Memphis Zoo: Beauty and the Beasts!
Written: Mar 28 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Wild Cats and Primates exhibits are superb!
Cons: Some Animals Needs More Space!
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| vickie's Full Review: Memphis Zoo |
Memphis Tennessee has more than great ribs and blues-it has a wonderful urban zoo that is certainly worth a visit, whether you are a local or a visitor. What is an urban zoo? It's a modern zoo in the middle of the city, limited in space but with a vibrant and healthy population of exotic animals, an interesting educational program and an obvious love and respect for it's charges. Make no mistake, this zoo is in the middle of "old Memphis", a residential area filled with wonderful old homes, built on modest tracks of land and well maintained. This puts tremendous constraints upon what kinds of space the zoo is able to make available for its' collection. Visiting here and looking at the animals reminded me of my own life when I lived in Manhattan: space is at a premium and everybody needs to make major adjustments! Nothing has the space it really deserves. However, this zoo does a good job of maximizing what land is available to them.
WHAT THEY DO WELL:
The exhibits devoted to large, wild cats and primates are two real gems! The wild cat collection and exhibitions are some of the best that I have seen-and I visit a lot of zoos! "Cat Country" is a largely outdoor, natural habitat collection of lions, cheetahs, caracals, "petite predators" (little wildcats), black leopards, snow leopards, jaguars, Sumatran tigers, clouded leopards and a big "fishing cat"( these guys frequently enter the water to hunt frogs, fish and even mollusks!). All of the cats appear to be healthy and exhibit few signs of stress. The animal areas feature lots of trees, waterfalls and water pools, and many educational signs explain the heritage of the cats, their natural breeding grounds and efforts made to assist them in avoiding the perils of their naturally declining numbers. The zoo does an excellent job of integrating horticultural exhibitions with the animal areas creating a beautiful and very special visitor experience.
The cheetahs are absolutely regal. The exhibition signs explain that they are one of the most difficult cats to breed and that the species continues to decline, in spite of modern efforts to assist them. Apparently, about 10,000 years ago there was a natural disaster than almost wiped them out and severely decreased their genetic pool, decreasing their ability to adapt to change and decreasing their reproductive rate. Learning about their problems as you watch their splendor is a very sobering experience.
"Primate Canyon" is also an area that this zoo deserves to be really proud of. Again, there are reasonably large outdoor spaces in which the animals play and observe the people. This collection includes very healthy specimens of Orangutans, Siamang (primates with an inflated throat sac that creates a piercing cry) lowland gorillas, black & white cololus monkeys and a Mona monkey.
Caracal cats were new to me. They are the size of medium-sized dogs and breathtakingly beautiful. They are named for a Turkish word for "black ear" and they use their dramatically tufted ears as well as facial markings to communicate. They are well adapted to deserts and apparently seldom drink liquid! They are indigenous to Africa and Saudi Arabia. Caracals are considered "petite predators", other cats in this group include: pampas cats, servals, pallas cats, bobcats and pumas.
Another cat that was new to me was the clouded leopard. The Chinese call this beautiful animal the "mint cat" because the coat markings resemble mint leaves! These cats are beautiful beyond belief and one of them answered all of my "kittie calls!"
WHAT THEY DON'T DO WELL:
Unfortunately, not every species fares as well as the two groups above. The zoo has obviously put programs in place, over time, to upgrade their facilities and, out of necessity, some of their charges are still waiting for some much-needed improvements. These include the hippos and otters. I visited in early spring when their outdoor areas were still closed due to the weather. The result was that theses animals are living in small, grim concrete "bins" with only small pools of water. The hippo occupied about 20% of his total available space when he was at rest-and he looked pretty sad. The otters had more space (proportionally) and some "toys" but their space was very sterile and they didn't appear to be too lively. It was sad. I put an extra donation into one of the available collection sites hoping that the zoo could "step up" its modernization program! The camel and Asian Hoofed Animal area is also too small and too sparse for the large animals that live there.
Other areas that could "use some work" included the Asian Garden, which was pretty sparse-and not in the oriental-style sense! Also, the "Once Upon a Farm" area was on the strange side. I was raised in a farm community and there was nothing about this area that would give an urban child a feeling about farming or farm animals! Most of the animals were exotics, not domestic and the displays of "crops" looked more like large window box gardens. I found it to be confusing.
There are many other things to see and do at this zoo. It is a wonderful place for adults and children alike. However, it is particularly ideal for small children-safe and of a scope and size that they can really get close to and appreciate the flora and fauna. There is a nice Herpetarium, featuring snakes, turtles, crocadiles and alligators. The "Dragon's Lair" made me feel that I had landed in prehistoric times. It is a wonderfully managed exhibit of Komodo Dragons. The Tropical Bird House is small but has two nice, open areas of exhibits. One of them, the "Open Flight Area" allows you to walk through an area with birds flying loose, singing and chattering. It's really great!
Perhaps the best commentary on this zoo is reflected on the signage outside an exhibit area devoted to bears, "Northwest Passage". It reads: "Because we are committed to providing our animals with the best facilities and care we will not be obtaining any new bears until their new home is completed. If you would like to help make this dream come true for our bears, please visit the membership booth for more info." This zoo is FULL and can barely handle the population size that they currently have. It appears that they are addressing this situation in a responsible manner. I enjoyed my visit-and I think that you would too! For more information, visit their web site at www.memphiszoo.org
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
vickie
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Location: Waltham, MA
Reviews written: 75
Trusted by: 113 members
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