Inside Zoos - Entrances

First impressions are everything!   Lets face it, lots of people want the ability to engage with you and influence you. Most businesses spend lots of money in the art of influence, experimenting on smells, colors, space, layout and advertising,  when all they need to do is focus on being a good citizen of the world  with ethics, oh yeah, and a welcoming entry statement.
 

Taronga Zoo historical entrance

Zoos are all about getting you to engage with their message, and yes they also employ lots of tactics to do this.  What they are trying to sell is an idea, conservation! And they want you to engage with that idea in many different ways. Anyway I digress, that's another post. Before you engage you must enter and first impressions are everything. 

Let's look at some of my favorite zoos and wild life park entrances that I've experienced over the last 12months and why I think they work. 

Central Park Zoo  is a small city zoo in the metropolis of New York City. The front entrance plaza is an extension of Central Park. Before you even enter the zoo you have access to the zoo's art gallery, zoo shop and some impressive public art including the Delacorte Music Clock that is located near the Children's Zoo. The clock plays one of a  selection of 44 children songs every half hour from 8am until 5pm daily.The other thing I love about this zoo entrance is that you can see the sea lions playing on the rocks in their enclosure from the plaza: Making Central Park zoo entrance plaza a great place to sit for a quiet bite to eat during your lunch break.
 

Delacorte Music Clock

Carumbin Wild Life Park  is an Australian wildlife park located in a leafy part of the Gold Coast. One of the most famous attractions at the park is the  lorikeet feeding that actually takes place in the large entrance courtyard before you pay to enter the park. You can watch on for free and have the opportunity to feed lorikeet's as they perch themselves all over you. Two feeding times are scheduled daily at 8am and 4pm  There is also a relaxing coffee shop and gift store located in the entry court.

 

Entrance off the road

Sydney Wildlife Zoo is located at the busy Darling Harbour in Central Sydney. If you only had a short time in Sydney and desperately want to get a picture of a Koala, you could pop down to the Sydney Wildlife Zoo's front entrance. They have an excellent koala enclosure right at the front entrance. perfect for that quick photo opportunity. 
 

Photo opportunity at Sydney Wildlife Zoo entrance

Wild Florida Zoo and Air-Boat Rides. is located in the Northern Everglades in Central Florida. To access the park you need to drive up a long unsealed dirt track. When it comes to first impressions the road fits in perfectly with the park motto " The Middle Of Nowhere Has Been Discovered" Unfortunately the park has just announced that they will be sealing the road in March. Oh well ! That's progress for you. 
 

Front entrance building at Wild Florida

 

Minimal entrance statement that fits motto

Bronx Zoo in New York City is one of the largest urban zoos in the world, and they have the entrance fitting for such a  position. The zoo does have four entrances, but if you enter the Fordham Road entrance via the large wrought iron gates you will enter one of  the more impressive zoo entry experiences. There isn't one thing that makes this entrance so great, its a multitude of things like the beautiful old style buildings, sea lion pool and gardens that when  combined visually build up the anticipation of a great day at the zoo.

Bronx Zoo

Bronx Zoo

So the next time you visit your favorite zoo, pause and soak in the effort made at the entrance to both make your day and make an impression.

© March 2014-Stuatthezoo.blogspot.com.au

In Focus – Polar Bear

Status: Vulnerable

Geographic Region:  Arctic Circle and surrounding land masses

Meaning of Name:  Their scientific name (Ursus maritimus) means Maritime Bear

Habitat:  Hunting grounds across ice and open water

Threats:  Global Warming

Left in Wild:  20,000 to 25,000

 

Relaxing at Polar Bear Shores at Sea World Gold Coast

The polar bear is the largest species of bear in the world and is closely related to the brown bear.  Although most species of bears will have a mixed diet including fish, meat and a range of berries, a polar bear's primary food is meat, making them the most carnivorous of all bears.  They travel very long distances up to 300 km a day sea ice hopping in the open ocean and searching for their preferred prey the Ring Seal and Bearded Seal.

Unlike other bears, polar bears are not territorial and will try to avoid confrontation most of the time. A bear that has a full belly and is satisfied will rarely attack a human unless cornered and provoked. They will generally just turn around and run away. A polar bear that is hungry is an entirely different prospect; this is when they are at their most dangerous.  Polar bears are excellent patient hunters so most people that have been attacked had no idea that they were being stalked.  Polar bears attack humans for food making survival from a polar bear attack, very rare.

 

You don't want to be on the receiving end of this paw

Female polar bears will have their cubs between November and February and the cubs will be weaned at approximately two and a half years and then chased off and abandoned to fend for themselves. Polar bears are solitude animals that prefer to hunt on their own however they will meet other bears from time-to-time and interact by playing. Polar bears life expectancy in the wild is around 25 years of age.The longest living captive polar bear was a female living to the ripe old age of 43.

The biggest threat to polar bears is the melting of sea ice due to global warming. This significantly restricts the hunting range by preventing the bears from going out to their traditional sea ice hunting grounds. Unfortunately this can make the bears take more risks. Recently bears have been found hundreds of kilometers out to sea with no sea ice in sight, exhausted and hungry they have been known to drown.  It’s a sad fact that the polar bear could be one of the first species wiped out because of climate change.  With its habitat literally melting away starvation is a real prospect for a lot of these huge carnivores. Starvation is not the only impact to polar bears from global warming -  with females not able to create snow dens to have cubs, stress is causing significant disruption to mating seasons and the amount of cubs a female may have. 

Stu’s Zoo Pick for the Polar Bear

Enjoying the sun at the Bronx Zoo

Although I haven’t been to a lot of zoos that have polar bears yet, two zoos that I have reviewed that have good polar bear enclosures are Bronx Zoo and Central Park Zoo (Sadly Gus the polar bear at Central Park Zoo passed away on August the 28th 2013. Gus was 27 years old). I will be visiting Sea World Orlando in December 2013 to review that park including their polar bear enclosure.

Sea World on the Gold Coast is the only place you can see polar bears in Australia at their excellent enclosure - Polar Bear Shores.  Recently they announced that Liya and Nelson, two long time residents of the park are now proud parents of a baby cub. This is only the second polar bear to be born in Australia and the first at Sea World - Gold Coast. You can see the tiny cub via Cub Cam HERE. Mum and the cub will be kept in a dark room to mimic a den for up to 10 weeks, only then will we know the gender of the cub.  I will keep this post updated with the latest info on the little fluff ball. 

Polar Bear Shores at Sea World Gold Coast

© May 2013-Stuatthezoo.blogspot.com.au

Are birds boring?

I admit it – some bird exhibits at zoos don’t excite me at all.  I don’t rush to the bird section of a zoo as soon as I arrive, and I certainly don’t linger around that section once I have come upon it. Don’t get me wrong, I love birds and enjoy the huge variety that visit my home regularly.  But when it comes to zoos, well that’s a different story.
  

Bald Eagle in its aviary at the Bronx Zoo

Zoos have come a long way in the last 50 years. Huge advancements in animal welfare has ensured the improvement of enclosures immeasurably both in size and look, yet when I visit the bird section in some zoos it’s like nothing has changed at all.  I don’t mean that these birds are being mistreated or even housed incorrectly. I mean it’s just boring – after seeing the tenth aviary that looks the same as the last nine.  All ten with their strategically placed dead branches acting as perches, where two or three equally uninterested birds sit motionless staring right back at me. Frankly I’m ready to move on. Why? Because today I expect more from zoos!  

Bird spotter cards at Central Park Zoo's impressive rainforest enclosure

A Scarlet Ibis at the Central Park Zoo

So no, of course birds aren’t boring – but yes in some cases I believe their enclosures are. Birds are social, complex,  smart animals that deserve to be housed in enclosures that bring those traits out, and in turn give us the opportunity to see them. These type of enclosures are also better environments for the birds. I have seen some fantastic examples of enclosures that showcase birds at their best at many zoos, and yet some shocking examples at those same zoos.  The Australian Wetlands enclosure at Perth Zoo in Western Australia, is a great example of both ground dwelling and tree dwelling birds living together in a large netted enclosure representing several environs. Both the Bronx Zoo and Central Park Zoo, in New York, have enclosures that don’t just house birds but also incorporate reptiles and mammals from specific habitats making for a natural enclosure that looks great and also helps in the zoos animal enrichment programs. 
 

A couple of beautiful Long-Tailed Glossy Starlings in the Central Park Zoos rainforest enclosure

 Of course not every bird is suited to these enclosures, especially birds of prey like eagles and owls, but every bird deserves to be housed in a large natural enclosure that represents their own habitat. Birds are not boring so zoos should stop putting them in boring enclosures, both the birds and the people who come to see them deserve better. 

Another impressive enclosure at Central Park Zoo

On a slightly different note, a recent study by the British Trust for Ornithology has suggested that over 100 million birds fly into windows every year in the United Kingdom and a third of these feathered friends die. After you have digested the magnitude of that figure, it’s interesting to note how zoos stop captive birds flying into windows in some of their enclosures. Vertical strips are placed on some windows, but another way to stop birds from flying into windows is smearing soap all over the windows as shown below at the Bronx Zoo. So if you have random birds flying into your windows - soap is a great solution! 
© May 2013-Stuatthezoo.blogspot.com.au

Children’s Zoos / Petting Zoos

"Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see".  Neil Postman

Tisch Children's Zoo at Central Park Zoo

I was very lucky as a kid, because of my dad's job we travelled and lived in many places around Australia. Living on farms, small towns in the outback and bordering National Parks. That childhood experience gave me the opportunity to interact with  all sorts of domestic and wild animals.  In some ways I think this has influenced my way of thinking and why I am so passionate about animals and nature.  

I am sure experiences, or the lack of them, can be what shapes our attitudes towards some things.  In today's mega cities it can be easy for kids to be separated from nature and animals. Children's Zoos can give kids the opportunity to discover and experience the world of nature and hopefully influence their attitudes for the best.

The first Children’s Zoo opened in England at the London Zoo in 1938. It was a total contrast to the regular zoo where wild animals were behind cages - to be observed only and definitely not touched.   Since then, these zoos have been established as part of larger zoos, and sometimes as stand-alone ones.

A Children’s Zoo is where children can see and learn about  a variety of placid domestic and wild animals such as sheep, goats, rabbits, horses, chickens and pythons (Alpacas have also been popular but they do spit and bite, so maybe stay away from them!). Generally these animals can be touched, fed and held. Some Children’s Zoos also grow crops and have exhibits showing where food comes from. Some petting zoos travel and can be seen at school fetes, carnivals and even shopping malls.

Feeding station at Tisch Children's Zoo

Stu's Pick 

Tropical Fruit World  

Located in Northern NSW, Australia, this park has a unique opportunity to not only see and feed animals but also see and taste a large range of tropical fruit from all over the world.

Tisch Children's Zoo  
All four of the zoos in New York City have a  Children's Zoo. This one at Central Park Zoo  was my favourite of those that I visited.

Entrance into Tisch Children's Zoo

Sea World Gold Coast   
There are some unique opportunities to interact with all sorts of sea creatures at the touch pools at Shark Bay or feed rays at Ray Reef.  

Touch pool at Sea World

  

Ray Reef at Sea World

It’s important to note that animals may have diseases that can be passed onto humans. Common sense hygiene practices are recommended after handling any animal – and most petting areas will have something nearby to assist you with this.

Please see this website for more details:

www.health.nsw.gov.au/factsheets/general/pettingzoo_fs.html

In Focus - Victoria Crowned Pigeon

Status: Vulnerable

  

Geographic Region: Papua New Guinea region

  

Meaning of name: Commemorates the British Monarch – Queen Victoria

  

Habitat: Swamps and lowlands of  Papua New Guinea

Threats: Habitat loss and poaching

Left in Wild: Unknown    

 

The Victoria Crowned Pigeon is the largest pigeon on earth in some cases exceeding three kilos.   This is a gregarious species (enjoying the company of others in its species) and will tend to travel in pairs and groups. Both parents help raise their young with the male collecting twigs, palms etc for the nest in which generally only one egg is laid.

Unfortunately the Victoria Crowned Pigeons biggest downfall has been its friendliness and trust towards humans, allowing them to easily be hunted to the point where it will be very rare to see one in populated areas.

The Victoria Crowned Pigeon is now the rarest of the three crowned pigeon species in the wild, but the most common in zoos and is now becoming popular with breeders and as pets.

Stu’s Zoo Pick for the Victoria Crowned Pigeon

Central Park Zoo has a large indoor rainforest enclosure, where you can walk amongst these large birds. Be careful however as the pigeons do tend to share the same walkway as visitors and skilfully weave between peoples feet.

Rainforest enclosure at Central Park Zoo - Watch your step

Disney's Animal Kingdom has a large walk through enclosure based on the Maharaja Jungle Trek. This  enclosure houses a large variety of Asian birds including the Victoria Crowned Pigeon.

 Disney's Animal Kingdom