The next two exhibits I got a huge kick out of, for reasons apart from the animals. The first exhibit on the trail was the giant anteater habitat. Visitors can survey the pampas yard that houses shuffling anteaters, sharing the yard with maned wolf. The second exhibit was Monkey Village. Plenty of zoos have walk-through aviaries. Fewer have walk-through primate exhibits, and I don’t think I’d ever seen one with primates the size of squirrel monkeys. Under staff supervision, visitors can pass through the double doors and take a walk among a troop of squirrel monkeys. It’s possible to get very close to the monkeys, but feeding and touching are prohibited. So, what made these two exhibits so special to me? The anteater exhibit in particular reminded me of Betty Webb's zoo mystery novels, starting with The Anteater of Death. Webb based her novels on her experiences volunteering at the Phoenix Zoo, and was fun to see some of the exhibits from her books in real life. I almost caught myself looking for a body as I peeked over the railing of the anteater exhibit. Outside, a small pool houses African spot-necked otters.
Down the trail, visitors pass by Chilean flamingos, greaterrheas, and crested screamers, before suddenly finding themselves in what appears to be a small South American marketplace. This is the Forest of Uco, a side trail leading through a forested pathway. Tucked along the trail are small habitats for birds, primates, and reptiles, including a tree that houses boa constrictors and a little tunnel with tarantulas. All of these side exhibits are on the outside of the path; the inside is dominated by a spacious habitat of Andean bears. The bears can be seen from a variety of vantage points, through glass, wire, and across moats, which provides opportunities to get great views depending on whether they are climbing, splashing in the pool, or just dozing on rocks. There was a lot of great signage about Andean bears around the exhibit, which pleased me very much, as I think this is the first zoo that I had ever been to where Andean bears were treated as a signature exhibit animal, with their own dedicated region of the zoo.
Continuing on Tropics Trail, visitors will encounter some of the zoo’s newest exhibits, habitats for Sumatran tigers, Komodo dragons, Chinese alligators, and orangutans. Also included are a big dusty yard for Asian elephants (kind of unimpressive, but they are working on it), a swamp for American alligators, and a towering mesh-enclosed set of habitats for jaguars. The nucleus of the zoo’s bird collection is found on this trail, most of it along Tropical Flights, a series of bird exhibits that hugs the central lagoon. Among the species encountered on this loop are a breeding group of rhinoceros hornbills (I really liked a little recreated hornbill nest next to the exhibit, which gave visitors an inside-peek as to their unique breeding biology), green peafowl, and an impressive assortment of rare doves and pigeons, from huge crowned pigeons to pretty little fruit doves. There is also a walk-through aviary, as well as lagoon-side viewing of pelicans. Set into the lagoon are island habitats for gibbons and lemurs.
As busy as I was with all of the other exhibits, I almost missed the Children’s Trail, which would have been a mistake. Crossing the covered bridge to get there, passing Galapagos tortoises, I first saw what I was expecting to see – Harmony Farm, a barnyard. Nothing against domestics, of course, it’s just that I had a lot to see and not much time, so I was going to pass on the goat petting. Past that, however, I found a sprawling set of trails featuring several exotic species, such as Visayan warty pigs, spectacled owls, golden lion tamarins, sloths, and caracal, as well as a small reptile house. There were lots of statues to climb on with educational, kid-friendly signage. A footbridge leads back to the main zoo, passing an island of siamangs on the way.
The central plaza of the zoo features the main visitor amenities,
as well as a carousel, 4D theater, and stingray touch tank.
There was considerable construction going on during my
visit, most notably for an expansion of the elephant habitat. Looking at the website, I saw that many more
exhibits were slated for renovation, or entirely new construction, while
several of the exhibits that I had seen on the Tropics Trail were new entirely (I especially admire the orangutan
exhibit). What makes all of this
especially impressive to me is that Phoenix Zoo doesn’t receive any funding
from taxes or other government sources.
It raises everything itself. That
they are able to continually expand and develop great new exhibits while at the
same time supporting an innovative, multifaceted conservation program for all
sorts of endangered species across the state just amazes me.
One thing I would encourage visitors to keep in mind is the climate. Arizona is hot. Very hot.
Not only are you at risk of heat stroke if you come at certain times,
but you also won’t see anything… except whatever heat stroke related hallucinations
occur. Many of the animals at the zoo
are evolutionarily predisposed to hide in the shade and not do anything when it
is too hot. We should definitely follow
their example.
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