Snowleopard's Florida Road Trip

snowleopard

snowleopard

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I know that there has been talk of this mini-zoo tour on the Miami Metrozoo thread, but this will be nothing like the 30 zoo/aquarium set of reviews on the "Snowleopard's Epic Road Trip" thread. My wife Debbie and I will be hitting 4 zoos in 4 days on this one instead of our gargantuan summer tour. Those that read that summer road trip journal will have seen my personal list of top 10 North American zoos near the end of the thread, and so I'm interested to see if some of the ones in Florida can displace other zoos on my list.

Here is the finalized itinerary:

Wed. December 3rd: Disney's Animal Kingdom - some people have told me that this is the world's first billion dollar zoo and is one of the 5 best in North America, while others scorn the rollercoasters and other goodies. I'm extremely intrigued to see what side of the fence my opinion will fall on.

Th. December 4th: Jacksonville Zoo - the "Range of the Jaguar" habitats make this zoo a must-see, and I've heard it mentioned by two different members of this website as a candidate for being one of the best in North America.

Fri. December 5th: White Oak Wildlife Sanctuary - not a real "zoo" in the true sense of the word, but where else can anyone see 15 okapis? I can't wait to see the giant eland herd, numerous cheetahs, 4 species of rhino, etc.

Sat. December 6th: Miami Metrozoo - this is hailed as one of the better zoos in North America as well, and with the $50 million "Amazon & Beyond" opening on this very day it will be an action-packed stroll for visitors.
 
Again, snowleopard, as many picture as possible from Disney as well as an in depth review, OK?

WE WILL BE WAITING.........
 
If White Oak actually has 4 species of rhino I'll sell my house to go see it. Perhaps there are two subspecies of black rhino there along with white and Indian? Even that sounds amazing combined with all those okapi. Have also heard the conference center there is beyond belief nice--hope you get to see that as well.

At Disney, be sure to take the train ride to the "Affection Station" or whatever the children's zoo area is now now called. It might be something you'd otherwise skip, but it passes by the rhino and elephant holding areas which are not publicly accessible, and they are amazing and impressive.
 
Definitely. Some of the best parts of animal kingdom are tucked away from the main path. Make sure to explore because you're bound to find many hidden gems.
 
@reduakari: how much is your house worth? It is time to start selling! I have it on good authority that White Oak has 4 distinct rhino species, along with 15 okapis, almost 30 cheetahs, a huge herd of giant eland, and all the rest of the amazing animals.

For those that have inquired to me privately and on various threads...the answer is YES in terms of long, comprehensive reviews and literally a few hundred more photos added to the gallery after the trip is complete. I can't wait, and my only regret is that it cannot possibly be as long as my epic summer road trip.
 
There are 5 species of rhinos on earth:
Black
White
Indian
Javan
Sumatran

As far as I'm aware, there have been no Javan rhinos in any zoo for nearly 100 years, and only Cincinnati has Sumatrans. So I think I'll keep my house!
But anxious to hear about White Oak and all its goodies......
 
reduakari said:
There are 5 species of rhinos on earth:
Black
White
Indian
Javan
Sumatran

As far as I'm aware, there have been no Javan rhinos in any zoo for nearly 100 years, and only Cincinnati has Sumatrans. So I think I'll keep my house!
But anxious to hear about White Oak and all its goodies......
Click to expand...

You guys aren't going all Jurassic Parky on us there and cloning wooly rhinos are ya okapikpr? ;)
 
snowleopard said:
@reduakari: I have it on good authority that White Oak has 4 distinct rhino species, QUOTE]

Hey come on Snowleopard, in Australia we would call that handballing.;)

Looking forward to your review
Click to expand...
 
I heard from one of our zoological administrative personnel that White Oak Conservation Center doesn't open to the public. That was confirmed by one of our curator who was just there this month. Maybe someone else can tell me otherwise.

Four species of rhinos in one place? The fourth got to be the sumatran rhino. Besides Cincinnati, there is no way another institution in the US is holding this species. Unless I am totally out of the loop on this.
 
reduakari said:
If White Oak actually has 4 species of rhino I'll sell my house to go see it. Perhaps there are two subspecies of black rhino there along with white and Indian? Even that sounds amazing combined with all those okapi. Have also heard the conference center there is beyond belief nice--hope you get to see that as well.

At Disney, be sure to take the train ride to the "Affection Station" or whatever the children's zoo area is now now called. It might be something you'd otherwise skip, but it passes by the rhino and elephant holding areas which are not publicly accessible, and they are amazing and impressive.
Click to expand...

It really is a bad market in which to sell your house. Please check this thread:

http://www.zoochat.com/22/4-species-rhino-28632/
 
Wow!!!!

Bay Area housing is way off the charts (thank God I rent!)

Unquestionably a world's first......

If White Oak gets some Northern Whites it will complete the picture.

I've got to see this place!
 
White Oak Conservation Centre is closed to the public unless you are willing to pay huge bucks for a tour...or are friends with someone who has connections!! I can't wait to see all FOUR species of rhino, plus the cheetahs, okapis, etc, and I honestly didn't even know about Harry the sumatran rhino until I had arranged to visit. I think that Jacksonville, DAK and Miami Metrozoo all have some serious competition as to what animal collection I'm most looking forward to...
 
snowleopard said:
Here is the finalized itinerary:

Wed. December 3rd: Disney's Animal Kingdom - some people have told me that this is the world's first billion dollar zoo QUOTE]


R we there Yet, R we there Yet, R we there Yet, R we there Yet:D

Trusting that your wife, and you are haveing safe journey.
Click to expand...
 
Thanks Zooman! Our short jaunt through Florida will kickstart on Tuesday night, and then Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday we will visit DAK, Jacksonville, White Oak and Miami Metrozoo. I'm not sure when the reviews will emerge here on ZooChat, but at some point in December I'll post comprehensive reviews of each zoo and by Christmas hundreds and hundreds of photos.
 
I'm back on ZooChat after being offline for two weeks...and so it's time to catch up with the hundreds of new photos and threads. I've easily got over 1,000 photos to upload from the 4 establishments that I visited with my wife Debbie in Florida, and all 4 were definitely worthwhile attractions. There have been a few private messages sent to me, and I see that some people are eagerly anticipating my long reviews and photos from the mini road trip. Last summer's "Snowleopard's Epic Road Trip" reviews have apparently whetted the appetite of ZooChat members, and I'm only to happy to oblige by posting my comments and photos.

Disney's Animal Kingdom has a spectacular African safari, and almost all of the exhibits scattered around the park are impressive and top class. I visited the Lodge and it is immense in both size and scope, but overall there is no way that I'd rank DAK in my top ten North American zoos. It is simply a better version of Seaworld, and the fantastic sections are offset by the carnival atmosphere, cartoon characters, and rides.

Jacksonville Zoo has a terrific, winding African boardwalk and the African and South American sections of the zoo have moments of brilliance. However, while still being a good zoo the Florida area is average and the enclosures for primates are terrible.

White Oak Conservation Centre was a true highlight: feeding browse to an enormous giraffe, going inside the enclosure and petting a tame cheetah, venturing inside an exhibit with 3 okapis, petting "Harapan" the sumatran as well as a massive white rhino, seeing white, black, sumatran and indian rhinos at the same location, 30 cheetahs around every corner, 15 okapis...heaven!

Miami Metrozoo is a truly excellent zoo and the best in Florida, and I'm going to rank it as the #6 best zoo in North America. Amazon and Beyond has some kinks to work out but overall is impressive, and the rest of the zoo is extensive and with a diverse collection. The large moated paddocks at times all blend in and look the same, but it is one of the best zoos around for photo opportunities. Zero bars, zero grottoes, zero pits...just spacious and naturalistic enclosures for thousands of animals.

Detailed reviews and more than 1,000 photos to follow...

My purely subjective, updated TOP TWELVE list of North American zoos:

1- San Diego Zoo
2- Bronx Zoo
3- Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo
4- Columbus Zoo
5- Woodland Park Zoo
6- Miami Metrozoo
7- San Diego Wild Animal Park
8- Detroit Zoo
9- Oklahoma City Zoo
10-Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
11- Denver Zoo
12- Minnesota Zoo

I feel that besides the St. Louis Zoo I've visited just about all the very best of the best zoos in North America. Some folks say nice things about the Sedgwick County Zoo or Audubon Zoo, or even the North Carolina Zoo even though it only has animals represented from 2 continents...but I personally feel that I'm only truly missing out on St. Louis for my top 12 list. Time for yet another road trip? Hahahaha...
 
Welcome back snowleopard!

Glad to hear that you had a nice trip and looking forward to seeing your photos:cool:

Also good to have you back. I have missing your interesting comments on my photos;)
 
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