Cleveland Zoo Pictures Part 1

Here are a few pictures from the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo!

Two New Safari Attractions at the Wilds

 The Wilds in Southeast Ohio announced two new amazing sounding attractions. If they keep expanding like this it's going to turn into a full-blown resort requiring multiple days to experience everything. Sounds good to me!

Zipline Safari

Enjoy the Wilds from an aerial perspective! Led by two professionally trained guides, this 2 ½ hour zipline safari tour consists of 10 ziplines and a rappel built on a series of observation platforms overlooking various exotic animal species that are home to the Wilds. You'll zip along a network of cables, through the trees, over the animal watering holes, lakes, and pastures, finally landing among the amazing giraffes. This tour is designed to excite anyone with a love for wildlife and a bit of adventure. Don’t miss this incredible, first of its kind, outdoor experience during your visit to the Wilds! Make your reservation today. For more information on Zipline Safari click here. Tours begin June 27th.

Horseback Safari

Led by professional trained guides, this tour consists of a relaxing horseback ride along a beautiful hillside overlooking various animal species that call the Wilds home. The tour is designed to excite anyone with the love for wildlife and a bit of adventure. For more information on Horseback Safari click here.

Cleveland Zoo: Elephant Crossing Pictures and Review

As an engineer one of my favorite aspects of going to a zoo is just looking at the exhibits and how they are designed and setup, how the park is organized, etc. The new Elephant Crossing exhibit employs an interesting and unique gimmick but appears to have a serious design flaw. The elephant yards are broken up into two semi-circular areas, a Savannah on one side and a more wooded area on the other. There is a path for visitors leading to the the center of the circle where the indoor elephant viewing (and naked mole rat) is located. There are gates on either side of this passage way that swing open and let the elephants pass from one yard to the other.  A neat idea but when the gates are open it prevents visitors from entering or exiting the inner circle of the exhibit. The pathway may be only blocked for fifteen minutes but it does cause a bit of an annoyance. I think it would have served just as well to have used a bridge or a tunnel for the elephants (such as in the Rhino Rally elephant exhibit at Busch Gardens Tampa). Even when the elephants are crossing, you can't see them that well and don't get all that much closer to them either. Overall, an interesting and unique concept that maybe could have been executed better. Here are a few pictures.

Cleveland Zoo 2011 Map

I did it! I finally made it out to my first zoo of the year and it also turned out to be one I have never visited before. Here is the map for the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. Pictures, reviews, and video will be coming soon!

Trip to the Zoo

It looks like it is finally going to happen. On Sunday I will be going to my first zoo of the year. Be sure to follow me on Twitter @NtwProductions where I will be tweeting live from the Cleveland Zoo. Stay tuned for new pictures, a review, and probably video too!