Hello Zoochatters, I am back again yet with another facility review and species list. This is the 2nd of 3 review/species list threads that I will be posting regarding the (AZA-accredited) zoos and aquariums of Virginia.
As with my previous thread, I will give a brief overview and review of each exhibit, along with the species present. Latin names are provided for your convenience. Anything noteworthy regarding animal visibility or exhibit status will also be noted.
Lastly, if an animal is signed, but not seen, I will simply mark it as not seen. I will only mark an animal as "off-exhibit" as opposed to not seen if I either get confirmation the animal is actually off-exhibit (such as a sign or from a keeper) or can be certain the exhibit is unoccupied.
I have also compiled a species list in the form of an iNaturalist list which you can view here -> [VISIT] Virginia Zoo Species List.
Astrotom3000's Virginia Venture - Part 2
This thread will cover the Virginia Zoological Park in Norfolk, VA. This is the 2nd of the 3 VA facilities that I visited during my Virginia Beach trip and is my 33rd zoological facility overall. My date of visit was September 20, 2023. I also visited the Virginia Living (of which I already posted a review and list) and the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center. The latter will come later.
Overview
The Virginia Zoological Park is a small-medium zoo located in Norfolk, Virginia. Situated within Lafayette Park, on the banks of the Lafayette River, the zoo encompasses about 45 acres and is home to nearly 150 species of wildlife. Of the three AZA-accredited facilities located in Virginia, this one focuses the most on exotic wildlife, with only a scant few species of native Virginia wildlife being present, mostly in the form of reptiles and one species of bird. The zoo is also notable for its large and elaborate 3-story entrance building.
The vast majority of the zoo's animal collection is concentrated into 3 distinct areas; the Okavango Delta, the Trail of the Tiger, and the World of Reptiles/ZooFarm/North America area. Between these 3 areas, there is little in the way of exhibits, also the zoo does also feature a variety of gardens scattered throughout the premises. Said gardens are pretty small and spread out, resulting in a lot of unused space. Amongst its various conservation projects, the zoo participates in oyster bed restoration, the efforts of which can be seen in a small inlet just north of the World of Reptiles building.
Overall, I would consider the Virginia Zoo to be an above-average zoo. I definitely enjoyed my visit here, and there is definitely a lot to like here. The zoo is very well landscaped and kept. The collection is pretty decent and varied, with their reptile collection especially being a standout. The landscaping and exhibit design are also decent, with some standout areas. The zoo is also very easy to navigate, and short distances between exhibits make it easy to plan out your day and revisit multiple exhibits during the day.
My biggest complaint regarding the zoo is how inconsistent it is in various aspects. While the collection is overall decent, it's definitely stronger in some areas than others. Their reptile collection is excellent, whereas their collection in other areas is either weak at worst or unremarkable at best. Likewise, Okavango Delta and (to a lesser extent) Trail of the Tiger have very remarkable landscaping and design, while World of Reptiles suffers from boring presentation. I will get into details with the exhibit posts.
Another thing that bugged me was the operating hours; the zoo is only open 9:30am-4:00pm, a full 1.5 hours shorter than the standard. This may not be an issue for all folks, but for me, who loves spending all time at these places taking in and absorbing everything, that 1.5 hours is definitely felt. Thankfully, the zoo is small enough to where you are unlikely to be felt pressed for time unless you arrive late.
One more big strike against the zoo is that it seems to be suffering from the same problem as the Virginia Living Museum where management is allowing things to slip. World of Reptiles wasn't fully open on my visit and, based on what I've heard here, it never was despite opening years ago. Quite a few habitats here and there were empty, and a few seem like they were empty for a while.
With all of that out of the way, let's dig in.
As with my previous thread, I will give a brief overview and review of each exhibit, along with the species present. Latin names are provided for your convenience. Anything noteworthy regarding animal visibility or exhibit status will also be noted.
Lastly, if an animal is signed, but not seen, I will simply mark it as not seen. I will only mark an animal as "off-exhibit" as opposed to not seen if I either get confirmation the animal is actually off-exhibit (such as a sign or from a keeper) or can be certain the exhibit is unoccupied.
I have also compiled a species list in the form of an iNaturalist list which you can view here -> [VISIT] Virginia Zoo Species List.
Astrotom3000's Virginia Venture - Part 2
This thread will cover the Virginia Zoological Park in Norfolk, VA. This is the 2nd of the 3 VA facilities that I visited during my Virginia Beach trip and is my 33rd zoological facility overall. My date of visit was September 20, 2023. I also visited the Virginia Living (of which I already posted a review and list) and the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center. The latter will come later.
Overview
The Virginia Zoological Park is a small-medium zoo located in Norfolk, Virginia. Situated within Lafayette Park, on the banks of the Lafayette River, the zoo encompasses about 45 acres and is home to nearly 150 species of wildlife. Of the three AZA-accredited facilities located in Virginia, this one focuses the most on exotic wildlife, with only a scant few species of native Virginia wildlife being present, mostly in the form of reptiles and one species of bird. The zoo is also notable for its large and elaborate 3-story entrance building.
The vast majority of the zoo's animal collection is concentrated into 3 distinct areas; the Okavango Delta, the Trail of the Tiger, and the World of Reptiles/ZooFarm/North America area. Between these 3 areas, there is little in the way of exhibits, also the zoo does also feature a variety of gardens scattered throughout the premises. Said gardens are pretty small and spread out, resulting in a lot of unused space. Amongst its various conservation projects, the zoo participates in oyster bed restoration, the efforts of which can be seen in a small inlet just north of the World of Reptiles building.
Overall, I would consider the Virginia Zoo to be an above-average zoo. I definitely enjoyed my visit here, and there is definitely a lot to like here. The zoo is very well landscaped and kept. The collection is pretty decent and varied, with their reptile collection especially being a standout. The landscaping and exhibit design are also decent, with some standout areas. The zoo is also very easy to navigate, and short distances between exhibits make it easy to plan out your day and revisit multiple exhibits during the day.
My biggest complaint regarding the zoo is how inconsistent it is in various aspects. While the collection is overall decent, it's definitely stronger in some areas than others. Their reptile collection is excellent, whereas their collection in other areas is either weak at worst or unremarkable at best. Likewise, Okavango Delta and (to a lesser extent) Trail of the Tiger have very remarkable landscaping and design, while World of Reptiles suffers from boring presentation. I will get into details with the exhibit posts.
Another thing that bugged me was the operating hours; the zoo is only open 9:30am-4:00pm, a full 1.5 hours shorter than the standard. This may not be an issue for all folks, but for me, who loves spending all time at these places taking in and absorbing everything, that 1.5 hours is definitely felt. Thankfully, the zoo is small enough to where you are unlikely to be felt pressed for time unless you arrive late.
One more big strike against the zoo is that it seems to be suffering from the same problem as the Virginia Living Museum where management is allowing things to slip. World of Reptiles wasn't fully open on my visit and, based on what I've heard here, it never was despite opening years ago. Quite a few habitats here and there were empty, and a few seem like they were empty for a while.
With all of that out of the way, let's dig in.