Miami Metrozoo Review - 6.5 hours (4th and final collection on this short road trip)
I was quite pleased with the Miami Metrozoo, and shocked that there was barely anyone there first thing in the morning. The $50 million set of habitats "Amazon & Beyond" opened the very same day of our visit, and this is an excellent addition to an already impressive zoo. For those that read the opening posting on this thread, you will have noticed that I put this zoo at #6 on my personal top 12 North American zoo list. The zoo only opened in 1981 but it covers a huge amount of ground and has an extensive collection of animals. It's not like other large zoos such as Detroit, Bronx and Toronto where the animals are often locked up in their nightquarters or inside pavilions in the wintertime...Miami is like San Diego and therefore the sunshine is there almost every day of the year.
The enclosures all blend in together after a while as it is almost exclusively made up of dry moated exhibits, but that means there are no bars, no cages, no traditional pits or grottoes, and it must be one of the most photogenic zoos I've ever visited. Animals are separated from visitors by moats, there is a lot of walking between enclosures, and there is almost always an uninterrupted view of both the habitat and its occupants. There is a vast collection of animals from Asia, Africa and South America, and even though the Australian section isn't very large it is still bigger than most other collections in North America. The one major piece missing is a Florida/North America section, but that is supposedly being cooked up in the long-range master plan.
The Best:
Asian Loop - elephants in a huge paddock, and other animal species such as Indian rhino, Malyan tapir, sun bear, sloth bear, an elderly asiatic black bear, anoa, banteng, gaur, orangutan, two species of gibbon, bactrian and dromedary camel, onager, clouded leopard, komodo dragon, asian small-clawed otter, bengal tiger (including a white one), and a variety of deer and antelope species. All of these animals have spacious, naturalistic paddocks that allow for space and hiding opportunities from the public.
Wings of Asia - arguably one of the best walk-through aviaries in North America, with over 300 birds of 70 different species. There are 5 different waterfalls, and the long and winding trail is surrounded by lush plants and flowers. Sarus cranes are in with the visitors, and this aviary combined with the Asian loop makes Miami one of the best zoos around for Asian wildlife. The "Field Research Centre" (just outside of the massive aviary) comparing dinosaurs to birds is brilliant for all ages.
Amazon & Beyond - there are some glitches with this set of habitats, but $50 million for the most part has been well spent. It will be interesting to go back to Miami one day to see if some of the lushness that is all around the zoo is more apparent in this section, as it could use some more foliage to disguise some of the animal holding buildings. I have a few photos of the behind the scenes areas simply because they are at times in obvious view of the general public. Also, it appears due to signage around the grounds that in the future they will have iguanas, golden lion tamarins and cotton-top tamarins roaming freely on the grounds, and one of the keepers said that for the grand opening those animals were kept in their smaller cages but the hope is that in the future they will be allowed to roam around. A beautiful little lake curves all through this section of the zoo.
The plaza that welcomes guests to the new set of exhibits is large and comes with playground equipment, rubberized floor in places, food services, a water fountain, and an idea of stepping into a South American zone. It's not nearly as impressive as Jacksonville Zoo's "Range of the Jaguar", but still a nice entrance to the Amazon.
The area is divided into 3 sections: "Cloud Forest" has a winding boardwalk with misters creating a foggy atmosphere, and the howler monkey/squirrel monkey cage and walk-through aviary are of average quality. The reptiles and amphibians in tanks are well represented, but there isn't the thrill of the "Lost Temple" building at the Jacksonville Zoo. However, many of the snakes and lizards have larger than normal glass tanks and I was surprised at the space given to these cold-blooded animals. The two jaguar enclosures are well planted, but the viewing windows aren't large enough and the habitats themselves again pale in comparison to Jacksonville Zoo's superb "Range of the Jaguar".
The "Amazon" section has a nice orinoco crocodile pool, a smallish anaconda tank, another bunch of reptile and amphibian tanks, and a large mesh aviary with two harpy eagles. The eagles can fly above the heads of visitors, and just around the corner is another mesh exhibit with agoutis and currasows.
"Atlantic Forest" has a very large, quite splendid giant river otter exhibit that I was thoroughly impressed with. There is a long stream that winds through the habitat, a deep pool, lots of land, and the otters here are much smaller than the pair at the Jacksonville Zoo. It's hard to judge how large the giant anteater enclosure is, but it also appears to be nicely designed on a slope. Aftering seeing a giant anteater practically fully submerged at the San Diego Zoo last summer I think that the amount of water in the Miami anteater's exhibit is lacking, but the habitat is hilly and adequate. There is a walk-through animal section that is tiny, but it contains a sloth and 3 species of marmosets/tamarins that jump around directly in front of visitors. I think it is only the second walk-through primate enclosure in North America, but it's far too small and nowhere near as wonderful as the squirrel monkey exhibit at the Phoenix Zoo. There are also a number of reptiles and amphibians in numerous tanks in this section, along with a nicely designed bat exhibit where the bats have two tunnels where they can fly over the heads of visitors.
The main building in "Amazon & Beyond" features yet more tanks of reptiles and amphibians, including a pitifully small cotton-top tamarin exhibit. There is a wealth of life in a large, glass-fronted habitat with iguanas, saki monkeys, titi monkeys, prehensile-tailed pocupines, etc...and on the opposite wall there is a massive aquarium tank with pacu and other species of fish. Overall this makes the Miami Metrozoo one of the best zoos in North America for South American wildlife.
African Loop - another great section of the zoo, and with these species: gorilla, chimpanzee, elephant, hyena, lion, african wild dog, colobus monkey, giraffe, zebra, okapi, black rhino, pygmy hippo, ostrich, Thompson's gazelle, vulture, kudu, nyala, waterbuck, gerenuk, giant eland, African crested porcupine, bat-eared fox, etc. This is one of the best zoos for African wildlife, and the aviary with small birds adds variety to the giant paddocks that are on both sides of the walking trail.
The Average:
The Australian trail contains koalas, red kangaroos, tree kangaroos, monitor lizards and New Guinea singing dogs. It's a short pathway but contains more Aussie animals than many other North American zoos.
Children's Zoo - petting zoo, food, rides, meerkats, small tanks of reptiles and amphibians in a chaotic but well designed area.
Dr. Wilde's World - a building that hosts rotating displays, and they currently have an impressive reptile collection inside.
There are many other exhibits scattered throughout the zoo on mini-loops near the entrance: a pair of truly impressive gibbon islands that are enormous in comparison to most other zoos; lemur island with 3 different species of lemur; red river hogs and warthogs in separate paddocks; galapagos and aldabra tortoises together in a large field; lagoons for both pelicans and flamingos; cuban crocodiles in a decent-sized pool.
The Worst:
The absence of any North American animals (or even a Florida loop) is puzzling, as that would basically complete the zoo's already healthy collection. Also, I'd like to see some of the animals shuffled around a little better in order to fit in with the geographic theme that is at the zoo, as for example there are African lions and African wild dogs in the Asian loop and guanacos and rheas at the end of the African loop!
Also, the large moated paddocks don't work so well for the orangutans, chimpanzees and gorillas. I felt as if more was needed in those primate areas, as the zoo exhibits do tend to blend together with the spacious, moated enclosures that dominate the grounds. In reality my complaints are quite minor and I really feel that even with the few flaws that are at this zoo it is easily one of the 10 best in North America.
Overall:
Check out this list of pachyderms and hoofstock in Miami: African elephant, Asian elephant, Malayan tapir, Baird's tapir, pygmy hippo, black rhino, Indian rhino, Thompson's gazelle, okapi, reticulated giraffe, Grevy's zebra, greater kudu, Defassa waterbuck, bongo, nyala, giant eland, gerenuk, guanaco, anoa, banteng, gaur, bactrian camel, dromedary camel, onager, Arabian oryx, Grant's gazelle, gemsbok, Indian muntjac, addax, red river hog, warthog, nilgai, sable antelope, yellow-backed duiker, black duiker, dama gazelle. Rather impressive?
I think that the Miami Metrozoo is one of North America's best zoos for Asian, African and South American animals, and it also has a decent representation of Australian animals. Toss in the Baird's tapir, guanacos, rheas, spider monkeys and andean condors with "Amazon & Beyond" and it might just be the #1 zoo for South American wildlife. The hoofstock and pachyderm collection is fantastic, and between all the reptile and amphibian tanks in the children's zoo, Dr. Wilde building and "Amazon & Beyond" the cold-blooded section of the zoo is mightily impressive as well. The "Wings of Asia" is without a doubt one of the best aviaries on the continent, and the large paddocks allow lots of space for the animals and an unobscured viewing area for visitors. Well worth a visit!
I was quite pleased with the Miami Metrozoo, and shocked that there was barely anyone there first thing in the morning. The $50 million set of habitats "Amazon & Beyond" opened the very same day of our visit, and this is an excellent addition to an already impressive zoo. For those that read the opening posting on this thread, you will have noticed that I put this zoo at #6 on my personal top 12 North American zoo list. The zoo only opened in 1981 but it covers a huge amount of ground and has an extensive collection of animals. It's not like other large zoos such as Detroit, Bronx and Toronto where the animals are often locked up in their nightquarters or inside pavilions in the wintertime...Miami is like San Diego and therefore the sunshine is there almost every day of the year.
The enclosures all blend in together after a while as it is almost exclusively made up of dry moated exhibits, but that means there are no bars, no cages, no traditional pits or grottoes, and it must be one of the most photogenic zoos I've ever visited. Animals are separated from visitors by moats, there is a lot of walking between enclosures, and there is almost always an uninterrupted view of both the habitat and its occupants. There is a vast collection of animals from Asia, Africa and South America, and even though the Australian section isn't very large it is still bigger than most other collections in North America. The one major piece missing is a Florida/North America section, but that is supposedly being cooked up in the long-range master plan.
The Best:
Asian Loop - elephants in a huge paddock, and other animal species such as Indian rhino, Malyan tapir, sun bear, sloth bear, an elderly asiatic black bear, anoa, banteng, gaur, orangutan, two species of gibbon, bactrian and dromedary camel, onager, clouded leopard, komodo dragon, asian small-clawed otter, bengal tiger (including a white one), and a variety of deer and antelope species. All of these animals have spacious, naturalistic paddocks that allow for space and hiding opportunities from the public.
Wings of Asia - arguably one of the best walk-through aviaries in North America, with over 300 birds of 70 different species. There are 5 different waterfalls, and the long and winding trail is surrounded by lush plants and flowers. Sarus cranes are in with the visitors, and this aviary combined with the Asian loop makes Miami one of the best zoos around for Asian wildlife. The "Field Research Centre" (just outside of the massive aviary) comparing dinosaurs to birds is brilliant for all ages.
Amazon & Beyond - there are some glitches with this set of habitats, but $50 million for the most part has been well spent. It will be interesting to go back to Miami one day to see if some of the lushness that is all around the zoo is more apparent in this section, as it could use some more foliage to disguise some of the animal holding buildings. I have a few photos of the behind the scenes areas simply because they are at times in obvious view of the general public. Also, it appears due to signage around the grounds that in the future they will have iguanas, golden lion tamarins and cotton-top tamarins roaming freely on the grounds, and one of the keepers said that for the grand opening those animals were kept in their smaller cages but the hope is that in the future they will be allowed to roam around. A beautiful little lake curves all through this section of the zoo.
The plaza that welcomes guests to the new set of exhibits is large and comes with playground equipment, rubberized floor in places, food services, a water fountain, and an idea of stepping into a South American zone. It's not nearly as impressive as Jacksonville Zoo's "Range of the Jaguar", but still a nice entrance to the Amazon.
The area is divided into 3 sections: "Cloud Forest" has a winding boardwalk with misters creating a foggy atmosphere, and the howler monkey/squirrel monkey cage and walk-through aviary are of average quality. The reptiles and amphibians in tanks are well represented, but there isn't the thrill of the "Lost Temple" building at the Jacksonville Zoo. However, many of the snakes and lizards have larger than normal glass tanks and I was surprised at the space given to these cold-blooded animals. The two jaguar enclosures are well planted, but the viewing windows aren't large enough and the habitats themselves again pale in comparison to Jacksonville Zoo's superb "Range of the Jaguar".
The "Amazon" section has a nice orinoco crocodile pool, a smallish anaconda tank, another bunch of reptile and amphibian tanks, and a large mesh aviary with two harpy eagles. The eagles can fly above the heads of visitors, and just around the corner is another mesh exhibit with agoutis and currasows.
"Atlantic Forest" has a very large, quite splendid giant river otter exhibit that I was thoroughly impressed with. There is a long stream that winds through the habitat, a deep pool, lots of land, and the otters here are much smaller than the pair at the Jacksonville Zoo. It's hard to judge how large the giant anteater enclosure is, but it also appears to be nicely designed on a slope. Aftering seeing a giant anteater practically fully submerged at the San Diego Zoo last summer I think that the amount of water in the Miami anteater's exhibit is lacking, but the habitat is hilly and adequate. There is a walk-through animal section that is tiny, but it contains a sloth and 3 species of marmosets/tamarins that jump around directly in front of visitors. I think it is only the second walk-through primate enclosure in North America, but it's far too small and nowhere near as wonderful as the squirrel monkey exhibit at the Phoenix Zoo. There are also a number of reptiles and amphibians in numerous tanks in this section, along with a nicely designed bat exhibit where the bats have two tunnels where they can fly over the heads of visitors.
The main building in "Amazon & Beyond" features yet more tanks of reptiles and amphibians, including a pitifully small cotton-top tamarin exhibit. There is a wealth of life in a large, glass-fronted habitat with iguanas, saki monkeys, titi monkeys, prehensile-tailed pocupines, etc...and on the opposite wall there is a massive aquarium tank with pacu and other species of fish. Overall this makes the Miami Metrozoo one of the best zoos in North America for South American wildlife.
African Loop - another great section of the zoo, and with these species: gorilla, chimpanzee, elephant, hyena, lion, african wild dog, colobus monkey, giraffe, zebra, okapi, black rhino, pygmy hippo, ostrich, Thompson's gazelle, vulture, kudu, nyala, waterbuck, gerenuk, giant eland, African crested porcupine, bat-eared fox, etc. This is one of the best zoos for African wildlife, and the aviary with small birds adds variety to the giant paddocks that are on both sides of the walking trail.
The Average:
The Australian trail contains koalas, red kangaroos, tree kangaroos, monitor lizards and New Guinea singing dogs. It's a short pathway but contains more Aussie animals than many other North American zoos.
Children's Zoo - petting zoo, food, rides, meerkats, small tanks of reptiles and amphibians in a chaotic but well designed area.
Dr. Wilde's World - a building that hosts rotating displays, and they currently have an impressive reptile collection inside.
There are many other exhibits scattered throughout the zoo on mini-loops near the entrance: a pair of truly impressive gibbon islands that are enormous in comparison to most other zoos; lemur island with 3 different species of lemur; red river hogs and warthogs in separate paddocks; galapagos and aldabra tortoises together in a large field; lagoons for both pelicans and flamingos; cuban crocodiles in a decent-sized pool.
The Worst:
The absence of any North American animals (or even a Florida loop) is puzzling, as that would basically complete the zoo's already healthy collection. Also, I'd like to see some of the animals shuffled around a little better in order to fit in with the geographic theme that is at the zoo, as for example there are African lions and African wild dogs in the Asian loop and guanacos and rheas at the end of the African loop!
Also, the large moated paddocks don't work so well for the orangutans, chimpanzees and gorillas. I felt as if more was needed in those primate areas, as the zoo exhibits do tend to blend together with the spacious, moated enclosures that dominate the grounds. In reality my complaints are quite minor and I really feel that even with the few flaws that are at this zoo it is easily one of the 10 best in North America.
Overall:
Check out this list of pachyderms and hoofstock in Miami: African elephant, Asian elephant, Malayan tapir, Baird's tapir, pygmy hippo, black rhino, Indian rhino, Thompson's gazelle, okapi, reticulated giraffe, Grevy's zebra, greater kudu, Defassa waterbuck, bongo, nyala, giant eland, gerenuk, guanaco, anoa, banteng, gaur, bactrian camel, dromedary camel, onager, Arabian oryx, Grant's gazelle, gemsbok, Indian muntjac, addax, red river hog, warthog, nilgai, sable antelope, yellow-backed duiker, black duiker, dama gazelle. Rather impressive?
I think that the Miami Metrozoo is one of North America's best zoos for Asian, African and South American animals, and it also has a decent representation of Australian animals. Toss in the Baird's tapir, guanacos, rheas, spider monkeys and andean condors with "Amazon & Beyond" and it might just be the #1 zoo for South American wildlife. The hoofstock and pachyderm collection is fantastic, and between all the reptile and amphibian tanks in the children's zoo, Dr. Wilde building and "Amazon & Beyond" the cold-blooded section of the zoo is mightily impressive as well. The "Wings of Asia" is without a doubt one of the best aviaries on the continent, and the large paddocks allow lots of space for the animals and an unobscured viewing area for visitors. Well worth a visit!
