Summary of 2005 Trip

This will be the final entry for this years PilgrimPaul’s blog. I would like to summarize my experiences and my impressions of the zoos I have seen and what makes the best exhibits from the perspective of a visitor. In my opinion the best exhibits are wider than deep which allows for better viewing angles of the animals by the visitors. Generally with exhibits configured in the manner I suggested there can be more viewing areas at varying levels of elevation. Exhibits where glass is an integral part of the design the visitors experience closer contact with the animals through the glass. A very special experience is afforded the visitors when the animals choose to involve themselves with the visitors through the glass. Obviously I do not have the knowledge to determine whether this type of exhibit configuration will have an adverse effect on the wellbeing of the animals. To my untrained eye some animals appeared to enjoy this contact. If the animals did not have an interest in said contact they went about their business without an apparent interest in the windows or the visitors on the other side. Exhibits that allow for wider and less deep areas do not lose exhibit space because the back half of the space is allocated to another species. The most interesting exhibits are the ones in which multi species of animals are exhibited together. The outdoor exhibits which allow for elevated viewing do not appear to affect the animals because they do not look to the visitors as they move about their exhibits. Including an underground poolside viewing area to a land exhibit offers the visitor an opportunity to view a land based animal’s swimming technique.

Indianapolis Zoo

The Indianapolis Zoo is a combined with another exhibit White River Gardens which is a botanical garden with free flying butterflies. The exhibit was very interesting and some of the butterflies were quite beautiful. The flowers and the butterflies made for an interesting experience.

The exhibits at the zoo were quite interesting. The Seahorse exhibit was part of the building that displayed aquatic animals. This facility was very well laid out and informative. Most of the exhibits afford the visitor the opportunity to view the area from many vantage points. Some of the vantage points were at varying levels from ground level to overhead which allowed the animals to be close to the visitors and still maintain a safe environment. The zoo has made an effort to use corporate sponsorship in creating an environment appealing to the zoo visitor. Maybe a little too much corporate interest. A new exhibit will be opening Memorial Day weekend. The Underwater Dolphin Dome exhibit is the only one of its kind in the world. The 2 million gallon exhibit will afford the visitor the unique experience of walking through a tube where they are surrounded by water and Dolphins. Considering the zoo’s location in the Midwest, Indianapolis’s zoo should be an option you consider when looking for a unique experience within a days drive.

Red Panda

Red Crested Cardinal

Louisville Zoo

The Louisville Zoo’s Western Lowland Gorilla outdoor exhibits were hard to evaluate because they were unoccupied. The weather was quite cool the day we visited and therefore was not conducive to the animals being outside. The exhibits and the animals we were able to observe were interesting and the animals were active. The zoo is well laid out allowing the visitor to move in a continuing pattern while observing the animals. The signage was very informative and laid out in a manner that encouraged the visitor to read the boards. There is a ceramic tree that is used to memorialize donations made to the zoo in remembrance of individuals and organizations who have contributed to the landscaping of the zoo and also to the zoo general funds. The zoo’s unusual animals that we saw at the zoo include Masai giraffes, white rhinoceros, Stellar’s sea-eagles and Ruppell’s vulture.

Ruppell's Vulture

Steller's Sea-Eagle

Elephant being encouraged forward

Nashville Zoo

The Nashville Zoo’s Gibbon and Siamang area are very large with many trees surrounded by water. The chorus of calling Siamangs was extremely interesting to listen to and observe. Most of the exhibits in the zoo were quite large and gave plenty of space for the animals to roam about. The new Elephant Veldt allowed the animals to move about and explore the acreage. There were several vantage points from which to view the elephants unfortunately unless the animals were encouraged to move forward they could become so distant they would be hard to view. I understand ultimately the exhibit will be a multi species exhibit including giraffes, however right now the zoo does not exhibit giraffes. The zoo did not contain any Lions or Great Apes. There are two Tigers one being white. Beside the tigers they have several other cats such as Clouded Leopards, Cougar and Cheetah. Most of the animals could be viewed on the Bamboo Trail which was very scenic and wound around a grove of bamboo plants by a stream. The exhibits were surrounded by wire to enclose the animals which gave the appearance the animals had the whole forest within which to roam. There are 5 exhibits under construction which will help improve the quality of a visit to the zoo. I did not see any animals of the rare variety or species unseen at other zoos. In their map they show approximately a third of the area with future development over the 10 to 15 years. There is a new Jungle Gym built through the combined efforts of 40,000 volunteers, this will allow 1000 kids to be entertained at a time.

Siamang calling

Little Rock Zoo

The Little Rock Arkansas Zoo is an old zoo where the planners used progressive thinking in planning the exhibits. The one building marker is in the aviary and it stated the building was constructed in the 1934 to 1936 period by the Federal Relief Agency. Most of the exhibits were quite large allowing for the viewing of the animals from many different vantage points. The exhibits contained a great deal of behavioral enrichment for the animals. Climbing objects, chewing items and objects to push around were available to the animals. The future African Veldt exhibit is under construction. Other exhibits are being renovated. Overall we liked the zoo very much. The zoo is not large just 33 acres with just over 700 animals. Speaking of the aviary, it was constructed as a walkabout where the people and the birds are in the same space. According to the zoo brochure it was started in 1926 with a circus bear and timber wolf.

Sun Bear

Part of Gorilla exhibit