I posted a Riverbanks Zoo species list a few days ago:
Riverbanks Zoo species list (January 2023) [Riverbanks Zoo and Garden]
I also realized I didn't attach any photos in my Greenville Zoo review, although I did post some so if anyone wants to see them they can check the gallery.
On to the next review.
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Zoo Atlanta (Revisit)
"Catching up with an old friend in the Big Peach"
Location: Atlanta, GA
Type: Mid-Large AZA Zoo
Cost: Between $25-30 (half off with my AZA membership)
I finally made it to Atlanta, a city that was added last minute to my road trip. It was quite a slog getting here and I admit that upon arrival, I was feeling like I might be headed for a burnout. But having already made the long ride through South Carolina, there was no way I was skipping the cities zoo offering.
I've already visited Zoo Atlanta once back in the summer of 2019 (the trip also included Georgia Aquarium, which was skipped this time). My strong love affair with zoos was just in its infancy at the time, but I recall very much enjoying it. Back then, I didn't focus much on exhibit quality and the common megafaunal ABC's were just as exciting as seeing genuine rarities, many of which I didn't even know were so rare. The Giant Pandas were still the main stars of my first visit as I'd known them to be found in only a couple of collections and this was in fact my first time seeing the species. Other rarities in the collection at the time of my first trip included among others: Drill, Raccoon Dogs, Arakan Turtle and Bush Dogs. While some of these species are gone from the zoo at present, others have persisted and today Atlanta is among the only zoos, if not the only ones, in North America to keep them. The weather on my second trip was not much more than 50F, a stark difference from what was absolutely an August scorcher my first time around. Luckily, aside for a few empty turtle yards and perhaps a bird or two taken off-exhibit, every outdoor area was open. It was now time to see how Zoo Atlanta would hold up.
We might as well start at what's likely Atlanta's best-known section, the Asian Forest, and their biggest selling point to the public, the Giant Pandas. This zoo isn't one you'd expect to be holding these rare bears, yet they've been here for years. The exhibit area is decorated with the usual Chinese architectural fare you'd expect, leading to a nice complex with a couple of outdoor yards as well as a viewable indoor room where you can view the pandas especially close should they want to escape the sun. I saw a couple of the bamboo munchers in the outdoor areas doing what they do best and there were also one sleeping peacefully in the indoor enclosure.
While I'd put the National Zoo's panda habitat ahead of Atlanta's, its no shame losing to what is pretty much DC's premier exhibit. Asia has far more to offer than just Giant Panda's, though. A nice outdoor Orangutan exhibit with the apes surprisingly active in the chilly weather was another highlight and I also enjoyed the Sumatran Tiger (and Clouded Leopard) exhibit, complete with a large viewing window for each enclosure.
However, it's the Sun Bear exhibit that could challenge the Panda's as my favorite of the area simply for the fact that this species is becoming increasingly rare in US zoos and Zoo Atlanta is still the only zoo where I've been able to get a great view of them (both visits in fact). Placed near a hilly pathway, the exhibit has both a wire-covered viewing area at ground level plus a roofed, glass-window viewing space above the exhibit, with additional views of the exhibit peaking through the bamboo laid along the sides of the path. While the enclosure itself might not be exceptional, its still a very fine one, especially when its rare inhabitants are active and exploring.
Honestly, I didn't find any real weakness in Asian Forest, though there are a few "Asia-adjacent" exhibits randomly placed here that can perhaps use an update. The Giant Otter enclosure was pretty old-looking and the fact that it was completely drained of water didn't help; this was probably because of the winter weather. I don't think its a bad exhibit, just compared to some truly great ones I've seen for this species it seems average.
Next to Asia is the Ford African Rainforest. The Gorilla exhibit is the main draw here and I must say that despite its age it still holds up surprisingly well. This exhibit was probably breathtaking when it first opened in the late 80's and despite the decades passing it still really stands out as a beautiful and natural outdoor habitat. As with the Orangutans, a number of Gorillas were active throughout the expansive enclosure despite the chill. A small but nice indoor area with viewing windows and educational information add to an already top-notch exhibit. I'd be even more impressed had this been in the summer when the vegetation is in full bloom.
Perhaps even more than the Gorillas, seeing the last Drills in the US will be the highlight of this section for many American zoo enthusiasts like myself. I saw the small troop in an enclosure with some Wolf's Monkeys. Both this and the Colobus/Red-tailed Monkey exhibits are quite large and have both natural vegetation and plenty of climbing opportunities for their inhabitants.
Next door is the Living Treehouse, a walkthrough aviary with an enclosed lemur exhibit inside. The aviary is the nicest bird exhibit at the zoo although it is small compared to those of other zoos and it can get crowded with only a small bridge to walk on. The lemur enclosure is the weakest part of the Rainforest area, however. Its not really bad, but it looks pretty squished and unnatural and it can be difficult to view the lemurs since most of the enclosure is on the inaccessible ground level of the treehouse and can't be viewed clearly from the walkabout. The height of the enclosure offers good vertical space for the primates at least.
Next up for the ectotherm enthusiasts, there's Scaly Slimy Spectacular, a wonderful and modern-looking reptile house. Quite a few species off-exhibit on my visit, not even counting the empty outdoor tortoise yards, but in either event this was a very enjoyable area holding some rarer species like Louisiana Pine Snake, Papuan Python and Jamaican Iguana. Visitors here should thoroughly inspect the outside of the building so they make sure not to skip the small second room that contains exhibits featuring Georgia-native herps, including wonderful indoor viewing window of one of the freshwater turtle exhibits.
The last of the major sections to discuss is the African Savanna. The elephant exhibit while not the most expansive of its kind is still quite nice and easily the highlight of this area. This includes the large Zambezi Elephant Center, which offers indoor viewing opportunities for the pachyderms. None were inside when I went, though in my previous visit I had the opportunity to see one munching hay from up close.
The rest of African Savanna is pretty forgettable honestly, and I'd consider this to be much weaker than the previous three sections discussed., I especially disliked Twiga Terrace, which was a very narrow and awkward-looking yard holding a mix of ungulate species of which the main inhabitants, the Giraffes, were not seen on either visit. It certainly didn't help that the grass within the enclosure was mostly killed off from the cold weather. Remaining habitats for Lions, rhinos, various birds and remaining animals are alright, though not especially notable.
Twiga Terrace:
The other parts of the zoo include some bird cage rows and a children's area with domestics and some kid-friendly animals like sloths, tamarins, maras and Aldabra Giant Tortoises, who were actually on exhibit in a barn with a viewing window. These were all fairly average, with a couple of bird enclosures that could definitely use a lick of paint. A small stage in the area is the site of a bird show, but this experience was closed for the season. Winter hours are rather short, but I was able to finish my visit in a little over two hours.
OVERALL: I'm happy to report that my revisit to Zoo Atlanta was as enjoyable as I expected it to be. This time around I was more able to more appreciate the exhibit quality and smaller creatures in the collection, like the various interesting birds and reptiles, and while the zoo may have lost a few rare gems over the years, its roster still stands out as quite unique in the age of zoo homogenization. Asia, Ford Rainforest and SSS are a wonderful trio of exhibits for a zoo of this size, even if each on their own might not be world-class . On my personal rankings, Atlanta moves up a spot or two and still manages to remain within my top 10 favorite zoos, although admittedly I still have plenty of major facilities to visit across the country.
