Out of Africa Wildlife Park

Out of Africa Photo Gallery

Website: Out of Africa Wildlife Park

Location: Sedona, Arizona

Size: Medium (budget extra time for the shows and safari tour)

Visited In: May 2010

Rating:


Fun Facts

• Baby zebras have brown stripes.
• Tigers, unlike most cats, like to swim.
• The horns of Watusi cattle act as a radiator to disperse heat.

Impressions
The park's webpage rather emphatically proclaims:  "Call us Wild.  Call us Crazy.  Just don't call us a Zoo."  So it is with mild apology that I include them in my zoo blog.  I just couldn't resist the opportunity to review this wholly unique and - yes, a little crazy - animal park.

Located just outside Sedona, Out of Africa's signature attraction is Tiger Splash, a dramatic show in which tigers chase and pounce on colorful toys wielded by their keepers.  The show takes place in and around a big pool, leading to a lot of swimming and splashing.

Tiger Splash isn't the only draw, though.  The African Bush Safari ride ges you up close and personal with a whole bunch of (non-predatory) safari animals:  Zebras, Watusi Cattle, Gemsbok and more.  You may even get to feed a giraffe or a camel.   The predators are kept to themselves (obviously), and include a number of unusual species.  Another special event is the Predator Feed, where you can follow along with the keepers as they chuck haunches of wild meat into the enclosures, and watch the lions and tigers eat their supper.

It's a little pricey, but definitely worth it for the unique experience.

One word to the wise:  Bring your own hand sanitizer.   Perhaps it's a regional thing, but around here they shower you in hand sanitizer if you come within 10 feet of an animal.  In Out of Africa, you can put your hand in the camel's mouth and there's not a washing station anywhere in sight.

Favorite Animal: Splashing Tigers

 Unusual Animal: Watusi Cattle

Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium

Pittsburgh Zoo Photo Gallery

Website: Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium

Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Size: Large

Visited In: March 2013 (and a billion other times)

Rating:


Fun Facts

• Polar bears are the world's largest land predators.
• The Amur leopard can run at speeds up to 30mph.
• Snow leopards cannot roar.

Impressions
The Pittsburgh Zoo is a great family-oriented zoo. The expansive Kids Kingdom lets kids get up close and personal with white-tailed deer, kangaroos, meerkats, and other animals. It also has two zoo-themed playgrounds where kids can burn off some extra energy. The PPG Aquarium contains dozens of exhibits, including a two-story ocean tank and a stingray touch tank.  There's even a train ride and carousel.

In the Waters Edge exhibit, visitors can walk under the polar bear enclosure and sometimes - if they're lucky - see the bears swimming directly over their heads. Many of the exhibits feature expansive spaces with unobstructed views, perfect for photo ops. The zoo is also noted for its elephant family, which welcomed two new babies just a few years ago.

It's a little big to see in one day, but you can cut out the aquarium, monkey house, or Kids Kingdom for a shorter trip. There are a few hilly spots, so bring your strollers (or rent a safari-themed one) for the little ones.

Where the zoo lacks a little is in daily special activities, but it makes up for the lack with a robust Wildlife Academy program for kids and other seasonal events and classes.

Favorite Animal: Polar Bear

 Unusual Animal: Snow Leopard

Columbus Zoo

Columbus Zoo Photo Gallery

Website: Columbus Zoo and Aquarium

Location: Columbus, Ohio

Size: Large

Visited In: June 2009

Rating:


Fun Facts

• A group of Kangaroos is called a mob.
• Manatees can swim at speeds up to 15mph.
• Baby Humboldt Penguins are gray.

Impressions
The Columbus Zoo ranks high among my favorite zoos. It's easy to get to from the downtown area, and has a big water park right next door for one-stop family fun. There's plenty to see, and I've heard many people make a multi-day excursion out of the visit.

The Asia Quest exhibit features tigers and bears, with Pagoda-style buildings and waterfalls in the enclosures. It was a multi-phase project, not quite done last time I visited.

Another highlight is Manatee Coast. I must confess that my reaction the first time I went was, "Manatee? Is that some kind of sea bird?" But seeing three giant sea cows, floating in a tank, munching on cabbage - that was a sight to behold.

The rest of the aquarium was a letdown, with narrow corridors jam-packed with hundreds of people. I couldn't wait to get out of there.

There are some interactive activities for kids, like face painting and Lorikeet feeding, but my kids were too young for me to really take much notice of them.

Favorite Animal: Baby Humboldt Penguin

 

 Unusual Animal: Manatees

Indy Zoo

Indianapolis Zoo Photo Gallery

Website: Indianapolis Zoo And Gardens

Location: Indianapolis, Indiana

Size: Medium

Visited In: April 2006

Rating:


Fun Facts:

• The polar bear's fur is water repellant.
• The name "White Rhino" doesn't refer to their color. It comes from the Dutch word "Weit" meaning "wide", and refers to the wide muzzle they use for grazing.
• Sea lions have external ear flaps; seals do not.
• Elephants can balance well, standing on two legs and even crossing their legs.

Impressions

The Indianapolis Zoo is one of my favorites. I've been there many times. The best part of the zoo is the Waters area, which includes the penguins and polar bears. The polar bears have a nice glass underwater viewing area, and there's a nice bench where you can sit and watch the penguins swimming. I always found that mesmerizing.

There are a lot of interactive things to do. Feeding the giraffes, watching the elephant show, and even getting to pet the elephant! The only thing I didn't like was the dolphin show, which I finally got to see after missing it three years in a row. Kids would probably like it, but I was underwhelmed.

Favorite Animal: Polar Bear

Though the Siberian Tiger deserves honorable mention because it kept wandering right up to the cage, giving everyone a good view and me one of my all-time favorite zoo pictures.

Unusual Animal: Fighting Meerkats

National Zoo

National Zoo Photo Gallery

Website: Smithsonian National Zoological Park

Location: Washington DC

Size: Large

Visited In: March 2007

Rating:


Fun Facts:

• Pandas spend 10 to 16 hours a day foraging and eating.
• Gorillas have unique fingerprints.
• Cheetah tails are 30 inches long.

Impressions:

The best part about the zoo was the geography of its enclosures. There were plenty of places where you could view the animals from above, and then loop around and view them again from down below. The enclosures were fairly open as well - not a lot of glass in the way, which is always a bonus for taking pictures (and just cooler, in my book).

The Giant Pandas were a surprise - I knew the zoo had one, but I wasn't expecting so many! I think there are four, plus a baby we didn't actually get to see. Admission is free. You have to pay for parking, but it wasn't as bad as we had been led to believe. It was neat being able to see animals from the parking lot. The cheetahs were right along the outside as you walked in.

 

The zoo is pretty big, and you could easily spend most of the day there - especially if you had kids. My brother and I are pretty fast zoo-walkers and it still took us a couple of hours. There were a bunch of events, of course. We caught the elephant washing (somewhat anti-climactic, to be honest) and the sea lion training (more fun, particularly when the sea lions were more interested in playing with their fish than eating them).

 

I'm not really into birds, but there was a decent aviary section as well.

Favorite Animal: Red Panda

 

  Unusual Animal: Pandas - like, 4 of them!

Philadelphia Zoo

Philadelphia Zoo Photo Gallery

Website: Philadelphia Zoo

Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Size: Medium

Visited In: October 2007

Rating:


Fun Facts:

• The Philly Zoo is America's first zoo, founded in 1874.
• All white lions in captivity are believed to be descended from the white lions found only in the Timbavati Game Preserve in Kruger National Park, South Africa.
• Kangaroos can become pregnant again almost immediately after giving birth, but can put the new pregnancy on hold until the first joey is old enough to be on his own.

Impressions:

The enclosures were nice, offering good viewing angles on the animals. In spite of it being Cub Scout Day and pretty busy, I didn't have any problems seeing anything. The spectacled bear exhibit had a neat moat where the bears like to sleep, and a there were several hammocks and other unique sleeping quarters for the animals.

I had never seen white lions before. Apparently the Philly Zoo was one of the first zoos to exhibit them in the US.   They were in the process of getting rid of the elephants, because they couldn't find the funding to spruce up the enclosure, so I expect they're gone by now.

All in all, a nice medium-sized zoo.

Favorite Animal: White Lion

  Unusual Animal: Douc Langur Monkey