Snowleopard's Epic Road Trip
- Thread starter snowleopard
- Start date
@kiang: the antelope population at the zoo has been decimated, but from what I've heard the majority of the hoofstock have been all shifted over to the Wild Animal Park. That is the place to be if one wishes to see all kinds of African and Asian hoofstock. At the zoo the other day there were western tufted deer, musk deer and several duiker species spread throughout the zoo in small paddocks. Up near the polar bears there are chacoan peccaries, grevy's zebra, gerenuk, at least 5-6 sichuan takin in one long enclosure, and several species of antelope in a series of paddocks. But in all honesty there are probably more antelope species in a local wildlife park then at the San Diego Zoo, as the Horn & Hoof Mesa was far different when I visited in 2006. I'm not sure if the zoo will just ignore antelope from now on, or if there are indeed plans for a type of African Plains set of habitats. Something has to be done with Elephant Mesa by spring 2009, as the zoo isn't likely to leave it empty for long.
For hardcore zoo fans like many of us here at ZooBeat it is a thrill to see calamian deer or gerenuk...but for 95% of zoo visitors they couldn't tell a sable antelope from an impala. In that sense "Elephant Odyssey" will be a resounding success, as there will be a full-sized mammoth statue, a fossil digging site for children, jaguars and lions in adjacent exhibits, a 2-acre elephant set of paddocks, a guanaco/capybara/tapir enclosure, sloths to represent Pleisteocene giant tree sloths, a cafe, probably a gift shop to add to the 10-11 that are already at the zo, etc, etc. If the zoo took us 9.5 hours to see (which is barely enough time but we still saw everything by going at a decent speed) then by spring 2009 the zoo should take at least an hour or more on top of that time. San Diego offers a 2-day pass for $40, and it's currently $28.50 for a single adult at regular zoo admission. The "skyfari" ride is $3 extra. San Diego cost my wife and I $31.50 as we took a ride on the skyfari, and by comparison the Bronx Zoo cost $27 even. The Bronx price includes everything (gorilla viewing, butterflies, Asian monorail, sky-ride, etc), but those two zoos are by far the most expensive of any others. Of course they are also the two best!
Side News:
We visited the Los Angeles Zoo yesterday and had a great time seeing some rare species such as mountain tapir, calamian deer, visayan warty pigs and red uakari (off exhibit but yet still visible to the public). However, the L.A. Zoo might have been the worst zoo on the trip as there are many average to below average exhibits. The future is bright for that zoological collection, and I'm sure that if I were to visit again in a few years it would be improved. More in my review later today......
Nothing much on today, but Monday morning we are 100% hitting the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which we visited in 2006 and is a brilliant place. With San Diego, Los Angeles and Monterey Bay we will be up to 24 zoos and 4 aquariums for the trip, and so perhaps we can squeeze in Oregon and Woodland Park Zoo to end this epic road trip with an even 30 zoos and aquariums. Whew!!
For hardcore zoo fans like many of us here at ZooBeat it is a thrill to see calamian deer or gerenuk...but for 95% of zoo visitors they couldn't tell a sable antelope from an impala. In that sense "Elephant Odyssey" will be a resounding success, as there will be a full-sized mammoth statue, a fossil digging site for children, jaguars and lions in adjacent exhibits, a 2-acre elephant set of paddocks, a guanaco/capybara/tapir enclosure, sloths to represent Pleisteocene giant tree sloths, a cafe, probably a gift shop to add to the 10-11 that are already at the zo, etc, etc. If the zoo took us 9.5 hours to see (which is barely enough time but we still saw everything by going at a decent speed) then by spring 2009 the zoo should take at least an hour or more on top of that time. San Diego offers a 2-day pass for $40, and it's currently $28.50 for a single adult at regular zoo admission. The "skyfari" ride is $3 extra. San Diego cost my wife and I $31.50 as we took a ride on the skyfari, and by comparison the Bronx Zoo cost $27 even. The Bronx price includes everything (gorilla viewing, butterflies, Asian monorail, sky-ride, etc), but those two zoos are by far the most expensive of any others. Of course they are also the two best!
Side News:
We visited the Los Angeles Zoo yesterday and had a great time seeing some rare species such as mountain tapir, calamian deer, visayan warty pigs and red uakari (off exhibit but yet still visible to the public). However, the L.A. Zoo might have been the worst zoo on the trip as there are many average to below average exhibits. The future is bright for that zoological collection, and I'm sure that if I were to visit again in a few years it would be improved. More in my review later today......
Nothing much on today, but Monday morning we are 100% hitting the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which we visited in 2006 and is a brilliant place. With San Diego, Los Angeles and Monterey Bay we will be up to 24 zoos and 4 aquariums for the trip, and so perhaps we can squeeze in Oregon and Woodland Park Zoo to end this epic road trip with an even 30 zoos and aquariums. Whew!!
Brookfield Zoo pachyderm house
Dear Snowleopard,
I really enjoy hearing about all your experiences at the zoos. I also agree with you about most of the best/worst parts of zoos. However, I disagree with Brookfield's pachyderm house being one of the worst. That is because they have one of the most successful Black Rhino breeding program which will continue when they remodel the pachyderm house. I think they are renovating the pachyderm house to accommodate room for the hippos and rhinos (not just the elephants). I really enjoyed the Black Rhino exhibit and think it is one of the best
Dear Snowleopard,
I really enjoy hearing about all your experiences at the zoos. I also agree with you about most of the best/worst parts of zoos. However, I disagree with Brookfield's pachyderm house being one of the worst. That is because they have one of the most successful Black Rhino breeding program which will continue when they remodel the pachyderm house. I think they are renovating the pachyderm house to accommodate room for the hippos and rhinos (not just the elephants). I really enjoyed the Black Rhino exhibit and think it is one of the best
Bronx Zoo
About the Bronx Zoo Wild Asia Monorail. They have around 7 rhinos except only two go out at a time. I just e-mailed them about their Indian Rhinos and they told me
About the Bronx Zoo Wild Asia Monorail. They have around 7 rhinos except only two go out at a time. I just e-mailed them about their Indian Rhinos and they told me
@BlackRhino: thanks for the kind words, and also for the information in regards to the Bronx Zoo's Indian rhinos. It seemed odd that there were only 2 on exhibit. In regards to the Brookfield Zoo: I have heard from a few people that there are plans to renovate/expand a huge chunk of the zoo, including the ancient Pachyderm House. The elephants will have a space that will be a massive increase, and the black rhinos will also gain much needed room to roam. I think that the current building is sadly outdated, although the rhino yard is much more impressive than the elephant paddock. It's great to hear that in the near future all of the zoo's largest animals will have more space and better exhibits. I still think that the Brookfield Zoo has one of the very best wolf enclosures of any zoo in North America.
Los Angeles Zoo Review - 4.5 hours (Zoo/Aquarium #27 on the epic road trip)
I have no regrets in visiting the Los Angeles Zoo, a zoological collection that very nearly closed down for good in the mid-nineties but has been resurrected over the past decade or so. The future is rosy for this zoo, as there are a number of big-budget projects that will hopefully transform the entire area and elevate the zoo to a higher ranking amongst North American collections. I'd have to say that I was pleased to see some rare animals, but was disappointed in the bulk of the exhibits.
The Best:
Meeting Mario - during this two month road trip across Canada and the United States my wife and I have now met 3 different members of ZooBeat. The first requested anonymity, but that individual was a pleasure to meet at a zoo. The second was Allen, co-author of the informative book "America's Best Zoos". The third was Mario, a dedicated volunteer at the Los Angeles Zoo. On Saturday my wife Debbie and I arrived at the zoo right when it opened, walked around for 2 hours by ourselves, and then Mario was kind enough to meet us and spend just over 2 hours walking around telling us all about the zoo. He had a wealth of information to pass on, particularly in regards to the many elderly animals that are at the zoo, and we have been thankful to him for taking the time out of his day to show us around. I feel badly that I don't rank his zoo very highly, but we have corresponded back and forth via email (and of course in person) and so he knows all about my thoughts concerning his beloved zoo.
Chimpanzees of Mahale Mountain - quite a large collection of chimps (at least a dozen) in a spacious, one-acre exhibit. The terrain is surprisingly rough, with hills, rocks, small boulders, a waterfall with misters, and a variety of odds and ends for the apes to play with. The enclosure could perhaps be larger for the number of apes that call it home, and although it is not as big as either the Detroit Zoo or Taronga Zoo exhibit it is still one of the better chimpanzee habitats that I've seen.
Australia area - a gorgeous, 3-habitat komodo dragon exhibit, a large couple of enclosures with multiple koalas, tammar wallabies, echidnas (couldn't find any) and kangaroos. Yellow-footed rock wallabies, hornbills and a cassowary are all found here in decent exhibits in a large section that is quite pleasant to walk through.
Rare animals - mountain tapirs, red uakari, calamian deer, visayan warty pigs, sichuan takin, fossas, peninsular pronghorn, coquerel's sifaka and crested capuchins are all found in this zoo and few others in North America.
Average:
Campo Gorilla Reserve - only 9 months old, costing millions and it looks amazing. But then I took a closer inspection, and only found the habitat to be average. There are photos here at ZooBeat that are quite accurate, as the two habitats are basically grassy fields. There are zero climbing structures, all the beautifully planted plants and trees are hotwired to death, there is a fairly steep moat that the gorillas can access but probably ignore, and the lack of shade is tough to swallow. The 2 male brothers in the smaller habitat have very little space, and the family of 4 in the much larger exhibit have loads of space but lack enrichment in terms of shaded buildings or climbing opportunities. With a bit of work this could be a worthwhile pair of gorilla habitats, but I've seen too many high quality ape exhibits to praise the two here.
Sea Life Cliffs - nice pool and surroundings, but surely California sea lions would be a much louder and more attractive species than the slugs that are harbour seals. Bring back sea lions and let them roar!!
Sumatran tigers - 5 tigers at the zoo, including 3 cubs, in a decent enclosure that allows for shade, a waterfall and a deep pool.
Cape Griffon Vultures - massive aviary off the beaten track with a large group of these rare vultures.
Snow leopard exhibit - not too shabby in terms of boulders and hiding places for the big cats, but it still is average in comparison to many other zoos.
The Worst:
Orangutan "Rain Forest"- the trio of mesh cages at the zoo are terrible. There is a tiny section with viewing windows, and there is a lot of etching as people have vandalized the glass. The entire rest of the viewing consists of thick mesh, which doesn't bode well for photographers. There is exactly 1 climbing structure in the combined 3 exhibits, and it is perhaps 6 feet off of the ground. There are quite a few sway poles and hanging vine-like ropes, but there is nowhere for the orangs to sit once they brachiate other then perhaps the top of the mesh. What's the point in seeing arboreal apes sitting on the ground? The lack of shade is alarming, the size of two of the exhibits is shocking (even with a mesh tunnel overhead for the apes) and the lack of variation is poor compared to many other zoos.
C-section roundhouses - there are approximately 22 of these unique structures at the zoo, and to be honest I don't think that I've ever seen such strange exhibits in all of the zoos that I've ever been to. All of these round, C-shaped structures were built over 40 years ago, and they should have perhaps been bulldozed 39 years ago. I've actually had two different members of ZooBeat warn me about the C-shapes at this zoo, but I wasn't sure what they would really look like. A zoo visitor walks into the open part of the "C shape", and there is anywhere from 1-3 animal enclosures that line the inner part of the enclosure.
A couple of these structures have been renovated and contain snow leopards and komodo dragons in fairly attractive exhibits. The sad news is that just about all the rest of them are poorly designed, tiny and basically eyesores for anyone visiting the zoo. There is not only one but two layers of wire mesh across each exhibit, and so photos are out of the question unless one has an expensive and high-powered camera. Basic viewing is also incredibly difficult, as the wire is distracting to see through.
There are some wonderful animals in these dreadfully outdated exhibits: ring-tailed lemurs, fossas, mandrills, sifakas, radiated tortoises, colobus monkeys, red-capped mangabeys, siamangs, buff-cheeked gibbons, eagles, hawks, seriemas, black howler monkeys, crested capuchins, a Channel Island fox, etc, etc. These C-shaped enclosures can work well with small mammals and birds, but the ring-tailed lemurs need vertical space and their exhibit is only about 6 feet high. The mandrills, gibbons and other monkeys have barely enough room to fully swing from branch to branch for more than 20 feet, and the zoo would be a thousand times better if all of these unique enclosures were placed into a time machine, sent back to the past, and then destroyed in an L.A. earthquake.
Elephant paddock - a single elephant all alone for the past year, and it will remain alone for at least another year. No wonder animal rights activists have been demonstrating outside of the zoo, but I really think that the upcoming pachyderm set of habitats will be very impressive.
Africa - tiny and bare giraffe paddock with at least 5 giraffes; ancient lion grotto that should be obliterated from the planet; okapis and black duikers in a decent exhibit; and some average paddocks for gerenuk (at least 6), bongos and eland. The Nubian ibex concrete bowl is old-school and doesn't offer much in the way of climbing except for one huge ridge.
Overall:
The Los Angeles Zoo has a bright future, with a completely finished golden monkey exhibit that looks like a Chinese temple. There is a massive elephant habitat that opens in the fall of 2009, a reptile house that opens in 2010, and a South American section that also opens in 2010. The zoo will hopefully be much better than it is now, but those ancient C-shaped exhibits and all of the average-looking paddocks will still be alive and kicking for visitors. With the exception of the chimpanzee habitat and the Australian section, there isn't much here in the way of top quality exhibits. It's really a pity, because the collection in Los Angeles is rather impressive and at least there is hope for the future with all of the new enclosures that will be opened in the next couple of years. Having said that, all of the new habitats in the world won't compensate for the current outdated exhibits.
The L.A. Zoo isn't the worst zoo that I've ever been to, as I've seen a number of puny wildlife parks that have small wire cages all over the place. But on this epic road trip I've been deliberately visiting some of the very best zoos and aquariums on the continent and Los Angeles isn't close to many of the others. Seeing the San Diego Zoo the day before certainly didn't help matters, as that is what I believe to be the best zoo in North America. There is room for change at San Diego, but at Los Angeles there is room for a major overhaul.
I have no regrets in visiting the Los Angeles Zoo, a zoological collection that very nearly closed down for good in the mid-nineties but has been resurrected over the past decade or so. The future is rosy for this zoo, as there are a number of big-budget projects that will hopefully transform the entire area and elevate the zoo to a higher ranking amongst North American collections. I'd have to say that I was pleased to see some rare animals, but was disappointed in the bulk of the exhibits.
The Best:
Meeting Mario - during this two month road trip across Canada and the United States my wife and I have now met 3 different members of ZooBeat. The first requested anonymity, but that individual was a pleasure to meet at a zoo. The second was Allen, co-author of the informative book "America's Best Zoos". The third was Mario, a dedicated volunteer at the Los Angeles Zoo. On Saturday my wife Debbie and I arrived at the zoo right when it opened, walked around for 2 hours by ourselves, and then Mario was kind enough to meet us and spend just over 2 hours walking around telling us all about the zoo. He had a wealth of information to pass on, particularly in regards to the many elderly animals that are at the zoo, and we have been thankful to him for taking the time out of his day to show us around. I feel badly that I don't rank his zoo very highly, but we have corresponded back and forth via email (and of course in person) and so he knows all about my thoughts concerning his beloved zoo.
Chimpanzees of Mahale Mountain - quite a large collection of chimps (at least a dozen) in a spacious, one-acre exhibit. The terrain is surprisingly rough, with hills, rocks, small boulders, a waterfall with misters, and a variety of odds and ends for the apes to play with. The enclosure could perhaps be larger for the number of apes that call it home, and although it is not as big as either the Detroit Zoo or Taronga Zoo exhibit it is still one of the better chimpanzee habitats that I've seen.
Australia area - a gorgeous, 3-habitat komodo dragon exhibit, a large couple of enclosures with multiple koalas, tammar wallabies, echidnas (couldn't find any) and kangaroos. Yellow-footed rock wallabies, hornbills and a cassowary are all found here in decent exhibits in a large section that is quite pleasant to walk through.
Rare animals - mountain tapirs, red uakari, calamian deer, visayan warty pigs, sichuan takin, fossas, peninsular pronghorn, coquerel's sifaka and crested capuchins are all found in this zoo and few others in North America.
Average:
Campo Gorilla Reserve - only 9 months old, costing millions and it looks amazing. But then I took a closer inspection, and only found the habitat to be average. There are photos here at ZooBeat that are quite accurate, as the two habitats are basically grassy fields. There are zero climbing structures, all the beautifully planted plants and trees are hotwired to death, there is a fairly steep moat that the gorillas can access but probably ignore, and the lack of shade is tough to swallow. The 2 male brothers in the smaller habitat have very little space, and the family of 4 in the much larger exhibit have loads of space but lack enrichment in terms of shaded buildings or climbing opportunities. With a bit of work this could be a worthwhile pair of gorilla habitats, but I've seen too many high quality ape exhibits to praise the two here.
Sea Life Cliffs - nice pool and surroundings, but surely California sea lions would be a much louder and more attractive species than the slugs that are harbour seals. Bring back sea lions and let them roar!!
Sumatran tigers - 5 tigers at the zoo, including 3 cubs, in a decent enclosure that allows for shade, a waterfall and a deep pool.
Cape Griffon Vultures - massive aviary off the beaten track with a large group of these rare vultures.
Snow leopard exhibit - not too shabby in terms of boulders and hiding places for the big cats, but it still is average in comparison to many other zoos.
The Worst:
Orangutan "Rain Forest"- the trio of mesh cages at the zoo are terrible. There is a tiny section with viewing windows, and there is a lot of etching as people have vandalized the glass. The entire rest of the viewing consists of thick mesh, which doesn't bode well for photographers. There is exactly 1 climbing structure in the combined 3 exhibits, and it is perhaps 6 feet off of the ground. There are quite a few sway poles and hanging vine-like ropes, but there is nowhere for the orangs to sit once they brachiate other then perhaps the top of the mesh. What's the point in seeing arboreal apes sitting on the ground? The lack of shade is alarming, the size of two of the exhibits is shocking (even with a mesh tunnel overhead for the apes) and the lack of variation is poor compared to many other zoos.
C-section roundhouses - there are approximately 22 of these unique structures at the zoo, and to be honest I don't think that I've ever seen such strange exhibits in all of the zoos that I've ever been to. All of these round, C-shaped structures were built over 40 years ago, and they should have perhaps been bulldozed 39 years ago. I've actually had two different members of ZooBeat warn me about the C-shapes at this zoo, but I wasn't sure what they would really look like. A zoo visitor walks into the open part of the "C shape", and there is anywhere from 1-3 animal enclosures that line the inner part of the enclosure.
A couple of these structures have been renovated and contain snow leopards and komodo dragons in fairly attractive exhibits. The sad news is that just about all the rest of them are poorly designed, tiny and basically eyesores for anyone visiting the zoo. There is not only one but two layers of wire mesh across each exhibit, and so photos are out of the question unless one has an expensive and high-powered camera. Basic viewing is also incredibly difficult, as the wire is distracting to see through.
There are some wonderful animals in these dreadfully outdated exhibits: ring-tailed lemurs, fossas, mandrills, sifakas, radiated tortoises, colobus monkeys, red-capped mangabeys, siamangs, buff-cheeked gibbons, eagles, hawks, seriemas, black howler monkeys, crested capuchins, a Channel Island fox, etc, etc. These C-shaped enclosures can work well with small mammals and birds, but the ring-tailed lemurs need vertical space and their exhibit is only about 6 feet high. The mandrills, gibbons and other monkeys have barely enough room to fully swing from branch to branch for more than 20 feet, and the zoo would be a thousand times better if all of these unique enclosures were placed into a time machine, sent back to the past, and then destroyed in an L.A. earthquake.
Elephant paddock - a single elephant all alone for the past year, and it will remain alone for at least another year. No wonder animal rights activists have been demonstrating outside of the zoo, but I really think that the upcoming pachyderm set of habitats will be very impressive.
Africa - tiny and bare giraffe paddock with at least 5 giraffes; ancient lion grotto that should be obliterated from the planet; okapis and black duikers in a decent exhibit; and some average paddocks for gerenuk (at least 6), bongos and eland. The Nubian ibex concrete bowl is old-school and doesn't offer much in the way of climbing except for one huge ridge.
Overall:
The Los Angeles Zoo has a bright future, with a completely finished golden monkey exhibit that looks like a Chinese temple. There is a massive elephant habitat that opens in the fall of 2009, a reptile house that opens in 2010, and a South American section that also opens in 2010. The zoo will hopefully be much better than it is now, but those ancient C-shaped exhibits and all of the average-looking paddocks will still be alive and kicking for visitors. With the exception of the chimpanzee habitat and the Australian section, there isn't much here in the way of top quality exhibits. It's really a pity, because the collection in Los Angeles is rather impressive and at least there is hope for the future with all of the new enclosures that will be opened in the next couple of years. Having said that, all of the new habitats in the world won't compensate for the current outdated exhibits.
The L.A. Zoo isn't the worst zoo that I've ever been to, as I've seen a number of puny wildlife parks that have small wire cages all over the place. But on this epic road trip I've been deliberately visiting some of the very best zoos and aquariums on the continent and Los Angeles isn't close to many of the others. Seeing the San Diego Zoo the day before certainly didn't help matters, as that is what I believe to be the best zoo in North America. There is room for change at San Diego, but at Los Angeles there is room for a major overhaul.
mstickmanp
Well-Known Member
@snowleopard:
it was also nice meeting you and your wife at the zoo this past saturday. And the review is actually way better than what I thought it would be. And once again thanks for everything and those amazing reviews. Can't wait for Monterey Bay Aquarium!
it was also nice meeting you and your wife at the zoo this past saturday. And the review is actually way better than what I thought it would be. And once again thanks for everything and those amazing reviews. Can't wait for Monterey Bay Aquarium!
MARK
Well-Known Member
Sun Wukong
Well-Known Member
@MARK:
-8.9 Eastern black rhinoceros
-0.2 Indian Rhinos
-2.4 Northern white rhinoceros + 0.1 hybrid (isis.org)
= in one zoo, aka Dvur Kralove.
@snowleopard: Reg: LA zoo-well, that sounds promising...
-8.9 Eastern black rhinoceros
-0.2 Indian Rhinos
-2.4 Northern white rhinoceros + 0.1 hybrid (isis.org)
= in one zoo, aka Dvur Kralove.
@snowleopard: Reg: LA zoo-well, that sounds promising...
MARK
Well-Known Member
@MARK:
-8.9 Eastern black rhinoceros
-0.2 Indian Rhinos
-2.4 Northern white rhinoceros + 0.1 hybrid (isis.org)
= in one zoo, aka Dvur Kralove.
@snowleopard: Reg: LA zoo-well, that sounds promising...
@Sun Wukong,
I knew Dvur Kralove had a heap of Black rhinos and also the Northern Whites
, but did not know they had any Indians, which are my favorite rhino species 
LA ZOO Elephant Paddock
I couldn't agree with you more about the LA Zoo elephant paddock. It really is awful & I think the elephant can't wait for the Pachyderm Forest to be complete
I couldn't agree with you more about the LA Zoo elephant paddock. It really is awful & I think the elephant can't wait for the Pachyderm Forest to be complete
Question
Does anyone know what it means when they say a zoo has 8.9 rhinos? How many individual rhinos would that be?
Does anyone know what it means when they say a zoo has 8.9 rhinos? How many individual rhinos would that be?
8.9 stands for 8 males and 9 females (therefore 17 rhinos in total)
mstickmanp
Well-Known Member
According to the website they have seven pig species on exhibit. Theh have Bornean bearded pigs (Sus barbatus barbatus), Visayan warty pigs, Central European wild boars (Sus scrofa scrofa), red river hogs (Potamochoerus porcus), southern bush pigs (Potamochoerus larvatus koiropotamus), a western forest hog (Hylochoerus meinertzhageni ivoriensis), warthogs (Phacochoerus africanus), and Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs at the zoo.
Mario actually lists 8 pig species for the San Diego Zoo, although when I was there a few days ago the western forest hog in Ituri Forest, the southern bush pigs, and the european wild boars were nowhere to be found. I saw the other 5 species, but with the absolutely enormous amount of construction there it's difficult to know where many animals will be around the zoo. San Diego doesn't label half of their exhibits on the zoo map, and so a visitor actually has to walk around to see what the zoo holds. Anyone familiar with the zoo will be shocked to see how many animals are now missing due to the extinction of Horn & Hoof Mesa. That area of the zoo has 100% been terminated, and the Elephant Odyssey opening should rejuvenate that entire side of the zoo's grounds.
On a side note:
Elephant Odyssey is 7.5 acres in size, but only 2 acres of that will be the actual elephant habitat as San Diego is putting loads of other animals in that area. At the Los Angeles Zoo the entire elephant forest section of the zoo will be between 6.5 to 7 acres, and at least 4 acres of that total will be the actual elephant habitat. When I was at the National Zoo in Washington DC last month there elephant set of exhibits is enormous and not opening until 2011. Elephants are definitely experiencing a revolution in North American zoos...
On a side note:
Elephant Odyssey is 7.5 acres in size, but only 2 acres of that will be the actual elephant habitat as San Diego is putting loads of other animals in that area. At the Los Angeles Zoo the entire elephant forest section of the zoo will be between 6.5 to 7 acres, and at least 4 acres of that total will be the actual elephant habitat. When I was at the National Zoo in Washington DC last month there elephant set of exhibits is enormous and not opening until 2011. Elephants are definitely experiencing a revolution in North American zoos...
mstickmanp
Well-Known Member
Oops, I forgot how to count. I said 7 when there is 8.
Does Chacoan Peccary also count as a pig or not? If it does than it's 9.
Last edited:
Zoogoer2000
Well-Known Member
Im glad you guys had a visit.I'd never really heard about people meeting up on this forum?
@Zoogoer2000: as I wrote earlier, I've actually met 3 different people from ZooBeat just in the past 8 weeks. As for others, I know that a few of the Aussies have met each other privately.
@ANyhuis: including the peccaries San Diego has 9 pig species, which is far beyond any other zoo in North America. I'm pretty sure that I saw 100% of all the paddocks across from the koalas, and those around Elephant Mesa and the rest of the zoo, but I didn't see any european wild boars or southern bush pigs anywhere. There were a number of animal species that had been moved around from my visit to San Diego in 2006, and so perhaps the pigs are hidden away off-exhibit? I think that the massive construction ongoing with Elephant Odyssey has led to loads of animals being either moved elsewhere in the zoo, off exhibit, or at the Wild Animal Park.
@ANyhuis: including the peccaries San Diego has 9 pig species, which is far beyond any other zoo in North America. I'm pretty sure that I saw 100% of all the paddocks across from the koalas, and those around Elephant Mesa and the rest of the zoo, but I didn't see any european wild boars or southern bush pigs anywhere. There were a number of animal species that had been moved around from my visit to San Diego in 2006, and so perhaps the pigs are hidden away off-exhibit? I think that the massive construction ongoing with Elephant Odyssey has led to loads of animals being either moved elsewhere in the zoo, off exhibit, or at the Wild Animal Park.