The only AZA-accredited facility in West Virginia, Oglebay’s
Good Zoo is found on the grounds of the Oglebay resort in Wheeling. Originally the facility displayed only North
American species, but in recent years has begun swapping out some of the natives
for more exotic animals. The animal
collection is divided into two parts.
The reptiles, amphibians, and small birds and mammals are located in the
zoo’s entry building (also housing a gift shop, snack bar, planetarium, and
massive model train display). The handful
of larger birds and mammals can be found along a short, meandering trail that
loops out from the back of the building.
Oglebay is often simply known as “the Good Zoo” (which, to be fair, is not a stab at self-promotion: the zoo is named for a young boy who loved animals). “The Okay Zoo” might be more apt. The collection is nice, with a few species
that would be of interest to a zoo professional – the Chinese goral/red panda
mixed exhibited is particularly interesting – but lacking most of the animals
that interest the average visitor.
Exhibits run the gamut from very natural and attractive (red-crowned
crane, kangaroos) to reasonably nice (African wild dog) to shabby (lemur,
ocelot). There really isn’t much of a
theme or sense of purpose to the collection; it was if it was all just…
collected. The main building takes a
brief stab at having animals in themed galleries, arranged with a purpose in
mind, but it doesn’t really play out as well as it could. In the end, it resembles a playroom with a
few animal exhibits lining the walls. Nothing
I saw suggests that the animals receive anything less than good care. It’s just that I feel we should aspire to
more than that.
I’m probably being harsh to Oglebay, unfairly so, perhaps,
but here’s the thing. Twice a year,
Oglebay resort is home to the AZA’s professional development school, which
means that top zoo professionals and rising stars alike converge on Wheeling
for two weeks out of each year. Most if
not all of those teachers and students visit the zoo at least once when they
are there, either for a casual stroll or as part of a classroom exercise. With all of the zoo community’s top minds
constantly looking at the zoo, it really should be the recipient of some great
ideas. Not expensive ideas, per se – not
building multi-million dollar exhibits – but ideas to improve the visitor
experience, the educational message, and exhibit quality. Money for change and improvement is, and
always will be, tight at any zoo. However, with
a little direct attention and application of ideas, Oglebay’s Good Zoo could
become a great zoo. That would make it a
great teaching example for the visiting classes.
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