Alma Park Zoo - Review

Location – CLOSED

Entry Price - Adults $37.00AUD Children (3-13) $27.00AUD Pensioner $29.00AUD

Opening Hours - 9.00am to 4.00pm. Closed Christmas Day and open from 1pm to 5pm on Anzac Day 25^th April 

Alma Park Zoo web page

Layout 

Entrance is via Alma Road, with a ticketing station located at the end of a long tree-lined driveway. Cars can park in one of two parking zones located within the zoo after paying at ticketing station. There are two sections to the zoo, left of the car parks and right of car park. Right of the car park is where you will find koalas, Friendship Farm ( a children's section of the zoo), a selection of primates, deer, wombats and camels. Left of the car park is the location of Lemur Island, the sun bear, red pandas and a selection of Australian mammals, birds and reptiles. This area is where you will also find the cafe - gift shop, presentation area and an ATM.

Picnic areas are provided throughout the park including barb-e-ques and picnic tables in a rain forest setting. Bathroom facilities are located in both sections of the park.

Extra Activities

Presentation and feeding times are scheduled daily and posted at each enclosure and the main presentation area - they are included in your entrance fee. Opportunities to get your photo taken with a koala, snake or crocodile are scheduled over the day and cost extra.

Breeding Programs

The main focus is on koalas, tamarins and the tasmanian devil. The zoos resident sun bear, Maly was the first sun bear to be born in captivity in Australia and was born at Perth Zoo as part of its sun bear breeding program.  

 

Malayan Sun Bear

Stu’s Favourite Bit

For me the best bit about this zoo is the Friendship Park Children’s section, it is small but well set out and has a good variety of domestic animals including calves, sheep, goats and baby chickens. Feed bags can be purchased on entry for one dollar each.

Go HERE to see a selection of animals found at Alma Park Zoo at Stu @ the zoo TV 

 

Some of the farm animals at Friendship Park

Stu’s review and tips  

I have to say right from the top that I was very disappointed in some of the enclosures at this zoo and was very close to not doing a review on this zoo at all.The reason I started this blog was to promote zoos that educate their visitors on the importance of conservation of both the animals and their environments. A good zoo can do this by building a connection between visitors and the animals. They will provide you an opportunity to look into inviting enclosures that mimic animal’s natural environs showing you not only the animals but giving you an insight into their habitat and how they live in the wild. At the very least when you leave a zoo you should have an understanding of some of the animal’s predicaments in the wild and at the very best you may even change your own habits just enough to help in the preservation of our environment. In short  a visit to the zoo should be a fun adventure that inspires and educates. Although Alma Park Zoo does have some good enclosures mainly for koalas and kangaroos I found a lot of the enclosures to be small and unnatural looking and some of the animals looked bored. 

 

 Himalayan Baboons in their cage

 

For a small zoo, Alma Park Zoo has a good collection of primates including marmosets, spider monkeys, baboons and tamarins. However they are all housed in mesh covered small cages that makes it next to impossible to see the animals properly and looks far from natural. To be honest that seemed to be the main feature of most of the non-Australian animal enclosures that I viewed–  small cages covered in wire, mesh and plastic making it very hard to see the animals. This style was most evident at the Macaw's enclosure where it was hard to see what colour it was let alone any specific features. Other bird enclosures were just boring and the caged birds looked just as bored.   

 

Hairy - Nosed Wombat

Lemur Island is surrounded by a beautiful lake featuring ducks, water dragons and turtles. But the feature on the island is an old cubby house style enclosure that dominates the island and in my opinion takes away from any natural look that may have been achieved. The island looked far to small to house the amount of Lemur's they had on display. The sun bear enclosure looked terrible and the sun bear on display looked totally bored and uninterested . Despite my opinion about the style of the enclosures and the animals welfare, the whole zoo was immaculately clean.

 

 

The grounds are set in lush tropical gardens with free range brush turkeys and peacocks roaming throughout. It is the perfect place to bring the family for a barb-e-que picnic but make sure you also bring the insect repellent as the mosquitoes can get a bit annoying. People with disabilities or not so quick on their feet may find it difficult to negotiate some of the paths that are a mixture of gravel or in some cases uneven paved bricks. 

Lemur Island

 

I waited for 15 minutes to see the sun bear being fed – once the keeper arrived, food was unceremoniously thrown over the fence – nearly hitting the poor bear. I would have thought this was an excellent opportunity to engage with the many people waiting for the advertised feeding time.  It would have been nice to have heard a little about the sun bear – what do they eat?  What is that thing you are throwing at it?  Where did this sun bear come from? Unfortunately she did not say anything to either the bear or the visitors - not even a hello. Hear is the Video of the sun bear feeding time at Alma Park Zoo   

  

Friendship Park was a great little children's section and the kangaroo walk through where people could interact with and feed the kangaroos was also a crowd-pleaser. The reptile enclosure however totally missed the mark with a few fish tanks acting as enclosures placed in a wood hut, housing a small variety of reptiles. I have to say I have seen better displays at some Australian pet stores. 

 

Sulphur - Crested Cockatoo in its cage

There have been on again off again reports that this zoo will be moving for years now, with no firm announcements being made as yet.  I put a lot of what I have seen down to this possible move and subsequent delay to modernise some of the enclosures by adopting more modern animal housing practices. Alma Park Zoo has a lot of potential and that is the reason I chose to do this review, in the hope that their potential is realised, move or no move.
© May 2013-Stuatthezoo.blogspot.com.au

Bronx Zoo - New York City

 

Location – 2300 Southern Blvd, Bronx, New York City

 

Entry Price – Prices do vary dependent on desired experience and what day you are visiting. 

Total Experience Tickets (recommended)

March to May, Adults $29.95US Children (3 to 12) $19.95US Senior (65+) $24.95US

June to November, Adults $33.95US Children (3 to 12) $23.95US Senior (65+) $28.95US

Opening Hours – Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm, Weekends & Holidays 10am to 5.30pm

Bronx Zoo web page 

 

 

Layout

This is a large zoo, claiming to be the largest urban zoo in the world. The zoo has four entrances with the Southern Boulevard, Asia and Bronx River entrances serviced by large car parks. The fourth being the main entrance off Fordham Road.  Your experience may differ depending on which entry you come in by.

 

 

The zoo is divided up into many sections. At the southern end is where you can see Lions, Giraffes, Zebras and African Wild Dogs whilst walking through the African Plains. This area is adjacent to the Congo Gorilla Forrest, home to Gorillas and other Primates.  You can take a monorail through Asia, ride a camel or take a stroll over the Himalayan Highlands. The Northern end is home to Bird aviaries, Tiger Mountain, Children Zoo, Bison range and Monkey House and the centre of the zoo is the location of the Butterfly Garden, Reptile Pavilion, Bears and Nocturnal House amongst many other attractions. The entire zoo is connected by a shuttle service.

 

Each section of the zoo has restrooms, cafes, retail stores and other facilities that have been themed to fit their location. All are very well signed and conveniently located.

  

One of the many peacocks roaming the zoo

 

Extra Activities

Grab the total experience tickets so that you can view the entire zoo or you will end up paying separate amounts, at more cost. Jungle world, Wild Asia Monorail, the shuttle, Butterfly Garden and the Congo Gorilla Forest are just some of the exhibits and activities that will cost extra if you don’t purchase the Total Experience tickets at the gate.

 

There are a good amount of shows and exhibits located over the entire zoo. A few are seasonal and some are only for a short time so please check the web page and plan your visit. With so much to see and do you probably won’t be able to do it all in one day, but you can definitely give it a go. There is a traditional carousel for the little ones and the price is included with your Total Experience Tickets.

 

There is a heavy emphasis on education and conservation messages at most enclosures with some great interactive displays.

 

 

Part of Tiger Mountain conservation display

 

Breeding Programs  

This zoo is one of five zoos and aquariums in New York City managed by the Wildlife Conservation Society. Visit their website via this link to see the awesome work that they are doing to protect animals in so many regions around the world. It’s nice to know your entry ticket is helping out with this work.

 

 

Stu’s Favourite Bit

I had lots to choose from but I have to mention the feeling I had whilst sitting back at a cafe at the African Somba Village, eating a hot dog and looking up at the Baboon Reserve.This is one of the largest primate enclosures in the US. It’s a replica of a hill side on the African Alps and it is spectacular. You have a vista sprawling out in front of you as you watch Baboons and Ibexes mingle whilst displaying their natural behaviors in their complex social groups. I could have easily spent a large portion of the day right there. Oh yeah - and the hot dogs were pretty good too. 

 

Go HERE to see a selection of animals found at this zoo at 

stu @ the zoo TV

 

Grab a hot dog with a great view

 

 

Gelada Baboons at Baboon Reserve

 

 

Stu’s review and tips

I’ll try and keep this review brief, but being such a large zoo it’s going to be a bit difficult . I’ll start by saying I was a tiny bit disappointed on the day of my visit. This was my first big northern hemisphere zoo, and it was cold, so I did not know what to expect. I knew the monorail; butterfly gardens and a few other exhibits wouldn’t be open but was surprised at how many animals did not venture out in cold conditions. It makes sense of course, but I was shocked to see up to six giraffes housed in a small indoor enclosure. As you can see by the photo below, you could be forgiven for thinking that I was at the natural history museum. I’m probably being a little harsh so this has prompted me to look into enclosures for hot and cold climate zoos. So I’m not going to pass judgment until I do more research and do a separate post on this subject.  

 

Not the Natural History Museum

The zoo is big and there is so much to see that it was a little overwhelming. I loved the size of some of the Savannah enclosures (even if they were empty) the indoor Madagascar and Jungle World enclosures are amazing and a must do. It appeared like entire Eco systems had been created with several species together in one enclosure.

 

Entrance to Madagascar enclosure

The way the zoo has incorporated conservation messages at some of the enclosures is very clever. No more so than at Tiger Mountain. The interactive display leaves you in no doubt in the tiger’s precarious position in the wild, and the part humans are playing in this. 

 

The Congo Gorilla Forest is another spectacular indoor outdoor enclosure but a small word of warning. We paid for a Total Experience ticket that incorporates all entry prices, so we just went straight in. However others paid for the pleasure of seeing gorillas at the enclosure entry. Once in we walked the entire enclosure (again, great conservation messages) only to find a sign at the very end announcing that due to the cold weather the gorillas will not be on display outside. Maybe I missed them inside but being a gorilla fanatic, it was disappointing.

 

The zoo shops do not stock memory cards for your camera. They do provide disposable cameras.

 

The zoo shuttle only picks up from two locations, there are multiple drop off points but you can only get on near the Asia entrance and at the centre of the zoo near the main zoo shop.

 

You easily forget that you are in one of the world’s largest cities. The paths and surroundings are heavily wooded and the themes of some of the enclosures are quite effective. Some of the signage does look a little tired though.

 

Beautifully presented enclosures

  

This visit to the Bronx Zoo was a learning experience for me. My biggest hint for this zoo is do your research if you are keen to have a particular experience. This is a world class zoo that has done an outstanding job in combining, education with a sense of discovery.

I do intend to go back during warmer months. So let’s just call this my Winter Review of the Bronx Zoo.

Must See Animals  

Penguins 
Sea Lions 
Gorilla 
Giraffe
Bison
Gelada Baboon
Elephant 
Tiger 
Lion 

© April 2013-Stuatthezoo.blogspot.com.au

In Focus - Orang-utan

Status: Critically Endangered

Geographic Region: Asia

Meaning of name: Person of the forest     

Habitat: Rain forest

Threats: Around 80% of habitat lost due to deforestation

Left in Wild: Approximately 3500      

Captive Population: Approximately 665

Melbourne Zoo

The Orang-utan is one of the great apes and the largest arboreal (living among the trees) mammals found on earth today. There are two species of orang-utan, Sumatran and Bornean. They are a highly intelligent species known to solve complex problems, using tools and planning for tasks in advance. Orang-utans are solitary animals rarely meeting others of their species unless mating; they live for on average for 35years in the wild and 60 years in zoos.

 

Stu’s zoo pick for orang-utans

Perth Zoo, Australia is a world leader in the breeding of the Sumatran orang-utan having successfully bred 26 orang-utans since 1970 as part of its captive breeding program. In 2006 Perth Zoo released one of its female orang-utans, Temara into Bukit Tigapuluh National Park as part of a release program to help re-establish a viable population of Sumatran orang-utans.

Orang-utan at Perth Zoo

Zoos breeding programs play an important role in species’ survival by increasing the diversity of their gene pool. The healthier and more diverse a specific population becomes the more opportunity there is of increasing population numbers and therefore lowering the possibility of extinction. 

 

Singapore Zoo has the world’s largest orang-utan enclosure and population. There are three separate enclosures. An island (which is a natural enclosure as orang-utans can’t swim); enclosed cages for breeding; and free range areas where large trees have been fitted with hot wire around their trunks stopping orang-utans from coming down the trunks and escaping. This allows for the primates to freely swing between trees throughout the zoo.   I am hoping to review Singapore Zoo in 2014

Australian Orang-utan Project 

www.orangutan.org.au/index.htm 

Ocean Park, Hong Kong review

 

Location - Aberdeen, Hong Kong

Entry Price - Adult = $280HKD Children (3 - 11) –$140HKD

Opening Hours - 10am to 7pm – Times vary dependent on seasons, so please check details on web page prior to visit.  

Ocean Park web page

 

Layout

Ocean Park is a mixture of zoo, aquarium and theme park. It is a large park divided into two sections separated by a rocky mountain in the centre, all situated on the coast.  Both sections of the park are divided into smaller themed areas. 

 

view from cable car

The lower section called the Water Front includes Amazing Asian Animals, Whisker Harbour and Aqua City whilst the top section is called the Summit and includes Thrill Mountain, Polar Adventure, Rain-forest, Marine World and Adventure Land.  Both sections are joined by a cable car and themed funicular railway.

 

 

There is a good selection of both marine and Asian animal enclosures placed around the entire park.

 

The Water Front includes red and giant pandas, primates, exotic bird aviary and the largest dome aquarium in the world, holding over 4000 fish.

 

 

The Summit includes dolphins, walruses, seals, sharks, arctic foxes, snow owls, king and gentoo penguins, sturgeon aquarium and assorted rain-forest animals.

The rest of the park consists of themed rides, eateries and shops. The top section of the park has quite a few steps and escalators to negotiate including the second largest escalator in the world. 

 

A sea lion at Ocean Park 

Extra Activities  

As this is an amusement park there are plenty of rides and shows on offer.

The park does offer behind the scene animal experiences for most of their major exhibits as well as dolphin and sea lion shows. You will also find some great educational talks on various species of fish, birds and mammals at most enclosures throughout the day.  

 

 

Breeding Programes

Bottlenose Dolphins, Gentoo and King  Penguins, 

Eight young Koalas are being donated to the park by the South Australian Government and are are expected to arrive in 2014,once eucalyptus plantations for feed are established on  main land China.  This will be part of a world wide conservation ambassador program.    

 

Stu’s Favourite Bit

The giant pandas were by far my favorite part of the visit.

Ocean Park has four giant pandas, named An An, Jia Jia, Le Le and Ying Ying and their enclosures are world standard.  Located in large glass air-conditioned structure, they have plenty of trees, shrubs and large boulders lining the grassy knolls which gently slope upwards away from the large glass viewing windows. This allows visitors great views of the panda and their habitat, while also giving the pandas a suitable habitat.

(The video below shows the giant pandas getting stuck into some bamboo!.)

 

 

 

Stu at the panda enclosure

 

 

 

Stu’s review and tips

Ocean Park is a huge clean park covering 210 acres. There are 11 animal exhibits scattered between rides, shops and cafes.  Make sure you plan in advance on the park map if you want to see all the animal. For me it was all about the giant pandas and luckily they are located on the lower level of the park near the entrance.   

Ocean Park is the 12^th most visited theme park in the world so it can get very, very busy, especially over the Chinese New Year’s period in February!  If you are visiting the park over a busy period make sure you plan your exit strategy in advance. Huge lines of people make their way to both the funicular railway and cable car at closing time. These are the only two ways to get down to The Water Front at the lower section of the park, where the exit is. So be warned....

The cable car is a must do. The journey lasts approximately 8 minutes and takes you over spectacular cliffs with views looking out to the South China Sea.

Be prepared for high humidity over the summer months. A lot of the shows on offer are subject to weather conditions so rainy days may affect your overall experience.

 

Giant Panda at Ocean Park

 

 

 

I came to this park to see a Giant Panda.  I left the park with sore feet, exhausted, soaking wet from the rapids ride and that horrific humidity. Oh...  and those crowds!  But I would absolutely recommend this park, if only to see those amazing giant pandas.   

 

Must See Animals 

Giant Panda 

Red Panda 

Sharks 

Sea Lions 

Koala 

 

  © February 2013-Stuatthezoo.blogspot.com.au