Animals Spieces

Animal lovers, kids, adults – all love spending quality time at the zoo. But the Oklahoma City Zoo isn’t just a place to watch animals behind bars, but a wonderful destination where you learn more about flora and fauna in their natural habitats.

The zoo, located in northeast Oklahoma City in the Adventure District, is home to more than 1,700 animals distributed over 110 acres of land. The zoo has quite a lot of attractions for the casual tourist as well as the discerning animal lover. The Butterfly Garden is a beautiful butterfly habitat consisting of more than 15,000 plants that have been judiciously planted to accommodate the entire life cycle of butterflies. One of the most prominent citizens of this habitat is the large Monarch Butterfly, the only creature migrating north and south according to the seasons, like birds. Some of the species in the Butterfly Garden native to the Oklahoma region are the state butterfly of Oklahoma – the Eastern Black Swallowtail, and others including the Painted Lady and the Giant Swallowtail.

Vacationers who prefer trekking through nature’s attractions can enjoy Oklahoma Trails. This showcases Oklahoma’s natural diversity through habitats of 800 animals that thrive in the unique 11 life zones found in the state. One of the major attractions of the trails is a scaled-down 25-feet replica of the Turner Falls.

Visitors looking for a scaly, reptilian experience can head to the Herpetarium that features 80 exhibits of reptiles and amphibians such as the Giant Green Anaconda, the Poison Dart Frogs, Beaded Lizards, Gila Monsters, and Smokey Jungle Frog. Other interesting segments of the zoo include the Cat Forest/Lion Overlook – a 4.2 acre land featuring 9 species of the majestic cats among 4000 plants recreating the natural habitat of these animals; the Great Escape – a tropical rainforest habitat featuring the Great Apes; and Island Life – showcasing island dwellers.         

Visiting the Oklahoma City Zoo is an entertaining as well as educative experience. The zoo is conveniently located close to great hotels that arrange tours to the Zoo and other attractions of Oklahoma City.

By 1956, the city of Los Angeles had outgrown the small Griffith Park Zoo. The citizens passed a $6.6 million bond measure to help build a new one and a 113-acre site in Griffith Park was chosen as the new location. In 1964 a private, nonprofit organization was created to support the new facility. The zoo then began raising money and acquiring animals

When the Los Angeles Zoo opened in 1966 it was the 4th zoo to serve the city. The Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association (GLAZA) had already graduated a class of trained, volunteer docents and had produced several issues of a quarterly magazine called Zoo View. Some 80,000 Angelenos attended the November opening of the Los Angeles Zoo (also in attendance was an alligator named Methuselah, who is still a resident of the zoo today).

In 1967 the zoo acquired 3 endangered Arabian Oryx for $75,000. The Los Angeles Zoo cooperated with the only other American zoo to house Oryx, the Phoenix Zoo, to successfully bred the gazelle-like animals, which were facing extinction in the wild. Today descendants of those animals have been reintroduced to the wild in Israel, and other descendants of that original L.A. Zoo herd live on at the zoo.

The Los Angeles Zoo’s 1st Beastly Ball was held in 1970. This safari-themed dinner-dance is an important fundraiser for the Zoo, but only the visitors get to eat; in the interest of health and safety, the L.A. Zoo was the 1st major zoo in the United States to prohibit visitors from feeding the animals, and maintains the policy today.

The Los Angeles Zoo became an accredited member of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) in 1972. Just 2 years later Dr. Warren D. Thomas became Zoo Director.

Thomas assembled one of the world’s most respected animal collections during his 17-year tenure. The zoo acquired rare and endangered species, including the Sumatran Rhino, the Jentink’s and Zebra duikers, yellow-footed rock wallabies, giant elands, gerenuks, emperor tamarins, and bongos. The Andrew Norman Education Center, the ZooMobile, Wolf Woods and Monkey Island, were all built in the Thomas-era1970’s, as were new exhibits for gorillas, orangutans and flamingos,

In the 1980’s the Zoo became part of the new California Condor Recovery Program. In 1982 the Zoo built the extensive “condorminiums,” which are still considered among the finest and largest facilities in the condor recovery program. In1982 the Ahmanson Koala House was opened. Currently the Los Angeles Zoo the only zoo in the world to exhibit these nocturnal animals in a darkened setting.

Today Los Angeles Zoo is located in the heart of the 2nd-largest city in the United States. Nearly 11/2 million visitors visit the zoo every year to see one of the country’s biggest and best collection of animals. And with your wife and kids accompanying you, it can be an experience of a lifetime as this place provides you with all the fun and frolic you require from a single place. Go ahead! Hav a great time with you family at the LA Zoo.

Recognized as New Zealand’s largest collection of animals, the Auckland Zoo is one of the world’s most progressive zoos and is an ideal place for great day of extreme family fun. This interesting zoo covers approximately 50 acres of land and comprises of around 179 species of animals.

Close to Auckland’s central business district, the zoo is a winner of many national and international awards. It consists of several interesting displays, enclosures and animal shows that are bound to capture your heart. The zoo is divided into areas that separate the animals according to their types of species or origin making it easy to explore the zoo systematically.

There are many incredible and entertaining animal exhibits to view. The Animal Planet Elephant Clearing is delightful as the kids will definitely enjoy meeting Auckland’s popular elephant icons Kashin and Burma. The BNZ Kiwi and Tuatara House feature native New Zealand species such Kiwis, tuataras and an endemic owl species. Strolling through the Aussie Walkabout gives you the chance to be up close to animals from the land down under, including kangaroos, emus and wallabies. The Just Juice Primate Trail is filled with lush greenery where the orangutans and lemur reside. The Hippo River is an interesting area that resembles the African marshy wetlands where many hippos wade through the waters or lie along the marshy banks. From here, you can move on to the Cheetah Outreach and to the place where the colourful flamingoes move around in packs.

A visit to the zoo would not be complete without taking a mini safari through the Pridelands where the larger animals move around in their habitat. Herds of giraffe and zebra can be found here along side white rhinoceros. The lions are a thrill as you pass by these mighty kings of the jungle. Tigers can also be seen face to face at the onsite Visa Tiger Territory.

The children will enjoy themselves at the fascinating Paddle Pop Kidzone where small animals such as chickens, rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, mice, geckos, and frogs among others can be observed. A large playground is also found here. Safari nights and ZOOM tours where guests can come face to face with the animals are also possible at the Auckland Zoo.

The Langham Hotel Auckland is a great place from which to explore many of the city’s attractions including the fun filled Auckland Zoo. The hotel is home to the popular Chuan Spa Auckland which a luxurious and relaxing Auckland spa that uses soothing techniques and treatments, including Feng Shui.