Hi! I have a particular interest in zoos that feature animal and plant species that are native to their general region. I know of a few, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum comes to mind as a great example. I'm wondering if anybody else knows of some zoos that have good native species sections? Not necessarily the focus of the whole zoo, but a dedicated section.
Zoos with Native Species
- Thread starter squidy
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The Queens Zoo might be a good example of this, as they focus only on species from the Americas. Here is an image of a sign posted by the zoo entrance, talking about their focus on native wildlife:
Can you really say they focus on native species when they are going as broad as "The Americas"?The Queens Zoo might be a good example of this, as they focus only on species from the Americas. Here is an image of a sign posted by the zoo entrance, talking about their focus on native wildlife:
Yeah, for instance I've been to a lot of zoos that focus entirely on species native to the Earth. In that regards, everything is a native species!
If we want to look at "native species" through a more constrained lens, however, while in recent years they've deviated from their native routes, Buttonwood Park Zoo remains a good example of this as well. While they sadly no longer have black bears, their native New England collection still contains all three native felids, north american river otters, beavers, white-tailed deer, bald eagles, coyotes, harbor seals, sandhill cranes, and some of the zoo's waterfowl. Many of the zoo's farmyard species are also local heritage breeds. Historically, the zoo also had a number of shorebirds and fish from the local region, but many of these were eliminated to make way for the Rainforests exhibit.
New England Aquarium also has a few nice exhibits focusing on species native to the waters off the New England coast, and Boston Museum of Science has a nice area called "New England Climate Stories" that features blue jays, eastern screech owls, and some herps, fish, and inverts native to New England, along with some interpretive stations about climate.
I'm very fond of Henry Vilas Zoo's Wisconsin Heritage exhibit with American badgers and sandhill cranes. The badger exhibit in particular is one of my favorite small carnivore exhibits and is very well designed. The displays detailing local history are very nice and the whole area is quite charming even if it's rather simple.
This summer, Brookfield Zoo will be unveiling some habitats for native species within the 'Nature Plaza' area which was previously just gardens and open lawns. This will include a large aviary for prairie birds such as sandhill crane, greater prairie chicken and American kestrel, and a pair of open-topped vivaria for Blanding's turtle and ornate box turtle.
There are of course other far more comprehensive complexes for native species like Oklahoma Trails at Oklahoma City Zoo, California Trails at Oakland Zoo, and Florida: Mission Everglades at Zoo Miami. Louisville Zoo's upcoming Kentucky Trails complex will likely be equally impressive.
When it comes to entire facilities dedicated to native species, both the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center and Alaska SeaLife Center are phenomenal showcases of native wildlife. The former has several incredible enclosures that are absolutely enormous with some picturesque views, the bear exhibits being the most notable. The Alaska SeaLife Center is located right on the shores of Resurrection Bay and specializes in local aquatic life including pinnipeds, seabirds and numerous fish and inverts. The two collections complement one another quite nicely considering they each have a very specific focus.