Let's Ride

As soon as I saw the sky ride - basically a ski-lift - over the African Plains exhibit at the Kansas City Zoo, I knew I'd probably end up riding it.  Not because I particularly love heights -  I don't - but because I wanted to see the zoo from a different perspective.  I could have ridden the zoo train, chugging past the camels and kangaroos, but this seemed a little more adventurous and unique.  I'd ridden skytrams at other zoos before, but the most recent was at Metro Richmond Zoo, and that was a decade ago.

My love of zoos and aquariums aside, I've never been all that into their kissing cousins, amusement parks and theme parks.  I still haven't been to Disney's Animal Kingdom or Busch Gardens Tampa, the two biggest animal theme parks in the country, and it's been ages since I went to a SeaWorld.  A big part of it, I suppose, is that for me, animals are all the attraction that I need.  I don't usually feel much inclination to go on rides.

Not that zoos are ride-free.  Many have trains and carousels geared towards kids, which I remember using when I was much younger.  Some of the larger zoos had monorails, many of which have since fallen out of use from the difficulties and expense in maintaining them, with Dallas Zoo ("Wilds of Africa") and Minnesota Zoo ("Northern Trail") being two examples.  Elephant rides have gone by the wayside, but some zoos do still offer camel and pony rides.  I've done all three, and even worked the later for many grueling years before the pony and I both headed out for greener pastures.

Recently, I've developed an interest in the idea of rides not as rival attractions to animal exhibits, but as incorporated components that highlight the experience.  I especially like rides that allow visitors to see animals from different perspectives, possibly enhancing the appreciation of the animal.  For example, seeing animals from a boat ride, such as the "Jungle Cruise" at Naples Zoo, or from a zipline, such as Brevard Zoo, where arboreal rainforest animals can be seen at eye level as you zip by.  Many non-AZA zoos I've been to with large hoofstock mixed exhibits offer safari hayrides, driving guests out to be surrounded by animals.  One idea that I don't know has ever been implemented would be a rock climbing wall built into an exhibit of some sort of mountain goat or sheep (bighorn, ibex, markhor, aoudad).  Visitors could observe the animals from the base of the exhibit, then climb to the top of the rock wall, getting a view from a new perspective.

One thing I would like to encourage is that, when rides are included, it still always be possible to view the exhibit without going on the ride.  Some people just want the chance to sit or stand and watch the animal without a lot of fuss or being jostled along.  Usually, I'm one of them.