, supes funny to prank-call your boyfriend at the zoo but can you, like, not when you’re standing at the same tank for, like, ever?)
I’ll move through some of the rest of the zoo in the interest of time: there’s an outdoor primate complex that’s fairly short and nondescript (although it has Lesser Spot-nosed Guenons and Patas Monkeys, both of which are rarer primates around here); a Komodo Dragon house with a few tortoise yards and three indoor/outdoor enclosures for three Komodos (plus two more Komodos in the Herpetarium – how many Komodos does this place have?); a historic Round Barn ringed by paddocks that has been almost thoroughly emptied out (only inhabitants seen were ground hornbill, crowned crane, a lone bontebok and a rogue turkey); an African Veldt area with the standard megafauna in dirt yards (elephants, hippos, rhinos, giraffes, zebras, yawn) and some bongo and red river hogs in an absolutely massive grassy yard with a pond and mature oak trees; an exhibit for kangaroos that I guess are so terrifying they must be locked away from the public by a Jurassic Park-style gate; a standard penguin rock; and a former sea lion pool inhabited by pelicans, except presumably when Michael Phelps comes to town and uses it for training.
2nd photo credit: @Moebelle
That leaves us at the four themed complexes on the east side of the zoo. Northwest Passage and Teton Trek were saved for last since they didn’t have much that was new for me; both contain North American animals (and inexplicably, a White-necked Raven – where did all of these African ravens come from?) and are both new within the past decade or two. Both were expertly themed, not very large, and low on species, but while Northwest Passage was sort of a passing thought for me Teton Trek has one of the most beautiful bear exhibits I’ve ever seen. Imagine a sun-lit grassy valley with a fast-flowing stream in the wilds of the Rocky Mountains, with a large wooden lodge and crashing waterfalls in the background while two large grizzly bears play-fight with each other right in front of you. Now imagine that, but you’re standing in Memphis. Neat, right?
1st photo credit: @ZooNerd1234
The CHINA complex (I don’t know why it’s in caps – I guess you have to pronounce it loudly?) ditches the usual pan-Asian motifs of Cambodian temples, Indian prayer flags, and koi ponds for a much more laser-focused theme on the country I’m sure owns a not-insignificant portion of my student loan debt. CHINA reminded me a lot more of the brand-new Chinese garden complex at Huntington Gardens I saw a month ago than any zoo exhibit I’ve seen before: beautifully styled East Asian gardens, courtyards with taihu stones and sculptures of the four animal rulers of Chinese mythology, and buildings designed in Imperial Chinese palace fashion. The complex is most famous for its Giant Pandas, as it’s currently only one of three zoos in the country that has them. I snapped a few obligatory photos of the world’s most expensive lawnmowers in monochromatic fur suits, but I was there for a different rarity: a troop of Sulawesi Crested Macaques. Sure enough, across from a waterfowl pond thick with a mix of feathered poop machines were half a dozen black macaques grooming each other. Other inhabitants included a small herd of Pere David’s deer in a wooded pen; a troop of Francois’ langurs with a newborn baby; 3 or 4 small aviaries for East Asian birds; and a well-furnished Red Panda habitat that for some reason can only be seen through designer slats.
The final complex is the Zambezi River Hippo Camp, lauded as one of the best hippo exhibits the nation currently has to offer. As far as size, water and land area, and aesthetic goes I was impressed – though of course a grassy yard for the hippos to graze in would have been nice to see. An adjoining, similar enclosure held a basking Nile crocodile, and both can be viewed both from water level or from above on a wooden walkway. African cichlids swam around in the water, and other unremarkable enclosures held flamingos, dik-dik, okapis, guineafowl, storks, and frankly a very disappointing Mandrill habitat (though oddly enough I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Mandrill habitat that impressed me). The complex ends with a walk-through aviary, which turned out to be closed. That made sense to me – it was almost winter after all, and although it was now sitting around 60 F / 15 C by 3 PM it had been closer to freezing in the early morning. However, what I did not expect was to walk around the other side of it and find that it was missing an entire section of wall. I guess having the birds contained is also a fairly important prerequisite for an aviary? Fortunately, even from a distance I was able to nab photos of all the signage – again, because I’m a completionist.
I ended up finishing the whole zoo by around 3:30 or so, which gave me time to wander back through the nocturnal and bird houses again just for funsies. I finally made it back to my car – safe and sound with a security guard parked nearby – and took 20 minutes or so to just rest and relax. It had been a long day, and I had enjoyed the vast majority of the seconds in it. For anybody who likes rare species, go to Memphis – even at a $31 total, I trust you’ll get your money’s worth.
Traveling
I had one more stop to make before leaving America’s Egypt – I made a call, drove 15 or 20 minutes to downtown Memphis, parked in an alley, and walked in and out of a building with a delectable feast of a Memphis specialty. Wanting to continue minimizing the COVID risk, I drove to a gas station just outside of town and ate it in my car. My taste buds cared not one bit.
(Not Quite As Fast) Food Review of the Day: Memphis-style Barbecue
Barbecue is a big thing in a lot of the United States, especially the southern parts – savory meat, heavy sides, buttery biscuits and the most delightfully creamy desserts this side of the Prime Meridian. Barbecue varies a lot by region, restaurant, and individual cook, but there are basically four well-known and well-established regional types of barbecue in the States: Carolina, Texas, Memphis, and Kansas City. I had been hoping to hit 3 of the 4 on this road trip, but as all of the barbecue restaurants had closed hours before my sorry state pulled into Amarillo three nights prior that plan didn’t pan out. I wasn’t going to let that stop my determination to taste the delicious dry rub pork ribs from the river city, complete with a specialty barbecue dipping sauce, sides of baked beans and spicy slaw, and (for dessert a few hours later) a small and decadent chocolate chess pie. It’s hard to understate just how good barbecue can be in America – maybe we can’t think, read, or lead the free world that well, but we can sure roast a hog!
Look out for the next review either tomorrow or Thursday!
Nope; Wildkatzenzentrum Felidae got a pair from RSCC in 2015 and still keeps them. And there are probably some in Indonesian zoos, too.
Ichthyologist but I like fishmonger better.