Zoological sights in North America
-
A
Santa Barbara Zoo
Big cats, monkeys, elephants and giraffes await at the 500-animal Santa Barbara Zoo , where you'll also find beautiful gardens. The Humboldt penguins are the current stars, and these tuxedoed show-offs seem to know it. If you're in need of a giggle, hit the 'Eeeww!' insect exhibit. Its hissing cockroaches and giant African millipedes will leave you giggling at the grossed-out kids. Or deeply disturbed. Parking costs around US$3.
reviewed
-
B
Kodiak Fisheries Research Center
Opened in 1998 to house the fisheries research being conducted by various agencies, it has an interesting lobby that includes displays, touch tanks and a large aquarium.
reviewed
-
C
Key West Aquarium
Gaze at marine life.
reviewed
-
D
Animal Park
The first cageless drive-through safari in the country, this incredible animal park puts you in the cage (ie your car) as 800 creatures roam freely, staring at you. Equal parts conservation area and safari, the park’s 500 acres are home to bison, zebra, white rhinos, chimpanzees and, of course, lions. You tour the safari section in your car (unless it’s a convertible; short-term rentals are available), driving slowly, hoping the animals approach the vehicle. The best time to go is when it rains, because the animals are more active when it’s cool.
reviewed
-
E
Roundhouse Aquarium
Kids crowd the touch tanks at this tiny pier’s-end aquarium while their parents stare warily at the flickering fins in the 3500-gallon shark tank. Upstairs, smaller tanks hold an eclectic mix of local specimens including the clicking garibaldi and the stinging gorgonian – sometimes seen lurking barside at Zinc.
reviewed
-
York’s Wild Kingdom
If you have children, you may want to visit York’s Wild Kingdom, the state’s largest zoo.
reviewed
-
F
Lion Habitat
Out front of the MGM Grand, it’s hard to miss the USA’s largest bronze statue, a 100,000lb lion that’s 45ft tall, perched atop a pedestal and ringed by lush landscaping, spritzing fountains and Atlas-themed statues. Inside you’ll find the MGM’s real-life lion habitat. MGM owns these magnificent felines, all descendants of the movie company’s original mascot. Only two animals are shown off inside this multimillion-dollar enclosure at any one time. The big cats tend to sprawl and sleep atop the see-through walkway tunnel, separated from their admirers only by a sheet of protective glass and a couple of feet of thin air. Caretaker Keith Evans has been working with…
reviewed
-
G
Zoológico Miguel Álvarez del Toro (Zoomat)
Chiapas, with its huge range of natural environments, has the highest concentration of animal species in North America, including several varieties of big cat, 1200 butterfly species and more than 600 birds. About 180 of these species, many of them in danger of extinction, are found in relatively spacious enclosures at Tuxtla’s excellent zoo. The Zoológico Miguel Álvarez del Toro (Zoomat) has several innovative features, including a ‘museum’ about itself with information about the life of its pioneering conservationist founder Dr Miguel Álvarez del Toro. Beasts you’ll see here include ocelots, jaguars, pumas, tapirs, red macaws, toucans, snakes, spider monkeys and three…
reviewed
-
Centro Ecológico de Sonora
This park-like zoo and botanical garden is 7km south of central Hermosillo. It features an excellent array of plants and wildlife from Sonora’s mountains, deserts and prairies, from jaguar and puma to bighorn sheep and the endangered, antelope-like Sonoran pronghorn (berrendo) which, when it gets going, is the fastest-moving land animal in North America. The center takes about 1½ hours to walk around at a nonpronghorn pace. To get there, take the southbound Línea 11 bus from the west side of Jardín Juárez out into the southern suburbs. Get off when the bus turns north off Xolotl on to Templo de Tláloc, then walk 600m south on Templo de Tláloc.
reviewed
-
Pelican Man's Bird Sanctuary
Dale Shields is the Pelican Man, and his sanctuary rehabilitates injured wildlife; it's on City Island, just east of the Mote, on the south side of Ken Thompson Pkwy. Although all injured animals are helped, pelicans are their primary customers (90% of all injured pelicans are hurt by fishing line). Since its humble beginnings in 1985 when Shields' first pelican rehabbed in a bathtub, the sanctuary now rehabilitates upwards of 6000 animals annually.
Still, some animals cannot be released; about 250 birds including hawks, gulls, egrets, owls, storks and pelicans and other indigenous wildlife now live here permanently.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
H
The Pier
Walk straight into the Gulf of Mexico, or so it feels when standing on the fishing platform at the edge of this old railroad pier on the eastern edge of town. At the end of the long paved boardwalk is the pier’s star attraction: a crazy looking, bright and blocky inverted pyramid structure that houses a five-story shopping mall, complete with three restaurants (which allow you to eat your seafood directly over the sea) and even a small aquarium. Walk to the fishing platform at the very edge of the pier around sunset for a fabulous natural-light show. A shuttle runs between the parking lots and the action. Parking costs $3.
reviewed
-
I
Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, aka the 'Sexiest Zoo in America,' has the country's highest rate for successful breeding. It's famous for its gorillas, white lions and rhinos, and is located 3 miles north of downtown. Parking is around US$7.
The city zoo is internationally known for its collection of endangered species, though it has the dubious distinction of having been the last place a passenger pigeon or Carolina parakeet ever drew breath. The zoo's gorillas and white tigers have been making up for the sad past by producing a record number of babies in captivity.
reviewed
-
J
Kalahuipua'a Fishponds
The ancient Kalahuipua'a Fishponds lie along the beach just south of the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel, partly shaded by a grove of coconut palms and milo (native hardwood) trees. They are among the few still-working fishponds in Hawai'i, and are stocked with awa (Hawaiian milk fish). Water circulates from the ocean through traditional makaha (sluice gates), which allow small fish to enter but keep mature, fattened catch from leaving.
You might notice fish sporadically jumping into the air and slapping down on the water, an exercise that knocks off parasites.
reviewed
-
K
Sheldon Jackson Aquarium
Housed in the Sage Building is the Sheldon Jackson Aquarium, a classroom during the school year but Sitka's top attraction for children during the summer. The aquarium features an 800-gallon 'Wall of Water' filled with sea anemones, rockfish and starfish and three touch tanks where kids can feel the spiny skin of a huge starfish or the coarse shell of an abalone.
It is also home of the country's only on-site, college-run hatchery, an especially impressive sight when thousands of king, coho, pink and chum salmon boil the water during feeding.
reviewed
-
L
Cabrillo Marine Aquarium
This city-owned aquarium is the smaller, older, less frantic and high-tech cousin of Long Beach's Aquarium of the Pacific. It's also a lot lighter on your wallet and probably less overwhelming for small children. Spiky urchins, slippery sea cucumbers, magical jellyfish and other local denizens will bring smiles to even the most PlayStation-jaded youngster. Naturalists lead rambles around the rocky tide pools and salt marshes and organize all sorts of other educational programs, including the grunion-watches (April to July).
reviewed
-
M
Palm Beach Zoo at Dreher Park
The highlight of this compact zoo is the Tropics of the Americas exhibit, a 3-acre recreation of a rainforest, stocked with jaguars, monkeys, snakes, macaws and other tropical creatures. Gator feedings occur regularly and are advertised. The zoo’s also home to a few of the last remaining Florida panthers, North America’s rarest mammal. Other unusual residents include Komodo dragons (the largest lizard in the world), capybaras (the largest rodent in the world) and red kangaroos, which can hop at speeds of up to 40mph.
reviewed
-
Caribbean Gardens
Formerly a 52-acre botanical oasis, these gardens are now a junglelike home to exotic animals like Bengal tigers, zebras, panthers and huge snakes. You can take a narrated cruise to observe monkeys and apes living freely in an island habitat. And even though it’s not the focus of the place, kids love the petting zoo and myriad daily animal presentations. All activities are included in the admission price. The zoo is a nonprofit organization, and admission revenues go toward protecting wildlife around the world.
reviewed
-
N
Lowry Park Zoo
This zoo has the great manatee encounter and aquatic center, and good exhibits on panthers, alligators, Komodo dragons, pandas, primates and bison. The Asian domain highlights a rare Indian rhinoceros, while families love the Wallaroo Station, an Australian-themed area with kangaroos and wallabies that kids can pet. They can also pet and feed stingrays elsewhere in the park. Before leaving, don’t miss the 18,000-sq-ft, free-flight aviary.
reviewed
-
O
Acuario de Veracruz
Veracruz’ well-done aquarium is a worthwhile visit, located about 2km south of the city center. There’s a large doughnut-shaped tank filled with sharks, rays and turtles that glide around visitors. Other tanks house freshwater and saltwater fish, reptiles and amphibians, river otters and even manatees. But for a really dramatic encounter climb into the Tiburonería – a transparent safety cage that is lowered into a pool of feeding sharks.
reviewed
-
P
Victoria Bug Zoo
The city's best attraction for kids, the Bug Zoo houses creepy-crawlies such as glow-in-the-dark scorpions and ultra-industrious leaf-cutter ants. Informative 'bug guides' wander around explaining how the insects eat, mate and give birth. Those who can't restrain themselves can handle a few critters, including an alarmingly large 400-leg millipede. Hit the gift shop on your way out to pick up a souvenir tarantula for your best friend back home.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
Q
Zoo World Zoological & Botanical Park
Home to more than 350 animals, including 15 endangered species, and over 250 species of plants, the Zoo World Zoological & Botanical Park participates in the government's Species Survival Plan to breed endangered animals. Among those born here are five African lion cubs, a Sumatran tiger and three mandrills (baboons); there's a glass-fronted nursery where you can watch the adorable babes in their infancy. Kids love the cuddly petting zoo.
reviewed
-
R
Chapultepec Zoo
Home to a wide range of the world’s creatures in large open-air enclosures, the Chapultepec Zoo was the first place outside China where pandas were born in captivity. The zoo has three of these rare bears, descendants of the original pair donated by the People’s Republic in 1975. Endangered Mexican species include the Mexican grey wolf and the hairless xoloitzcuintle, the only surviving dog breed from pre-Hispanic times.
reviewed
-
S
Pana'ewa Rainforest Zoo
Upon entering the modest 12-acre Pana'ewa Rainforest Zoo, most visitors receive a cheerful 'Hi! How are you?' from Max, the zoo's talking parrot and official goodwill ambassador. The zoo's real prize, however, is a white Bengal tiger. You only need an hour or two to tour the grounds, which feature several endangered Hawaiian birds, monkeys, reptiles, a pygmy hippo, and gaggles of free-roaming peacocks and chickens. Kids love it.
reviewed
-
T
Zoo
If it slithers, crawls, stomps, swims, leaps or flies, chances are you'll find it in this world-famous zoo in northern Balboa Park. It's home to 3000-plus animals representing 800-plus species in a beautifully landscaped setting, including the new 7.5-acre Elephant Odyssey. Arrive early, when the animals are most active. Attractions include animal shows and an aerial tram.
reviewed
-
Brookfield Zoo
To see the array of animals Hemingway likely shot and killed on his famed hunting expeditions, head southwest from Oak Park to the Brookfield Zoo. With 2700 animals over 215 acres, the zoo can easily sustain a day’s wanderings. Brookfield features a wildly impressive bear habitat, African- and Australian-themed exhibits, several primate areas, a kids’ zoo and a ton more.
reviewed