Snowleopard's 2012 Road Trip

[blospz]

@ Snowleopard, you've review three places I have visited so my comments and questions may be lengthy! You continue to surprise me on this trip as areas I expect you to critique harshly, you actually have positive feedback.

I'd be interested to see the new children's section in Adventure Aquarium. It was being renovated during my trip. I am surprised you only saw one seal, there was quite a few when I went there. I found the main ocean tank to be very relaxing and the hippo exhibit was so much fun. Despite being inside, they have a very big pool and it was a wonderful first time seeing hippos under water.

You liked the Virginia Aquarium more than I thought. Being to so many, I thought you would only consider this average. But I've always been a zoo fan over an aquarium so that's probably why our opinions differed. My favorite section was the turtle tank. I was not sure if it was that big compared to others at other aquariums, but they were all so active and very inquisitive. Did your children go in the pop up bubble of the Komodo Dragons? I tried it myself, but the surface was scratched up so you couldn't see much. I am sorry you had a hot walk in between buildings. I'm hoping the sounds of those loud jets didn't ruin the walk more for your family. I agree with the layout of the aquarium too. The two buildings and even how you can navigate the first building. We went back to see the turtles, but we weren't allowed to go in the door we came out of. So we had to start from the beginning and that's when the crowds started gathering. It was difficult to navigate through them quickly.

I am glad you enjoyed the Virginia Zoo. I was absolutely in loved with their Asian section. One of my favorite all time zoo exhibits. I would rank it right at the level of the Smithsonian's Asian Trail. Smithsonian may have more solid, natural exhibits, but the Virginia Zoo has a variety of animals and I enjoyed the walking down the boardwalk. Were you able to see the sun bears? Was their behavior any different than when they lived at Woodland Park Zoo? I never really thought about sun bears breeding, so it will be interesting if the warmer weather helps them out. Thank you for mentioning that there are two species of orangutan! I was trying to figure out if they were Borean or Sumatran since the sign did not clairfy it. It is interesting that they are mixed. Does Brookfield Zoo have a mix right now? Is the male at Virginia the Borean one? I am very jealous you had the red panda right over you. Please post photos of it! I think I would have enjoyed this exhibit more, don't get me wrong because it was beautiful, if I could have seen the red panda at a higher level. I had no idea their old exhibit was still up as well. I must have missed that area. I got a little lost in navigation after the African section. Speaking of Africa, did you see many animals like the rhinos? A lot of the bigger animals were not out when I went.

I feel like the Virginia Zoo can be compared to the Maryland Zoo. Both small zoos that have three main sections. You may disagree with Virginia, but I clump the over side of the zoo all together. However, because the Virginia Zoo has two top notch exhibits with many animals, I would rank it higher. Although it's very hard for me to decide which African section I like better.

@ mweb08: The kiddie slide is no longer in the otter exhibit. I am not sure what black cages you are talking about. Australia was sort of in a cage, but the only empty cage I saw was the one visitors could go into.

 

[ANyhuis]

snakehead fish are in a mid-sized tank;

Honestly, this exhibit was one of my favorites of this Aquarium! I've rarely seen these scary-looking fish before, so it was quite exciting to see them up close.

THE WORST:
Layout – The 3-block Nature Trail that divides the two pavilions sounds pretty cool in theory, but on a scorching hot, humid day it was not pleasant with two young children and a wife who had visited 21 different zoos and aquariums in 21 days. Several other aquariums have different sections to them, but never so far apart! We never bring a stroller into the aquarium and thus it meant one of us carrying a tired two-year-old and the other having a sleeping one-year-old in a baby carrier and by the time we reached the next pavilion our arms had fallen asleep and sweat was beginning to pile up on our brows. In hindsight we should have driven to the next pavilion but that would have meant going out to the car, getting the kids all buckled into their car seats, then driving for 2 minutes and unbuckling them and hauling them back inside where there is air-conditioning. The 3-block walk in the woods (including an observation tower that I climbed) is great for a cool day or for adults without kids but it was a major challenge with our children. In the end I walked back alone and drove the vehicle to the second pavilion to pick up the family.

In retrospect, I wish I had better warned the SnowLeopard family about the distance between these two buildings. I didn't experience this difference, as I was trying to stay ahead of my time, so I simply drove my car between them. But I know that SnowLeopard is a real outdoorsy kind of guy, so he definitely wanted to do the walk. I do wish you guys would have taken your strollers along, as that probably would've made the walk much more enjoyable.

the two Malayan tapirs also have a long, narrow yard that allows for close-up viewing and gives the giant mammals space to roam. Asiatic black bears (almost extinct in American zoos) have a solid yet unspectacular grassy yard with wooden climbing frames;

I have to wonder if they've moved the Asiatic black bears, from your description. What I saw (just a month ago) was a large, attractive -- and refreshing -- habitat with the bears splashing in a halfway deep pool, with a bubbling stream flowing through the bears' yard. I remember many zoo visitors around me, on that hot day, panting and saying they wished they could dip in that refreshing-looking pool the bears where splashing in.

A kangaroo/emu yard (that opened in 2009) is north of this area but all alone and amongst ornamental gardens in a corner of the grounds

I talked to an "insider" at the Virginia Zoo and he told me there are plans for the kangaroo/emu yard to be a walk-through exhibit. He told me that they haven't had the funds to finish making it walk-through yet, but that it will eventually be. If you look through the fence into the (current) kangaroo yard, through the opposite fence you can sometimes see a pair of cassowaries. They are hard to see now, but once visitors can walk through the kangaroos' yard, they will be able to better see the cassowaries.

 

[mweb08]

That's good regarding the slide.

Here's a pic of one of the cages. This one or another held owls while I was there.
http://www.zoochat.com/1052/cage-i-believe-holds-owls-281021/

Oh, and I have pics of the red panda on the branch above the boardwalk.

I also agree that Trail of the Tiger is great and while it is not quite as well designed as Asia Trail, it may be the more fun exhibit.

And yeah, Virginia and Maryland are pretty comparable zoos that I rate as almost even. Slight edge to Virginia.

 

[blospz]

@ anyhuis: I warned snowleopard about the walk in between buildings and the loud noise of the local jets. But I assumed he would take my lead and just drive in between buildings. It didn't occur to me the extra time it takes to have to do that with two children.

I believe the moon bear exhibit is in the same location from where you saw it last month. It's right across from the tapirs, correct?

The walk through Australian exhibit sounds like fun. It would be easier to see the animals that way and make the area more enjoyable.

@ mweb08: I did not see those cages. However, once I got past the gardens and went to the vacant visitor cage, I went a route that went past a pond straight to the bisons. I remember seeing a path past the gardens if I went back to that area so maybe that's where you saw them.

 

[snowleopard]

There have been loads of questions since I posted the reviews of Virginia Aquarium and Virginia Zoo, and I'll get to them in a paragraph. Yesterday we visited the first of the trio of state-run North Carolina aquariums, and today we banged off the other two as they are only 2-3 hours apart for each one and they do not take much time at all to tour. Tomorrow the plan is to tick off two more aquariums (both in South Carolina and only 2 hours apart) and then that means we'll enter Florida on Thursday two full days ahead of schedule. I think that my wife Debbie believes we just visit the same aquarium every day because at this point they've all blended together for her and seeing sandbar sharks, sand tiger sharks and nurse sharks in the same tank has become a daily event. I even warned her that none of the 3 North Carolina aquariums had penguins because we've seen what appears to be at least 101 penguin exhibits...and sure enough one of the NC Aquariums had penguins in a temporary, seasonal pool. Too funny!

Okay, time to address many questions and comments:

Virginia Zoo's Asia - Trail of the Tiger is outstanding even with the black metal chain-link fencing in the background of some exhibits. I find that the tiger habitat in Virginia is terrific (especially with underwater viewing) and as long as there is rockwork and massive viewing windows along one edge of the enclosure then if there is chain-link fencing in the back (kind of like Columbus's tiger exhibit) then I have no problem with that set-up. I think that the National Zoo's Asia Trail area is better designed but Virginia's is probably a very close second because there are so many marquee, big-name mammals there. Siamangs, orangutans, tigers, sun bears, Asiatic black bears, tigers, white-cheeked gibbons, red pandas, binturongs, otters...just one powerhouse superstar animal after another on a gorgeous wooden boardwalk.

At the Virginia Zoo the otter children's slide is no longer there (thank goodness!) and I did not see any black metal aviaries or tiny cages anywhere between the kangaroo yard and the North American section. Maybe they are gone if "blospz" did not see them either. The Asiatic black bears have the exhibit right across from the Malayan tapirs, and I saw both bears as they were very active. The sun bears were also extremely energetic and in Seattle I usually saw them once out of every 10 zoo visits as they were notoriously shy and did not like the temperate, rainy climate. It was great to see them digging into the bark and grass and hopefully they'll breed in the sunshine!

I would also rate Virginia ahead of Maryland as Maryland's children's section is good but apparently not half as impressive as it used to be, the polar bear enclosures are small but very well designed, and that just leaves one large African section. Virginia has an outstanding Asian zone, a very good African zone and then the rest is still worthwhile and there are almost 50 species just in the Small Mammals/Reptile House building.

I'm glad that I'm not the only one that thinks the otherwise solid Virginia Aquarium has a crappy layout, as the distance between the pavilions sucks for families on a hot day and then the back-tracking through the Bay & Ocean Pavilion is also bad for crowd congestion. In hindsight we should have brought a stroller for the Nature Trail walk but we never bring strollers into aquariums, and I did enjoy the walk myself and I even climbed the observation tower to check for any local wildlife. My wife and kids took turns going into the pop-up bubble in the Komodo dragon exhibit but it was totally scratched up and the aquarium should really think about replacing it. My kids love the pop-up bubbles everywhere, and the ones in Omaha with the gorilla exhibits are a major hit with families.

In a local lake in Vancouver someone spotted a snakehead fish and the city sent a team in to drain the entire lake (it was not very large) and they eventually caught the animal and killed it. Apparently snakehead fish can breed rapidly and they also devour many things in their path.

 

[TropicWorld54]

Since you are going to the brevard zoo soon this is where I predict you will put each section of the zoo:
The Best- Expedition Africa-this section is by far the best at this zoo
The Average- Wild Florida, La Selva, Australiasia.
The Worst- Cape to Cairo Express This is the zoos train ride. This section is extremely disappointing compaired to Busch gardens train ride. I think this section could also go into your average section since you have not seen Busch Gardens yet.

 

[ANyhuis]

Since you are going to the brevard zoo soon this is where I predict you will put each section of the zoo:
The Best- Expedition Africa-this section is by far the best at this zoo
The Average- Wild Florida, La Selva, Australiasia.

Honestly, I predict he'll put most of those you called "Average" in the "Best" category. This zoo, while small, has many excellent exhibit areas.

 

[snowleopard]

DAY 22: Monday, July 23rd, 2012

Road Trip Review # 23: North Carolina Aquarium at Roanoke Island

North Carolina Aquarium’s website:

North Carolina Aquariums North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island

Aquarium Map:

http://www.ncaquariums.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/ncari-facility-map.jpg

North Carolina Aquarium at Roanoke Island is an AZA-accredited facility in Manteo, North Carolina, and it opened to the public in 1976. It is part of a trio of aquariums that are all owned by the state, but each aquarium has a slightly different focus. Roanoke Island is a 68,000 square foot facility that focuses on “The Waters of the Outer Banks” and the annual attendance is 250,000. The combined attendance of the trio of aquariums is over one million visitors per year.

THE BEST:

Graveyard of the Atlantic – This is the aquarium’s large shark tank, with sandbar, sand tiger and nurse being the three most notable species. I’ve seen plenty of huge shark tanks lately and this one, set against a decaying hull of a ship, is one of the more memorable. There are many species of fish that swim in and around the rusting bulk of the ship.

Operation: Sea Turtle Rescue – This is a fairly new interactive children’s area with a single tank with a rehabilitated sea turtle amongst a few species of fish. The rest of the area is unique and it was a massive hit with my daughter Kylie. She picked up a large plastic sea turtle and then took it to the first medical station where there is an x-ray machine, an operating table and surgical devices. Next up is station #2 with ointments, cloths, medicine and pills before station #3 is a mock-tank with lights that glitter like water as the sea turtle “recovers” and then lastly a hole in the wall allows children to release the turtle back into the ocean. This whole area is very cleverly designed; from the operating room white jackets to the lit-up x-ray machines to the television monitors showing real turtles receiving hospital attention.

Wetlands on the Edge – River otters are the stars of this area with a nice underwater viewing section of their pool. An American alligator shares its pond with a snapping turtle, white catfish, common carp and largemouth bass. Painted turtles and yellowbelly sliders are surrounded by fish in their pool, and tall fake trees dominate the greenhouse-like room with their thick barks. A spot-tail pinfish/sheepshead/common snook tank is spacious, and Brackish Water Sounds has a combination of fresh and saltwater in its themed environment. Atlantic spadefish, lookdown fish, pigfish and Atlantic croaker are some of the other species found in this area. Eastern box turtles have a bark-mulch floor to hide in and their exhibit area is uncovered so it would be quite simple to touch them if visitors were inclined to do so.

THE AVERAGE:

Coastal Fresh Water – This is the first gallery that visitors see after they enter the aquarium, and Waters of the Outer Banks features several smaller fish species that are found off of Roanoke Island. A lush terrarium has 3 species (tiger salamander, Fowler’s toad, spadefoot toad) while a corn snake exhibit is set against the far wall. A Ponds and Lakes tank includes these species: rainbow shark, albino rainbow shark, bala shark and redtail shark (none of which are actually sharks). Creeks and Rivers contains several species of dace and greater siren (sort of like a thin eel). A couple of final terrariums have a copperhead and a canebrake rattlesnake. Albemarle Sound also contains freshwater local fish found off of the northern coast of North Carolina.

Marine Communities – A Saltwater Marsh tank features black-cheek tonguefish, crested blenny and lined seahorses; lookdown fish, sand perch and spot fish also reside nearby; pencil urchins and purple sea urchins are showcased; an Offshore Wrecks tank and Labrador Current tank both exhibit fish from near the North Carolina coastline.

Close Encounters – There are two basic touch tanks in this area, the first for marine invertebrates and the larger one for a variety of stingrays.

Science on a Sphere – This room features a brightly-coloured, large globe that hangs impressively from the ceiling. There are informative graphics discussing the environmental impact that humans have on the ocean but to be perfectly honest this room is a complete waste of time for almost every visitor. While folks were crammed around the huge shark tank this room sat empty for minutes on end, and when people wandered in to see what it was all about they promptly strolled back out again. I approve of the message that the aquarium is sending out but they need to do it in a more eye-catching way.

THE WORST:

Nothing at this facility deserves a place in this category, other than the fact that as of this year they no longer produce maps (they’ve gone green!) and thus at times I felt a little unsure of my surroundings.

THE FUTURE:

After budget cuts of 25% during the past two years the trio of North Carolina aquariums is considering a change in management and operations.

North Carolina Aquariums Aquariums Explore Change in Management & Operations

OVERALL:

North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island is arguably the smallest and weakest of the trio of state-run aquatic facilities. It can be easily seen in exactly one hour, and that includes spending time at the shark tank and dealing with “sick” plastic sea turtles. It is an enjoyable diversion for many tourists, and it seemed as if there were few locals in the establishment as the parking lot was filled with out-of-state plates. There is a great attention to detail on many of the exhibits but there is simply not enough there to sustain anyone staying much longer than an hour.

 

[snowleopard]

DAY 23: Tuesday, July 24th, 2012

Road Trip Review # 24: North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores

North Carolina Aquarium’s website:

North Carolina Aquariums North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores

Aquarium Map:

http://www.ncaquariums.com/pks/floorplan.pdf

North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores is an AZA-accredited facility in Pine Knoll Shores, North Carolina, and it opened to the public in 1976. It is part of a trio of aquariums that are all owned by the state, but each aquarium has a slightly different focus. Pine Knoll Shores focuses on “From the Mountains to the Sea” and the annual attendance is 380,000. The combined attendance of the trio of aquariums is over one million visitors per year.

Today we spent 1.5 hours at the Pine Knoll Shores aquarium before driving south for 2.5 hours to spend an hour at the Fort Fisher aquarium. This review can be considered Part I of our July 24th North Carolina experience.

THE BEST:

Ocean Gallery: Living Shipwreck – This is a 306,000 gallon tank that as its centerpiece has a replica of a U-352 German submarine that was sunk by the North Carolina coast guard during World War II. The major occupants are sand tiger sharks, sandbar sharks, nurse sharks, green sea turtles and green moray eels, but there must be at least 15 species of smaller fish as well. This is a truly amazing tank with the fish swimming all around the sunken submarine, and the wall of viewing windows is large enough to allow for huge crowds to congregate.

Also in the Ocean Gallery is a Wreck of Caribsea tank that is a smaller version of the Living Shipwreck behemoth; an Atlantic octopus has a very small tank; an American lobster, lionfish, moon jellies and other aquatic denizens of the deep are located along the walls of this gallery. A Sport-fishing Gallery has speckled trout, tarpon, permit and red drum in one tank and a large school of bluefish in a tank across the corridor.

White Sea Turtle – The aquarium has a miniature superstar in Nimbus, a rare white juvenile loggerhead sea turtle that is a rehabilitated animal. He has been an ambassador for his wild cousins for two years now and it is possible that Nimbus even outranks the river otters as the star attraction at the aquarium as he is such an extreme rarity.

Mountain Gallery – This is the first section that visitors see and it has a spectacular crashing waterfall that cascades into a circular pool set against a backdrop of rockwork. Deep Creek features fish known as “muskies” (muskellunge); Mountain Minnows is an open-topped tank with 11 fish species, including shiners, chubs and dace; Trout Pool has 3 species (brown trout, brook trout, rainbow trout) in another large open-topped exhibit that is the highlight of the gallery; and a Mountain Motion Pool showcases the diversity of local fish. The pathways are wide in this area and the lack of tanks is quickly forgotten due to the quality of the exhibitry.

Piedmont Gallery – This is the second section that visitors encounter, and there are a number of average-sized terrariums for these species in an area called Life on the Edge: Pine Barrens frog, tiger salamander, green tree frog, squirrel tree frog, leopard frog, pickerel frog, southern toad, eastern spadefoot toad and broken-striped newt. Falls Lake Reservoir is a huge tank with 16 species of fish, including: blue catfish, largemouth bass, striped bass, hybrid striped bass, bluegill, pumpkinseed, green sunfish and longear sunfish. Lastly, Fairway Pond has these 4 species: spiny softshell turtle, koi fish, goldfish and grass carp. The true stars of this aquarium are once again river otters, and a trio has a large exhibit with underwater viewing that attracts humans like moths to a flame. My daily otter fix was sated at this entertaining habitat.

Coastal Plain Gallery – There are only 5 exhibits in this small area but I spent quite a bit of time here as the enclosures all contain fascinating occupants. A full-size replica of an American alligator is set in the center of the room, and to one side is a small tank with a couple of juvenile alligators. A gorgeous, open-topped exhibit at the entrance has 5 species of turtle and one fish species: red-eared slider, yellowbelly slider, Florida cooter, eastern river cooter, spiny softshell and bluegill fish. North Carolina has many numerous small animals, such as 18 species of freshwater turtle and more species of salamander than anywhere else on the planet. A small terrarium has a banded water snake and a red-bellied water snake; a large terrarium has several different colour morphs of the corn snake; and the largest tank in the room has an alligator snapping turtle, longnose gar, bowfin and bluegill.

THE AVERAGE:

Tidal Waters Gallery – A large tank with bonnethead sharks and a plethora of other smaller species of fish catches the eye but it is not as large as it first appears; lined seahorses have two very small exhibits; a Salt Marsh exhibit is nicely designed but not very big; a Dock tank has fish swimming amongst what appears to be a wooden pier; Oyster Rock is packed with lots of oysters and small fish; and juvenile sea turtles are in small rehabilitation tanks. A large touch tank has these 6 species: cownose ray, southern stingray, yellow stingray, smooth butterfly ray, Atlantic stingray and Atlantic guitarfish.

Fintastic! Weird & Wonderful Fish – This is a small gallery near the exit with an American eel tank; scrawled cowfish; and two southern flounder exhibits next to each other where it is difficult to locate the fish in their camouflaged surroundings.

THE WORST:

Penguin Plunge – There are 4 African black-footed penguins in a temporary exhibit, and they will be at the aquarium until September 30th. This is a seasonal gimmick to entice visitors to witness the appallingly tiny space where the penguins are located. They are found in Soundside Hall, a large room used for special events that is now empty except for a video screen of the penguins and the enclosure itself. I would estimate that the exhibit is 15 ft. wide, 15 ft. high and 15 ft. long and it is a new contender for America’s worst penguin exhibit. Great Plains Zoo, you have been warned!

THE FUTURE:

After budget cuts of 25% during the past two years the trio of North Carolina aquariums is considering a change in management and operations.

North Carolina Aquariums Aquariums Explore Change in Management & Operations

OVERALL:

North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores is easily the best of the trio of state-run aquariums. It is the middle child in terms of geographic positioning, but it took an hour and a half to tour and there are many top-notch, hugely impressive exhibits. The main issue with the aquarium is that there is simply not enough to see to keep visitors for two hours and that is something that can be said for all three of the North Carolina aquariums. Pine Knoll Shores is the one that I would recommend driving out of the way to see regardless of whether an individual was heading down the coastline or inland.

 

[snowleopard]

DAY 23: Tuesday, July 24th, 2012

Road Trip Review # 25: North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher

North Carolina Aquarium’s website:

North Carolina Aquariums North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher

Aquarium Map:

http://www.ncaquariums.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/ncaff-floor-directory_dec-2010_email.pdf

North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher is an AZA-accredited facility in Kure Beach, North Carolina, and it opened to the public in 1976. It is part of a trio of aquariums that are all owned by the state, but each aquarium has a slightly different focus. Fort Fisher focuses on “From the Cape Fear River to the Sea” and the annual attendance is 425,000, making it the most visited of the three North Carolina aquariums. There are a total of 455,000 gallons of water and 3,500 specimens at the 93,000 square foot facility. The combined attendance of the trio of aquariums is over one million visitors per year.

Today we spent 1.5 hours at the Pine Knoll Shores aquarium before driving south for 2.5 hours to spend an hour at the Fort Fisher aquarium. This review can be considered Part II of our July 24th North Carolina experience.

THE BEST:

Cape Fear Conservatory – This is a large indoor forest with all sorts of freshwater attractions: an albino American alligator exhibit that opened in 2009; a Raven Rock exhibit with striped bass, golden shiner, shortnose sturgeon, yellow perch and common carp; there are small exhibits for lesser siren, dwarf waterdog and eastern newt; another local fish tank with bowfin, chain pickerel, channel catfish, largemouth bass, white catfish and longnose gar. Carolina Bay has white scorpion, blue-spotted sunfish, banded sunfish, black-banded sunfish and banded pygmy sunfish.

A terrarium has 5 species: barking treefrog, pine woods treefrog, gray treefrog, green treefrog and broken-striped newt. Bobwhite quail can be seen in the undergrowth roaming freely along the forest floor and even the visitor pathways; eastern box turtles and eastern glass lizards are in an open-topped enclosure so they can easily be touched by sign-disobeying visitors; a large Venomous Snakes terrarium has these 4 species: eastern diamondback rattlesnake, cottonmouth, timber rattlesnake and yellow rat snake. I often wonder how such deadly animals co-exist. Is it a fractured relationship or do they mainly ignore each other? The largest exhibit features two adult American alligators, and they share their enclosure with these 5 species: yellowbelly slider, eastern river cooter, chicken turtle, sailfin molly and eastern mosquitofish. A raised terrarium has a copperhead and corn snake together.

THE AVERAGE:

The entire Marine Building (both floors) is average at best, with some areas that are far too dark and disjointed and other zones that have small tanks that do not offer great viewing opportunities. After the large forested zone of the Cape Fear Conservatory the rest of the aquarium is actually rather disappointing.

Cape Fear Shoals – This 235,000 gallon tank lacks the big-name sharks and extra-wide viewing windows but it is still the largest exhibit at the aquarium. A variety of fish are set against a rocky reef ledge that is 24 feet in height. This tank can be viewed from both the first and second floors and a Moray Eel Cave has many skeletons of jaws along the wall from different sharks, but at the end of the narrow corridor it is basically just another vantage point into the Cape Fear Shoals habitat.

Odds n’ Sods – There is a Salt Marsh themed touch tank; a stingray touch tank; a Masonboro Inlet Jetty exhibit with spotted seatrout, weakfish and bluefish; an Exotic Aquatics area with white-spotted jellies, lionfish, bank sea bass, a small Pacific Reef exhibit and a terrarium with several species of poison dart frogs. A brand-new touch tank just opened in June with two species of sharks but it is small and not that interesting. A replica of a Megalodon set of jaws drew a crowd but Adventure Aquarium in New Jersey had an entire gallery devoted to that prehistoric monster. The Ocean Gallery area has exhibits like Sharktooth Ledge, Cape Fear Ledge, sea nettles, moon jellies, and a 7,000 gallon blockade runner tank.

THE WORST:

Nothing legitimately fits into this category.

THE FUTURE:

After budget cuts of 25% during the past two years the trio of North Carolina aquariums is considering a change in management and operations.

North Carolina Aquariums Aquariums Explore Change in Management & Operations

OVERALL:

North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher can be viewed in an hour, and other than the Cape Fear Conservatory (essentially a giant indoor forest) the rest of the aquarium is dull and not especially noteworthy. Both the aquariums at Roanoke Island and Fort Fisher can be seen in about an hour and they each have their good points but overall are mild diversions on an extensive road trip. The Pine Knoll Shores location takes an hour and a half to see and there is a high degree of quality there and it easily outshines its counterparts.

 

[ANyhuis]

THE BEST:
Graveyard of the Atlantic – This is the aquarium’s large shark tank, with sandbar, sand tiger and nurse being the three most notable species. I’ve seen plenty of huge shark tanks lately and this one, set against a decaying hull of a ship, is one of the more memorable. There are many species of fish that swim in and around the rusting bulk of the ship.

OVERALL:
North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island is arguably the smallest and weakest of the trio of state-run aquatic facilities.

Having seen 2 of these 3 aquariums last month, and the third a couple years ago, I totally agree with SnowLeopard's conclusion. Roanoke Island's aquarium is by far the weakest of the 3, and that's a shame as it is located in the area of North Carolina which gets the most tourists.

One thing which I believe our friend simply forgot: the Graveyard of the Atlantic tank contains a one-third replica of the USS Monitor, the ultra-famous ironclad ship from the American Civil War. The actual USS Monitor is sunk just offshore of Roanoke Island, thus the focus on this ship. Nearly every American student has heard of and/or studied this ship, one of the precursors of the American submarine fleet. There is a big room next to the Graveyard tank that has many interesting plaques on the walls with information about the Monitor, its history, and its sinking. If you're not a Civil War buff, the room is likely boring, but for me, it was fascinating! In fact, because of this, I'd rate this Aquarium a "must see" for Civil War buffs.

 

[snowleopard]

DAY 24: Wednesday, July 25th, 2012

Road Trip Review # 26: Ripley’s Aquarium at Myrtle Beach

Ripley’s Aquarium’s website:

Ripley's Aquarium in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Aquarium Map:

Ripley's Aquarium of Myrtle Beach Map | Ripley's Aquarium of Myrtlebeach

Ripley’s Aquarium at Myrtle Beach is an AZA-accredited facility that opened in 1997, and it is South Carolina’s #1 most popular attraction. It is an 85,000 square foot establishment that is one of a trio of Ripley’s Aquariums in North America. There is one near the entrance to the Smokey Mountains in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and a third will open in spring/summer 2013 at the base of the CN Tower in Toronto, Canada. Both the Myrtle Beach and Gatlinburg Ripley’s Aquariums are regularly listed in the top 10 most popular aquariums in North America as over 1 million people tour them every year. Myrtle Beach has a tiny population of around 30,000 but over 14 million people flock to the area every summer to hit the beaches and the many attractions. The aquarium opens at 9:00 a.m. and does not close until 10:00 p.m. every single day of the year so that explains the high attendance as it is clearly not even close to being one of the best aquariums in the nation.

To be honest the aquarium was a disappointment, primarily because it does not really feel like an aquatic facility and the main gallery looks just like a shopping mall. There are some fantastic tanks but simply not enough of them and the facility is a for-profit, highly commercialized enterprise that does not issue any kind of discounts to AZA members. It cost us $54 in entrance fees and even with letting the kiddies run around playing and also dawdling in the gift shop we still left after an hour and 20 minutes and thus it didn’t feel as if we received strong value for our hard-earned money.

We spent an hour and 20 minutes at Ripley’s Aquarium and then drove for 2 hours until we reached Charleston, where we spent about an hour and 30 minutes at the South Carolina Aquarium. This review can be considered Part I of our July 25th South Carolina experience.

THE BEST:

Dangerous Reef – This is an awesome habitat and it is seen via a 330 foot long underwater tunnel that situates visitors on a glidepath (a moving walkway) that initially takes visitors past a Caribbean spiny lobster habitat. There is also the option to get off and walk, but I was told that at busy times of the day all visitors are forced to step onto the glidepath and remain there for the duration of the journey. There are sand tiger sharks, sandbar sharks, nurse sharks, blacktip reef sharks, green moray eels, green sea turtles, great barracudas, southern stingrays, tarpons, goliath grouper, cool-looking sawfish and at least 40 other species of fish that swim all around the tank and even near the sunken ship that is in the center. This exhibit is the highlight of the aquarium, it is 15 feet deep at its deepest point, and it features what must be one of the longer underwater aquarium tunnels in the world.

Rainbow Rock – There are literally over 1,000 brightly-coloured fish from the waters of the Indo-Pacific Oceans in this exhibit, and they are showcased against a backdrop of a shiny, glossy fake coral reef that is almost as colourful as the fish. All kinds of tangs, wrasses, butterflyfish, angelfish and many others inhabit this sparkly aquatic wonderland. There are over 100 species and more than 1,000 fish in this tank and nearby is a much smaller anthias tank.

Ray Bay – This is a very large, 85,000 gallon tank that is 15 feet deep and packed with many stingrays and a few sharks. It can also be seen from the surface and includes these species: cownose ray, southern stingray, spotted eagle ray, bonnethead shark, leopard shark and Atlantic stingray. It has so many moving animals that it draws a throng of visitors, but I question whether the rays and sharks appreciate being so crowded.

THE AVERAGE:

Rio Amazon – This area has only 2 exhibits, one large one with a variety of species and one smaller one with red piranha hovering over fake cattle bones. Species list for the main exhibit includes some rarities: dwarf caiman, arapaima, redtail catfish, arowana, red-bellied pacu, ripsaw catfish, duckbill catfish, oscar and smooth back-river stingray.

Living Gallery – A darkened environment has exhibits for clownfish and anemones in a coral reef tank; a giant Pacific octopus; moon jellies and sea nettles in a Jellies corner; and pot-bellied seahorses, weedy sea dragons and leafy sea dragons (always terrific to see those critters!) together in a large tank.

Entrance Tank – There is a tall, cylinder tank that is jammed with many varieties of cichlids that garner a lot of attention as visitors pile into the aquarium.

Dinosaurs: When Giants Ruled! – This is a temporary exhibit set in the New Exhibits Hall near the entrance of the aquarium. There are at least 4 extremely lifelike, animatronic dinosaurs (T-rex, triceratops, stegosaurus and dimetrodon) as well as a metal dino without the fake skin on top in a gallery that has a lot of information about dinosaurs and fossils. This exhibit’s relationship to the world of aquatics is tangible at best.

THE WORST:

Discovery Center – This is the main children’s zone in the center of the aquarium, and while it appears great from a distance it is not actually very good for children. There is the obligatory touch tank that has loads of horseshoe crabs in it (Ripley’s likes to pack its tanks with specimens); a fish slide that has no stairs to the top so kids have to go down and then compete with others to scramble up in the same direction; a Pirate-themed area that looks great but is basically there for show; a large section of bright yellow pipes that demonstrate the inner workings of a tank; a well-designed fossil wall with horseshoe crab information that was ignored by 100% of the visitors that I saw; a pop-up bubble into a puffer fish/porcupine fish exhibit that is popular; and a few other odds n’ ends but the area desperately lacks cohesion or some kind of common theme to tie it all together.

Tropical Forest – A small green iguana tank and a poison dart frog terrarium creates a Tropical Forest? Seriously?

OVERALL:

Ripley’s Aquarium at Myrtle Beach is so tiny that it literally has less than 20 tanks for the public to look at, and even the much-criticized Sea Life establishments have more exhibits than Ripley’s. The Dangerous Reef underwater tunnel, Ray Bay and Rainbow Rock are all huge, amazing habitats that I have praised in my review, but I actually only counted about 15 other tanks in the entire building and I took loads of photos as proof. The size of some of the mega-tanks makes the aquarium seem larger than it really is, and a single adult without children would probably be done in an hour. The price simply does not justify the entertainment value and the only reason the aquarium is so successful is that it is open extraordinarily late and is situated in a prime tourist location right by the seaside.

 

[snowleopard]

DAY 24: Wednesday, July 25th, 2012

Road Trip Review # 27: South Carolina Aquarium

South Carolina Aquarium’s website:

South Carolina Aquarium on Charleston Harbor

Aquarium Map:

http://www.scaquarium.org/Exhibits/VisitorMap.pdf

South Carolina Aquarium is an AZA-accredited facility in Charleston, South Carolina, and it opened in 2000. The building is 93,000 square feet and there are over 60 exhibits. It is against the law to keep dolphins and whales in captivity in the state of South Carolina, and so like most aquariums of this size the largest and most popular animals are sharks, sea turtles, otters and crocodilians. The annual number of visitors is 450,000.

We spent an hour and 20 minutes at Ripley’s Aquarium and then drove for 2 hours until we reached Charleston, where we spent about an hour and 30 minutes at the South Carolina Aquarium. This review can be considered Part II of our July 25th South Carolina experience.

THE BEST:

Great Ocean Tank – This tank holds 385, 000 gallons of water and contains hundreds of animals. The stars of the habitat are blacknose sharks, nurse sharks, bonnethead sharks, sand tiger sharks, pufferfish, a loggerhead sea turtle and many other smaller species. The tank can be viewed from both levels of the aquarium and while it is not wide it is certainly tall and still hugely impressive. In the Great Hall near the Ocean Tank is a 15,000 gallon Carolinas Tank that features many colourful local fish.

Mountain Forest – This is generally the first gallery that visitors enter as they take the escalator to the second floor, and a rehabilitated bald eagle is curiously displayed in the corridor. Her name is Liberty and she was seriously injured and nursed back to health about a decade ago. A fake eagle nest and a couple of small terrariums (with zero signage) are also in the entrance foyer. Passing through into the mountains area there is a high rocky wall with large fish tanks at its base that contain trout, bass and other local species. River otters have a deep pool and as usual they were entertaining visitors with their antics.

THE AVERAGE:

Madagascar Journey – This is a brand-new gallery that opened in 2012, and there are many average exhibits amongst some innovative and popular items such as a pop-up bubble in the lemur exhibit; a couple of large fish tanks; a safari jeep that kids can clamber into; and décor that makes it appear as if visitors are at first walking through someone’s house. This area is not large and the Nile croc does not have a great deal of space, but it certainly had visitors reading the signs and being entertained by the lemurs. Species list: ring-tailed lemur (4 on loan from Duke Lemur Center), vasa parrot, Nile crocodile, Madagascar hissing cockroach, common spider tortoise, Madagascar tree boa, tomato frog, Madagascar giant hognose snake, green mantilla frog, Madagascar day gecko and Madagascar leaf-tailed gecko.

The Piedmont & Coastal Plain Galleries – These two areas were renovated in 2009 and they seemingly run together into one large area. The Piedmont (French for “foothills”) has life supported by streams, rivers and human-made reservoirs and Piedmont Shoals contains various darters and shiners; an eastern screech owl has a small enclosure with such thin wire encasing it that it first appears to be wide open; a standard-sized tank has robust redhorse, yellowfin shiner and bluehead chub; and other species in various tanks include striped bass, largemouth bass, white bass, longnose gar, redbreasted sunfish and channel catfish. An open-topped greater siren exhibit features crystal clear water and Brownwater Swamp has chicken turtles and various sunfish and shiners. A banded water snake, yellow rat snake, chicken turtle and spotted turtle share a tank as the pathway leads into a Coastal Plain area with a star attraction of a white alligator in an exhibit that is too small for its inhabitant. Other species in this gallery include: green treefrog, broad-head skink, American alligator, yellow-bellied slider, gopher tortoise, eastern diamondback rattlesnake, canebrake rattlesnake and copperhead.

Salt Marsh – This is the only section of the aquarium that is outdoors, although it is still enclosed via a thin metal wire. A large touch tank has southern stingrays and Atlantic stingrays, while a long, narrow, open-topped exhibit that has a massive river in the background has several species of fish and turtle but zero signage so I frustratingly could not find out exactly what species they are. There are even a few gulls inside this area and the view to a unique-looking bridge is quite splendid. An indoor touch tank has the usual assortment of crabs, urchins and anemones.

The Coast – This gallery has a Schooling Fish tank with Atlantic bumper; a long habitat with leopard searobin, Atlantic needlefish, palometa, Florida pompano and striped hermit crab; lined seahorses gracefully inhabit a small tank; southern flounders are in a camouflage-themed environment; and a loggerhead sea turtle shares space with scorpionfish and giant hermit crabs. Moon jellies and Atlantic sea nettles are also found near this area.

Something’s Fishy Kid Zone – There is a boat that kids can climb into and pretend to navigate through treacherous waters, but the aquarium lacks a notable children’s area and this small zone can rapidly become crowded.

THE WORST:

Nothing deserves to be in this category.

OVERALL:

South Carolina Aquarium lacks a real knockout exhibit, although the two-level Great Ocean Tank is close. The themed building is neat in that visitors begin in the mountains, and move through streams, rivers, coastal plains, a salt marsh, the coast and then finally the ocean. I’m not sure how many people will truly appreciate the cool design of the aquarium, especially now that Madagascar is the final section and that might confuse folks. Almost the entire list of exhibits are on the top floor of the building and for the size and space available one flaw is that the South Carolina Aquarium should add on even more exhibits to help fill out the emptiness. Overall it is a decent aquarium that does not take long to see, and there is a strong emphasis on ecosystems rather than star animals.

 

[ANyhuis]

OVERALL:

South Carolina Aquarium lacks a real knockout exhibit, although the two-level Great Ocean Tank is close. The themed building is neat in that visitors begin in the mountains, and move through streams, rivers, coastal plains, a salt marsh, the coast and then finally the ocean. I’m not sure how many people will truly appreciate the cool design of the aquarium

Again, I totally agree with SnowLeopard's review and opinions. I really like the setting of this aquarium, right there on the Charleston waterfront. Just a little bit away is the dock where visitors can catch boats which take them out to Fort Sumter, the famous site where the American Civil War began. Charleston is a really cool city to explore! It's so quaint and historical, with a genuine Southern antebellum atmosphere.

 

[gerenuk]

It looks like you arrived at Ripley's Aquarium a little early.

15 millionth Ripley's Aquarium guest to be honored - WMBFNews.com, Myrtle Beach/Florence SC, Weather

 

[snowleopard]

DAY 25: Thursday, July 26th, 2012

Road Trip Review # 28: St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park

St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park’s website:

St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park and Crocodile Crossing Zip Line

Park Map:

http://www.alligatorfarm.com/FINALmap2009PG1.pdf

St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park is an AZA-accredited facility that is located in St. Augustine, Florida, and it opened in 1893 and it has been at its current site since 1920. The park is the only establishment in the world with all 23 currently recognized specimens of crocodilian. That alone makes it a must-see for any zoo enthusiast! The annual attendance is around 250,000 visitors, which is impressive considering the sparse variety of animals on display. Even though I heard in the alligator show that there are over 1,000 crocodilians at the park I was intrigued to see that there were a number of other animals that have slowly been added over the many years that the park has been in operation. Next year will be its 120th anniversary, which makes it older than just about every zoo in America.

We spent 2.5 hours at the park and I truly enjoyed the experience as I’ve always been intrigued by crocodilians. They have retained almost the exact same appearance and habits for millions of years, and even though they barely move in captivity they are nevertheless fascinating creatures that disguise their speed by being stealthy and patient. The crocodilian exhibits at the park were much better than I had anticipated, as a couple of ZooChatters had mentioned to me that the enclosures were fairly basic and to not expect much in terms of immersive elements. All of the croc habitats feature pools that are not tremendously deep, but even with the Florida summer creating fairly lush foliage in some enclosures it was not difficult to locate crocodilians in every single exhibit.

THE REVIEW:

All 23 species of crocodilian are on exhibit at the park, and I photographed each sign and with my own eyes saw all 23 species in this exact order: American alligator (including two albinos in separate pools), dwarf caiman, American crocodile, Morelet’s crocodile, Orinoco crocodile, yacare caiman, Siamese crocodile, Indian gharial, Philippine crocodile, Malaysian gharial, Mugger crocodile, Johnston’s crocodile, Chinese alligator, dwarf crocodile, Nile crocodile, African slender-snouted crocodile, spectacled caiman, Cuban crocodile, black caiman, broad-snouted caiman, smooth-fronted caiman, New Guinea crocodile and saltwater crocodile.

Near the front entrance are small enclosures for two species of crocodilian: juvenile American alligators (plus albino alligators) and dwarf crocodile; then the vast majority of the species are found in the Land of Crocodiles zone where there is one enclosure after another with a staggering array of crocodilians in close proximity to each other. There are 19 different species of crocodilian that can be seen in Land of the Crocodiles, and adding in the 2 species near the entrance and within an hour a visitor will have seen 21 of the world’s 23 species of crocodilian. New Guinea crocodiles are somewhat hidden away in a lush exhibit adjacent to the theater, while the park’s 15 foot, 3 inch Aussie saltwater “Maximo” has his own pool in a different section of the grounds. To be able to showcase all 23 of the world’s crocodilians in one location (a feat that the park has done since 1993) is amazing and I was meticulous enough to not leave an exhibit until I had caught sight of a crocodilian to confirm that I ticked off all of them on my list. I’m sure that in my visits to 170 different zoos and aquariums over the years that I’ve probably seen all of them at one time or another (except perhaps the New Guinea crocodiles) but to view them in one location was a neat little thrill that the majority of visitors probably would have shrugged their shoulders over.

Crocodile Crossing – This zip-line opened in 2011 and for those that are adventurous enough it literally goes over top of several of the park’s crocodile pens. The crossing can take up to 2 hours; it covers 7 acres and costs $40.

Alligator Swamp & Wading Bird Rookery – This area features a long, winding wooden boardwalk that takes visitors into a gator-infested swamp that also contains tall trees packed with a variety of wild birds that come to the park to roost. There are literally hundreds of American alligators in the huge exhibit, and here are the 12 bird species: roseate spoonbill*, wood stork*, cattle egret*, great egret*, snowy egret*, tri-coloured heron*, little blue heron*, great blue heron, green heron*, yellow-crowned night heron, black-crowned night heron and white ibis. The 8 species with an asterisk next to their name all have nests on zoo property. There is another Alligator lagoon near the entrance of the park that has exactly 41 American alligators inside the exhibit, and park employees enter to give a presentation and feed some of them dead rats at certain times of the day.

Birds of Africa – This is a single large exhibit with 4 species (Cape Griffon vulture, hooded vulture, West African crowned crane and marabou stork) that is spacious, has a fake zebra carcass as a feeding container, and a pool and many trees for shade.

Non-Croc Exhibits – There is a large wood-and-wire enclosure for red ruffed lemurs; a cotton-top tamarin/toco toucan/green acouchi exhibit near the entrance; red-eared sliders share space with juvenile American alligators; giant Amazon river turtles are in with the dwarf caiman; Goeldi’s monkeys have a well-furnished wood-and-wire exhibit that is the consistent building material throughout the park; curl-crested aracari; plush-crested jay; red-footed tortoise; pygmy marmoset/golden-headed lion tamarin/sunbittern mixed-species enclosure; a spectacular Sulawesi red-knobbed hornbill is paired with a lesser Bornean crested fireback pheasant; a Cabot’s tragopan/red-crested turaco aviary; yellow-spotted Amazon river turtles are in with the spectacled caiman; there is a lush, overgrown pond with black-necked swan/eastern brown pelican/wood duck/northern pintail/Bahama pintail; a Galapagos tortoise yard; a Geoffrey’s marmoset/Brazilian agouti exhibit; a sandy cassowary habitat; prevost’s squirrels; a large outdoor Komodo dragon exhibit that opened in 2008; a massive 21-foot long reticulated python has an exhibit that is too small for its enormous girth; and a palm cockatoo/Palawan peacock pheasant/Pesquet’s parrot aviary.

Pacific Island Reptiles – This small, air-conditioned building contains 7 species of python and some real rarities that are not often seen in American zoos. Here is the species list: reticulated python, New Guinea olive python, white-lipped python, Amethystine python, green tree python, blood python, carpet python, Asian white-lipped viper, king cobra, mangrove snake, Siamese crocodile (juveniles), frilled dragon, Mertens’ water monitor and rough-knob tailed gecko.

Florida’s Native Reptiles – There are 9 species in terrariums that are in several cases much too small for their inhabitants. Here is the species list: eastern diamondback rattlesnake (two exhibits), canebrake rattlesnake, dusky pygmy rattlesnake, Florida cottonmouth, Florida banded water snake, Florida kingsnake, southern copperhead, red rat snake and eastern coachwhip.

Gomek Forever – Gomek was a gigantic saltwater crocodile that was 17 feet and 9.5 inches in length who was a long-time resident who died at the park in 1997. He weighed almost 2,000 pounds and was incredibly tame around his keepers as they would apparently enter his enclosure and stand only a meter away. His frame has been immortalized in a massive replica within a small air-conditioned building that also has many artifacts and artwork from Papua New Guinea.

OVERALL:

St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park is a must-see for any zoo enthusiast as the prospect of seeing all 23 species of crocodilian is mouth-watering to many folks who confess to being zoo and aquarium enthusiasts. On top of the numerous crocodilian exhibits there is a terrific Komodo dragon enclosure, a cassowary habitat, 6 primate species, and some rarely exhibited birds and reptiles. The park will celebrate its 120th anniversary next year and there have been slow and steady improvements as the years have sped by. Anyone wishing to visit the major zoos in Florida should know that the Alligator Farm is only an hour from the excellent Jacksonville Zoo and less than two hours from Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Orlando. There should be no excuse for missing what is a unique, intriguing establishment that has much more to it than endless pools of crocodilians.

 

[BeardsleyZooFan]

You're finally in Florida now! Glad the snowleopard family is doing well, and I'm interested in your review of the gator farm. I'll have to go there one day. It seems you'll be visiting Naples, Busch Gardens, and Lowry Park soon. Don't expect anything too good from Naples exhibitwise, besides the Primate Cruise and Black Bear Hammock. However, their assortment of rare critters in American zoos (Honey Badgers, Fossas, Striped Hyenas, etc.) are interesting. Busch Gardens has some really good exhibits such as their African enclosures, some average, and some areas are not so good (Jambo Junction). I'm interested in what you have to say about Jungala. Lowry Park is a smaller little zoo with mostly good to average exhibits, and I don't exactly recall any really dreadful areas, though the Indian Rhinoceros exhibit isn't too good. Hope this helps a bit, and I'm looking forward to more reviews and I wish you and your family the best!

 

[TropicWorld54]

I think that you will like Busch Gardens but not as much as Disneys Animal Kingdom. The gorilla and chimpanzee exhibit at Busch Gardens is not as good in person (I personally like Lincoln Park's and Disney's gorilla exhibits better). The Edge of Africa and Serengeti Plains are excellent. Jungala is great for the visitors (all the viewing opportunities) but the tiger exhibits are over crowded and uses too much mock rock and none of the exhibits look like an Asian rainforest.

 

[BeardsleyZooFan]

I think that you will like Busch Gardens but not as much as Disneys Animal Kingdom. The gorilla and chimpanzee exhibit at Busch Gardens is not as good in person (I personally like Lincoln Park's and Disney's gorilla exhibits better). The Edge of Africa and Serengeti Plains are excellent. Jungala is great for the visitors (all the viewing opportunities) but the tiger exhibits are over crowded and uses too much mock rock and none of the exhibits look like an Asian rainforest.

While not as good as Disney's gorilla exhibit, BGT's Myombe Reserve is quite good in fact, but they should expand the area to include more animals, as all there is are chimps and gorillas. The tiger and orangutan exhibits have experienced controversy about what they look like. They definately don't look like a jungle, but they mostly suit the animals' needs. More shade and plants could be added though.
Knowing that you have visited Naples as well, do you agree with my above assessment?

 

[TropicWorld54]

Knowing that you have visited Naples as well, do you agree with my above assessment?

I agree that the zoo has a great collection but the exhibits are mainly below average except for the black bears, primates and big cats (even though the leopard exhibit was disappointing). I went to this zoo awhile ago (before the honey badgers) so I do not have the best memory of it but the things I do remember are the alligator feeding demonstrations, the male lion spraying a bunch of school children and the over use of chain link fencing.

While not as good as Disney's gorilla exhibit, BGT's Myombe Reserve is quite good in fact, but they should expand the area to include more animals, as all there is are chimps and gorillas.

I am going to Disney Animal Kindom in a couple of weeks so after I go there I can better compare the gorilla exhibits to the one at Busch Gardens (I went to Busch Gardens earlier this year)