Snowleopard's 2012 Road Trip

- Great responses from everyone! I appreciate the feedback and I told my wife this morning that I'll probably get a load of responses in regards to my Busch Gardens review as theme parks like Disney's Animal Kingdom, Busch Gardens and SeaWorld aren't really zoos or aquariums and they are in a kind of grey zone whether they should be compared to traditional zoological parks.

- We ate at the Crown Colony Restaurant and the views of the savanna are nice but there really needs to be some kind of walking trail overlook so that visitors can enjoy seeing the animals for more than a few seconds. That is my same issue with monorails, trains, jeeps, etc, as going on those rides means that if I want to sit and watch a herd of giraffes then I'll have to visit a zoo with a walking trail.

- I find it amusing that I spend hours writing a 8.5-page review (using size 14 font) and that was after a 9.5 hour day at the park and still folks are saying "you missed out on this" or "you should have done that". The Skyride was open but one has to remember that I was with my wife and two little kids and I probably would have done it if I was flying solo. My son Jeffrey is only just over one year-old and he had a couple of brief naps during the very long day and so we had to work around his schedule. Also, what would my almost 3 year-old daughter prefer to do: give high fives to Cookie Monster, Grover and Elmo or go in a tin bucket and look down on antelope that she doesn't care about? She was thrilled to spend time in the Sesame Street play zone and I would not begrudge her that fun. I had to pick and choose what I did and didn't do, and since my wife graciously agrees to visit 40-45 new zoos and aquariums every summer I don't want to insist on going on every ride. She already rolls her eyes because I go out of my way to view and photograph 99% of the exhibits in every single zoo that we visit and I don't miss anything except some rides (not interested) and some butterfly walk-through areas (again, very little interest).

I think that the Serengeti Express train is not really a true ride but in fact an easy way to get around what is a massive park. There are long stoppages at each of the 3 stations and we exchanged drivers and at all 3 stations as we left the driver listed off the rules and regulations so the "ride" is not a continuous, single entity as many people hopped on at one station and hopped off at the next one to save them walking a long distance. I really did spend 80% of the time NOT looking at animals and when I did see herds of hoofstock (depleted from what it was a decade ago) there was a view of 5 gigantic rollercoasters that seemed so ridiculously out of place that I'm not sure how immersed anyone could ever be. Disney's Animal Kingdom is leagues ahead of Busch Gardens when it comes to the finer details.

Edge of Africa at Busch Gardens is brilliant, as is Myombe Reserve, but when there are only about 16 animal enclosures outside of Curiosity Caverns, Jambo Junction and Bird Gardens then that is pretty slim pickings for the price to enter the park. But I am totally cool with the idea of people loving theme parks, rides, rollercoasters towering over herds of impala and other things like great shows, employees dressed as characters and the ambience of an exotic location and my family had a great day in Tampa. Over 4 million people visit Busch Gardens every single year and it is more popular than any traditional zoo. I just will always be one of those people who would like my rock music and elephants kept separated, and Columbus Zoo does a wonderful job of that because the golf course, waterpark and amusement park are all adjacent to the zoo but not inside of it. Busch Gardens had Thomson's gazelles with 6 speakers blasting Van Halen rock n' roll hits next to their paddock, as well as a rumbling rollercoaster speeding right past them. It is actually amazing that PETA has never lodged a formal complaint.
 
snowleopard said:
- Great responses from everyone! I appreciate the feedback and I told my wife this morning that I'll probably get a load of responses in regards to my Busch Gardens review as theme parks like Disney's Animal Kingdom, Busch Gardens and SeaWorld aren't really zoos or aquariums and they are in a kind of grey zone whether they should be compared to traditional zoological parks.
Click to expand...

Something I've been thinking and wondering about is if we are seeing a gradual curtailing of the live animal-based theme park.

I think that the Sea World parks will likely carry on adding new animal-based attractions, but increasingly it looks less likely that new live animal attractions will be built at Disney and perhaps Busch Gardens. DAK is slated to get a massive "Avatar-land" filled with imaginary ecosystems and wildlife. In the past there have been rumors of new live-animal based Australia or North America sections, but obviously these have not become reality. The live animal exhibits in the Asia and Africa sections are well maintained, but there haven't been any substantial live animal exhibits added since they were built 10-15 years ago.

I know that Jungala is relatively recent at Busch Gardens, but it sounds like the roller coasters are coming to dominate this park at the expense of the live animal exhibits. With new AZA elephant standards coming does it seem likely that Busch Gardens will keep eles in the long run - from snowy's description of the aging elephant exhibit it sounds like it is perhaps outdated. It sounds like their savanna exhibit may be in a state of decline also.

Does anybody have an opinion on this subject?
 
I actually think seaworlds and busch gardens which are both owned by the same company have been building combined animal and ride attractions. The manta in florida has a combined aquarium and coaster, manta in california has a combined ray tank and coaster, and at busch gardens jungala (orangutans,tigers...) and cheetah hunt.
 
DAY 31: Wednesday, August 1st, 2012

Road Trip Review # 35: The Florida Aquarium

The Florida Aquarium’s website:

The Florida Aquarium | Tampa Aquarium | Florida Aquarium in Tampa Florida

Aquarium Map:

http://www.flaquarium.org/userfiles/files/FAQ_Visitors_GuideMap_2011_v2.pdf

The Florida Aquarium is an AZA-accredited facility located in Tampa, Florida, and it originally opened in 1995. The annual attendance is around 630,000 and the entire space for the establishment is 250,000 square feet (5.7 acres). There are over 20,000 aquatic animals and plants, and although the aquarium famously underperformed in its first few years a greater focus on wildlife from outside of Florida and a more kid-friendly environment saw a rise in popularity. Once Explore A Shore was added (a waterpark) average time at the aquarium apparently doubled and that is exactly what happened to my family on our visit.

There are 8 major themed areas and 7 of them are contained on the second floor, so in that regard it is almost identical to South Carolina Aquarium. The first floor consists of guest services, an events pavilion, Café Ray, a gift shop, and the 2.2 acre Explore A Shore area that is entirely outdoors and features zero animals as it is essentially a waterpark zone for children. We had a great time and spent 3 hours at the aquarium, but 1.5 hours was seeing the exhibits and 1.5 hours was spent playing outside and eating lunch in the restaurant. The Florida Aquarium has some impressive areas but overall I was slightly disappointed as there is a lack of attention to detail with some of the finer points of exhibit design and I was expecting something slightly more commendable.

THE BEST:

Explore A Shore – This is a 2.2 acre kiddie paradise that opened in 2004 and boosted the aquarium’s popularity because at least 85% of people who visit zoos and aquariums have children with them. The area contains an eel fountain that has water guns on its sides; a replica Pirate Ship that kids clamber on; all types of fountains and spray jets and an assortment of cool kiddie stuff under the baking hot Florida sunshine. If you do not have children then you might spend 5 minutes wandering around looking at what there is to do, but having children with you will extend an aquarium visit by at least an hour and in that regard this establishment is comparable to Adventure Aquarium in New Jersey in terms of being an outstanding facility for young kids.

Coral Reefs – Sand tiger sharks grace a huge 500,000 gallon tank that is awe-inspiring to see. There are over 2,000 specimens of 100 species and the bench seats and massive viewing windows make it arguably the biggest and best part of the aquarium in the eyes of most visitors. One cool aspect of this gallery is that it simulates a 60-foot dive by beginning in shallow waters and getting deeper until the huge final habitat is unveiled. Besides the huge sharks there is at least one huge sea turtle and a couple of thousand colourful fish that brighten up the tank. The signage here is almost non-existent and while there are some signs in the underwater tunnel entry point overall the signage at this aquarium is a little weaker than I am used to seeing. Other areas here include a Night Shift tank with blackbar soldierfish and squirrelfish; the ubiquitous lionfish exhibit; yellowhead jawfish; Sex Change! (parrotfish); and Wrasse on the Reef with a handful of species of wrasse.

Wetlands – A nautilus shell-themed dome roof with 1,100 glass panels arches over the heads of visitors and captive creatures as the pathway winds past river otters, alligators and other denizens of Florida’s wetlands. There are over 30 species of free-flying birds and a plethora of other aquatic wonders in this area, and even the entrance is special as there are two tanks called Florida Waters and Florida Springs. One is set into a mock-rock wall while the other is directly above visitors in the ceiling. Species list: common snapping turtle, bowfin, bluegill, channel catfish, longnose gar, Florida softshell turtle and largemouth bass. All aquariums need entrance areas that are this impressive.

The journey continues with Spring-Fed Streams and Florida Rivers, and the real stars are the trio of river otters and the mid-sized American alligators. These species are across from each other and their exhibits are open to a lot of natural sunlight filtered through the immense glass roof. There is a winding pathway through a large Cypress Swamp zone, and one tank is memorable for having many free-flying birds perched in it (roseate spoonbills and ibis) as well as these 5 species: Suwannee cooter, Barbour’s map turtle, yellow-billed slider, peninsula cooter and Florida red-bellied turtle. Longnose gar and Florida gar swim beneath at least 10 towering trees and the whole habitat is brilliantly designed.

Still in the Wetlands giant greenhouse is a small Florida Amphibians tank with 3 species (greater siren, southern leopard frog, bullfrog); 4 species of free-flying owls that I never saw (eastern screech, barn, barred, great horned); an Air Gardens plant habitat; and a series of Mangrove Forests exhibits with stingrays, crabs and many birds and fish. Other exhibits include one for gopher tortoises; young American crocodiles; brown pelicans, double-breasted cormorants and other seabirds in an awfully tiny environment; and nurse sharks and smaller fish in the same exhibit. My one major complaint for this area is that there are grey, starkly-bleak cement walls everywhere below the animal exhibits, and it resembles some of the 1960’s and ‘70’s architecture from Seattle or New England Aquarium. Why not have mock-rock outcrops, or tree bark edges, or even brown paint to lessen the gloom of the concrete. I know that the animals would not be affected, but visitors would love to have a forested environment along the paths and there is not an immersive feel with the steely grey décor.

THE AVERAGE:

Bays & Beaches – An entrance tank has bonnethead sharks, gag groupers, snook and southern stingrays in a large yet bland tank; a Life at the Bottom tank has cellar-dwelling critters; rough silversides swarm in a pool; garden eels are popular; Seagrasses in the Bay is an underwater grassland; and other species include: Caribbean spiny lobster, common octopus, spotted moray eel, pipefish, longsnouted seahorse, lined seahorse and toadfish. A Water Lab has employees analyzing water quality; Bridge Pilings has an enormous goliath grouper amongst a school of lookdown fish; and the best exhibit of all is the final one with stingrays in a shallow pool while a sandy area plays host to a few birds. Species list: royal tern, willet, lesser scaup, Atlantic stingray, southern stingray, mojarra and Atlantic needlefish. Bays & Beaches is a short journey that is pleasant enough but it would have been nice to see more effort put into the details as many of the tanks are simply painted blue with barely anything else in them as substrate.

Ocean Commotion – This interactive-themed zone opened in 2008 and celebrates the energy of the world’s oceans with an eclectic grouping of animals. Moon jellies, comb jellies, boxfish, Japanese spider crabs, skunk cleaner shrimp, mantis shrimp, common octopus, rhinopias (an extraordinary looking fish), cownose rays, blacktip reef sharks, nurse sharks, zebra sharks and a loggerhead sea turtle are all found in this area that has bright, bold, kid-friendly graphics with cell phone applications in every direction.

Dragons’ Down Under – This area is small and it showcases a diverse range of seahorses and their kin. There are 10 species in this section: leafy sea dragon, dwarf seahorse, spiny seahorse, Pacific seahorse, White’s seahorse, potbellied seahorse, alligator pipefish, banded pipefish, ribboned pipefish and coral shrimpfish.

No Bone Zone – This is a very basic and small touch tank area that opened in 2000, and on the day of my arrival a second portion of the gallery was closed due to some minor construction. There is nothing remarkable here whatsoever.

THE WORST:

Aquariumania – This area is a small zone on an upper deck with perhaps 30 pet shop sized tanks set in rows within the Wetlands greenhouse. It supports the theme of someone who is crazy about fish and it educates prospective fish owners about what they need to purchase in order to keep their fish healthy. This area has many paint-chipped walls and it is simply not interesting enough for the majority of visitors. In fact on my visit I would estimate that perhaps only 20% of all visitors in the Wetlands gallery walked upstairs to see the slightly hidden Aquariumania section.

OVERALL:

The Florida Aquarium has 3 top-notch zones that are excellent but with a few flaws; and most of the rest of the facility is of an average quality and size. The outdoor children’s play area is a massive hit with families and that is where the vast majority of the patrons were on my visit and understandably that zone is more than likely packed year-round. There are apparently about 500 wild dolphins off of the coast near Tampa and the aquarium offers daily tours, and we also saw two black-footed penguins brought out (via a wagon) into the public area. There are obviously penguins backstage but there are no immediate plans to construct a permanent habitat for them. Overall the aquarium is well worth visiting but it lacks the attention to detail to compete with the big guns in the United States. It combines to form a comprehensive trio of captive wildlife attractions in the city of Tampa, and Lowry Park Zoo, Busch Gardens and Florida Aquarium are 3 facilities that many cities would be proud to call their own.
 
I'm glad you enjoyed Busch Gardens! I am so glad to hear you could enter for free with your membership too!

My last visit there was November 2011 and I wrote a long review in another thread. Since there seems to be alot of interest in the elephant exhibit and Rhino Rally, I will include my description of them here. ANyhuis, note that the final portion of the ride is no longer there!

"Nairobi has most of the park’s larger habitats for hoofstock, the first of which is for Asian elephant. Yes, here again is an example of a geographic boo-boo, but the park does not have African elephants. The habitat for the herd of five females is viewed on one long side from the main park walkway across a small dry moat. The moat and the low back walls are fairly realistic rockwork with planting above. It is a nice exhibit although it is mostly bare earth with a few deadfalls, and does not appear to be very large; however, it is deceiving because the habitat is actually an elongated doughnut shape and only one side is seen from the walkway. Also along the walkway, near the mostly out-of-view barn, is a small gated area that is opened only during elephant interaction demonstrations. A rather stark large modern awning structure provides most of the shade for one area of the habitat near the middle. There is another way to view the habitat: a ride called Rhino Rally (the awning structure matches the queue and loading station structures for the ride nearby) travels across an elevated wood bridge above one end of the doughnut shape and through the elevated center island of the habitat, then exits through a tunnel at the other end into a cave passage below the other end of the doughnut shape. Riders see the other side of the exhibit that is beyond the walkway’s sight lines, and also see the large waterhole at the end that the elephants can enter. The waterhole design is great, with a large sloped beach for easy entry and a generous area for deeper bathing. A submerged concrete barrier prohibits them from going past a certain point into the larger body of water with which it is contiguous (and is part of another habitat). In fact, the other field exhibits in Nairobi feature some nice barrier techniques that also expertly blur the line between habitats, although not as extensively as those in Disney’s Animal Kingdom’s Kilimanjaro Safaris ride. Rhino Rally is sort of Busch Gardens’ answer to Kilimanjaro Safaris in nearby Orlando; it is a quickly-paced narrated tour through animal exhibits in open-sided trucks. The trucks have five rows: four seat four visitors each, while the front is for the driver and one visitor to ride ‘shotgun’. The queue and loading station are contained in a series of open-air tent shelters with several parked mock trucks and truck equipment (such as tires and gas cans) scattered inside. The premise is that all this has been set up for the ‘34th Annual Rhino Rally’, a fictitious truck race through the savanna on an off-road course, although the trucks do not actually race together. After leaving the station, the course starts with the Asian elephant habitat described above; the waterhole is actually viewed from the next habitat, a nice large grassy savanna scattered with trees and boulders and a few rock-lined waterways. This area contains scimitar-horned oryx, Grant’s zebra, and flamingo (I’m not sure which species). Across a long lake is another similar roomy savanna that the twisting road does not enter: it is for cape buffalo (yea!) and impala. Next, the course fords a simulated stream and crosses a small bridge to enter an adjacent habitat – this one dustier and with larger boulders scattered around and a denser backdrop of acacias – for white rhinoceros. The rhino I saw was just feet away from the truck! Next the truck enters a roadway that is submerged in a few feet of water with a low rocky ledge emerging above the surface, which is the barrier between this and the adjacent Nile crocodile exhibit. The part of the exhibit next to the roadway is a small lake, so that it appears that the truck is traversing the huge reptile’s waterway. A generous riverbank area with grassy slopes behind and a few deadfalls compose the far side of this nice exhibit. After hauling back up onto dry road, the truck turns a corner and the ‘race’ is over and it arrives at the loading station. Originally, there was a further section of this ride where the truck attempted to cross a rickety low bridge above a low waterfall and the bridge ‘collapsed’ into the river on a pontoon, where the truck actually floated down the river past another waterfall and eventually ran aground to a point where the truck could drive off it onto dry land and continue back to the station. This section, which did not have animal exhibits along it, was recently closed to make way for some rollercoaster track for a new ride described later. (Cheetah Hunt.) Although the adventurous nature of the ride has been greatly diminished and the length truncated, the animal exhibit portion is still satisfying. However, like Kilimanjaro Safaris at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, it is frustrating that only the elephant exhibit can be seen for more than a few minutes at a time."
 
Thank you snowleopard for the Florida Aquarium review! I might visit in 2013, but might give Lowry Park another visit. Depends on what's new at the establishments at the time I'm going, but your review confirmed that this aquarium is well worth visiting.
 
@ANyhuis: Sorry again for my mistake with the skyfari and monorail respectively (I'm angry about myself. Gosh, the word "sky" should explain everything!)

@BeardsleyZooFan (and others too): Did you or any one else here noticed, that many (or even all) impalas you can see during the rhino rally have deformed horns? Does anybody know the reason for that?
 
DAY 32: Thursday, August 2nd, 2012.

Today was our first driving day in a long time, and we finally left Florida after almost 8 full days in the Sunshine State. The daily thunderstorms continued as twice it rained cats and dogs for about 20 minutes before clearing up and becoming muggy and humid once again. I still think that the summer heat in Arizona or Texas is actually harder to bear than Florida's jungle-like smothering heat. That is one thing about these mega road trips, as since my wife and I are teachers and have July and August off each year we always see the zoos at their hottest.

We drove all the way across the top of Florida, into Alabama for a short time period, then into Mississippi and finally we hit our 4th state of the day (and 28th overall) in Louisiana. For those of you that don't already know we've already been to all 50 U.S. States on past road trips so technically this time around they are all being repeated with smaller zoos and aquariums while in the past we ticked off all of the big establishments. Friday will be a trip to Audubon Aquarium of the Americas in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Saturday will be a tour of Jackson Zoo in the capital city (Jackson) of Mississippi.

I thought that as I approach my 175th zoo/aquarium (with over 150 of them being in either Canada or the U.S.) it was time for me to reignite the debate over which state is the best for zoos. Texas, Florida and California are the obvious trio that dominate such discussions but there are some other states that have a few good zoos (Arizona, Washington, New York) and below are my personal 5 favourites.

Top 5 U.S. states for zoos:

#5 - Tennessee: I have visited 5 major zoos and aquariums in this state. Nashville is a brilliant little zoo, packed with many outstanding habitats and modern-day levels of exhibitry. Memphis is also a much loved zoo that has steadily improved over the years. Knoxville has some nice elements, and even tiny Chattanooga is worth a visit. Toss in the Tennessee Aquarium (possibly one of the 5 best in America) and even the hugely popular but highly commercialized Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies and this U.S. state makes it to #5 on my list.

#4 - Ohio: I have visited 6 major zoos and aquariums in this state. I love Columbus and think that it is a top 5 zoo, and Cleveland, Cincinnati and Toledo are all well worth visiting and each for different reasons. Cleveland has a fantastic rainforest and a large Australian section, Cincinnati arguably has the most diverse collection, and Toledo is a pleasant mix of old and new exhibitry. Toss in tiny Akron and The Wilds and based on the size of the state I can see why some folks place Ohio in the number one position. However, only Columbus is a top zoo for me while the rest are very good but not brilliant in any category. The brand-new Greater Cleveland Aquarium is very disappointing considering that it is the main aquatic facility in the state.

#3 - California: I have visited 21 zoos and aquariums in this state. San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park are both top 10 material, The Living Desert is an underrated gem, but after that there are many good but not great establishments. Oakland is solid and there are zoological parks that are hit-and-miss like Fresno Chaffee, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. I'm not a big fan of either Sacramento or San Francisco, so after the two San Diegos there isn't a lot of outstanding stuff in the golden state. Aquariums are a totally different matter with several excellent ones, but only counting zoos I'd place California at #3. If one were to add in aquariums then Monterey Bay is a top 3 facility in the nation, Aquarium of the Pacific and Steinhart are top 10 worthy, and Aquarium of the Bay and Birch both have at least one outstanding section. San Diego SeaWorld also is terrific for aquatic displays if one were to include theme parks and so that makes 6 California aquariums that stand out as excellent. Due to having so many great aquariums I would seriously consider California as the #1 state if one was to include zoos and aquariums together in the same ranking system. California would jump a couple of places to #1 and Florida and Texas would each fall one position.

#2 - Florida: I have visited 12 zoos and aquariums in this state. There are some big guns, and I personally think that Zoo Miami would crack my top 10 and that both Jacksonville and Disney's Animal Kingdom (even with my hit-and-miss review of that billion-dollar establishment) are strong candidates for a position in the top 25 zoos in America. Then there is Busch Gardens, Lowry Park and smaller places like Brevard, Naples, Palm Beach and St. Augustine Alligator Farm. I've even visited the private White Oak collection, but not even counting that place I'd have Florida in the #2 position. Surprisingly Florida Aquarium is the best that the state can come up with in terms of aquatic facilities, but there is also Clearwater, Mote, Miami Seaquarium, Key West and SeaWorld Orlando as aquariums. Florida is #2 for zoos but would probably slip to #3 if one included aquariums in the ranking as well.

#1 - Texas – I have visited 9 zoos and aquariums in this state. This is America's second largest state (surpassed only by Alaska) and thus that aids things considerably. There isn't a zoo that would crack my top 10, but Dallas is awfully close and is by far and away the best that Texas has to offer. However, Cameron Park, Fort Worth, Houston, Caldwell, Gladys Porter, El Paso and San Antonio (in that exact order) are all worth visiting for one reason or another. I've personally toured all 8 of those zoos, and with Dallas standing out as the clear best, San Antonio as easily the worst, then there are 6 other zoos that are all of decent quality in the middle. Dallas World Aquarium is phenomenal for its collection but not so hot for the quality of some of the exhibits, while Dallas Aquarium is one that I have actually not been to but apparently it is fairly small. No other state has the quantity of top-notch zoos, and to top it all off 2010 was an amazing year for Texas zoological parks. "Giants of the Savanna" at Dallas, "MOLA" at Fort Worth, "African Forest" at Houston, "Africa Live" at San Antonio and "Africa" at El Paso represents around $130 million in improvements, and so that state is my #1 by edging out Florida. There is only one truly great zoo, but the overall quality is very impressive.
 
These are great reviews so far!

*Busch Gardens: It is too bad you couldn't go on Rhino Rally, though I do understand why. When I visited in 2008 (about a week before Jungala opened), I too thought that Edge of Africa was unbelievable. I really loved my visit, and hope to go back someday.

*It is too bad you changed your mind about going to Zoo Atlanta; I was interested in seeing how this review would've compared to your 2008 review.

*Can't wait to read the rest of the reviews, especially Denver and the return to Hogle!

Again, great reviews - keep them coming! :)
 
In regards to the best state for zoos, I will stick with CA since I'll go with the quality over quantity. I'd rather go to the best zoo and best animal park as well as some solid zoos than a higher quantity of solid to good zoos with one standing out as very good.
 
DAY 33: Friday, August 3rd, 2012

Road Trip Review # 36: Audubon Aquarium of the Americas

Audubon Aquarium’s website:

Audubon Aquarium of the Americas | Audubon Nature Institute

Aquarium Map:

http://www.auduboninstitute.org/sites/default/files/aquarium-map.jpg

Audubon Aquarium of the Americas is an AZA-accredited facility located in New Orleans, Louisiana, and it originally opened in 1990. It is run by the Audubon Institute, an organization that also operates Audubon Zoo, Audubon Butterfly Garden & Insectarium and Entergy IMAX Theatre. The aquarium is directly on the banks of the Mississippi River on Canal Street in the historic French Quarter of New Orleans. There is a focus only on animals from the Americas, and after Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana in August of 2005 the aquarium lost thousands of fish and actually closed down for about 9 months and it has recovered significantly since those dark days.

We spent an hour and a half at Audubon Aquarium of the Americas in Louisiana before driving for less than 2 hours and visiting Hattiesburg Zoo in Mississippi and we spent about 45 minutes at that tiny attraction. This review can be considered Part I of our August 3rd experience.

THE BEST:

Gulf of Mexico – This is the obligatory large shark tank that is just about the last thing that visitors see (besides the gift shop) and it is 400,000 gallons and the animals swim past a mock oil rig. The exhibit is 17 feet tall and it contains sand tiger sharks, sandbar sharks and a single sea turtle as the stars, but there are many stingrays, smaller sharks and lots of fish in what is a large but not very colourful tank. The black and rusting metal pilings from the rig darken the habitat and it is an unusual display in comparison to many other notable shark tanks. There is a small theater-style seating area and this exhibit is definitely the most popular part of the facility and near the huge tank are a series of displays for various species of Jellies.

Mississippi River – A white alligator dominates the room in a basic exhibit and there are a handful of tanks with local fish species. One large exhibit has bizarre-looking paddlefish, longnose gar, spotted gar, lake sturgeon and blue catfish together. This area is home to at least one free-flying bird (a red-tailed hawk) as well as a theme based on Lewis & Clark’s famous travels through America. All of the exhibits are well done and I would have preferred this area to be larger. One nice bonus is a series of windows that look out onto the pedestrian walkway that runs alongside the aquarium with the mighty Mississippi River flowing past in the background.

Animal Grossology – This is a temporary gallery that is a travelling exhibition on the gross aspects of animals. It serves as a children’s play area and in that regard it is excellent with a large walk-through submarine that is colourful and has animatronic sea critters around it; a robot bird that strangely talks in a reggae-styled voice; a game where a hairball from a cat can be pushed through the feline on the wall; a contest to decide which animal is the slimiest; a few piles of fake poop and kids have to decipher which poop belongs to which animal; fart jokes and other disgusting yet sometimes intriguing questions are raised in this brightly-painted, eye-catching zone. It is similar to “The Scoop on Poop”, which is a travelling exhibition that I saw at Cleveland Zoo in 2010. The ubiquitous Stingray Touch Tank is also found near this zone.

THE AVERAGE:

Living in Water – This gallery encompasses quite a few tangential exhibits throughout the second floor of the aquarium. There is a large yet barren tank for bonnethead sharks; four-eyed fish; an electric eel exhibit; a clown anemonefish tank; a Saltwater Marsh “Hard Bottoms” exhibit; scorpionfish; and a Seahorses section which opened in 2000 has these 7 species: lined seahorse, potbelly seahorse, Caribbean seahorse, dragonface pipefish, green pipefish, gulf pipefish and Jannss’ pipefish.

“Frogs” includes these 18 species in fairly basic terrariums: green tree frog, bell frog, southern toad, fire-bellied toad, tomato frog, European green toad, barking tree frog, White’s tree frog, golden tree frog, terrible poison dart frog, strawberry poison dart frog, blue poison dart frog, walking toad, African clawed frog, two-lined poison dart frog, Mexican dumpy tree frog, red-eyed leaf frog and Chaco leaf frog.

Amazon Rain Forest – This area is the first gallery on the second floor of the aquarium and while at first it appears impressive there is nothing that really rates highly and it is smaller than it initially appears. The usual assortment of pacu, stingrays, piranhas and anacondas (along with a few macaws on sticks) grace a handful of tanks but an Amazon section is usually one of the truly immersive sections of many aquariums and it has been done better in numerous other facilities.

Caribbean Reef – A 30-foot walk-through tunnel goes through a 132,000 gallon tank and this is the first thing that guests tour. It is quite amazing but also very short, and a series of 4-5 exhibits line the walls with brightly-coloured Caribbean fish swirling between mock coral reefs before guests head upstairs for the Amazon Rain Forest gallery.

Penguins – There are rockhopper and African penguins somewhat bizarrely mixed together in this standard all-indoor, glass-fronted exhibit that is naturally hugely popular because penguins are superstar animals for captive wildlife institutions.

Sea Otters – There are large viewing windows in this all-indoor exhibit that needs some slight repairs due to markings on the glass. Otters are always great to see swimming in their pools but they do cause damage to the glass if left to their own devices.

Parakeet Pointe: Treats for Tweets – This is the newest addition to the aquarium and it is an 800 sq. ft. outdoor walk-through parakeet aviary where visitors can pay $1 to feed hundreds of colourful birds.

THE WORST:

Nothing is appropriate for this category.

OVERALL:

Audubon Aquarium of the Americas is an excellent facility that has popular, marquee animals such as large sharks, sea turtles, sea otters, penguins and a white alligator. The two floors are packed with exhibits and having a rotational gallery (currently hosting Animal Grossology) is an intelligent idea as every year or two there will be something in place to persuade locals to make the trek down to the Mississippi riverfront. The city of New Orleans has undergone a lot of hardship in attempting to revitalize itself since Hurricane Katrina, but things are looking up in terms of captive wildlife. Audubon Zoo received close to 860,000 visitors in 2011, the highest number in about 20 years; Audubon Insectarium opened in 2008 and it receives 250,000 visitors each year and it is the largest free-standing facility of its kind in the United States; Aquarium of the Americas does not have a lot of data online but I believe that it receives around 800,000 annual visitors. Even though it is not a truly great aquarium I would rank it in the top 20 American establishments and I’d also rank Audubon Zoo in America’s top 20 zoos and one day I’ll get around to seeing the Insectarium as I’ve heard that it does not take long to see and is equally impressive.
 
DAY 33: Friday, August 3rd, 2012

Road Trip Review # 37: Hattiesburg Zoo

Hattiesburg Zoo’s website:

Welcome to the Hattiesburg Zoo

Zoo Map:

http://www.zoohattiesburg.com/zoo/assets/File/HBURGzoo_map.pdf

Hattiesburg Zoo is a non-AZA-accredited facility located in Kamper Park, and it is one of only two zoos in the entire state of Mississippi. It was founded in 1950 and attracts over 100,000 visitors per year on its 12 acres. At the moment there are a long list of construction projects that are happening and once they are all complete (possibly within the next year) the goal of AZA-accreditation could become a reality. The zoo has remained focused on joining the big league of American zoos and the staff is intent on becoming accredited so that animal transfers can occur and many doors will be opened to the establishment.

We spent an hour and a half at Audubon Aquarium of the Americas in Louisiana before driving for less than 2 hours and visiting Hattiesburg Zoo in Mississippi and we spent about 45 minutes at that tiny attraction. This review can be considered Part II of our August 3rd experience.

THE BEST:

Nothing fits this category.

THE AVERAGE:

South America – This area of the zoo is comprised of a large paddock for 3 species (llama, Baird’s tapir and capybara) and a muddy pond for waterfowl. A decent jaguar exhibit with a ruined-temple theme and lush plantings is a surprise to see at a small zoo, and a long habitat for black howler monkeys and blue-and-gold macaws is very good. Right before this section begins is a very long, narrow cage with black metal wire as containment that features 3 species of lemur: ring-tailed, black-and-white ruffed and crowned. A prairie dog exhibit is across the pathway and it has a tunnel for kids and is a decent enclosure for those common critters.

Amur Tiger Exhibit – An adequate-sized tiger habitat has several Asian statues inside of it (like a mini Buddhist carving) and yet the only way to see the cats is through a black metal chain-link fence. Ugh. A rickety wooden ramp takes visitors up a little higher but nowhere is there a proper overlook into the exhibit or even glass viewing windows. Also, somewhat bizarrely there are prayer flags strung along the sides and even across the exhibit and they are distractingly tacky.

American Alligator Exhibit – A typical swampy pool that makes it virtually impossible to locate a crocodilian within it due to the proliferous weeds. There was a greater chance of me finding God than a gator in that murk! A nearby lake is much cleaner and it contains these 5 species: mute swan, black swan, black-necked swan, Australian shelduck and Egyptian goose – 4 continents represented in one pool as geographical accuracy is flushed down the toilet.

THE WORST:

Africa – An African Veldt is essentially a large paddock for eland, grant’s zebra and ostriches that is mainly a couple of overlooks over wire fencing and with a nifty Ranger Station with muddy viewing windows. A nearby DeBrazza guenon/blue duiker exhibit is very nicely furnished and a serval cage is well-shaded but uninspiring. Emus and Galapagos tortoises are together and that must be a common sight on the Australian grasslands, and to have those two species in an African section is just sheer laziness. Nigerian dwarf goats and an African spurred tortoise complete this insipid zone.

Temporary Exhibits – This section was labeled as temporary on the map and one can only cross their fingers and hope that is the case. A pair of corn-crib cages for red-tailed hawks and a great horned owl are ugly and disrespectful to the animals; another pair of much smaller black metal cages house cotton-top tamarins and kookaburras; and the last ugly monstrosity has a black curassow, green iguana and a blue-fronted Amazon parrot residing within it.

THE FUTURE:

Directly by the entrance there is a “surprise” exhibit being constructed and it looks to be about half-way finished; there is a new zebu yard being built in the African zone; a tiger holding building is well underway; a new quarantine structure is also being constructed; a Zoo School/Educational building has its frame finished and will be open this year; and a long set of exhibits ranging from an Asian habitat to a series of Mississippi exhibits will complete a loop of the zoo and significantly add to the animal collection. The long list of projects that are half-finished means that touring the zoo involves dead-ends and half-completed enclosures and while that is frustrating now hopefully in the long run it allows the zoo to settle and expand without overwhelming it at the same time.

OVERALL:

Hattiesburg Zoo is a minor attraction that takes about 45 minutes to see and by my estimate has exactly 20 animal exhibits. There is a train, carousel and fountain area for kids to splash around in and I suspect that some families might drag out a stay for a couple of hours. The future looks much better than the present as with the addition of all of the new exhibits a full loop that will incorporate North American, South American and Asian animals will be complete. With a host of other improvements around the zoo it seems as if the grounds are one big construction zone, but I truly hope that this tiny zoo can pull up its socks and gain AZA-accreditation as then it can participate in the SSP (Species Survival Plan) program and gain the respect of its peers. The goal is attainable but based on what I saw the zoo still has a lot of work to do in the near future.
 
mweb08 said:
In regards to the best state for zoos, I will stick with CA since I'll go with the quality over quantity. I'd rather go to the best zoo and best animal park as well as some solid zoos than a higher quantity of solid to good zoos with one standing out as very good.
Click to expand...

And with that in mind, I'd take New York over Tennessee. The primary reason of course being the Bronx Zoo. Then there's the small, but very nice Central Park Zoo, the other burrow zoos, Rosamond Gifford Zoo, and the Buffalo Zoo. Certainly not a great list after the Bronx, but their #1 zoo gives them a huge advantage over TN's best zoo.
 
DAY 34: Saturday, August 4th, 2012

Road Trip Review # 38: Jackson Zoo

Jackson Zoo’s website:

Jackson Zoological Park an AZA Accredited Zoo

Jackson Zoo is an AZA-accredited facility in Jackson, Mississippi that has almost 800 animals of 120 species, and it opened in 1919. It has struggled lately with 5 consecutive years of declining attendance and in 2011 only 126,000 visitors toured the zoo. Even with its Mississippi Wilderness exhibit complex opening in 2006 and a new Sumatran tiger habitat opening in 2010 there has been a continual decline. In late 2010 the zoo sent away its two aging female African elephants to Nashville Zoo (to give that zoo 4 elephants) as AZA regulations that take effect in September of 2016 maintain that all zoos must have a minimum of 3 female elephants in a spacious, modern habitat with many pachyderm amenities. Lots of American zoos have been constructing elephant exhibits that range in price from $10-45 million and creating large herds while many zoos have also been shutting down their elephant exhibits and sending their largest mammals to other zoos. Any zoo with 2 elephants or less by Sept. 2016 will lose its accreditation and all of the many privileges that go along with that status.

On a Saturday morning in the middle of summer Jackson Zoo was a ghost town while almost every other zoo on this road trip has been busy and sprinkled with camp groups even on the weekends. The zoo, like countless others in the United States, is within a park’s boundaries and in this case it is 110 acre Livingston Park that engulfs the zoo property. The surrounding neighbourhoods are quite rundown and the general unkemptness of the houses correlates with the untidiness and antiquated appearance of many of the animal exhibits within the zoological park. For a zoo set within a capital city by all accounts there are a few excellent exhibits and a solid selection of species (orangutan, chimpanzee, rhino, giraffe, zebra, tiger, leopard, black bear) but there are many very poor enclosures and it seems that no matter what the zoo does attendance continues to decline. We spent 2.5 hours at the zoo but at least half an hour of that time was spent at the small but very well designed children’s splash park area at the entrance of the zoo. We actually saw a number of families pull up in their cars and then come straight to the splash park and so I question whether those locals even saw animals on some of their visits.

THE BEST:

Mississippi Wilderness – This complex opened in 2006 and includes a large Education Center that opened in 2009 with several terrariums and interactive elements for youngsters. An alligator swamp houses several juveniles of the species, while black bears and cougars are across the pathway from each other. A couple of bears have a steep, grassy exhibit that is decent but too small for such rambunctious mammals. There were 4 young cougars chasing each other all over their excellent but small enclosure, and then visitors walk into the Wetlands Habitat building to see the rest of the exhibits.

A large beaver pool with underwater viewing (and pop-up bubbles) was closed on my visit due to the beavers forcing a crack in the glass, and river otters have an equally large and impressive exhibit with underwater viewing at the far end of the building. In between is a tank filled with local fish that are regularly caught to be eaten (such as largemouth bass); a spacious turtle tank with 4 species (northern diamondback terrapin, red-eared slider, western spiny softshell and common snapping turtle); a water snake tank with 3 species (diamond-backed, yellow-belly and broad-banded); an Amphibian tank with 3 species (spotted salamander, red salamander, southern leopard frog); an aviary with 3 species (American goldeneye, black-neck stilt and black-crowned night heron); and there are several other terrariums with various reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates.

The whole area is superbly detailed, from the fake tree branches covering the entire ceiling with greenery to the popular choices in mammal species to the tree trunks coming out of the walls. It is a pity that many other sections of the zoo are so badly outdated and in need of a drastic modernization similar to the Mississippi Wilderness zone. A Venomous Animal House has these 10 species: eastern diamondback rattlesnake, canebrake rattlesnake, pygmy rattlesnake, copperhead, coral snake, southern unstriped scorpion, velvet ant, common house centipede, southern black widow spider and brown recluse spider.

Sumatran Tiger Exhibit – This is the zoo’s newest addition as it was only in 2010 that the renovated tiger habitat was unveiled to the public. A number of large trees, a pool and huge viewing windows makes this spacious exhibit a clear success, and now the zoo is attempting to raise funds to create a similar environment for its trio of Amur leopards. The only downside to the tiger exhibit is that it was supposed to rejuvenate the zoo’s sagging attendance and it failed to ignite the passion of the locals in that regard.

African Forest – This area features a long and winding wooden boardwalk that is set in an old-growth forest so there is an immersive quality to the area even though the foliage is naturally from Mississippi. An extraordinary pygmy hippo/African spur-winged goose exhibit is the first enclosure to be seen and it looks exactly like yet another crocodilian pond that I’ve seen countless examples of on this trip. I never did see any hippos but it was if I had been hiking through the wilderness in the middle of the United States and come across the species in a place where I would never have expected them to exist. Next up is a lush chimpanzee island that is surprisingly effective at creating the illusion of being a masterpiece. There is one large climbing frame and there is seemingly nothing containing the great apes except for a watery moat beneath the low boardwalk. The background is thick forest and I was again shocked at the high quality of the habitat.

The well-shaded and rickety old boardwalk continues to a large metal cage for colobus monkeys and red-tailed guenons that could definitely use more ropes and climbing opportunities for the active monkeys. A trio of Diana monkeys share a smaller, rockier exhibit; two more Diana monkeys and a seemingly overweight golden-bellied mangabey are in another enclosure; red river hogs have a sandy paddock; a trio of lion-tailed macaques have an exhibit that is too small for such large primates; and since geographical accuracy has already been tossed out of the window the loop ends with a mixed-species exhibit of Asian animals. Red pandas have free access to an absolutely enormous tree that stretches up to the heavens (just like the red pandas at Virginia Zoo) and they share their exhibit with a pair of white-naped cranes and 5 Reeves’ muntjacs. A Major Mitchell’s cockatoo aviary is next to the pandas and a large red wolf yard is seen through chain-link fencing and also over an old wall. The enclosure is so heavily forested that is was difficult to see anything until a wolf ran out of the undergrowth, jumped into its pool and proceeded to give itself a short but brisk bath. It is not every day that one sees such an active red wolf!

African Savannah – There are two huge yards that are designed so it seems as if they have been combined into one enormous, long exhibit and this is yet another modern exhibit that opened in 2005. There is an impressive list of 9 species and the first 4 are not commonly seen in American zoos: sable antelope, klipspringer, Addra gazelle, springbok, Grevy’s zebra, ostrich, wattled crane, black spur-winged goose and marabou stork. Across from these large habitats is the white rhino yard that originally held white rhinos but for many years was home to the zoo’s African elephants. The paddock is spacious and surprisingly very grassy and it is more than adequate for 1-2 rhinos but would have been too small for elephants.

THE AVERAGE:

Waterfowl Ponds – There is a spacious lagoon that has many mature trees growing around it and these 12 species: American white pelican, brown pelican, hooded merganser, redhead duck, double-crested cormorant, mallard, North American ruddy duck, North American wood duck, Northern cinnamon teal, canvasback duck, northern pintail and blue-winged teal. A smaller pool contains these 4 species: black-necked swan, mandarin duck, cape shelduck and radjah shelduck. American flamingos can also be found in this central zone of the zoo.

Odds n’ Sods – A couple of Malayan tapirs have an unattractive yard that has a “soon to be renovated” sign on it, but in fact it is fine for the animals as there is a deep pool, some sandy sections and a well-shaded grassy paddock. At least 7 red ruffed lemurs can be found in a wood-and-wire enclosure by the white rhino yard; and a fishing cat exhibit is quite lush but not the largest that I’ve ever seen.

THE WORST:

An Overall Apathy – The zoo is in dire need of a refurbishment in many areas. The Discovery Zone is a small kiddie area with a reef tank; a goat petting yard and prairie dogs but the 1989 sign at the entrance is barely legible. In the Jewels of South America section there are a handful of boarded-up windows that used to house amphibians. At least 4 exhibits have signs on them that say something like “due to be renovated”; the Education Building is full of at least 7 completely empty terrariums; the beaver exhibit and another terrarium are both empty in the Wetlands Habitat building, plus there is zero signage on at least 3 tanks; not all of the specimens match their signs in the Venomous Animal House; and there are a few hand-scribbled, messy signs on cages that look amateurish. There are sadly only two washroom facilities in the entire grounds and since one is shut down for a renovation there were angry families as it was a major inconvenience to literally trek halfway through the zoo to utilize the one and only bathroom facility.

Jewels of South America – A couple of small chain-link fenced cages house these 6 species: cotton-top tamarin, emperor tamarin, yellow-footed tortoise, gopher tortoise, hawk-headed parrot and plain chachalaca. Birds of South America is a tiny walk-through aviary with 3 species (blue-bellied roller, nicobar pigeon and ringed teal) that is a complete waste of time; and a couple of black spider monkeys sit forlornly in their small metal cage. A real jewel would be for a bulldozer to show up and rumble this section into oblivion.

Birds – A series of small, aesthetically unappealing cages house these species: great horned owl, red-tailed hawk, black hornbill, wreathed hornbill, blue-and-yellow macaw, slender-billed corella, pied imperial pigeon, dusky lory and kookaburra.

There is a long list of other exhibits that badly need to be renovated or even razed to the ground. A brutally outdated reticulated giraffe enclosure that was built about 60 years ago is the first thing that visitors see and it is a horrendous first impression as the hard-standing yard is surrounded by black metal chain-link fencing, there is a mock-rock backdrop but only in one small section, the shade structure is ripped and looking like some black monster out of a Tim Burton film and the main yard is tiny. A trio of grottoes from the 1960’s is all terrible, but thankfully one of them is currently empty and lets all hope that it stays that way. A pair of Sumatran orangutans has the other pair of joined grottoes but other than a couple of standard climbing frames and a tiny patch of grass it is all mock-rock madness.

Some chain-link fenced cages have been joined together to make a slightly larger exhibit for a pair of Amur leopards while another chain-link fenced cage is currently empty; elsewhere in the zoo there is another Amur leopard exhibit that might date back to when the zoo opened in 1919 because it is metal bars upon a cement block with a few tree trunks tossed in for a “naturalistic appearance”. How an accredited zoo can maintain a large cat in such conditions is incomprehensible; and the worst of all is a pair of white-handed gibbons in a dark, tiny cage that is something that is only slightly better than what is commonly seen in third-world Asian zoos. Why not send the gibbons away? An empty exhibit would be better than showcasing such arboreal creatures in a tiny hellhole.

THE FUTURE:

There are signs up saying that the giraffe and Amur leopard exhibits are due to be renovated, and the major habitats on the horizon are for Amur leopards and white-handed gibbons. Money cannot come pouring in soon enough as the cages for those animals are dreadful.

OVERALL:

Jackson Zoo is an all-or-nothing establishment, as there are at least 4 areas that are excellent (Mississippi Wilderness, Sumatran tiger exhibit, African Savannah and African Rain Forest) while almost the entire rest of the zoo is terribly outdated and a major turn-off for any visitor. All of the best exhibits have been built in the past 7 years and every time we came to one my wife would say “this is obviously new” and she’d be dead right each time. There is a huge disparity between the older-styled, tiny, chain-link fence cages that have no place in the modern zoo world in comparison to the grassy, lush, more natural environments that are present for African hoofstock, tigers and North American animals. I’m not sure what this zoo has next up its sleeve as it has been around for almost 100 years and only had 5 directors but it desperately needs someone to give the zoo a major shake-up as there is a lot of potential just waiting to be tapped.
 
DAY 35: Sunday, August 5th, 2012

Road Trip Review # 39: Little Rock Zoo

Little Rock Zoo’s website:

Home

Zoo Map:

http://www.littlerockzoo.com/assets/1043/lrzoo_map_06022010.pdf

Little Rock Zoo is an AZA-accredited facility located in Little Rock, Arkansas, and it originally opened in 1926. The annual attendance is around 280,000, there are over 700 animals of 220 species, and the facility is set on 33 acres. The zoo is regarded as a mid-sized establishment with a fairly low attendance but the animal collection is nothing short of astonishing for such a relatively unknown institution. The species list includes 16 species of primate in about 20 different exhibits, 4 species of bear, 9 species of cat and 11 cat exhibits in total, 2 species of rhino as well as giraffes, elephants and 64 species of reptiles and amphibians throughout the zoo. That is comparable to most major American zoos and yet what brings Little Rock crashing down is the fact that there is some horrendously outdated exhibitry and very few top-notch animal habitats.

The zoo has many historically dated structures and it is interesting to see how much brickwork has gone into the construction of many of the walls, pathways or animal buildings. For many years the zoo struggled financially and was fairly stagnant, but recently Café Africa opened and penguins and cheetahs have been added in top-notch exhibits that stand out like beacons from a lighthouse because they are large, modern, well-designed and great additions to the zoo. There is so much to see that we spent over 4 hours which is double the length of time at some of the much smaller zoos. Folks who like to make lists of the various species that they have seen in their life would enjoy Little Rock as it comes across as a “postage stamp collection”, but for those that like to see a little more naturalism in the animal enclosures then it is a hit-and-miss visit.

THE BEST:

Cheetah Conservation Outpost – This is the zoo’s brand-new exhibit as it just opened in July of 2012. There are two cheetah yards that can be joined to make one large one (as was the case on my visit) and the entire area is perhaps an acre in size and superb for the cats. A long wooden walkway looks down from an observation deck, and there is also an air-conditioned building with further decks for viewing the cheetahs as well as many signs and informational posters about cheetah conservation. There is a blue crane/Kirk’s dik-dik yard and an African crested porcupine exhibit across from the cheetahs, while inside the building are exhibits for these species: naked mole rat, Nile monitor, Angolan python, rhinoceros viper, mole snake, Standing’s day gecko, leopard tortoise, African bullfrog and emperor scorpion. This is just a portion of the extensive reptile/amphibian collection.

Penguin Pointe – This is the zoo’s second newest addition as it recently opened in March of 2011. It is home to at least a dozen African black-footed penguins and the whole thing is enclosed via mock-rock walls at the end and an arching net structure that is easily spotted from far away. There is part of a boat that visitors can walk under to get close to a series of large viewing windows that stretch alongside one half of the exhibit. There is a small grassy section and while the exhibit is not huge by any means it is nevertheless an excellent habitat that is terrific for both birds and humans.

Big Cats – This complex opened in 1982 and it holds up very well in today’s modern world of exhibitry. There are 3 large exhibits that are all open-topped and truthfully there are sections where there doesn’t seem to be a great deal of distance between the highest point in the habitat and where visitors gawk down at the cats. Lions have a grassy yard that is the weakest exhibit of the three in terms of size and terrain, and large viewing windows are the main focus for many visitors. The black jaguar habitat is expansive with a deep pool for the cat and it is reminiscent (as is the entire complex) of Big Cat Country at Saint Louis Zoo. The third exhibit is the largest and the best, and it provides the Malayan tigers with a crashing waterfall, a trickling stream and lots of elevation gain.

Café Africa – This large restaurant used to be the Feline House and there are still remnants of the old cages such as the bars on the outdoor patio that look out onto the elephant paddock. Toledo Zoo has done the exact same thing and at both zoos a 1930’s era historic structure has been preserved and this is what Little Rock should do with its Primates, Reptiles & Birds building.

THE AVERAGE:

Great Apes – There is an arching pathway that goes past two large enclosures on each side, and this complex was built in the 1980’s and is definitely dated but still more than adequate for the animals. There are two gorilla habitats on the right-hand side, with one of them being fairly lush and sandy beneath the foliage while the second, larger exhibit has a long wooden climbing frame that dominates the landscape. The two exhibits on the left-hand side are for orangutans and chimpanzees and while they are certainly large the enclosures are also fairly basic with similar wooden climbing frames. Nearby are a black-handed spider monkey island and a net-enclosed Lemur Island with ring-tailed and black-and-white ruffed lemurs. The ubiquitous walk-through Lorikeet Landing is adjacent to the lemur habitat.

African Veldt – There is a long, narrow, grassy yard for greater kudu, African crowned cranes and Ankole cattle that is pleasant enough but only has a total of 7 animals (2 kudu, 2 cranes and 3 cattle). Nearby is a small reticulated giraffe exhibit that is as outdated as half the zoo, while there are 3 rhino exhibits that feature one for white rhinos, one for black rhinos, and one dusty paddock is a flex/rotational yard. This area features large animals in fairly average-sized enclosures.

Children’s Zoo – This area has an education building, lots of waterfowl in a large lake, a playground, a train, flamingos, giant tortoises, rabbits, vampire bats, prairie dogs and the usual family farm zone.

Mish-Mash Lane – This is a dead-end trail with 7 species from 4 different continents. A small warthog exhibit; an open-topped bald eagle enclosure; a huge Sarus crane yard; an equally large maned wolf enclosure; a giant anteater enclosure; a siamang island that visitors can get quite close to; and a white-handed gibbon steel cage that looks like a holding area rather than an actual zoo habitat.

THE WORST:

Asian Elephant Exhibit – The zoo has two aging female elephants (52 and 60 years of age) that were obtained from Ringling Brothers Circus. The outdoor yards are sufficient for two elderly elephants but with the new AZA rules coming into effect in 2016 the zoo will have to decide what to do with the pair. The current exhibit is simply nowhere near large enough for a modern habitat with a herd of elephants, and in truth it would have to be renovated for white rhinos as that seems to be the species that almost always replacements when zoos phase out their elephant program. My guess is that one of the elephants will die before the deadline and the remaining animal will be allowed to remain on-site until it also passes as moving senior elephants can be a risky business.

Bears – This area is a series of mock-rock cement atrocities for 4 species of bear, plus several other mammals that are seen via a circular loop that goes around the area as visitors look down into the enclosures. The 4 bear species are grizzly, Asiatic black, sun and sloth and their grottoes are the worst that I have ever seen (Erie Zoo has fallen to second place). They are so puny, fake, lacking any kind of notable natural substrate and so downright depressing that all 4 bears on view were slumped in a corner literally bored to death. At least the grotto for the grizzlies has been expanded in size and glass viewing windows have been added, but the others are abysmal. The Asiatic black bear was sitting in a black water container that was the size of the animal, and that was its pool! If someone asked me to sign a petition advocating that the Humane Society or a similar organization would press local government officials to force out the bears then I would sign it in a heartbeat. There are so many wonderful bear exhibits in American zoos where bears are clambering over tree trunks, digging in the dirt, cooling down in deep pools with underwater viewing and Little Rock has bear pits that are, as the Scottish would say, pure *****. Other species in the Bears mini-grottoes fare a little better, but this entire area should be bulldozed as soon as possible. Species list: African spotted-necked otter, North American river otter (two exhibits) and bush dog (two exhibits).

Small Carnivores – This area has a terrific, spacious capybara enclosure with two pools that is half-decent, and every single other enclosure is borderline too small for its inhabitants. There are lots of wire-fronted exhibits set into mock-rock backdrops that are perhaps 22 ft. wide, 20 ft. deep and 14 ft. high. This area would do well to meet a bulldozer as well. Species list: bobcat, serval, clouded leopard, ocelot (two exhibits), caracal (two exhibits), coatimundi, red fox, binturong, Indian crested porcupine and Reeve’s muntjac. Just as in the Bears zone there is a round pathway that goes past grotto after grotto until the postage-stamp mentality of the zoo repeatedly hits visitors over the head. A wonderful list of animals, but woeful cages.

Primates, Reptiles & Birds Building – This structure opened during the Great Depression (in 1936) with the aid of WPA (Works Progress Administration) laborers. It is an historic behemoth of a building with brick walls and a small, damp walk-through jungle section with a Prevost’s squirrel exhibit and a handful of bird species that is lush but a bit barren of animals. Another section has a line-up of primate exhibits that are in a dimly-lit nocturnal section and the enclosures are perhaps 6 ft. x 6 ft. x 6 ft. and I’m not sure how that is even legal. The mammals are small in this area but even with food, water and shelter how can anyone justify keeping mammals in such tiny all-indoor cages that were built in the 1930’s? Another long line of primate cages is equally dire, with the animals having miniscule boxes for their indoor quarters and slightly larger but still absolutely ghastly outdoor enclosures that have possibly remained identical to how they were in the 1930’s. It is worth touring this building just to see all the ways how NOT to maintain intelligent mammals. Thankfully the vast reptile/amphibian collection is showcased slightly better and there is no modern-day immersion but instead simple walls of terrariums.

Primate Species List (with a few other mammals): white-faced saki monkey (two exhibits), talapoin monkey, lesser spot-nosed guenon, red-capped mangabey (two exhibits), Goeldi’s monkey, brown capuchin, douroucouli (two exhibits), Geoffrey’s marmoset, pygmy slow loris, Prevost’s squirrel and two-toed sloth.

Reptiles/Amphibians Species List (58 Species): American alligator (in an outdoor exhibit), green iguana, gila monster, panther chameleon, flying gecko, giant day gecko, tokay gecko, leopard gecko, Standing’s day gecko, northern blue-tongue skink, great plains skink, broadhead skink, Solomon Islands skink, crocodile monitor lizard, frilled lizard, blue spiny lizard, Sudan plated lizard, green basilisk, sheltopusik, spiny softshell turtle, Australian snake-necked turtle, alligator snapping turtle, northern pine snake, Louisiana pine snake, black rat snake, eastern hognose snake, western hognose snake, copperhead, cottonmouth, green tree python, savu python, Asiatic rock python, Amazon tree boa, black-tailed rattlesnake, canebrake rattlesnake, pygmy rattlesnake, Gaboon viper, Malayan pit viper, eyelash palm viper, bamboo pit viper, sinaloan milksnake, Mexican kingsnake, Mexican cantil, Mexican burrowing snake, red spitting cobra, axolotl, western lesser siren, Chuxiong fire-bellied newt, tiger salamander, oriental fire-bellied toad, marine toad, dumpy treefrog, red-eyed treefrog, blue poison dart frog, dyeing poison dart frog, yellow-and-black poison dart frog, green-and-black poison dart frog and a single tank for a Central States tarantula.

THE FUTURE:

Little Rock Zoo’s Master Plan:

http://www.littlerockzoo.com/assets/1043/little_rock_plan_smaller_file.jpg

OVERALL:

Little Rock Zoo has got an incredibly diverse list of animals in its 33 acres, and it strongly reminds me of how zoos used to be. There is a great ape complex, a big cats zone, a series of bear grottoes, a larger area filled with mock-rock small carnivore grottoes, a crappy elephant yard and a huge 1930’s building packed with enclosures that have barely been altered in almost 80 years. The good news is that when taking that time machine of a visit around the zoo the big cats and great apes actually have spacious yards, the new habitats for penguins and cheetahs are terrific, and I doubt that the zoo will even have elephants in a few years. A sign of gradual modernization is coming to Little Rock, and while some zoo enthusiasts will undoubtedly bemoan the loss of another long list of diverse animals the more pragmatic individuals will acknowledge that the future of zoos is all about a few immense habitats rather than loads of species crammed into many small enclosures. Those animals are perhaps unrepentant martyrs rather than true ambassadors as they would surely not mind switching over to exhibits that contained wonderful things like grass, trees and flowing water.
 
It is a shame about Little Rock, as they seem to have a good collection many small zoos would be jealous about, but lots of outdated exhibits.
 
snowleopard said:
Bears – This area is a series of mock-rock cement atrocities for 4 species of bear, plus several other mammals that are seen via a circular loop that goes around the area as visitors look down into the enclosures. The 4 bear species are grizzly, Asiatic black, sun and sloth and their grottoes are the worst that I have ever seen (Erie Zoo has fallen to second place).
Click to expand...

The quality of these grottoes does seem unbearable (http://www.zoochat.com/1138/lrz-bears-complex-172450/).
[Photo by Wurm]
 
DAY 36: Monday, August 6th, 2012

Road Trip Review # 40: Dickerson Park Zoo

Dickerson Park Zoo’s website:

Home | Dickerson Park Zoo

Zoo Map:

http://www.dickersonparkzoo.org/assets/files/2012 ZooGuide-map only.pdf

Dickerson Park Zoo is an AZA-accredited facility located in Springfield, Missouri, and it originally opened in 1922. The annual attendance is around 300,000 and there are 150 species of animals. It does not take very long to tour and even though there are some extremely hilly sections we still only spent just over 2 hours at the zoo. It was an enjoyable day and the giraffes were bold with their tongues (that sounds exotic!) but in truth the zoo is not a great one and there are many basic exhibits that are somewhat boring and basic.

THE BEST:

Reptile House – This is an excellent building that has 3 major zones: Deserts & Dry Places; Under the Canopy – Rainforest Life; and Ozarks. There are 9 species of rattlesnake and 43 species in total within the structure, and outside are yards for Aldabra tortoises, leopard tortoises, western tufted deer and an open-topped bald eagle enclosure. The building is actually called “Diversity of Life Exhibits” and for a tiny zoo it is a surprisingly solid addition and arguably the highlight of an entire visit.

Species List (43 species): Western diamondback rattlesnake, timber rattlesnake, southern Pacific rattlesnake, northern blacktail rattlesnake, western pygmy rattlesnake, banded rock rattlesnake, uracoan rattlesnake, Mojave rattlesnake, panamint rattlesnake, anaconda, Brazilian rainbow boa, Amazon tree boa, desert rosy boa, Kenyan sand boa, green tree python, Mexican cantil, Trans Peco copperhead, Osage copperhead, western cottonmouth, northern water snake, Sri Lankan spectacled cobra, rhinoceros viper, eyelash viper, tentacled snake, bullsnake, black rat snake, Great Plains rat snake, speckled kingsnake, Mali uromastyx, desert spiny lizard, gila monster, green crested basilisk, American toad, Solomon Island leaf frog, tomato frog, Vietnamese mossy frog, black-and-yellow banded poison dart frog, green-and-black poison dart frog, Golfodolcean poison dart frog, eastern tiger salamander, ornate box turtle, Missouri tarantula and Madagascar hissing cockroach.

THE AVERAGE:

Missouri Habitats – This area contains numerous species that are located in the surrounding forests: black bear, grey wolf, mountain lion, bobcat, white-tailed deer, red fox, river otter and raccoon. The best exhibit out of the 8 is perhaps for the river otters as it is large, features a lot of natural substrate and has underwater viewing as once again otters make for an entertaining zoo habitat. There are curiously large viewing windows into the deer yard; the black bears have a steep incline in their natural-looking habitat but the only way to view them other than chain-link fencing is via an overlook. Some of the other enclosures are a bit on the small side (especially for the mountain lion) but overall this is an enjoyable loop and it showcases the diversity of species found in some peoples’ backyards.

Africa – A number of marquee, popular mammals reside in this area but none of the exhibits stand-out and some are fairly dull and unimaginative. There is a Baringo giraffe yard that is spacious but almost completely devoid of grass and surrounded by high rusty fencing. My kids had a blast feeding the animals as there are 6 of them and while standing there taking photos twice I was nuzzled by the tallest of the lot as it searched for food. A couple of ostriches have a huge yard that is totally bare; a pair of lions have a chain-link fenced exhibit that is adequate but nothing more; warthogs, colobus monkeys and Damara zebras are seen mainly through metal or mesh in average exhibits.

A small building has a trio of small exhibits (meerkat, crocodile monitor and Burmese python) and outside there are two 7 ft. high aviaries with rainbow lorikeets and sun conures; plus an American alligator pool and a European wood stork enclosure in an area that is obviously not geographically accurate. Visitors can stroll through the giraffe barn and see two exhibits set into the wall (African rock python and savanna monitor) and there is a white-crested turaco aviary next to the warthogs. Bongos share a yard with East African crowned cranes and perhaps the best part of the African zone is the cheetah section as there are two large chain-link yards that are seen via an observation deck. The entire African section is extremely close to being in my “worst” section.

Tropical Asia – There are only 3 exhibits in this part of the zoo, and the 4 elephants (1.3) are the highlight for the majority of visitors. All are 31 years of age or older and there is not really a great deal of space for them in an exhibit that is sort of C-shaped as it curves a little bit around the onlookers. This is not a noteworthy elephant exhibit but it is more than likely enough to squeeze by AZA regulations and with 4 elephants the zoo seems to be a safe bet to maintain its program. Calgary Zoo is sending its 4 elephants away in a few years but of course the climate is a major reason for that decision as it is on welfare grounds that the Canadian city will soon no longer have elephants. Anyway, a smaller siamang enclosure and a pair of chain-link fenced Malayan tiger exhibits, with glass viewing areas, are the only other animal areas in Tropical Asia.

South America – This small zone has a maned wolf yard that is spacious and a rhea paddock that is quite grassy but for the most part it consists of wire cages that are adequate for the inhabitants but not especially appealing to visitors. Spider monkeys, squirrel monkeys, white-fronted capuchins, cotton-top tamarins, blue-and-yellow macaws, scarlet macaws, Chilean flamingos, mute swans and yellow-throated toucans can all be found here in basic cages.

THE WORST:

Australia – A chain-link fenced yard with a mob of red kangaroos, a couple of emus and two aviaries (kookaburras and eclectus parrots) make up this tiny part of the zoo near a goat petting corral. Yawn.

Lemur Islands – There are two lemur islands that are strong contenders for the worst that I have ever seen. Ring-tailed, red ruffed and black-and-white ruffed are the representatives and the enclosures would be decent if it were not for an obscene amount of fencing and wire around the grassy islands. Maybe some of the lemurs swam for freedom? Other than a bizarre method of escaping captivity I cannot think of a single good reason for such an appalling eyesore.

Nile Hippo Exhibit – There is a very basic sandy yard and then a small doorway where the solitary hippo can squeeze its massive bulk into its tiny pool. Visitors look down onto the shallow water and I’m not sure if the animal can even submerge its entire body in such a shoddy environment.

OVERALL:

Dickerson Park Zoo is a zoo like many other smaller ones in that there are just enough big-name animals (elephants, giraffes, lions, tigers and bears) to draw in visitors but not much going on in terms of quality habitats. Just about all the 2-3 hour zoos that I’ve visited on this extensive road trip have had a couple of outstanding sections but other than the Reptile House I found that Dickerson Park was for the most part mediocre and lacking imagination. Missouri Habitats is a okay loop of the zoo and the animal enclosures are all decent, but they don’t always offer great viewing opportunities and it doesn’t take much to hammer home a chain-link fence and toss a few exotic animals in for show. Of course there are the naysayers when it comes to zoo exhibitry that state that the animals don’t care about crashing waterfalls, mock-rock caves and other extraneous augmentations to their habitats. That may be true, but visitors are the ones that keep zoos in business and walking around for hours looking at chain-link fenced yards can be a bit on the dull side. A certain inventiveness, liveliness, vitality, etc, is needed and Dickerson Park Zoo would do well to examine what other modern small zoos have done in terms of creating ecosystems that can be admired.
 
Hi SL,

Following your reviews is very enjoyable and the amount of content to your reviews is impressive, l am curious if you do a draft then edit or if you just type away and it comes out this way?

BTW, I think it would be very interesting to read a review of my home zoo, to see how it compares in your opinion.
 
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