Continuing with the Oklahoma City Zoo, we enter the section closer to the entrance of the zoo, which is more taxonomic in theme. Cat Forest takes a new twist on the old felid houses which were once a staple of American zoos. Here, a wide variety of the world's cats are presented in outdoor habitats, arranged round a central holding building which visitors do not access. Among the species seen here are jaguar, clouded leopard, caracal, and serval. (I remember other cats being housed her historically - including my first ever black-footed cats, but lineups do change over the years). Tigers are the stars of this exhibit complex. A handsome pride of lions can be found in a hillside habitat across the trail in Lion Overlook. Such taxonomic exhibits have fallen out of favor over the years, but I think they can offer educational benefit is done well, being just as educational as geographic exhibits.
Another popular taxonomic grouping is the Great EscApe, which features indoor and outdoor viewing of gorillas, chimpanzees, and orangutans. Indoor accommodations are somewhat drab (as indoor ape exhibits so often are), but the outside habitats are large and grassy, with lots of climbing structures.
A series of small ponds for turtles lines the pathway to the excellent Herpetarium. Some visitors, especially those only casually interested in reptiles, may breeze through it - the exhibits are fairly typical in design, and there aren't many of the giant reptiles which tend to really capture the public's attention - no crocodilians, for example. There are, however, an impressive number of unique species here, including some real rarities, such as Halmahera python. As seems to be the case with many zoos in the south-central and southwestern US, Oklahoma City Zoo has a very strong venomous collection.
Bigger reptiles can be seen in the nearby Children's Zoo, where Galapagos tortoises plod around a yard. Other occupants include squirrel monkeys, parrots, and flamingos. The kid's area also features those three staples of US zoos, a goat corral, lorikeet feeding aviary, and (slightly further away) a stingray pool.
Tucked away by the entrance of the zoo is the Dan A. Moran Aviary, a fairly small building with a few mixed-species aviaries of mostly Southeast Asian species, with a little geographic diversity thrown in. Modest, but a cool selection of interesting species, such as Vietnam pheasant, hooded pitta, and spotted whistling duck. Besides, traditional bird houses are something of a rarity these days, which has led in part to the decline of smaller, tropical species in many collections. Outside and around the corner are more aviaries, including some especially large ones for Andean condors and cinerous vultures, while a series of small mammal grottos (the zoo's old bear dens - one of which has been converted into a picnic area) front the lake. Since my last visit, the aquarium (which once served as a dolphinarium) has been closed, but it is under renovation, and new habitats for sea lions and penguins are expected in the near future. I'm not sure if a traditional marine aquarium for fish will also be returning.
I am perpetually confounded that Oklahoma City Zoo isn't more widely regarded as one of the top zoos in the country. Both the size and diversity of its collection and the quality of its exhibits are very impressive. Like many zoos, there has been some loss of unique species in recent years. The construction of the African and Asian areas has eaten up land that once featured expansive hoofstock yard, an impressive collection of wild canids, and a unique Islands building that served as an excellent complement to the Herpetarium and aviary (marine iguanas were once a great rarity held at this zoo, no longer present in the US).
Such losses are, perhaps, inevitable as zoos prioritize sustainable collections and larger, more complex habitats - but OKC still compares very favorable to many large urban zoos around the country. This growth and expansion has been the result of considerable investment from the city; years ago, taxpayers voted in favor of expenditures to improve cultural attractions in their city, with the zoo being a prime recipient. I look forward to a future return to see Expedition Africa... and whatever masterpiece the zoo starts to work on after that.
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