Zoo Design: PGAV Destinations Interview

The Season Pass Podcast recently posted a great interview with PGAV Destinations - a themed entertainment design firm that has worked on numerous theme park, zoos, aquarium, and science center projects. They're currently working on Safari Africa at the Columbus Zoo. The main focus of the interview is their relationship with the Busch (now SeaWorld Entertainment) parks. Some of the topics they touched on in their hour long discussion:

• How they helped rebrand Six Flags as Discovery Kingdom
• Georgia Aquarium exhibits use projections
• The perfect picture location on the Manta coaster at Sea World Orlando
• Mixing guests, rides, and animals
• The challenges of building within Sea World San Diego ‘s40 foot height limit
• Designing ”mail box moments” (or Facebook moments)
• An awesome photo opportunity at the lion exhibit in Busch Gardens Tampa
• Glacier Run at Louisville Zoo

Click here to check it out now. If you have any interest in zoo design you should definitely give this a listen!

Columbus Zoo Safari Africa Groundbreaking Ceremony

The Columbus Zoo announced today that tomorrow, September 20th, there will be an official groundbreaking ceremony for its newest region, Safari Africa. The new Columbus Zoo expansion is located north of the old Powell road and will significantly increase the size of the zoo, so much so that new transportation methods from the new region to the entrance of the zoo are being discussed. According to the press release:

“Safari Africa at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium will transform guests into world travelers on an adventure to southern and eastern Africa. Here guests will find a colorful and active village outside the gates of a national park and experience the sights and sounds of a vast savannah, home to a population of fascinating African animals including the return of giraffe and zebra.
At the Columbus Zoo, guests will have an up-close, experiential safari adventure. Africa’s enduring energy, through immersive Zoo experiences, will depict the soul of its land, the spirit of its people and the thrill of its animals.”

Zebras and giraffes are confirmed to make their return to the zoo in the African savannah after a lengthy absence. The groundbreaking ceremony is a private event for invited media members only. Zoo Tails will closely be following the construction of Safari Africa and we will bring you pictures as soon as possible.

Join our Facebook page to keep up to date on the latest developments of Safari Africa expansion. View our previous post to see the initial Safari Africa plans.

How to Draw Animals in Pencil

Do you want to learn how to draw animals?
 

Are you tired of getting laughed at because your drawings of animals aren’t very good? What if you knew exactly how to fix that problem on your own without spending tons of money on expensive art classes? Introducing the ultimate drawing animals in pencil ebook.

I’ve always loved to draw animals but haven’t had much time to since I was a kid. I recently wanted to get back into it but quickly found out my skills hadn’t magically improved. Thankfully, I found this ebook which has almost 500 pages of step by step instructions. The rich and detailed instructions show you how to draw almost any animal: cute animals, baby animals, forest animals, sea animals, realistic animals - this book has it all. There is even a 60 day money back guarantee if you don't get the results you expect then get a full refund. What are you waiting for? Learn how to draw animals in pencil now and start creating those masterpieces!
 

What is your favorite animal to draw?

-Nick

Drawing Tigers

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Interview with a Zoo Designer

I’ve always wondered about how to design a zoo and what you have to do to become a zoo designer. Stacey Tarpley of Designing Zoos is an expert in this area and she agreed to answer a few of our questions about zoo enclosure design. Many thanks to Stacey for sharing her experiences and thoughts on zoo design.

ZT: To begin with could you please give a brief description: who are you and what do you do? What software or tools do you use most frequently?

Stacey: I am a self-titled Zoological Designer at PGAV [Peckham Guyton Albers & Viets, Inc]. I am not an architect, nor a landscape architect, nor an interior designer, nor an interpretive designer; however, I do all of these things. I work with institutions--be it zoos, aquariums, museums, theme parks, resorts--who have live animals in captivity. I concept big ideas for new parks, new regions within a park, new exhibits, and even just new interpretives within an exhibit. I draw by hand, I use Photoshop sometimes, and I put together drawings in AutoCad (although these days, my time spent in AutoCad is far less than when I first started). I spend a lot of time with our clients--the zookeepers, the educators, the administrators, and in-house design teams. We work together as a team to find the best, most creative solution to the design problem at hand.

 

ZT: Sounds like you do a little bit of everything! How did you get involved with zoo design? What fuels your passion for zoo enclosure design?

This was a self-initiated journey! I realized that I wanted to design zoos and aquariums after a high school trip to the Rio de Janeiro Zoo, which was (is?) an extremely old-school and depressing place--rows upon rows of concrete cages with steel bars holding anything and everything from a tapir to tiger. I was moved to tears and realized I wanted to make sure no animals in captivity were subjected to such conditions. I went to Michigan State University and majored in Zoology with a specialization in Zoos and Aquariums (great program--Go Green!), and met a zoo designer, Tony Bauer, in one of the classes. He got me a summer job at the Binder Park Zoo as a construction leader for the wonderful Africa section there--digging holes by hand, hauling telephone poles through the woods in pairs. Another summer in undergrad, I was lucky enough to spend interning at the Cincinnati Zoo in their exhibits department where I learned how to make artificial vines from epoxy and had my first lesson in rock work. After undergrad, I went to North Carolina State University for a master's degree in landscape architecture. Most of my projects involved zoos, much to the chagrin of my profs! My master's thesis was on the adaptive reuse of the Elephant barn at National Zoo. I was hired by PGAV directly out of grad school, and the rest is history!

ZT: I’m familiar with theme park design but I suspect zoo design presents its own unique challenges. How does zoo design differ from a theme park? How do you design an exhibit centered around a living, breathing creature?

This is probably completely controversial...but the main difference between theme park design (involving animals) and zoo design is the end-goal. Although many theme parks with animals are very supportive and active in conservation and education, the main goal of any theme park is to make money. Zoos (by and large) are non-profit, and although money is essential to existence, the driving force behind the design is generally not revenue driven--its education driven. This is not to say theme parks are evil! It simply means their approach to design has a slightly different slant. Fun, fun, fun is the driver. Guests want fun; we give them fun; they come through the doors. The more people through the doors, the more revenues. That is and has been the theme park mantra forever. But really, there is nothing wrong with that. Zoos and aquariums are slowly coming to realize that, in fact, their main goal is getting people through the doors, too, although their prime incentive is to educate more people, rather than to drive revenues (but, increased attendance is also helpful for their bottom line as well). Because of this, zoos and aquariums are beginning to take cues from theme parks. Exhibits are fully thematic. Many zoos and aquariums have flashy shows. Interaction opportunities with animals are becoming more and more common. Fun things are getting injected into the zoo experience! Look for ziplines, exhibits with rides, elevated food experiences. So, really, there isn't much difference. It’s just understanding where on the scale Education v. Fun each client is most comfortable.

ZT: That makes sense but it must be extremely difficult for a zoo designer to effectively satisfy the needs of the visitors and the animals. I imagine larger exhibits, while maybe better for the animals, make it harder for the paying customers to see them.

It’s a constant challenge. Zoo and aquarium design, I believe, is the most difficult of any design discipline due to the fact that we have to balance the needs of 3 user groups, rather than a typical 1 or 2 users. We have to think about both guest and animal, but also the staff (primarily keepers) as they must be able to work efficiently in order to keep the animals healthy and happy and support the guest experience. Everyone on the design team brings their bias to their user group with the client generally representing the animal and keeper, and the designers representing the guest. However, as designers we must be aware that we are actually the representatives of all three. If one outweighs the others in importance, then the exhibit will fail. So much depends on the ability of the staff to do their work and to commit to using an exhibit in a certain way (ie animals may need to be rotated throughout various enclosures; use of enrichment devices; commitment to keeper talks, etc) that we cannot overlook their needs. Obviously the needs of the animals are key--we want them to be active and engaging, and long-lived. And, of course, the guest is the reason the exhibit exists at all. Without guests, zoos would look much, much different. In fact, most of the "prettiness" of exhibits is for the guest, not for the animals. Animals' needs, mental and physiological, can generally be meet in spaces that do not look nice. But, since the guest perception is so important in what we do, we have to ensure that exhibits feel comfortable to us and look lush and natural in order to appear to--from the guest perspective--meet the needs of the animals. And like you pointed out, if we were to only care about the animals' needs, we'd simply fence in a forest and guests would rarely see the animals! So, it's a balancing act of meeting everyone's needs--finding solutions that work for all. And its something that is not a simple black and white...its a lot of trial and error--we learn from every success and failure.


ZT: Wow, that’s a perspective I’ve never thought about before and the majority of zoo visitors probably don’t realize all of the factors that go into zoo exhibit design.  Beyond zoo enclosure design, what’s been the most challenging project you’ve worked on and why?

Any time we are working on a fully new park, it's a challenge. Zoos and theme parks are so complex! Everything affects each other. And, you can't just say, I'll put an exhibit here. We have to look at specifically what kind of exhibit it is, which means we have to research many species all at once. We have to learn the behavior of the animals, benchmark against other exhibits, look into regulations, etc. for many exhibits, not just one or two. That's a challenging juggling act. At the same time, we have to look at visitor circulation, revenue generation, guest support (restrooms, etc) and how all of these tie into service access. Another wholly different challenge is working outside the country. The US, Europe, and Australia are truly light years ahead of the rest of the world in terms of husbandry / exhibitry for captive animals, and anytime we work with an organization whose organizational philosophy about captive animals is so different from our own, it's a great personal, ethical challenge. But we always have to remind ourselves that any improvement, is an improvement.

ZT: Do you have any advice for anyone wishing to pursue a career in zoo design? Anything you wish you had known earlier that you know now?

I always say the same thing: get your degree in zoology, then get a design degree in either architecture or landscape architecture. You have to blaze your own path, create your own curriculum as there are no programs specific to zoo design. Every project that you are able to choose your own topic should be about zoos. Every job shadow or internship should be at a zoo. Learn everything there is to learn about zoos as a whole, not just design. I wish I had realized that I would be doing so much building design (my degree is landscape architecture)--then I'd have taken a few architectural classes or even gotten my architectural degree, too!


ZT: Great advice! I have to ask, do you have a favorite zoo? A favorite animal or exhibit?

This is not just blowing smoke, as they are one of my clients right now, but I am truly impressed by Columbus Zoo. They are far ahead of the curve...they are not afraid to take risks, to learn from other institutions (not only zoos, but theme parks, sanctuaries, etc), and understand what it takes to get the message across to the general public. The zoo itself has some dated exhibits, but generally, it is very modern, thematic, educational (without the heavy text!), and super fun!

 

I'm partial to the felids. I'm a cat person. And I have to say, the cats have been somewhat overlooked in terms of innovative exhibitry. There are few good ones out there (Disney's Animal Kingdom Tigers is my hands-down favorite exhibit), but generally the big cats (and small ones too!) are ripe for a revamp trend akin to polar bears and elephants.
 

ZT: Columbus Zoo is my “home zoo” and one of my favorites too! I can’t wait to see what the designers come up with for the Safari Africa expansion - the expectations around here are sky high for this most anticipated attraction. Thanks again to Stacey for giving us a wonderful peek into the world of zoo design. You can read more at her site Designing Zoos.

The Sea Otters of Monterey Bay

While visiting the beautiful city of San Francisco earlier this summer I made a side trip down the coast to Monterey. Read part one of my review of the excellent Monterey Bay Aquarium. Today, I’m going to continue my review by showcasing one of my favorite animal encounters ever, both in captivity and in the wild.

The main attractions of the Monterey Bay Aquarium are the sea otters which can be seen in captivity inside the aquarium and in the wild from the observation decks outside the aquarium. I was initially shocked at how big the sea otters are up close. I had seen river otters and Asian small clawed otters at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium but they are tiny in comparison. Here are a few facts about sea otters as well as my sea otter pictures.

 

Sea otters don’t rely on blubber to survive the frigid waters of the Pacific Ocean like other mammals. Instead, they have the densest fur of any animal on the planet. I’d love to feel sea otter fur. Sea otters can live their entire life without leaving the water. Did you know sea otters live in groups called rafts?

What do sea otters eat? Sea otters eat sea urchins and other mollusks and crustaceans. This includes clams, snails, sea stars, sea urchins, squid, and octopuses. How would you like to eat sea otter food? They can hold their breath for up to five minutes, allowing a long dive to the ocean floor to hunt for food. They use rocks as tools to crack open prey.

Where do sea otters live? The otters seen from the decks of the Monterey Bay Aquarium are called southern or California sea otters. Sea otters are an endangered species. One ill-timed oil spill could essentially wipe out the entire Monterey Bay sea otter population. To see the otters up close you can kayak out into the calm waters of the bay, which I would LOVE to go back and do.

Embedded below is my Monterey Bay Aquarium montage video, featuring scenes with the sea otters inside as well as out in the bay. Sorry for some of the shaky footage. Enjoy!

Read my review on the rest of the exhibits at the MontereyBay Aquarium.

Zoo Interpreter Interview

We have another great Zoo Tale to share with you today. Andrew King is a zoo photographer and worked as a zoo interpreter at the Seneca Park Zoo. Thanks to Andrew for sharing his adventures and zoo photography tips with us.

ZT: Could you please tell us a little bit about yourself?

My name is Andrew and I am originally from Western NY State. I lived there mostly all my life, but I moved down to Maryland a little over a year ago. I went to the University at Buffalo for theater performance. Although I loved my major and used my talents in some of my jobs, I needed something more stable. I got retail work, which lead to jobs in hospitality. Currently I am the head guest service agent at one of the top hotels in Hagerstown, MD. This has been a blessing when I plan zoo trips as I am offered very cheap rates when I stay at a hotel in our company’s chain.

ZT: Where did your love of zoo animals originate?

My earliest memory is being pushed around a stroller at a zoo. I am pretty sure it was a dream because I can remember seeing myself. It was like the start of a movie as I have a view high in the sky and then it zooms down my family walking on the side walk. I always loved animals when I was a kid. My uncle had a farm and I fell in love with cows. I planned to be a farmer until I was introduced to manatees. Then I wanted to be a marine biologist. I would get many toy animal play sets while growing up. I would go on field trips to the BuffaloZoo, Seneca Park Zoo, and Niagara Falls Aquarium. I would borrow my grandmother’s old Zoo books until I got my own subscription. I also had those animal binders. You’d get a pack of animal fact sheets each month. Going to zoos was an occasional activity. It was great to revisit the Buffalo Zoo when I went to college. I remembered the bear grottoes, Rocky Mountain sheep hill, and the smell of the gorilla exhibit. After I graduated I found a partner who was willing to put up with my animal/zoo obsession and we began to go to zoos in nearby cities. We continue to take zoo trips and we have many zoos left to see!

ZT: What zoo do you consider your "home" zoo?

That’s a bit of a tough question. I grew up mostly visiting Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester, NY. However, I also went to the Buffalo Zoo. I also visited it weekly when I lived in the city of Buffalo for a couple years after college. Since I consider Buffalo still my home city, I would consider their zoo to be my home zoo.

ZT: How did you get involved in zoo photography? Do you do it just for fun or commercially for profit?

The funny thing is while growing up; family would not want me to take group photos for them. I would feel the pressure of having to take a great picture, but people would be off centered all the time. I am still not the greatest fan of taking photos of people. Animal and nature photography is more of my expertise. I guess it started in college. Despite being nervous taking posed photos, I enjoyed taking candid photos of friends at parties. I would always rush home afterwards and insist on uploading my photos on Facebook. It as if I want to freeze these memories in time.

Anyway, at the same time I started to visit the Buffalo Zoo again and I became obsessed taking good photos. They always had a photo contest, but I did not enter it until the year I moved back to Buffalo. During college I would see amazing close ups of animals and I always wished I had a camera that could do that. I had a point and shoot camera for awhile, but I have recently updated to a camera with a nice zoom. The first year I entered the contest I did not place at all. But I remember going to the ceremony and one of the judges encouraged us to constantly take photos, even if it was of grass, until we perfected our skills. So that year I took multiple photos and upgraded my camera. Nice captures started to happen more often. So a year later I place second place in the bird category. For the 2011 contest, I was a judge’s choice in the reptile category for my photo of a green crested basilisk.

I only take photos for fun. Going to zoos relax me. When I can forget everything and have my focus on capturing a certain moment, I feel at ease. I think I may have tried to sell my prints on websites like Red Bubble in the past, but I never got anyone to buy anything. I don’t mind being an amateur photography that does it for the pure joy of it.

ZT: Many readers ask me “how to work at a zoo” or “how do you become a volunteer at a zoo.” Are there any requirements to work at a zoo?

I found out about the position because my high school friend worked in the education department. I was going to apply for a similar position the year before, but another job came up. But this summer I was ready for the posting and she informed me about it. I believe my theater background helped me as you had to be entertaining when you did these demonstrations. Most of the times visitors probably don't even hear you because one of the animals is doing something cool. However, to be lively it helps them to actually listen. If I heard a bored person listing off facts, I would just tune them out. A love for animals helped as well. Two out of three of us had a theatrical background. The other one was majoring in animal science and took classes in public speaking.

ZT: Describe your work in the education department at the zoo jobs you worked for in the summer? What type of jobs in zoos did you do? Describe your daily activities.

I worked at the Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester, NY during the summer if 2009. It was one of my most favorite jobs. I even went back the following summer and I helped out for a day. It was a blast to reconnect with former coworkers and animals My main job was being an interpreter for the daily animal demonstrations. The lead animal trainer in the education department came up with wonderful, short, informative scripts about the certain zoo animals. I did demonstrations for the North American river otter, white rhinoceros, African elephant, California sea lion, and the Arctic wolf. We also had a general enrichment demonstration we did on various animals depending on the day. The enrichment demonstrations I interpreted were for the meerkat, radiated tortoise, Amur tiger, olive baboon, and the North American river otter. We also did question and answer sessions during the feeding times of the American alligators and African black footed penguins. I was never a fan of the alligator Q & A’s, but I loved the penguin one. It was decided half way into the season we would go into the exhibit with the keepers and answer questions facing visitors. Before this we were just in the crowd and sometimes got lost. I also enjoyed this because I got go in their holding area beforehand and sometimes help insert pills (medicine) in the fish for the penguins.

The other part of my job was to assist with the stage show. We did a mini trip around the world showing various animal ambassadors from different continents. Animals featured were the Mallard duck, Harris hawk, sun conures, tawny owl, domesticated rat, bush baby, African gray parrot, serval, and the Virginia opossum. Although we traveled around the world, our repeated message was to emphasis to kids that they could discover the wonders of nature right there in their own backyards. The main animal trainer was responsible for actual contact and behaviors with the animals. We just helped narrate the script – sort of filled in the gaps leading into the next segment during times she had to get an animal from backstage. However, I did have contact with the Virginia opossums. They were sisters named Thelma and Louise. Louise was the one I always had and I loved her dearly, even if she drooled and farted on me. In between shows I would give them enrichment by taking them out of their cages and having them walk around. Behind the stage was a small hillside so it was perfect area to explore. I had to keep my eye on them as they sometimes tended to go in opposite directions! I would also help set up crates before shows, clean them afterwards, help cart animals to their final destination, and help set up the sound equipment. Having studied theater in college, this was a perfect job to display my skills and personality.

ZT: Of course I have to ask, what is your favorite zoo that you've been to and why?

I have not been to a lot of the major U.S. Zoos. The biggest one I have been to so far has turned out to be my favorite; the Columbus Zoo. It has a great animal collection, themed geographic sections, and is continuing to expand and improve. I loved seeing the manatees, okapis, Matschie’s tree kangaroos, koalas, and I loved the new polar bear exhibit.

ZT: The Columbus Zoo is my favorite as well. Thanks again to Andrew for sharing his Zoo Tale with us! Check out more of his zoo animals pictures here.

For more stories read our interview with another zoo photographer.

Columbus Zoo Update: Safari Africa and Stingray Bay

Safari Africa expansion has been approved and Stingray Bay is now officially open.

The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium’s African safari expansion plans were officially approved by the zoo’s board last week. The 43-acre exhibit will be built at a cost of $30 million dollars and will be open in time for the summer season in 2014. An artist’s overhead rendering of the expansion was featured in the latest issue of the Beastly Banner, the zoo’s quarterly magazine for zoo members. It’ll be north of the polar bear exhibit and will be accessible through the northeast corner of the North America exhibit. They also mentioned  that a new trolley or other vehicle system will provide transportation to the area from inside the front gate to Safari Africa for those who need it (for the size of the zoo a transportation system of some sort is rally needed in my opinion but very expensive to maintain).

Safari Africa is a long time coming for fans of the Columbus Zoo. Plans for a similar exhibit were first announced back in the 1990s but was repeatedly delayed as other projects and regions were prioritized ahead of it.

We can finally accurately answer your question: Is sting ray bay open? Located in Jungle Jack’s Landing near Zoombezi Bay (the Columbus waterpark), Stingray Bay will feature an 18,000-gallon saltwater pool for dozens of cownose and southern stingrays to call home.

Please note, this attraction is not free and is not included within the regular zoo admission. The pricing structure is as follows:

Stingray Bay is as follows:

Non-member children and adults $3
Columbus Zoo member children and adults $2
Zoombezi Bay season pass holder $2
Gold membership holder Free
Ride wristband holder at $8 Free
Stingray feeding (one cup) $2

Visit my previous post to see some pictures of Stingray Bay at the Columbus Zoo.

Additional tags:

columbus ohio safari

safari columbus ohio

Elk Country Visitor Center Review

Once again, I must diverge from my usual zoo theme to share another wonderful opportunity to visit animals in their natural habitat. Did you know there are elk in Pennsylvania? After conquering Skyrush at HersehyPark, we traveled to one of the best places to few the elk herd is the Elk Country Visitor Center located in the northern region of the state known as the Pennsylvania Wilds. The Benezette elk viewing center is one of the best places to observe (and possibly even get up close to) the elk all year round – and not just from the safety of a vehicle.

Built in 2010, I found the Elk County Visitor Centerto be very high tech and state-of-the-art. In fact, I would argue that it is not only one of the best PA visitor centers, but that it is also one of the best visitor centers I have ever been to anywhere. There are a ton of cool displays including multiple giant touch screens featuring a variety of useful elk information. I highly recommend visiting if you are in the area. The drive from I-80 is about thirty to forty minutes but is quite scenic and beautiful.

 

There are a few short trails around the visitor center leading to three elk viewing blinds looking out over different fields and meadows. Sadly, it was too hot and late in the day for us to catch a glimpse of any hoofed creatures. We did however see their tracks in the mud so we knew they were there and nearby. I recommend waking up early as the best time to view wildlife is at dawn or at dusk. The animals will be more active in the cooler weather during the fall season as well.

Just a few miles up the road from the Elk County Visitor Center is Winslow Hill, another great area to view the elk. And if the elk are all hiding like on my recent trip you can still snap a few pictures of the panoramic view.

Columbus Zoo Safari Africa expansion plans revealed

I just received my Summer 2012 copy of the Beastly Banner, the official Columbus Zoo and Aquarium Membership Magazine. As I was flipping through the pages (which is mostly a big advertisement for the zoo and the Wilds) I was very pleasantly surprised to the first official information from the zoo about much anticipated African savannah expansion!

Safari Africa is the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium's most ambitious and expansive region to date. The entrance to the new region will be in the northeast corner of the current North America region. The Ohio State University's solar house which used to stand near the entrance to Polar Frontier (where the timber wolves used to be) has already been disassembled to make way for the entrance to the new area.

From the description given in the magazine and the computer rendering it looks like species we will find include: meerkat, lions, cheetahs, camels, monkeys, zebras, and giraffes. Lions, giraffes and zebras were long expected but seeing the cheetahs on the list is quite a surprise! I hope they build an area similar to Busch Gardens where the cats can show off their speed. Other highlights of the new region will be camel rides, a zipline, and giraffe feeding.

According to other sources, construction has already started to pick up and newly acquired animals intended for Safari Africa will be held at the Wilds until the new exhibit is ready in 2014.

Pictured below is our first look at an official rendering of Safari Africa.

 Click for a larger image.

This new region was previously rumored to have a train or boat ride plus the total land available is around 120 acres so I am optimistically hoping this is only phase one of the expansion and more will be added on in future additions. Either way, it sounds pretty cool - especially the zipline - and I am just glad to finally get some concrete details and information. 2014 can't come soon enough!

Update 6-18-12: Safari Africa plans officially approved!
Update: 7-28-13 Safari Africa construction update

Bald Eagles at Highbanks Metropark

Looking for something else to do near Columbus, Ohio? That is, of course, after you've visited the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. For your next wildlife and animal adventure be sure to head over to Highbanks Metropark for a chance to see real live bald eagles nesting in the wild. I visited a couple weeks ago and although we didn't get a good shot of the eagles I did snap a few pictures of the gigantic nest high above the banks of the Olentangy River.

The Metropark's staff has setup a web site with a live feed of the eagle's nest. I took a few screen grabs and if you look closely you can see the eagle pretty well!

Aerial Antics: Overhead pictures of the Columbus Zoo

Aerial Antics: Overhead pictures of the Columbus Zoo 

Welcome to the latest addition of our new feature, Aerial Antics. Today, we're going to be flying over my home zoo, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. These aerial images were taken from Bing maps bird's eye view feature. 

This first picture is an overhead view of the North America region of the park. North America is the largest and oldest section of the zoo. As you can see, these satellite images are not completely up-to-date as the Polar Frontier area is still under construction on the right hand side of the image. The big green pasture in the middle is for the bison and pronghorn antelopes. The big, red petting zoo farm building is at the bottom of the photo above the parking lot. Can you trace the railroad tracks for the train ride? 

The next aerial photograph primarily shows Asia Quest , which opened in two phases in 2006.  The large building at the bottom is the indoor facility for the rhinos and elephants. It's the largest indoor exhibit of its kind in North America and the second in the world, with the capacity to house 10–12 elephants and 3–4 rhinos simultaneously. It really is a big building! 

This last picture actually shows an overhead view of the entire western half of the zoo. Which lies aon the banks of the Scioto River. The first region is called Shores and comprised tManatee Coast and the Coral Reef.  The Manatee exhbiti is particularly interesting because this habitat is one of only two outside of Florida to keep manatees, as wekk as the retractable roof, which creates an outdoor environment for up to five manatees during warm weather. 

There are two important round buildings: one is the reptile house and the other is a restored 1914 Mangels-Illions carousel (which used to reside at the neighboring Wyandot Lake). Can you spot Islands of Southeast Asia region opened in 2003 features a relaxing boat ride?

Virtual Queuing Coming to Zoombezi Bay

Are you looking for something to do this summer in Columbus, Ohio? One of the most popular activities in Columbus on a hot summer day is to cool off at the Zoombezi Bay waterpark, which is owned and operated by the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium right next door (a tickets gets you into both). Zoombezi Bay is a very popular attraction in central Ohio but the good news is those long waits for the waterslides are about to vaporize. The waterpark just signed a five year deal with Lo-Q, a company that designs systems which allow park visitors to make reservations for attractions.

Here’s how it works: Using kiosks located throughout the park, Zoombezi Bay visitors rent RFID-enabled wristbands, call Q-Bands, which reserve a “virtual” place in-line for some of the park’s most popular rides and slides. Just like at a local restaurant, when your reservation time arrives you and your friends enter the attraction via a separate entrance after getting their wrist bands scanned. How cool is that!

Zoombezi Bay is the eleventh water park in the United States to sign-up for the Q-band system since its conception last year.

Read the full article here.

Gorillas Escape at Kansas City Zoo

Some exciting events happened at the Kansas City Zoo on Sunday when two gorillas were able to wander away from their habitat after zookeepers forgot to lock two interior doors. The public was never in any real danger but were required to go indoors until the all clear was given. The two male gorillas were herded back into their cages with water hoses and were not injured. All in all, its really just a non-story as no persons or animals were injured and proper procedures were followed. Move along now.

Interview with a Zoo Photographer

Welcome to another Zoo Tails interview feature! We recently had the opportunity to talk to Nick Varvel, a zoo photographer. Thanks to Nick for answering our questions and sharing some of his zoo tails with us!

ZT: Could you please tell us a little bit about yourself? Where are you from and what do you do?

Nick: I am a 15 year old high school student. I live in Olathe, Kansas, a suburb of Kansas City, and have for most of my life. Most of my time is taken up with school, or my various jobs throughout the year. It is a pretty short story so far, but I figure I have time to expand.

ZT: What zoo do you consider your "home" zoo?

Nick: My home zoo is the wonderful Kansas City Zoo, best known for their great Africa exhibit.

ZT: Where did your love of zoos or animals originate?

Nick: I've always been somewhat interested in animals since I was a child. I've always enjoyed hiking around in remote parts of local woods, looking for birds. I have had a number of pets over the years, from cats and dogs to guinea pigs and fish. My parents have been a big help in this as well. Neither of them are animal lovers as I am, but they have both supported and encouraged me in the field. My interests have certainly grown to dominate my life, through both constant zoo visiting, and traveling across the countyside searching for interesting birds.

How did you get involved in photography? Do you do it just for fun or commercially for profit?

Nick: The main reason I started up photography was to help record both what animals zoos I visited were keeping, as well as the wild birds I see. My earlier photos were of extremely poor quality, but I continued to improve, gaining an intrest in photography for something other than record keeping. I have experimented in all types of photography, from people to landscapes to abstract. However, I find that I both enjoy and do my best work with animals. I still occasionaly take photos of non-animals when I think it is interesting, but I usually stick to the same thing I started out with.

ZT: Someone on the Zoo Chat forum mentioned you were an "award winning photographer." What award did you win?

Nick: The award I won was for the Kansas City Zoo photo competition. The person who mentioned me as an award-winning photographer certainly makes it sound much more glamerous than it truly is. I am definatly happy to win it though, as I got a $60 zoo membership for free.

ZT:What advice or tips do you have for anyone interested in getting into zoo photography?

Nick: Well, I'm not sure if I'd be the best person to give advice, but the best I can think of is to photograph what you're interested in and what you're good at. If you don't like reptiles, then don't photograph them. If you cannot figure out how to get good photos through glass, maybe you should try photographing across moats. I've had trouble with both of these things in the past, but I finally figured out what I like and what I'm okay at. And another thing is to always take a lot of photos! You don't have to keep them all, but the more you take, the higher chance you have of getting a good one! Honestly though, there are so many better photographers out there , many of whom I've learned from.

ZT: Which is the best (or your favorite) zoo, exhibit, or animal to take pictures of?

Nick: I always prefer outdoor exhibits, mainly because I suck at dealing with indoor lighting. I suppose by favorite are the large primate exhibits, such as baboons or great apes. They are always active and doing something, they are large and easy to follow, and they don't get up in the trees like other primates. I also love to photograph birds as well, as they are my favorite animals. They are also very active, and the number of species found in any zoo is outstanding. But I also like large carnivores and ungulates! I suppose I'm an opportunistic photographer, taking photos of anything hoping they might turn out good.


ZT: Of course I have to ask, what is your favorite zoo that you've been to?

Nick: I suppose my favorite would be the Saint Louis Zoo. It has standards in both exhibitry and education that I haven't seen matched anywhere else. They have a fantastic collection with many rare and interesting species, as well as a plethora of world-class exhibits.

I also like the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, best known for its massive immersion exhibit and nearly unrivaled collection. I feel that it is the extreme ups and downs that make it second to Saint Louis.

Sedgwick County in Wichita and Brookfield in Chicago are both outstanding too. Sedgwick County relies on its lack of poor exhibits and Brookfield relies on their collection and huge number of exhibits.

I also love Kansas City with their outstanding Africa exhibit, Lincoln Park and their Great Ape Complex, Cheyenne Mountain's giraffe exhibit, National Zoo's Asia Trail, and Philadelphia's great cat complex.

Honestly, with a few roadside exceptions, I love all zoos, and though some may rank higher than others, they are all still wonderful places.

ZT: I certainly agree with you there about loving all zoos. Thanks again for taking the time to answer our questions!

Aerial Antics: San Diego Zoo

Aerial Pictures of the San Diego Zoo 

Welcome to the first addition of our new Zoo Tails feature in 2012 which we’re calling "Aerial Antics." I love to look at zoo maps but even better than hand drawn maps is to look at overhead pictures. Using satellite images from Google Earth and Bing Maps we're going to be taking a birds eye look at some the of the best zoos around the country. I'll also be sharing some fun zoo facts along the way. To get started, let's take a look from the air at one of the most famous and renown zoos in the world – the San Diego Zoo in San Diego, California.

In this view, we are looking down at the Polar Bear Plunge exhibit., which opened in 1996 and was recently renovated in March 2010. Next to the polar bears is the West Station of the Skyfari aerial tram ride, built in 1969.  Click on the picture for a larger image.

Moving north from the polar bears we see the new Elephant Odyssey area.  The renovated area, once known as Hoof and Horn Mesa, reopened on May 26, 2009. 

One of the neat things about the San Diego Zoo is that it is only one of the nation's major zoos that have almost all of its major exhibits out in the open-air. The only major indoor exhibition building on grounds that I can see is the Reptile House, shown in the bottom right-hand corner of this image.

In this view, we can see some of the huge aviaries located in the center of the zoo. Part of the Monkey Trails and Forest Tales section, the Scripps Aviary is home to many colorful birds such as the amethyst starling, tinkerbirds, and the sociable weaver. 

I hope you enjoyed looking at these aerial pictures from the San Diego Zoo. Stay tuned for our next addition of aerial antics and be sure to follow us on Facebook for the latest zoo news.