The modern Indianapolis Zoo opened in 1988, replacing an older, smaller zoo located in the city's downtown. Located in White River State Park, the zoo was unique for its unprecedented organization of its animals along biomes. Whereas historically zoos had arranged their animals taxonomically, and in more recent years had begun to group them geographically, Indianapolis divided its exhibits into four major ecozones, an organizational tactic that it has stuck to to the present.
The first of the four biomes to be encountered by most visitors is the Oceans section. The exhibits in this area are divided between two buildings. Visitors approaching the first building will be greeted by an outdoor habitat of California sea lions, lounging about on rockwork, before venturing inside the aquarium building. As an aquarium, the building is fairly basic, with only a few tanks of fish and invertebrates, most of them not of any particularly great size - a few largish reef tanks, and a series of jewel-case displays for smaller species. Dominating the interior is the (perhaps inevitable) ray and shark touch tank, as well as underwater viewing of the sea lions seen outdoors. Apart from the pinnipeds, the main attraction in this building is the penguin exhibit, where three Antarctic species - king, rockhopper, and gentoo - splash in chilly water or scramble over rocks on either side of the visitor walkway. The two haves of the exhibit are connected by a waterway underneath the visitor path, so visitors glancing down at the right moment might spy a penguin speeding through the water beneath their feet via windows set into the floor.
When Oceans opened, it boasted of a polar bear exhibit, but as with many zoos, Indianapolis has gotten out of polar bears in recent years. Whereas many zoos have transitioned from polars to grizzlies, Indianapolis took a... more eccentric approach, and now their former polar bear exhibit is overrun with a troop of long-tailed macaques. Not the closest thematic match for an Oceans building, one might say... and one would be right... but the monkeys, which are also known as crab-eating macaques, are at least somewhat aquatic, so that ties them to the water theme a little, at least. Also outside the building is a habitat for walruses, which can also be viewed above and below the water. Indianapolis is one of the only zoos in America to exhibit the Arctic behemoths, and they're certainly worth a visit.
The second Oceans building is dedicated to a single species, the Atlantic bottle-nosed dolphin. Visitors to the Saint Vincent Dolphin Pavilion walk through an acrylic tunnel to a dome set mid-depth in the pool, from which they can observe the dolphins swimming all around them. It's a peaceful experience, albeit a little dark and gloomy. The dolphins can also be observed participating in educational training demonstrations at set times of the day, with stadium seating and large screens providing views of the animals as they are put through their training paces.
The smallest of the four biomes represented here is Deserts, which is a single domed set into the side of a hill that is covered with desert plants. Most of the building consists of a meandering walkthrough a series of open-topped habitats for lizards and tortoises (spacious in their size, in not always exciting in their species composition - I don't think I've ever seen a bearded dragon in such an enormous habitat), with side enclosures for sand cat and meerkat. A separate gallery attached to the building features a diverse array of snakes, with a special focus on venomous species and large constrictors (many of which aren't desert dwellers). None of the exhibits are bad, but after having visited such excellent desert-themed zoos as the Living Desert and the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, it just feels like more could have been done with this biome to create a more dynamic portrayal of desert wildlife.
Directly outside of the Deserts dome is the zoo's non-biome themed area, Encounters, which, as the name suggests, is a series of opportunities for visitors to get up close and personal with animals. The may walk through a kangaroo exhibit, feed budgies or lorikeets, or feed a flock of friendly flamingos. Visitors might also encounter one of zoo's many animal ambassadors out on program.
Tomorrow, we'll continue our visit with the zoo's remaining two biomes.
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