Cincinnati Zoo Trip: 12/26/2015

[MDMC01]

Hey all, MDMC01 here. I went to the zoo yesterday with my uncle and had a blast. I was originally going to just post  a summery in the “Random Discussion Thread”, but I just decided to make a trip report about it instead.

 

We got to the zoo around 1 or 2 ish and it was raining a bit. After getting a map, we first headed to see the Elephants. I was very disoriented as I hadn’t been to the zoo in a while and wasn’t too familiar with paths coming from the new entrance.  We saw two elephants in the main enclosure and then the bull elephant next door. The bull elephant got really close to the fence and waved his trunk at me with the one finger-like tip (can anyone tell me what this means? Paging Faeriewench…). After that, we decided to see the Giraffes. Most of them were inside because of the weather, and I saw a few of them, including the baby. We then headed to the new Africa exhibit. Going in, I figured I wouldn’t see much because of the on-again, off-again rain and so I considered this first-time visit as a sneak preview, much as media days are in the coaster world! The new area looks big and expansive (the giraffe area used to just dead end after some stairs) and I was able to see an Ostrich, a Crowned Crane and some gazelle. I also got to see the construction on the new hippo area, slated to open in 2016. As we were walking back towards the entrance of the area, I also got to see some meerkats. Overall, The area seemed cool, but part of me misses the old parking lot and I think it’ll be really cool seeing this area in the summer with warmer weather (as my uncle said there are a ton of animals on display).

 

Upon exiting Africa, I saw the exhibit entrance sign and then started to get my bearings as I was entering the zoo from the old entrance. We then decided to head to the Children’s Zoo next. Surprisingly, the penguins weren’t out and the Nursery was empty save for a few toys and such. I saw a few goats and noticed that what used to be the Blakely’s Barnyard area was now a show (!?) that features barnyard animals. When walking away from the roped-off show area, I managed to see a lone Indian Rhino below, which was really cool. We then made our way to see the sea lions and walked around Wolf Woods. It was cool to spot the wolves and see the otter having a ball. Upon leaving the Children’s Zoo, we headed to Wings of the World. I was disappointed to see the walkabout aviary had been closed (or only open at certain times, according to the sign and the map), but I overall enjoyed the exhibit. Before going inside, there was this spinny plaything I wanted to try (because there was almost no one at the zoo; my uncle and I both remarked it was like a ghost town!), but I couldn’t get it to spin as I guess the thing wasn’t completely balanced. Once inside, I played with some of the educational displays (the crank that moves the wing was super cool) and then headed to the first aviary, featuring birds in some rainforest, complete with a bird blind. While that was cool, the next walkthrough blew my mind. Through the sliding glass doors led to an Australasian rain forest, complete with bats, hornbills, and several smaller birds. I stayed in there for a couple minutes, taking it all in. Suddenly, one of the smaller birds started squawking at me, which got the other bird squawking, and it scared me a bit.

 

After that immersive experience, we headed to see birds from the forests and savannah. When we headed towards the end, we saw that the lights in the auklet and penguin exhibits were dimmed for some reason. After that coolness, we headed to the Hebrew garden display (Garden of Peace) where there was a menorah display and a super-cool mosaic. After this, we saw the Bears and then headed to one of my most favorite and anticipated exhibits, Jungle Trails. Jungle Trails has remained one of my favorite zoo exhibits ever since I was a little kid obsessed with animals and the zoo. It’s still as well themed as ever, but there is an actual path that replaced the more authentic-looking dirt path. Because it was raining, most of the outdoor animals were either not on display or were inside. Although the foliage looked like much of the same, there were some differences in the trail that I’d like to point out. There were some interactive displays for the kids, such as swinging ropes and a test to see if one could tie their shoes without using their thumbs. By far, the coolest thing, though, was a touch screen that projected its video/image content onto another screen. I watched a video that starred none other than one of my childhood heroes, Thane Maynard. I actually got to meet Mr. Maynard a few times when I was a kid and it was really cool to see him talking about saving Bonobos and another species (orangutans, I think?) by using sustainable palm oil (and yes, there is an app for that!) and recycling old cell phones. He may be getting older, but he’s still got it! Those videos really reminded me of a modern version of The Animals CD Rom I had when I was kid that explained about animals at the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park.

 

Continuing the trek through the jungle, I noticed some of the glass was fogged up for some reason, so we couldn’t see some of the animals. I tried one of the rope balancing games, but couldn’t quite get to the other side. After finishing the trek through the jungle, I briefly saw the polar bears (again, the glass was fogged up) and then went through the African Veldt/Rhino Reserve while my uncle waited on the other side. It was a wet journey what with the rain coming down, but it was worth it. I got to catch a glimpse of a rhino before entering the Veldt, but I came across flamingos, a sad-looking zebra (seriously, it was just standing there letting rain pour all over it) and an Okapi. Okapis were one of my favorite animals when I was a kid and it was really cool seeing one again. I stayed there for a few minutes, watching the creature behind some trees, and then caught up with my uncle to go through Manatee Springs. It was nice to be inside, but it was super humid to simulate the Everglades (Fun Fact: this building opened in the early 2000’s and was previously the zoo’s aquarium). We then went past some turtles and saw a manatee just chillin’ on the sea floor.  I noticed that the carpeted bench thing had been replaced by three actual benches. While it did open up the room quite a bit (there were also other factors as well), I sort-of missed what once was. I contemplated making an elongated penny of a rhino, saw some more snakes near the educational area (which had always been there, but had been updated) and then left. I then went back to see the Okapi once more (it had moved since I had left) and then went to get tickets for the 4-D theatre.  

 

While waiting (the show didn’t start until 4), I wanted to show my uncle CREW (Center for Reproduction of Endangered Wildlife), but it appeared to be closed. I asked a ticket associate working at the Carousel, but she told me that it was closed for the winter and it’s more open during the summer (mostly for school groups). Knowing this, we went back to the theater to get tickets after looking for CREW’s entrance according to the signs (in which we ended up at the exit of the Komodo Dragon Exhibit.  I couldn’t decide between the two 4-D movies and initially chose Ice Age 4-D, but then switched to The Polar Express as it least two workers said that one was better. We walked to the theater and sat down.

The film was spliced segments of the movie (I think, I haven’t seen the movie since I was a kid) and made good use of snow, leg ticklers and even a poking sensation. The sensations were unexpected, but it was a quality production.

 

After that, we walked through Dragons! (yes, the exclamation point is part of the name), aka the Komodo Dragon exhibit. There was someone standing by the door and it reminded me of a greeter at the start of a Haunt maze. We went in and I recognized a statue thing (the name escapes me) that I remembered from the May 1999 issue of Wildlife Explorer. I saw the Komodo Dragon (which still looks cool) an read about how it kills its prey. The only other person in the exhibit had a selfie stick with him and was taking pictures. After this, we walked a ways and I had to run to the restroom. However, what I thought was the nearest restroom (near the old Cat House) was apparently taken out, so I had to trek to the new entrance before meeting my uncle near the Insect House. I went in solo, and it hadn’t changed much. It was pretty cool, but the butterfly rainforest wasn’t open, so that was a bummer. I also visited the Passenger Pigeon Memorial and noticed an old zoo sign that (most presumably) led to a back area. After re-grouping with my uncle, we went through Gorilla World. There were 3 gorillas out, including a silverback male. Near the end of the trail, I noticed some of the other monkeys weren’t out, presumably because of the weather.

 

After this, we headed up to what is now Night Hunters, which combines nocturnal creatures and some cats. This is uses the same building as the Cat House and was really cool and dark. Again, it reminded me of a Haunt maze and I got to see some unique animals. This led into Cat Canyon, which was the newest exhibit the last time I came to the zoo. None of the animals were out, but it was a pretty cool trail. We then visited the Reptile House and saw that a tortoise encounter spot had been added outside (I believe there were formally macaws there at one time). It was then we were deciding what to do as the transition to Festival of Lights was starting to take place. I wanted to go to the see the goats at the Children’s Zoo (as they were out as a FoL attraction starting at 4), ride the train (as we heard it running), and go through Wildlife Canyon. We then took a newly created path through some lit trees to see the goats (I thought the barnyard show area would be open, but it wasn’t) at the Children’s Zoo and we boarded the train shortly after. The train was down for mechanical issues, but they were still boarding. Once the train started, there was a downpour throughout the entire ride. Thankfully, most of the train was covered. Since the Festival of Lights was still in season, train riders were treated to a light show, mostly near the Children’s Zoo and around Swan Lake. This year, they had lights with musical scores from Star Wars, Rocky and ET. Once in the station, we decided it was time to head out as it was raining really hard. Before leaving, I went into the Zoo Shop to look around, but didn’t find anything. Right before we left, my uncle wanted me to get a picture with Mrs. Frosty the Snowman, so I did.

 

 

All in all, it was a great day, even with the rain. I know I’ll have to come back in the Spring or Summer to see more of the animals (plus, the new hippo exhibit in Africa) and Crew, but I had a blast seeing what I did get to see. Highlights would have to be Wings of the World, African Veldt (seeing an Indian Rhino from the children’s zoo + the Okapi), Jungle Trails. And although the zoo has changed some over the years, it still delights me to walk through it. I’m going to end this TR with one of the zoo’s old taglines:

“Explore a World of Wonder. Explore the Cincinnati Zoo” 

[thegajone]

I can't wait for the new hippo exhibit. I already got season passes for the first time ever in anticipation. I don't know why but they are so fascinating to me, and I'm looking forward to seeing one in person. They're extremely aggressive, territorial animals so seeing them in captivity should be interesting.

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