Snowleopard's 2010 Road Trip
- Thread starter snowleopard
- Start date
DAY 31: Wednesday, August 11th
Zoo/Aquarium Review # 28: Houston Zoo
Houston Zoo’s website:
Plan Your Visit to the Houston Zoo - Houston Zoo
Zoo Map:
http://www.houstonzoo.org/attachments/files/3571/New-Zoo-Map.VERT.rev2.gif
Houston Zoo has a $50 million African rainforest exhibit complex opening in December (white rhinos, giraffes and chimpanzees) and in all honesty the zoo badly needs an outstanding set of animal habitats to boost the overall quality of the establishment. Like many of the zoos on this epic road trip it is well worth a visit as there is a large and diverse collection of animals, but the level of exhibitry is lacking in certain areas. It is by no means a bad zoo, but is is just not an excellent one and therefore somewhere in the middle of the pack of major American zoos. One disappointment on my visit was the lack of rare animals that the zoo had just a couple of years ago: koalas have been replaced by red pandas, margays have been replaced by either ocelots or clouded leopards, sea turtles and nurse sharks are gone from the very small aquarium, blue duikers are now absent, and I did not see golden-headed quetzals or cock-of-the-rocks anywhere even though I toured what seemed like hundreds of bird exhibits. Maybe I simply could not find those animals! The book “America’s Best Zoos” rates Houston at #2 for birds in the country for a reason, as there are enough birds here to sate the appetite of even the most passionate bird-watcher. One piece of good news in terms of rare animals: shoebill storks, in a terrific aviary!
THE BEST:
World of Primates – This is my favourite part of the zoo, and it is reminiscent of San Diego Zoo’s “Monkey Trails & Forest Tales” as there is a long, elevated boardwalk that takes visitors through a lush forest of mainly netted primate exhibits. There are 17 primate species: golden lion tamarin, pied tamarin, cotton-top tamarin, siamang, agile gibbon, Coquerel’s sifaka, ring-tailed lemur, red-fronted lemur, mandrill, DeBrazza monkey, patas monkey, black howler monkey, red-capped mangabey monkey, red-tailed guenon, Allen’s swamp monkey, babirusa (out of place!) and an island enclosure with yellow-headed temple turtles, Malaysian giant turtles and Bornean, Sumatran and hybrid orangutans.
The orang/turtle enclosure is average at best and the babirusas are annoyingly out of place, but the rest of the mesh exhibits are all packed full of climbing opportunities and lush, spacious habitats that I thoroughly enjoyed visiting. My wife and I are mammal fans above all else, and primates are probably our favourite zoo animals mainly because they are often incredibly active. Our young daughter also adores monkeys, lemurs and apes as many other larger mammals are frequently barely moving whenever we visit another zoo.
Children’s Zoo – This is easily one of the 10 best children’s zoos in America, a fact backed up by its inclusion on the list in “America’s Best Zoos”. White-tailed deer, wild turkeys, river otters in yet another great otter exhibit, great horned owls, raccoons, roadrunners, bats, swift foxes, bald eagles, brown pelicans, coatis, prairie dogs and porcupines all reside in an area that also includes a small waterpark, a nearby carousel, a maze and a petting zone/farm.
Natural Encounters – This building is smaller than I had anticipated, but there are 14 exhibits inside and outside the building and the entire area seems to be geared towards younger children. Incidentally this complex would fit in well at Akron Zoo, another place that specializes in animal habitats for youngsters. There is an Asian small-clawed otter/prevost’s squirrel/blue-bellied roller/Bengal slow loris exhibit, a Hoffman’s two-toed sloth/prevost’s squirrel/acouchi/red-footed tortoise/sailfin lizard/golden lion tamarin/cotton-top tamarin/white-faced saki/silver pheasant jungle exhibit that is not large but does have a lot of different rotating species packed into its indoor/outdoor mini-rainforest. There is also a great meerkat exhibit outdoors, and inside are eels, antelope ground squirrels, a coral reef tank, stingrays, springhaas, rock hyraxes , naked mole rats, damaraland mole rats, straw-colored fruit bats and an awesome piranha tank that has a crawl-through tunnel for toddlers. The entire area opened to the public just a few years ago, and it is small but well-designed. “Koala Crossing” is still there, but now there is a pair of red pandas in the spacious enclosure instead of Aussie marsupials.
Carnivore Country – This area just barely scrapes into my “best” category. There is a huge lion enclosure with a unique feature: a walk-through tunnel that brings visitors level with the big cats via a lengthy walkway and glass viewing windows. Nearby Malayan tiger and cougar enclosures are of average size and quality, while a remodeled jaguar exhibit (2010?) is packed with a mock-rock mountain and gushing waterfall. There is a long row of cages near the tiger/lion area that at first glance appear to be subpar, but the 5 exhibits offer up a surprising amount of vertical space for the cats that inhabit them. Two enclosures are for clouded leopards, two are for ocelots, one is for a fossa (slightly out of place amongst all of the cats) and the largest is reserved for leopards. In a different section of the zoo cheetahs have a spacious and grassy yard.
Around the corner is one of the weakest African wild dog exhibits that I’ve seen in a long time, as the predators are viewed through mesh and I’m used to seeing those mammals with zero barriers to encourage careful observation. Near the dogs is a deep grotto for grizzly bears, as well as a long, narrow grotto for spectacled bears.
THE AVERAGE:
Tropical Bird House – This is the best of the endless bird displays as the building offers up well-planted and lush exhibits along the walls and features a walk-through aviary amongst Mayan ruins and at least 15 species of birds. Outside is “Duck Lake”, with a staggering number of waterfowl species set against a beautiful, scenic backdrop.
Reptile/Amphibian House – A white alligator is in the featured tank in the middle of the building, and since this is the south U.S. then that guarantees another zoo with an impressive reptile/amphibian collection. There are over 80 terrariums of cold-blooded creatures, including lush outdoor exhibits for crocodile monitors and komodo dragons.
THE WORST:
Sea Lion Pool – As one walks into a zoo there is the expectation of a great opening exhibit, and while there is nothing at all terrible about this pool it is possibly the worst of all the pinniped habitats that I have seen on this road trip.
Kipp Aquarium – This 30 year-old building takes about 10 minutes to tour, as it is almost unbelievably small in comparison to the great aquariums within zoos such as the ones in Omaha, Pittsburgh and Point Defiance. The large main tank that apparently had nurse sharks and sea turtles is empty, and the coral reef tanks and other species on offer are neither noteworthy nor memorable. I’m not sure if I’m being too harsh here, but the 10-minute tour was rather boring.
Fisher Bird Garden – There are 17 aviaries here that are all outdated, and regardless of how fascinating the occupants are this area of the zoo is skipped by most people and shows off exhibitry that is decades past its due date. There are 4 massive macaw aviaries that are basically ugly metal cages, and the zoo should really construct more aesthetically pleasing bird habitats.
Birds of the World – An outstanding collection of birds in long rows of aviaries that offer up quantity over quality. Several mixed-species enclosures are fascinating, but the real highlight is the huge shoebill stork aviary and Chilean flamingo enclosure. Both of those are excellent, but the rest of the aviaries are a tad boring and redundant as the birds are not presented with any sense of wonderment. Texan ZooChatter “Jbnbsn99” (Bret) from the Dallas Zoo is in total agreement, as we acknowledge that the Houston Zoo has a tremendous bird collection, but the presentation of the avian wonders leaves a lot to be desired.
Hoofstock Paddocks – Species include: okapi, yellow-backed duiker, bongo, Masai giraffe, Asian elephant, warthog, Ankole cattle, Giant eland, nyala and a maned wolf/giant anteater/tapir mixed-species enclosure. None of the exhibits are impressive, and several feature chain-link fencing that make viewing extremely difficult. At least the giraffes will be shifted over to a bigger, better enclosure in December, and I believe that the plans include the Asian elephants having an expanded yard that takes over the current giraffe paddock. The new elephant barn is huge and can hold up to 9 of the mammals, but the paddock featuring at least 5 elephants is too small for the growing herd (yet another baby is due this fall) and the bull yard is nothing special either. Incidentally I witnessed a young male elephant of perhaps a few years repeatedly attempt to mount a 3-month old male elephant. It was a bizarre experience, and there were a lot of visitors watching the event who shielded their children’s eyes from what was happening.
OVERALL:
Houston Zoo has a terrific primate area, a phenomenal bird collection, a great children’s zoo, a pleasant building with small critters called “Natural Encounters” and a fairly extensive collection of all sorts of animals. My visit took just over 5 hours, but this zoo has quantity but lacks a little more quality. The new “African Forest” complex (this is only Phase I) appears to be a huge portion of the zoo map, and construction is well underway for a December unveiling. Hopefully this will be the start of a renaissance at the zoo, as there are certainly enough animals in place for a world-class organization to emerge from the confusing layout that is currently in place. Rather than having hoofstock paddocks scattered along two sides of the zoo, and bird displays around each and every corner, there needs to be some cohesion to the extensive animal collection.
Zoo/Aquarium Review # 28: Houston Zoo
Houston Zoo’s website:
Plan Your Visit to the Houston Zoo - Houston Zoo
Zoo Map:
http://www.houstonzoo.org/attachments/files/3571/New-Zoo-Map.VERT.rev2.gif
Houston Zoo has a $50 million African rainforest exhibit complex opening in December (white rhinos, giraffes and chimpanzees) and in all honesty the zoo badly needs an outstanding set of animal habitats to boost the overall quality of the establishment. Like many of the zoos on this epic road trip it is well worth a visit as there is a large and diverse collection of animals, but the level of exhibitry is lacking in certain areas. It is by no means a bad zoo, but is is just not an excellent one and therefore somewhere in the middle of the pack of major American zoos. One disappointment on my visit was the lack of rare animals that the zoo had just a couple of years ago: koalas have been replaced by red pandas, margays have been replaced by either ocelots or clouded leopards, sea turtles and nurse sharks are gone from the very small aquarium, blue duikers are now absent, and I did not see golden-headed quetzals or cock-of-the-rocks anywhere even though I toured what seemed like hundreds of bird exhibits. Maybe I simply could not find those animals! The book “America’s Best Zoos” rates Houston at #2 for birds in the country for a reason, as there are enough birds here to sate the appetite of even the most passionate bird-watcher. One piece of good news in terms of rare animals: shoebill storks, in a terrific aviary!
THE BEST:
World of Primates – This is my favourite part of the zoo, and it is reminiscent of San Diego Zoo’s “Monkey Trails & Forest Tales” as there is a long, elevated boardwalk that takes visitors through a lush forest of mainly netted primate exhibits. There are 17 primate species: golden lion tamarin, pied tamarin, cotton-top tamarin, siamang, agile gibbon, Coquerel’s sifaka, ring-tailed lemur, red-fronted lemur, mandrill, DeBrazza monkey, patas monkey, black howler monkey, red-capped mangabey monkey, red-tailed guenon, Allen’s swamp monkey, babirusa (out of place!) and an island enclosure with yellow-headed temple turtles, Malaysian giant turtles and Bornean, Sumatran and hybrid orangutans.
The orang/turtle enclosure is average at best and the babirusas are annoyingly out of place, but the rest of the mesh exhibits are all packed full of climbing opportunities and lush, spacious habitats that I thoroughly enjoyed visiting. My wife and I are mammal fans above all else, and primates are probably our favourite zoo animals mainly because they are often incredibly active. Our young daughter also adores monkeys, lemurs and apes as many other larger mammals are frequently barely moving whenever we visit another zoo.
Children’s Zoo – This is easily one of the 10 best children’s zoos in America, a fact backed up by its inclusion on the list in “America’s Best Zoos”. White-tailed deer, wild turkeys, river otters in yet another great otter exhibit, great horned owls, raccoons, roadrunners, bats, swift foxes, bald eagles, brown pelicans, coatis, prairie dogs and porcupines all reside in an area that also includes a small waterpark, a nearby carousel, a maze and a petting zone/farm.
Natural Encounters – This building is smaller than I had anticipated, but there are 14 exhibits inside and outside the building and the entire area seems to be geared towards younger children. Incidentally this complex would fit in well at Akron Zoo, another place that specializes in animal habitats for youngsters. There is an Asian small-clawed otter/prevost’s squirrel/blue-bellied roller/Bengal slow loris exhibit, a Hoffman’s two-toed sloth/prevost’s squirrel/acouchi/red-footed tortoise/sailfin lizard/golden lion tamarin/cotton-top tamarin/white-faced saki/silver pheasant jungle exhibit that is not large but does have a lot of different rotating species packed into its indoor/outdoor mini-rainforest. There is also a great meerkat exhibit outdoors, and inside are eels, antelope ground squirrels, a coral reef tank, stingrays, springhaas, rock hyraxes , naked mole rats, damaraland mole rats, straw-colored fruit bats and an awesome piranha tank that has a crawl-through tunnel for toddlers. The entire area opened to the public just a few years ago, and it is small but well-designed. “Koala Crossing” is still there, but now there is a pair of red pandas in the spacious enclosure instead of Aussie marsupials.
Carnivore Country – This area just barely scrapes into my “best” category. There is a huge lion enclosure with a unique feature: a walk-through tunnel that brings visitors level with the big cats via a lengthy walkway and glass viewing windows. Nearby Malayan tiger and cougar enclosures are of average size and quality, while a remodeled jaguar exhibit (2010?) is packed with a mock-rock mountain and gushing waterfall. There is a long row of cages near the tiger/lion area that at first glance appear to be subpar, but the 5 exhibits offer up a surprising amount of vertical space for the cats that inhabit them. Two enclosures are for clouded leopards, two are for ocelots, one is for a fossa (slightly out of place amongst all of the cats) and the largest is reserved for leopards. In a different section of the zoo cheetahs have a spacious and grassy yard.
Around the corner is one of the weakest African wild dog exhibits that I’ve seen in a long time, as the predators are viewed through mesh and I’m used to seeing those mammals with zero barriers to encourage careful observation. Near the dogs is a deep grotto for grizzly bears, as well as a long, narrow grotto for spectacled bears.
THE AVERAGE:
Tropical Bird House – This is the best of the endless bird displays as the building offers up well-planted and lush exhibits along the walls and features a walk-through aviary amongst Mayan ruins and at least 15 species of birds. Outside is “Duck Lake”, with a staggering number of waterfowl species set against a beautiful, scenic backdrop.
Reptile/Amphibian House – A white alligator is in the featured tank in the middle of the building, and since this is the south U.S. then that guarantees another zoo with an impressive reptile/amphibian collection. There are over 80 terrariums of cold-blooded creatures, including lush outdoor exhibits for crocodile monitors and komodo dragons.
THE WORST:
Sea Lion Pool – As one walks into a zoo there is the expectation of a great opening exhibit, and while there is nothing at all terrible about this pool it is possibly the worst of all the pinniped habitats that I have seen on this road trip.
Kipp Aquarium – This 30 year-old building takes about 10 minutes to tour, as it is almost unbelievably small in comparison to the great aquariums within zoos such as the ones in Omaha, Pittsburgh and Point Defiance. The large main tank that apparently had nurse sharks and sea turtles is empty, and the coral reef tanks and other species on offer are neither noteworthy nor memorable. I’m not sure if I’m being too harsh here, but the 10-minute tour was rather boring.
Fisher Bird Garden – There are 17 aviaries here that are all outdated, and regardless of how fascinating the occupants are this area of the zoo is skipped by most people and shows off exhibitry that is decades past its due date. There are 4 massive macaw aviaries that are basically ugly metal cages, and the zoo should really construct more aesthetically pleasing bird habitats.
Birds of the World – An outstanding collection of birds in long rows of aviaries that offer up quantity over quality. Several mixed-species enclosures are fascinating, but the real highlight is the huge shoebill stork aviary and Chilean flamingo enclosure. Both of those are excellent, but the rest of the aviaries are a tad boring and redundant as the birds are not presented with any sense of wonderment. Texan ZooChatter “Jbnbsn99” (Bret) from the Dallas Zoo is in total agreement, as we acknowledge that the Houston Zoo has a tremendous bird collection, but the presentation of the avian wonders leaves a lot to be desired.
Hoofstock Paddocks – Species include: okapi, yellow-backed duiker, bongo, Masai giraffe, Asian elephant, warthog, Ankole cattle, Giant eland, nyala and a maned wolf/giant anteater/tapir mixed-species enclosure. None of the exhibits are impressive, and several feature chain-link fencing that make viewing extremely difficult. At least the giraffes will be shifted over to a bigger, better enclosure in December, and I believe that the plans include the Asian elephants having an expanded yard that takes over the current giraffe paddock. The new elephant barn is huge and can hold up to 9 of the mammals, but the paddock featuring at least 5 elephants is too small for the growing herd (yet another baby is due this fall) and the bull yard is nothing special either. Incidentally I witnessed a young male elephant of perhaps a few years repeatedly attempt to mount a 3-month old male elephant. It was a bizarre experience, and there were a lot of visitors watching the event who shielded their children’s eyes from what was happening.
OVERALL:
Houston Zoo has a terrific primate area, a phenomenal bird collection, a great children’s zoo, a pleasant building with small critters called “Natural Encounters” and a fairly extensive collection of all sorts of animals. My visit took just over 5 hours, but this zoo has quantity but lacks a little more quality. The new “African Forest” complex (this is only Phase I) appears to be a huge portion of the zoo map, and construction is well underway for a December unveiling. Hopefully this will be the start of a renaissance at the zoo, as there are certainly enough animals in place for a world-class organization to emerge from the confusing layout that is currently in place. Rather than having hoofstock paddocks scattered along two sides of the zoo, and bird displays around each and every corner, there needs to be some cohesion to the extensive animal collection.
DAY 32: Thursday, August 12th
Zoo/Aquarium Review # 29: Caldwell Zoo
Caldwell Zoo’s website:
Caldwell Zoo - A Natural for Family Fun | Tyler, TX
Zoo Map:
http://www.caldwellzoo.org/pdf/caldwell_zoo_map.pdf
Caldwell Zoo is a terrific little zoo that is bursting with quality exhibits, and the only major flaw is that the zoo is so tiny that it could possibly be seen in a couple of hours. I spent about 3 hours touring the grounds, and like Nashville (bit not quite as impressive) it is miniature but extremely well-designed. There are only 3 main areas (East Africa, Native Texas, South America) and the first two zones are excellent while the third is rather poor.
THE BEST:
East Africa – This is the largest and easily the best section of the zoo. There is a massive African Savanna that has kudu, impala, ostrich, warthogs, Grevy’s zebras, marabou storks and African crowned cranes wandering an expanse that has views of the reticulated giraffe, elephant, meerkat and lion enclosures. The layered exhibits are quite magnificent to view, and seeing a pair of lions prowling in the distance and separated from its prey via only a moat is a great landscaping accomplishment. The elephant exhibit is actually disappointing in size, as are many others that are still too small even considering the AZA mandated overhaul of many such habitats during the past few years. The giraffe enclosure is also smaller than most, but the lion, meerkat and multi-acre savanna are all top-notch and comparable to similar exhibits at bigger zoos.
East Africa also contains a pair of cheetah yards, including one that is huge and grassy. There are two black rhino paddocks, which presents a problem as there are 5 of the rhinos and they cannot be mixed due to their temperament. In essence there are always 3 of the rhinos inside their basic stalls, and it is moderately depressing to imagine just how many hours a day they must spend locked into tiny spaces. Lesser flamingos inhabit a rather small pool; there is a very impressive and spacious African aviary with a number of species, a terrific mixed-species exhibit with bongo/yellow-backed duiker/colobus monkey, an adjacent leopard enclosure, and an interpretative building with some small terrariums.
One of the highlights of the area is the penguin house, which has a decent African black-footed penguin display next to an amazingly diverse pool of cichlid fish. This area was where I spent at least 20 minutes, as my daughter Kylie was put down on the carpet and she crawled around with pent-up energy the entire time. Penguins are great to watch, but the absolutely gargantuan cichlid tank also has these species: Gunther’s dik-dik, Hartlaub’s touraco, cape teal, leopard tortoise, taveta golden weaver, spur-winged lapwing, spurred tortoise and rock hyrax in a fantastic desert habitat that is directly above the huge fish tank.
Native Texas – A multi-acre enclosure is the centerpiece of this area, with these species: bison/Texas longhorn cattle/sandhill crane/wild turkey/white-tailed deer. There is a predator area with white tigers (bizarrely out of place, and one of the tigers was almost pure white with very faint stripes), cougars, a serval, bobcats and these birds of prey in the same enclosure: turkey vulture/great horned owl/barred owl.
A decent river otter exhibit is also found in the Native Texas area, along with enclosures for red foxes, alligators, Attwater’s prairie chickens (very rare!), bald eagles, coatis, a common raven and a variety of waterfowl in a beautiful pond. There is a small reptile house/aquarium that isn’t very noteworthy, other than the variety of rattlesnakes on offer. “Wild Bird Walkabout” features hundreds of parakeets and smaller birds inside a bright yellow building.
Primate Islands – An incredibly gorgeous lemur island features ring-tailed lemurs (with a single red ruffed lemur that rotates) and it may well be the most beautiful lemur island that I’ve ever seen. There is lush foliage and cascading waterfalls on both sides of the habitat. Another island features squirrel monkeys, pelicans, spoonbills, ibises and other birds and it is also very scenic.
THE AVERAGE:
Nothing, as there are 2 excellent sections in the zoo and one very weak one.
THE WORST:
South America – There are at least 7 perches or wire and wood enclosures with a variety of birds such as yellow-headed Amazon parrots, Chilean flamingos, sun conures, hyacinth macaws, military macaws, red-and-green macaws, toucans, etc. An enclosure with cotton-top tamarins, red-footed tortoises, white ibises and sharp-winged teals is basic wire and wood, and there is a huge enclosure with these species: giant anteater, capybara, Fulvous whistling duck, king vulture and seriema. The entire South American area is almost an afterthought after the excellent Texas and East African zones, and there are a few children’s activities and a tiny petting farm inside this subpar region of the zoo.
OVERALL:
Caldwell Zoo no longer has three rare species that were there just a couple of years ago (wildebeest, blue monkey, black-backed jackal) and the only upcoming addition of note is a new black bear exhibit that is already under construction and will be located just past the alligator pond. The zoo is small and well regarded by many visitors because it favours quality over quantity, but I wouldn’t want it as my local zoo as it is sparse on animals and too slight to be comparable to the great zoos of North America. However, I would definitely recommend a visit to anyone wishing to see a number of terrific exhibits, and I’m thankful that there are still small, well-designed little zoos to capture the imagination of visitors.
Zoo/Aquarium Review # 29: Caldwell Zoo
Caldwell Zoo’s website:
Caldwell Zoo - A Natural for Family Fun | Tyler, TX
Zoo Map:
http://www.caldwellzoo.org/pdf/caldwell_zoo_map.pdf
Caldwell Zoo is a terrific little zoo that is bursting with quality exhibits, and the only major flaw is that the zoo is so tiny that it could possibly be seen in a couple of hours. I spent about 3 hours touring the grounds, and like Nashville (bit not quite as impressive) it is miniature but extremely well-designed. There are only 3 main areas (East Africa, Native Texas, South America) and the first two zones are excellent while the third is rather poor.
THE BEST:
East Africa – This is the largest and easily the best section of the zoo. There is a massive African Savanna that has kudu, impala, ostrich, warthogs, Grevy’s zebras, marabou storks and African crowned cranes wandering an expanse that has views of the reticulated giraffe, elephant, meerkat and lion enclosures. The layered exhibits are quite magnificent to view, and seeing a pair of lions prowling in the distance and separated from its prey via only a moat is a great landscaping accomplishment. The elephant exhibit is actually disappointing in size, as are many others that are still too small even considering the AZA mandated overhaul of many such habitats during the past few years. The giraffe enclosure is also smaller than most, but the lion, meerkat and multi-acre savanna are all top-notch and comparable to similar exhibits at bigger zoos.
East Africa also contains a pair of cheetah yards, including one that is huge and grassy. There are two black rhino paddocks, which presents a problem as there are 5 of the rhinos and they cannot be mixed due to their temperament. In essence there are always 3 of the rhinos inside their basic stalls, and it is moderately depressing to imagine just how many hours a day they must spend locked into tiny spaces. Lesser flamingos inhabit a rather small pool; there is a very impressive and spacious African aviary with a number of species, a terrific mixed-species exhibit with bongo/yellow-backed duiker/colobus monkey, an adjacent leopard enclosure, and an interpretative building with some small terrariums.
One of the highlights of the area is the penguin house, which has a decent African black-footed penguin display next to an amazingly diverse pool of cichlid fish. This area was where I spent at least 20 minutes, as my daughter Kylie was put down on the carpet and she crawled around with pent-up energy the entire time. Penguins are great to watch, but the absolutely gargantuan cichlid tank also has these species: Gunther’s dik-dik, Hartlaub’s touraco, cape teal, leopard tortoise, taveta golden weaver, spur-winged lapwing, spurred tortoise and rock hyrax in a fantastic desert habitat that is directly above the huge fish tank.
Native Texas – A multi-acre enclosure is the centerpiece of this area, with these species: bison/Texas longhorn cattle/sandhill crane/wild turkey/white-tailed deer. There is a predator area with white tigers (bizarrely out of place, and one of the tigers was almost pure white with very faint stripes), cougars, a serval, bobcats and these birds of prey in the same enclosure: turkey vulture/great horned owl/barred owl.
A decent river otter exhibit is also found in the Native Texas area, along with enclosures for red foxes, alligators, Attwater’s prairie chickens (very rare!), bald eagles, coatis, a common raven and a variety of waterfowl in a beautiful pond. There is a small reptile house/aquarium that isn’t very noteworthy, other than the variety of rattlesnakes on offer. “Wild Bird Walkabout” features hundreds of parakeets and smaller birds inside a bright yellow building.
Primate Islands – An incredibly gorgeous lemur island features ring-tailed lemurs (with a single red ruffed lemur that rotates) and it may well be the most beautiful lemur island that I’ve ever seen. There is lush foliage and cascading waterfalls on both sides of the habitat. Another island features squirrel monkeys, pelicans, spoonbills, ibises and other birds and it is also very scenic.
THE AVERAGE:
Nothing, as there are 2 excellent sections in the zoo and one very weak one.
THE WORST:
South America – There are at least 7 perches or wire and wood enclosures with a variety of birds such as yellow-headed Amazon parrots, Chilean flamingos, sun conures, hyacinth macaws, military macaws, red-and-green macaws, toucans, etc. An enclosure with cotton-top tamarins, red-footed tortoises, white ibises and sharp-winged teals is basic wire and wood, and there is a huge enclosure with these species: giant anteater, capybara, Fulvous whistling duck, king vulture and seriema. The entire South American area is almost an afterthought after the excellent Texas and East African zones, and there are a few children’s activities and a tiny petting farm inside this subpar region of the zoo.
OVERALL:
Caldwell Zoo no longer has three rare species that were there just a couple of years ago (wildebeest, blue monkey, black-backed jackal) and the only upcoming addition of note is a new black bear exhibit that is already under construction and will be located just past the alligator pond. The zoo is small and well regarded by many visitors because it favours quality over quantity, but I wouldn’t want it as my local zoo as it is sparse on animals and too slight to be comparable to the great zoos of North America. However, I would definitely recommend a visit to anyone wishing to see a number of terrific exhibits, and I’m thankful that there are still small, well-designed little zoos to capture the imagination of visitors.
Snowleopard, if you think Houston has too many bird displays, just wait until you get to San Antonio! Almost literally in every exhibit region of that zoo are birds. There are a couple long rows of aviaries with tons of birds of all kinds, a bird house, several flamingo and waterfowl ponds, an australian aviary, a lorikeet aviary, 2 rift valley aviaries, the africa live 2 aviary, amazonia aviary, and most of the wetlands exhibits are for birds. In adition there are even more birds scattered around the zoo in random places.
Personally I think both Houston and San Antonio should build more walk-through aviaries for their birds. It seems like San Antonio is now realizing that this is a good idea, or at least for their African birds, but there are still many, many birds that need better exhibits. Actually I liked the outdoor aviaries at Houston better than the small glassed ones in the tropical bird house, although the free-flight aviary inside would be the best bird exhibit at that zoo. Even so I wouldn't say that the outdoor aviaries are the worst. They could easily be a lot better but they aren't terrible.
I have never heard of Houston having cocks-of-the-rock but the quetzals are or used to be in one of those glass cages in the bird house.
Personally I think both Houston and San Antonio should build more walk-through aviaries for their birds. It seems like San Antonio is now realizing that this is a good idea, or at least for their African birds, but there are still many, many birds that need better exhibits. Actually I liked the outdoor aviaries at Houston better than the small glassed ones in the tropical bird house, although the free-flight aviary inside would be the best bird exhibit at that zoo. Even so I wouldn't say that the outdoor aviaries are the worst. They could easily be a lot better but they aren't terrible.
I have never heard of Houston having cocks-of-the-rock but the quetzals are or used to be in one of those glass cages in the bird house.
I just got back from the Houston Zoo today, and I got a few comments of my own to respond, after visiting my home zoo, thanks for coming btw.
Red Pandas - I don't know where the second one came from, but it was welcome. It seemed sad to have Toby in there alone. Red Pandas may be common in the North, but in Texas, they are near absent. Compared to koalas, which sleep all day and refuse to move, I welcome the Red Pandas. Just me, I guess.
Wild Dogs - This is a newer, and obviously temporary exhibit. It was put together and appeared 1.5 - 2 years ago. I would not expect it to remain.
Shoebill Storks - Jaw Dropping awesome. I was amazed at how large it was. That was amazingly impressive in size and with the size of trees with perchings available.
Hoofed Runs - These things have been here forever, east and west. Mixing the african creatures near the birds is a newer thing, it doesn't look that great, but it gets the job done well enough to satisfy me. The Giant Elands are new (3 years) and a favorite of the zoo's director (as are the Tapirs). The lusher taper exhibit used to be for pygmy hippos, they left 6 years ago or so, I miss them (as I do hippos over all). I'd like to hear your impressions on the South American mixed species enclosure, it used to have capybaras, but it seems they have left. I assume the maned wolves tried to eat them
The Future - I feel Houston needs an addendum about the future of the zoo. There are a lot of construction plans lined up and 2-3 exhibits seem to get remodeled each year. Shoebill storks (1 month ago) and Jaguars (February) are the remodels for this year, so far. African Forest Phase 1 is the start of something big to get the ball rolling again. The Masai Giraffe will move to a similar exhibit with a nicer barn and include the feeding stand (attached to the restaurant's patio, clever). Returning Rhinos (missing for 4 years) is a big deal, they used to be in the area now holding the Ankole Cattle. Chimps are new, and currently on the premises in their new house. There will be some antelope and ostriches in AF1 as well, i hear. I am not optimistic as to how their outdoor exhibit will appear, but maybe it will be all right. After AF1, the elephants can get under way again. Their new yard will take the giraffe and cheetah yard, cheetahs are to moved to the far hoof run, where the red crowned crane are currently. I expect to see grass in the new elephant yard, and to see the 2 existing yards remodeled once the third is completed, the one with the bull is the original and oldest yard. Mountain lions are expected to be remodeled ala Jaguars sometime son as well.
Back to African Forest, Phase 2 WILL have Gorillas. That is the only thing concrete for now. Word on the street is Leopards and Okapis will be moved into the Forest, and there will be an African aviary. Phase 3 should be hippos, underwater viewing and all. There is a lot of potential, I look forward to it upon completion. This zoo is all about the future. I feel judging it today is like seeing an unfinished work of art. This is something that is 4 years away from being something really special.
EDIT
Ok, I got two last thing I want to add ask about the Houston Zoo. Bears and general maintenance/cleanliness/staff services.
Bears used to have plain concrete grottos, these were refitted maybe 4 years ago to be grassy, as you saw. The grizzlys actually used to be a Sun Bear exhibit, but as every zoo underestimates, they are destructive and the place did not hold up. The two Grizzlys were rescued from someone who was keeping them, thus the smaller exhibit. I'd like the see the 3ed bear grotto refitted and connected to the grizzly exhibit to increase it's size.
The other is staff services. The Zoo was privatized in 2001 when Barongi of Disney's Animal Kingdom took over as director. The first 5 years of his leadership was focused mostly on staff and general services. 10 years ago, the staff were in khaki, now it's purples and greens that help them stand out. Concrete was how the structures appeared, the shaded walkways along the reflection pool were concrete only, now they have metal designs at the top and tile up their pillars. The exhibit signs have gotten large and green, as opposed to small and rectangular on the exhibit railings. Compare the building entrances for Natural Encounters with the Tropical Bird House. One has glass windows, sculptures, indoor and outdoor exhibits, and appears natural in it's construction, the other is a concrete box with paintings on the door. Also, the food, it's zoo food, but man it's so much better. I used to not dare to eat anything other than a hot dog at the Houston Zoo, now, like today, I had a full on salad that looked good to eat (and was). The 90s had periodically placed frozen lemon chill stands, the early part of last decade had third party concessions (turkey legs, bbq, fajitas) and now it's all zoo owned stands set up periodically offering a wide variety of cool treats, directing you to either of the two (soon to be three) restaurants.
Maybe this is why the zoo feels behind, they spent half of the last decade getting their fiscal house in order, redirecting services towards creating a positive atmosphere for the patrons, rather than being a museum of living creatures.
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@Trowaman: thank you for an awesome update on the Houston Zoo, and perhaps you should post on ZooChat more often as you know a lot about a zoo that not many folks visit on this forum. It seems as if you agree with my review, and I'm as excited as you are in terms of the potential future of the zoo. After the first phase of the "African Forest" I'm sure that attendance will increase even further (it is already at least 1.6 million per year but Houston is a massive city) and hopefully there will definitely be additional phases afterwards.
The 2010 additions like the overhaul of the jaguar exhibit and the excellent shoebill stork aviary are things that I loved, but the African wild dog enclosure is large but essentially rather barren. I'm surprised to read that you think it won't remain, but maybe that will be for the best if you turn out to be correct.
The 2010 additions like the overhaul of the jaguar exhibit and the excellent shoebill stork aviary are things that I loved, but the African wild dog enclosure is large but essentially rather barren. I'm surprised to read that you think it won't remain, but maybe that will be for the best if you turn out to be correct.
Thank you. Yes, I agree with your review in large part, just, as I said, I think Houston can not be judged as it is, but rather based upon what is scheduled to exist within the next 3-4 years. Too much has changed in the last 4 years alone, rhinos are gone, the second (better) bengal tiger exhibit was destroyed along with smaller glass wall exhibits for Jaguars and maned wolfs, and the gorilla house for Mac. The GIANT Texas Wetlands swamp (alligators, alligator snapping turtle, and alligator gar) was destroyed for the elephant expansion, and the great looking Mexican Wolf exhibit was lost, as it was temporary.
The reason I am sure the Wild Dogs are temporary is their location. They line up in a way that 2 of the 4 sides border African Forest, either the exhibit will need to be redone so they become an AF exhibit, or they will be gotten rid of for more AF expansion.
But new things have arrived int he last 4 years as well. Giant Elands, Okapi, Grizzly Bears, Jaguar renovation (current Jaguar cage used to be snow leopards), elephant expansion, mixing creatures on the hoofed runs, expanding them, creating better viewing stands (the raised platforms for lions and tigers), natural encounters, the red pandas/koalas, natural encounters (was small mammal house), renovating the Reptile House and Aquarium (it was MUCH worse), adding Komodo Dragons, adding Sifakas to World of Primates.
The Zoo has been changing too much in the last four years, but they have a lot to catch up on due to the amount of changes that had to happen at guest services first.
I hope you come back in 4 years, and see how our zoo has changed some more.
team tapir
Well-Known Member
We might have to consider adding The Caldwell Zoo to our october tour of North Texas.Currently we are looking to visit Dallas World Aquarium,Dallas Zoo and Fort Worth Zoo.Snowleopard we are looking foward to your reviews on both Dallas facilities.
Team Tapir
Team Tapir
Just my opinion, if I was you I would visit the 2 Dallas collections, Caldwell, and Cameron Park rather than Fort Worth. Cameron Park is another smaller zoo similar to Caldwell, with basically all above average to excellent exhibits. I know some people will disagree with me but I really don't think Fort Worth has anything that is really worth seeing unless you're after a particular species.
team tapir
Well-Known Member
Siamang Are Fort Worth ,Caldwell and Cameron small enough to do two in one day
Team Tapir
Team Tapir
Cameron Park and Caldwell can both be seen in a few hours. I usually only stay a few hours at Fort Worth because I just look at what I want to see, but I don't see it taking you more than 4-5 hours to see if that.
How many days do you have? You could do Dallas on 1 day, DWA and Fort Worth on the second and then Cameron Park and Caldwell on the 3rd day. Dallas is the only one that will take most of the day to see.
How many days do you have? You could do Dallas on 1 day, DWA and Fort Worth on the second and then Cameron Park and Caldwell on the 3rd day. Dallas is the only one that will take most of the day to see.
Team Tapir and Siamang, you teo are missing the BEST attraction in North Texas!
Fossil Rim Wildlife Park. It's a drive through full of hoofed species, feed them, etc, but it is of a size that is nearly incomparable. Everything is in herds. It would be my TOP recommendation in North Texas (well, maybe Dallas Zoo, but FR is just so cool).
Fossil Rim Wildlife Park. It's a drive through full of hoofed species, feed them, etc, but it is of a size that is nearly incomparable. Everything is in herds. It would be my TOP recommendation in North Texas (well, maybe Dallas Zoo, but FR is just so cool).
DAY 33: Friday, August 13th
Zoo/Aquarium Review # 30: Dallas Zoo
Dallas Zoo’s website:
The Dallas Zoo
Zoo Map:
The Dallas Zoo
Several times before and during this epic road trip I mentioned on ZooChat about the 4 zoos that I was anticipating the most out of the more than 30 that I’m visiting this summer. Sedgwick County, Saint Louis, North Carolina and Dallas were the 4 that I felt were the best of the major American zoos that I had yet to visit, and all 4 are definite locks to crack my top 15 all-time zoos list. Also, all 4 zoos took a minimum of 6 hours or more to tour, making those days long and eventful. In fact, even though it is getting darn near impossible to rank all the many zoos that I have seen, all 4 are serious contenders for the 10 best zoos in North America. And that statement is coming from an individual who has literally visited almost every single major American zoo since 2006!
Dallas has changed more than perhaps any other American zoo during the past few years: the “Gorilla Conservation Research Center” building re-opened in 2007, and the spectacular, air-conditioned area is fantastic; the “Bird, Reptile and Amphibian Building” no longer has any birds in it, and therefore many more of the exciting off-exhibit reptiles and amphibians are being moved into new enclosures as minor construction continues on a daily basis; “Cat Row” is currently closed and under construction as the feline enclosures are expanding in size and scope; “Wings of Wonder” was renovated in 2007 to expand the aviaries for the birds of prey; the badly outdated “Large Mammal Building” is empty except for 3 camels that give rides; “The Hill” used to have over a dozen species of mammals and birds but it is now closed to the public; and of course the newest addition to “Wilds of Africa” is “Giants of the Savanna”, and that 11-acre complex is amazing and amongst the best of the many African zones in North American zoos. Dallas has systematically closed or renovated almost all of its older exhibits, and the new ones that have been constructed are all spectacular. There is not a zoo in Texas that is even in the same ballpark in terms of size and quality, and Dallas is miles better than any other zoo in the 2nd largest U.S. state.
One of the highlights of my visit was meeting Bret, aka “JBNBSN99” here on ZooChat. He has been an invaluable member of this forum due to his extensive knowledge of zoos in Texas and Oklahoma, and now we all need him to start going on long road trips to expand his repertoire…haha. Bret came in on his day off to command the monorail for a tour, and he spent the entire day with my wife, daughter and I and we had lunch and toured the zoo while hearing all sorts of interesting facts about the Dallas Zoo. Thanks again Bret!
THE BEST:
Wilds of Africa – On all the signs Dallas has established the fact that the brand-new “Giants of the Savanna” is actually part of the entire African complex, making this area staggeringly brilliant.
Wilds of Africa - “Giants of the Savanna” has a 4-acre yard for 6 African elephants, and other animals are found in abundance here: 12 giraffes, at least 6 female ostriches (plus a male on the monorail tour), about 10 impala, a zebra, red river hogs, warthogs, 5 lions and 3 cheetahs. The enrichment ideas for the elephants are innovative, there will be African birds flying over the savanna in the future, and the long-term plan is to have the elephants, giraffes, zebras and antelope ALL together in one massive, realistic African plains exhibit. I have serious doubts about whether or not the area will resist turning into a sandy dustbowl, but the end result could potentially be spectacular.
There are cool viewing angles for all of the animals, a safari jeep parked halfway in of the cheetah yard, a restaurant with massive viewing windows that gaze into the lion exhibit, and the entire area is new, shiny and visionary. I know that I’ll receive some private messages in regards to the elephant exhibit and what my thoughts are, so I will say that it is magnificent and up there with North Carolina and Nashville in terms of truly fantastic elephant paddocks. San Diego Zoo’s Safari Park also has a huge yard with loads of entertaining baby elephants, which makes that exhibit arguably the most watchable, and I have not been to Oakland but there are 6 acres there that are supposedly excellent. I personally love the all-grass element of North Carolina (not to mention its 7 acres) and Nashville also has lush, green grass, but it is a tough decision and I’m thrilled to see more truly awesome elephant exhibits sprout out of the earth.
Wilds of Africa - I rode the monorail twice at the zoo, and the second time I had Bret as my driver and he gave quite a theatrical performance while conducting his metallic vessel. The 20-minute adventure takes riders through forest, mountain, woodland, and predator-prey (but the dik-dik “prey” was absent), river, desert and bush habitats and I enjoyed both of my rides. The river habitat is the most visually spectacular zone, the many hoofstock species are great to see throughout the tour (waterbuck, scimitar-horned oryx, addra gazelles, Grevy’s zebra, okapi, Nubian ibex, gerenuk, sand gazelle, gemsbok, addax, etc) and I loved the overhead viewing of the massive chimpanzee habitat.
However, many folks on ZooChat understand my views on rides in terms of animal viewing possibilities, and no matter how much fun I had or how interesting my driver was nothing can change the fact that I watched ibex for perhaps one minute or less, saw a gerenuk for maybe 40 seconds, etc, etc. I won’t belittle the point here, but it is a pity that such rare and wonderful animals cannot be seen for more than seconds. The monorail ride is arguably better than Disney’s “Kilimanjaro Safari” ride, as while Disney pulls out all the stops at least at Dallas one is only missing out on a few birds and hoofstock while at Disney if an individual does not take the ride then they can never see the mandrills, lions, rhinos, elephants, giraffes and other marquee mammals at the zoo. What a crying shame!
Wilds of Africa – “Nature Trail” is a fantastic walking trail that allows visitors to see some of the animals that were viewed from a higher elevation on the monorail. A forest habitat has okapis in a densely planted yard and a nearby saddle-billed stork enclosure; the “Kopje” has a small aviary, meerkats and klipspringers in separate exhibits; a walk-through aviary is small but pleasant; the chimpanzee habitat is one of the best of its kind as it is over a half-acre in size and full of steep inclines; Nile crocs are always great to see; Aldabra tortoises have a large yard; lesser flamingos have a scenic lagoon; mandrills have a huge, beautiful exhibit; black-footed penguins have a small but well-designed enclosure; gorillas have two enclosures and massive viewing windows into the combined 1.5 acres of jungle. The only flaw with those exhibits is the lack of apes, as there are only 4 gorillas in a lot of thick undergrowth. The research station/indoor viewing area has thick sofas and it is amazingly cool there on a scorching Texas day.
The entire “Wilds of Africa” area is utterly brilliant, and there is not a single bad enclosure on that side of the zoo. The monorail tour unveils 2-acre hoofstock yards for zebras and waterbuck, and all the other enclosures (apart from the caracal) are almost as enormous. The elephant, giraffe, chimpanzee and gorilla exhibits are comparable to any of the very best habitats of their kind in North America, and the African section at Dallas rivals Kansas City’s immense, 100-acre zone as perhaps the best African area in existence within North American zoos. The flaw that Dallas has is similar to what plagues Kansas City, and that is the fact that the African zone is so completely astonishing that nothing in the rest of the zoo can compete! However, Dallas holds up much better than Kansas City in that regard, as there are still some excellent exhibits on the other side of the freeway underpass.
Tiger Habitat – A tiger exhibit that is so large that I wonder how easy it is for the general public to view the big cats. This is easily one of the 5 biggest tiger exhibits I’ve ever seen.
Wings of Wonder – Tall mesh aviaries for these species: Andean condor, ornate hawk-eagle, African fishing eagle, red-legged seriema, king vulture, Mississippi kite, spectacled owl and a mixed-species aviary for blue jay, bald eagle and greater roadrunner. All of the aviaries are much more spacious than what is found at many other zoos.
Otter Outpost – Asian small-clawed otters in a very nice enclosure, but decent otter exhibits are about as common as mosquitoes in summertime.
Reptile/Amphibian House – Alligators (including at least one white one) are the showcase exhibit that has replaced a walk-through rainforest bird aviary, and in fact the birds have all vanished from this building. On my visit there was an entire gallery that was mainly under construction, as well as several terrariums in a second gallery. Once the overhaul is complete this could well become yet another great reptile house in a southern zoo, although there are so many other great ones that I’m skeptical as to whether or not it could become a top 10 contender. The competition, including nearby Fort Worth, is fierce! Dallas does have a fantastic collection, with the only perentie in the western hemisphere, tuataras, sailfin lizards, black and green mambas in adjacent terrariums, and a host of other fascinating creepy crawlies that are rarely kept in North American zoos.
THE AVERAGE:
Children’s Zoo – There is the typical farm and petting zoo, a well-designed “Underzone” area, a walk-through aviary with Guira cuckoos, woodhoopoes and a variety of other birds, a nature exchange (which are becoming much more common in zoos), a discovery center and a large playground in a central location. There is nothing to suggest that this is a contender for one of the top 10 children’s zoos in America as there are loads that are just as good or better, but it is still a fun, snug little area for youngsters. One of its flaws is its lack of animals, as zoos such as Houston, Point Defiance, Brookfield, Pittsburgh, Knoxville, etc, all have a vast array of creatures as well as the other usual kiddie activities.
Primate Place – A series of large mesh enclosures that are decent enough but lack great viewing opportunities that are provided via island primate exhibits. Species here include: colobus monkey, white-faced saki monkey, grey titi monkey, black-handed spider monkey, white-cheeked gibbon, mona monkey and spectacled langur. Golden lion tamarin and cotton-top tamarins reside nearby in similar exhibits.
Lemur Lookout – Ring-tailed, collared and black-and-white ruffed lemurs share an attractively planted island that is as beautiful as many but suffers a little from the extensive usage of hotwire around its edge.
Bug U! – A tiny insect house that has some innovative ideas on how best to showcase invertebrates. Small but well done.
THE WORST:
Snout Route – This area has several badly outdated, ugly, chain-link cages containing these species: fossa, rhinoceros hornbill, an elderly Brazilian tapir and an aging peccary together in an ugly and small paddock, giant anteater and crested porcupine. This is easily the worst section of the zoo, and it borders the ancient “Large Mammal House” (now empty except for 3 camels) in an area that should almost be like “The Hill” and blockaded to stop zoo visitors from seeing such outdated cages.
Aussie Yard – Red kangaroos, emus and Bennett’s wallabies in a barren yard that has poor viewing opportunities and does not allow for a walk-through area.
Bird Valley – Another outdated area of the zoo that contains a few large aviaries and some overgrown foliage.
OVERALL:
Dallas Zoo has certainly come a long way in recent years, and its African section is top-notch and extensive. Strolling beneath the highway overpass and entering the realm of Africa is a thrill at this zoo, and I would love to revisit one day to see how the establishment fine-tunes its newest arrivals in “Giants of the Savanna”. The second part of the zoo, “ZooNorth”, is still impressive and it contains a decent children’s zoo, a potentially great reptile/amphibian house, spacious birds of prey aviaries, average primate exhibits and top-notch tiger and otter habitats. Any flaws that Dallas might have are all found here, as the older sections of birds, cats and odds n’ ends need to be replaced or updated. The zoo has made great strides in the past decade, and I’d love to see the establishment build on the excellent tiger and otter exhibits by using the nearby land to create a massive Asian exhibit complex. Something needs to tie this area together, and it would make sense to build on the existing otter and tiger habitats.
As it stands in my personal opinion Dallas is a top 15 zoo in North America, and just on the edge of cracking my own top 10. It is pretty tough to dislodge zoos like San Diego, Bronx, Omaha, Columbus, Sedgwick County, North Carolina, Saint Louis, Woodland Park, Miami and San Diego Zoo’s Safari Park. After those 10 I also really like Dallas, Minnesota, Oklahoma City and Detroit, and if I was to really think about it then I could come up with even more top-notch zoos. Even after those 14 zoos there are impressive small ones like Nashville, Caldwell and Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum that are tiny but terrific.
Zoo/Aquarium Review # 30: Dallas Zoo
Dallas Zoo’s website:
The Dallas Zoo
Zoo Map:
The Dallas Zoo
Several times before and during this epic road trip I mentioned on ZooChat about the 4 zoos that I was anticipating the most out of the more than 30 that I’m visiting this summer. Sedgwick County, Saint Louis, North Carolina and Dallas were the 4 that I felt were the best of the major American zoos that I had yet to visit, and all 4 are definite locks to crack my top 15 all-time zoos list. Also, all 4 zoos took a minimum of 6 hours or more to tour, making those days long and eventful. In fact, even though it is getting darn near impossible to rank all the many zoos that I have seen, all 4 are serious contenders for the 10 best zoos in North America. And that statement is coming from an individual who has literally visited almost every single major American zoo since 2006!
Dallas has changed more than perhaps any other American zoo during the past few years: the “Gorilla Conservation Research Center” building re-opened in 2007, and the spectacular, air-conditioned area is fantastic; the “Bird, Reptile and Amphibian Building” no longer has any birds in it, and therefore many more of the exciting off-exhibit reptiles and amphibians are being moved into new enclosures as minor construction continues on a daily basis; “Cat Row” is currently closed and under construction as the feline enclosures are expanding in size and scope; “Wings of Wonder” was renovated in 2007 to expand the aviaries for the birds of prey; the badly outdated “Large Mammal Building” is empty except for 3 camels that give rides; “The Hill” used to have over a dozen species of mammals and birds but it is now closed to the public; and of course the newest addition to “Wilds of Africa” is “Giants of the Savanna”, and that 11-acre complex is amazing and amongst the best of the many African zones in North American zoos. Dallas has systematically closed or renovated almost all of its older exhibits, and the new ones that have been constructed are all spectacular. There is not a zoo in Texas that is even in the same ballpark in terms of size and quality, and Dallas is miles better than any other zoo in the 2nd largest U.S. state.
One of the highlights of my visit was meeting Bret, aka “JBNBSN99” here on ZooChat. He has been an invaluable member of this forum due to his extensive knowledge of zoos in Texas and Oklahoma, and now we all need him to start going on long road trips to expand his repertoire…haha. Bret came in on his day off to command the monorail for a tour, and he spent the entire day with my wife, daughter and I and we had lunch and toured the zoo while hearing all sorts of interesting facts about the Dallas Zoo. Thanks again Bret!
THE BEST:
Wilds of Africa – On all the signs Dallas has established the fact that the brand-new “Giants of the Savanna” is actually part of the entire African complex, making this area staggeringly brilliant.
Wilds of Africa - “Giants of the Savanna” has a 4-acre yard for 6 African elephants, and other animals are found in abundance here: 12 giraffes, at least 6 female ostriches (plus a male on the monorail tour), about 10 impala, a zebra, red river hogs, warthogs, 5 lions and 3 cheetahs. The enrichment ideas for the elephants are innovative, there will be African birds flying over the savanna in the future, and the long-term plan is to have the elephants, giraffes, zebras and antelope ALL together in one massive, realistic African plains exhibit. I have serious doubts about whether or not the area will resist turning into a sandy dustbowl, but the end result could potentially be spectacular.
There are cool viewing angles for all of the animals, a safari jeep parked halfway in of the cheetah yard, a restaurant with massive viewing windows that gaze into the lion exhibit, and the entire area is new, shiny and visionary. I know that I’ll receive some private messages in regards to the elephant exhibit and what my thoughts are, so I will say that it is magnificent and up there with North Carolina and Nashville in terms of truly fantastic elephant paddocks. San Diego Zoo’s Safari Park also has a huge yard with loads of entertaining baby elephants, which makes that exhibit arguably the most watchable, and I have not been to Oakland but there are 6 acres there that are supposedly excellent. I personally love the all-grass element of North Carolina (not to mention its 7 acres) and Nashville also has lush, green grass, but it is a tough decision and I’m thrilled to see more truly awesome elephant exhibits sprout out of the earth.
Wilds of Africa - I rode the monorail twice at the zoo, and the second time I had Bret as my driver and he gave quite a theatrical performance while conducting his metallic vessel. The 20-minute adventure takes riders through forest, mountain, woodland, and predator-prey (but the dik-dik “prey” was absent), river, desert and bush habitats and I enjoyed both of my rides. The river habitat is the most visually spectacular zone, the many hoofstock species are great to see throughout the tour (waterbuck, scimitar-horned oryx, addra gazelles, Grevy’s zebra, okapi, Nubian ibex, gerenuk, sand gazelle, gemsbok, addax, etc) and I loved the overhead viewing of the massive chimpanzee habitat.
However, many folks on ZooChat understand my views on rides in terms of animal viewing possibilities, and no matter how much fun I had or how interesting my driver was nothing can change the fact that I watched ibex for perhaps one minute or less, saw a gerenuk for maybe 40 seconds, etc, etc. I won’t belittle the point here, but it is a pity that such rare and wonderful animals cannot be seen for more than seconds. The monorail ride is arguably better than Disney’s “Kilimanjaro Safari” ride, as while Disney pulls out all the stops at least at Dallas one is only missing out on a few birds and hoofstock while at Disney if an individual does not take the ride then they can never see the mandrills, lions, rhinos, elephants, giraffes and other marquee mammals at the zoo. What a crying shame!
Wilds of Africa – “Nature Trail” is a fantastic walking trail that allows visitors to see some of the animals that were viewed from a higher elevation on the monorail. A forest habitat has okapis in a densely planted yard and a nearby saddle-billed stork enclosure; the “Kopje” has a small aviary, meerkats and klipspringers in separate exhibits; a walk-through aviary is small but pleasant; the chimpanzee habitat is one of the best of its kind as it is over a half-acre in size and full of steep inclines; Nile crocs are always great to see; Aldabra tortoises have a large yard; lesser flamingos have a scenic lagoon; mandrills have a huge, beautiful exhibit; black-footed penguins have a small but well-designed enclosure; gorillas have two enclosures and massive viewing windows into the combined 1.5 acres of jungle. The only flaw with those exhibits is the lack of apes, as there are only 4 gorillas in a lot of thick undergrowth. The research station/indoor viewing area has thick sofas and it is amazingly cool there on a scorching Texas day.
The entire “Wilds of Africa” area is utterly brilliant, and there is not a single bad enclosure on that side of the zoo. The monorail tour unveils 2-acre hoofstock yards for zebras and waterbuck, and all the other enclosures (apart from the caracal) are almost as enormous. The elephant, giraffe, chimpanzee and gorilla exhibits are comparable to any of the very best habitats of their kind in North America, and the African section at Dallas rivals Kansas City’s immense, 100-acre zone as perhaps the best African area in existence within North American zoos. The flaw that Dallas has is similar to what plagues Kansas City, and that is the fact that the African zone is so completely astonishing that nothing in the rest of the zoo can compete! However, Dallas holds up much better than Kansas City in that regard, as there are still some excellent exhibits on the other side of the freeway underpass.
Tiger Habitat – A tiger exhibit that is so large that I wonder how easy it is for the general public to view the big cats. This is easily one of the 5 biggest tiger exhibits I’ve ever seen.
Wings of Wonder – Tall mesh aviaries for these species: Andean condor, ornate hawk-eagle, African fishing eagle, red-legged seriema, king vulture, Mississippi kite, spectacled owl and a mixed-species aviary for blue jay, bald eagle and greater roadrunner. All of the aviaries are much more spacious than what is found at many other zoos.
Otter Outpost – Asian small-clawed otters in a very nice enclosure, but decent otter exhibits are about as common as mosquitoes in summertime.
Reptile/Amphibian House – Alligators (including at least one white one) are the showcase exhibit that has replaced a walk-through rainforest bird aviary, and in fact the birds have all vanished from this building. On my visit there was an entire gallery that was mainly under construction, as well as several terrariums in a second gallery. Once the overhaul is complete this could well become yet another great reptile house in a southern zoo, although there are so many other great ones that I’m skeptical as to whether or not it could become a top 10 contender. The competition, including nearby Fort Worth, is fierce! Dallas does have a fantastic collection, with the only perentie in the western hemisphere, tuataras, sailfin lizards, black and green mambas in adjacent terrariums, and a host of other fascinating creepy crawlies that are rarely kept in North American zoos.
THE AVERAGE:
Children’s Zoo – There is the typical farm and petting zoo, a well-designed “Underzone” area, a walk-through aviary with Guira cuckoos, woodhoopoes and a variety of other birds, a nature exchange (which are becoming much more common in zoos), a discovery center and a large playground in a central location. There is nothing to suggest that this is a contender for one of the top 10 children’s zoos in America as there are loads that are just as good or better, but it is still a fun, snug little area for youngsters. One of its flaws is its lack of animals, as zoos such as Houston, Point Defiance, Brookfield, Pittsburgh, Knoxville, etc, all have a vast array of creatures as well as the other usual kiddie activities.
Primate Place – A series of large mesh enclosures that are decent enough but lack great viewing opportunities that are provided via island primate exhibits. Species here include: colobus monkey, white-faced saki monkey, grey titi monkey, black-handed spider monkey, white-cheeked gibbon, mona monkey and spectacled langur. Golden lion tamarin and cotton-top tamarins reside nearby in similar exhibits.
Lemur Lookout – Ring-tailed, collared and black-and-white ruffed lemurs share an attractively planted island that is as beautiful as many but suffers a little from the extensive usage of hotwire around its edge.
Bug U! – A tiny insect house that has some innovative ideas on how best to showcase invertebrates. Small but well done.
THE WORST:
Snout Route – This area has several badly outdated, ugly, chain-link cages containing these species: fossa, rhinoceros hornbill, an elderly Brazilian tapir and an aging peccary together in an ugly and small paddock, giant anteater and crested porcupine. This is easily the worst section of the zoo, and it borders the ancient “Large Mammal House” (now empty except for 3 camels) in an area that should almost be like “The Hill” and blockaded to stop zoo visitors from seeing such outdated cages.
Aussie Yard – Red kangaroos, emus and Bennett’s wallabies in a barren yard that has poor viewing opportunities and does not allow for a walk-through area.
Bird Valley – Another outdated area of the zoo that contains a few large aviaries and some overgrown foliage.
OVERALL:
Dallas Zoo has certainly come a long way in recent years, and its African section is top-notch and extensive. Strolling beneath the highway overpass and entering the realm of Africa is a thrill at this zoo, and I would love to revisit one day to see how the establishment fine-tunes its newest arrivals in “Giants of the Savanna”. The second part of the zoo, “ZooNorth”, is still impressive and it contains a decent children’s zoo, a potentially great reptile/amphibian house, spacious birds of prey aviaries, average primate exhibits and top-notch tiger and otter habitats. Any flaws that Dallas might have are all found here, as the older sections of birds, cats and odds n’ ends need to be replaced or updated. The zoo has made great strides in the past decade, and I’d love to see the establishment build on the excellent tiger and otter exhibits by using the nearby land to create a massive Asian exhibit complex. Something needs to tie this area together, and it would make sense to build on the existing otter and tiger habitats.
As it stands in my personal opinion Dallas is a top 15 zoo in North America, and just on the edge of cracking my own top 10. It is pretty tough to dislodge zoos like San Diego, Bronx, Omaha, Columbus, Sedgwick County, North Carolina, Saint Louis, Woodland Park, Miami and San Diego Zoo’s Safari Park. After those 10 I also really like Dallas, Minnesota, Oklahoma City and Detroit, and if I was to really think about it then I could come up with even more top-notch zoos. Even after those 14 zoos there are impressive small ones like Nashville, Caldwell and Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum that are tiny but terrific.
team tapir
Well-Known Member
We are going for 4 days and are bringing my dad to the 6th floor museum other than that its all zoos
Team Tapir
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@snowleopard: You do know that the Giants of the Savanna's 4 acre elephant habitat has a special soil mixture to keep the grass growing and lush, and I also would find it hard to believe a 4 acre paddock become a dust bowl when Miami's 1 acre yard without any special soil has to be mowed in the summer because it is so grassy.
Also, doesn't the large mammal building have a black rhino in addition to the camels?
Anyways, thank you for the fantastic review, and I'm shocked that you think the Miami Metrozoo is better than the Dallas Zoo! I use to be a huge fan of Miami, but there isn't really one spectacular enclosure for a mammal lover like myself. Sure, there are some decent paddocks but they are ultimately forgettable, and I would rather see a zoo with a mind-blowing set of exhibits, along with a few grottos elsewhere in the zoo, then the same enclosure for every single animal. Anyways, just my opinion.
Also, doesn't the large mammal building have a black rhino in addition to the camels?
Anyways, thank you for the fantastic review, and I'm shocked that you think the Miami Metrozoo is better than the Dallas Zoo! I use to be a huge fan of Miami, but there isn't really one spectacular enclosure for a mammal lover like myself. Sure, there are some decent paddocks but they are ultimately forgettable, and I would rather see a zoo with a mind-blowing set of exhibits, along with a few grottos elsewhere in the zoo, then the same enclosure for every single animal. Anyways, just my opinion.
Snowleopard, glad you enjoyed Dallas!
I also agree with the Asian complex idea, and it is something jbnbsn99 and I have talked about before.
I'm actually a little surprised you didn't elaborate a little more on the aviary in the children's zoo. Bird Landing allows you to feed most if not all of the birds inside, including Guira Cuckoo, African Gray Parrot, Blue-bellied Roller, Laughing Kookaburra, Hawk-headed Parrot, Green Wood-hoopoe, Superb Starling, Golden-breasted Starling, Vulturine Guineafowl, Victoria Crowned Pigeon, plus cockatiels, conures, lorikeets and various other birds. While many zoos do have bird feeding exhibits most are only for cockatiels, budgies or lorikeets, and most of the birds Dallas has in there are ones you usually don't get a chance to feed. I know you aren't really into birds but I thought the idea was unique at least.
I wouldn't put Bird Valley in the worst category although it is very boring now. A while back there were actually quite a few species down there but the numbers of birds have been declining, both there and in the overall collection.
The only complaint I would have about Primate Place is that the tamarin exhibits are too small.
In what order would you rank the major African exhibits you've seen on this trip?
I also agree with the Asian complex idea, and it is something jbnbsn99 and I have talked about before.
I'm actually a little surprised you didn't elaborate a little more on the aviary in the children's zoo. Bird Landing allows you to feed most if not all of the birds inside, including Guira Cuckoo, African Gray Parrot, Blue-bellied Roller, Laughing Kookaburra, Hawk-headed Parrot, Green Wood-hoopoe, Superb Starling, Golden-breasted Starling, Vulturine Guineafowl, Victoria Crowned Pigeon, plus cockatiels, conures, lorikeets and various other birds. While many zoos do have bird feeding exhibits most are only for cockatiels, budgies or lorikeets, and most of the birds Dallas has in there are ones you usually don't get a chance to feed. I know you aren't really into birds but I thought the idea was unique at least.
I wouldn't put Bird Valley in the worst category although it is very boring now. A while back there were actually quite a few species down there but the numbers of birds have been declining, both there and in the overall collection.
The only complaint I would have about Primate Place is that the tamarin exhibits are too small.
In what order would you rank the major African exhibits you've seen on this trip?
Thanks again SL for another great review, I can't wait see the pictures of the Dallas zoo's new elephant habitat. I'm glad that they are rennovating the zoo's older out of date sections.
jbnbsn99
Well-Known Member
Still under construction as of right now.
@BlackRhino: the grass in the elephant paddocks at both Nashville and North Carolina is all green almost everywhere, and when I eventually load photos you will see just how lush those massive enclosures are. Dallas has an equally superb elephant exhibit, but there are already trails worn through it and the grass is fading after only a few months since the exhibit opened. If giraffes, zebras and antelope are added in the future then I will be flabbergasted if it ever stays green. I saw all 3 of the best elephant exhibits within about a week of each other, and so my reviews are nice and fresh and I will upload photos at a later date.
@siamang27: I really enjoyed the diverse variety of birds in the walk-through aviary in the children's area, but in all honesty my review of Dallas Zoo was already 8 or 9 pages as a word document and I simply cannot include every single animal. My reviews are already much longer than any that you will find in a zoo book, as I don't have a publisher breathing down my neck to shorten them. I've mentioned on here that I'm not a huge fan of bird exhibits, but in fact I LOVE loads of bird enclosures at many different zoos. It's just that I'd rank birds below mammals, reptiles and amphibians in preference of animals. I adore seeing terrific penguin and puffin habitats, lush walk-through aviaries, flamingo lagoons and enormous bird of prey enclosures. What I definitely do not like are indoor, museum-like displays of birds or endless rows of boring aviaries such as the ones found at Houston Zoo.
@siamang27: I really enjoyed the diverse variety of birds in the walk-through aviary in the children's area, but in all honesty my review of Dallas Zoo was already 8 or 9 pages as a word document and I simply cannot include every single animal. My reviews are already much longer than any that you will find in a zoo book, as I don't have a publisher breathing down my neck to shorten them.
I've mentioned on here that I'm not a huge fan of bird exhibits, but in fact I LOVE loads of bird enclosures at many different zoos. It's just that I'd rank birds below mammals, reptiles and amphibians in preference of animals. I adore seeing terrific penguin and puffin habitats, lush walk-through aviaries, flamingo lagoons and enormous bird of prey enclosures. What I definitely do not like are indoor, museum-like displays of birds or endless rows of boring aviaries such as the ones found at Houston Zoo.
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