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Dustin
03-17-2011, 06:11 PM
Holy crap! Have you been to the zoo lately?!?!? It's amazing! We truly have a world class zoo! The new elephant habitat is HHHUUGGGGEEE!! I think its currently the largest elephant exhibit in North America and I wouldn't doubt that for a second! The elephants seemed happier too. One of them kept banging their head against a big rock... I don't know what that was about. Maybe it was the pregnant one... That would explain it lol.

Did anyone happen to go today by chance? It was the busiest I have ever seen it! People were parking in the grass across the street by Remington Park. There were DROVES of people.. We were literally elbow to elbow the entire time and surprisingly it was still really fun!

mcca7596
03-17-2011, 06:33 PM
I haven't been to see the elephants yet, but it is a pretty nice zoo. Really, everything except for the aquatic center and the old aviary building is modern and clean!

BBatesokc
03-17-2011, 08:10 PM
I really want to go, but we are waiting for Spring Break to be over and then we are going to go on a week day morning. Anyone know if Mathis Brothers still does cheap family year long memberships?

PennyQuilts
03-17-2011, 09:27 PM
I love our zoo.

Thunder
03-17-2011, 11:18 PM
I really want to go, but we are waiting for Spring Break to be over and then we are going to go on a week day morning. Anyone know if Mathis Brothers still does cheap family year long memberships?

Or you can wait until Mother's Day or Father's Day to have one free admission, unless money is not an issue for you.

Dustin
03-17-2011, 11:40 PM
Or you can wait until Mother's Day or Father's Day to have one free admission, unless money is not an issue for you.

It's like 8 bucks a person... Anyone can afford to go to the zoo..

Thunder
03-18-2011, 12:20 AM
It's like 8 bucks a person... Anyone can afford to go to the zoo..

8 bux is good for something to drink and eat. :-)

BBatesokc
03-18-2011, 07:00 AM
Or you can wait until Mother's Day or Father's Day to have one free admission, unless money is not an issue for you.

The worst time to go is during a holiday (Spring Break) or a promotion (free admission). Early morning during the week nobody is there and the animals are more active.

Bill Robertson
03-18-2011, 07:57 AM
We went to one of the pre-opening evenings. The new elephant habitat is amazing. With the newest improvements (elephant habitat, Oklahoma trails and childrens zoo) the zoo has really changed in the past few years. A really world class zoo.

Jesseda
03-18-2011, 10:09 AM
Yes it is the largest elephant habitat out of all the zoos in the united states.. Also they are currently building the asia district which will be the largest project the zoo has ever done. I can not wait till the whole district is complete 2013

onthestrip
03-18-2011, 11:31 AM
It should be top notch, the zoo gets a big chunk of our tax dollars. Same way with the metro library system. Neither are short on money right now.

Jesseda
03-18-2011, 12:24 PM
I can not believe how resonable priced our zoo is compared to others around the nation.. wonder why?

Bill Robertson
03-18-2011, 01:37 PM
It should be top notch, the zoo gets a big chunk of our tax dollars. Same way with the metro library system. Neither are short on money right now.


I can not believe how reasonable priced our zoo is compared to others around the nation.. wonder why?

Yes, the Zoo is funded partly by a 1/8 cent sales tax approved by voters in 1990. If it ever expires I would gladly vote/campaign for an extension. I can think of much worse places for my tax dollars to go.

Thunder
03-18-2011, 01:41 PM
Yes, the Zoo is funded partly by a 1/8 cent sales tax approved by voters in 1990. If it ever expires I would gladly vote/campaign for an extension. I can think of much worse places for my tax dollars to go.

And the food/drinks we pay up there, they make a whole bunch of profits from that, but to feed all the animals is quite expensive. So, yeah, tax dollars to pay for remodels and improvements is a plus.

Lord Helmet
03-18-2011, 02:02 PM
One of the few things I miss about OKC since moving to Denver is the OKC Zoo. We have a great zoo in Denver, but its nothing compared to the one in OKC, and its twice as expensive.

John1744
03-18-2011, 02:20 PM
They posted a grand plan of renovations on their website a week or so ago, and good news is the Aquatics center gets rebuilt in 2019!

Jesseda
03-18-2011, 03:16 PM
yeah, i posted that gran plan link a week or so ago on another thread.. it would be nice to sea likea sea world type aquatic area with penguins and all etc..

Thunder
03-18-2011, 03:40 PM
yeah, i posted that gran plan link a week or so ago on another thread.. it would be nice to sea likea sea world type aquatic area with penguins and all etc..

And that black/white whale.

USG'60
03-18-2011, 06:37 PM
And that black/white whale.

That's an Orca or "Killer Whale."

Thunder
03-19-2011, 01:40 AM
That's an Orca or "Killer Whale."

I know. Calling them a "killer" is just mean. :-(

TaoMaas
03-19-2011, 06:38 AM
We have a great zoo. I fell in love with the zoo back in the early '70's when we used to go to the zoo because it was dirt-cheap. It makes me very happy to see the zoo growing and doing well.

John1744
03-20-2011, 07:02 PM
Speaking of the zoo does anyone have any pictures or know of a place that has images of the zoo throughout the years? This might be a good thread for the nostalgia forum but, I'd love to see photos of the late 80's early 90's zoo that I grew up with that had the bear exhibits and monkey island and ski lifts throughout the park.

Thunder
03-20-2011, 07:14 PM
I don't have any pictures of way back then, but I do have some of the recent years.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkbE9w6wk5U


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4y2IiELabPs

I dunno where the pictures for 2010 taken on Mother's Day. I believe that year was with my phone, so its on my computer somewhere, but I never got around to putting it together and upload.

On the 2nd video, the date on the camera was in the wrong order.

kevinpate
03-21-2011, 08:46 AM
OKC does already have an excellent zoo facility. That said, it will hopefully continue to improve over time.

Jesseda
03-21-2011, 12:19 PM
a couple years ago my ex-brother-in-law, who is hard to please visited from california, his kids told him they wanted to take him to the okc zoo. This man is hardly amazed by anything, but he really really was surprised with our zoo, he wasnt expecting to see all he seen. He said it is probably the best zoo he has been to and he also thought is was odd that it was so cheap to get in.. I wish they would build a train to go around most of the park, or a new train to go around the large asia district they are planning, there is so much the zoo is doing right now, i can not wait.. Does anybody know what the okc zoo is ranked now, it use to be top 10, then i heard it was top 5, adoes anybody know for sure what the ranking is now?

BrettM2
03-21-2011, 12:36 PM
Speaking of the zoo does anyone have any pictures or know of a place that has images of the zoo throughout the years? This might be a good thread for the nostalgia forum but, I'd love to see photos of the late 80's early 90's zoo that I grew up with that had the bear exhibits and monkey island and ski lifts throughout the park.

The Metropolitan Library System has a book out with the history of the zoo. It's one of the thin books in the series of Oklahoma History books (really great pictures of OKC/Bricktown/Edmond from 1889 to present).

Dustin
03-22-2011, 02:54 AM
Does anybody know what the okc zoo is ranked now, it use to be top 10, then i heard it was top 5, adoes anybody know for sure what the ranking is now?

Number 1?!? *fingerscrossed*

Where are the previous rankings? Source?

Dustin
03-22-2011, 02:58 AM
Found one ranking! It's pretty good!

http://www.parents.com/fun/vacation/planning/the-10-best-zoos-for-kids/?page=5

Dustin
03-22-2011, 03:13 AM
One of the few things I miss about OKC since moving to Denver is the OKC Zoo. We have a great zoo in Denver, but its nothing compared to the one in OKC, and its twice as expensive.

Speaking of Colorado.. We visited the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs, CO last spring break. It was cool. They have an awesome giraffe exhibit that I really wish OKC had. The walk area is high enough to where you can touch and feed the giraffes. It was an awesome experience to say the least!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FY0jcrmYm4&feature=related
(not my video)

Thunder
03-22-2011, 03:53 AM
That is something we will have when the time comes.

Jesseda
04-08-2011, 10:41 AM
THE ZOO OPEN IT ELEPHANT HABITATE THIS YEAR, and that is great, but wait there is more.. they are opening another part of the zoo!!!! the new zooseum.. they spent a lot of time to remodel and convert the old 1935 bathhouse building by that lake intoa new part of the zoo... its will be the first of its kind fora zoo in this country to have a museum inside a zoo!!!! ! http://www.okczoo.com/

RadioOKC
04-08-2011, 02:46 PM
Last year I was at the zoo and there was a Zoology convention in town and you saw all these people with name tags from
other zoo's walking around ours and they were blown away. I tried to be a fly on the way and heard a lot of comments like "geez - i wish we could do that??!!" Our zoo is amazing and you really should consider getting a membership. I think ours was $60 last year and it is for a family of 5.

There was some other comment about the food and, really it's pretty fairly priced. The chicken tender basket could feed 2 if your looking for a light lunch and it was less than 5 bucks.

Im excited to see aquatics get a facelift. More dolphins coming?? They are always looking for a place to rehab them and we have plenty of room for a tank exc. Let the kiddos buy the fish and feed them and you have an exibit that could pay for itself and bring up the admissions at the gate.

Chris
www.radiookc.com

Bigrayok
04-08-2011, 03:36 PM
I have been to quite a few zoos in this part of the country and some in California and Florida including zoos in Tulsa, Kansas City, Topeka, Denver, Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado Springs, Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio, St. Louis, New Orleans, Busch Gardens in Tampa, The Las Vegas Zoo which is privatley owned and pretty small, and both the San Diego Zoo and the Wild Animal Park in Escondido. I have also been to Disney's Animal Kingdom which is an animal park and amusement park like Busch Gardens.

The Oklahoma City zoo is comparable or better than most, with San Diego, New Orleans, Fort Worth, and St. Louis zoos being a little better. The San Diego Zoo is supposed to be the greatest zoo in the world which it may be, but It was not as different and better than the Oklahoma City Zoo as I thought it would be. The San Diego and Cheyenne Mountain Zoo's are the most hilly zoos I have been to and they both wore me out. The St. Louis Zoo has free admission, but on a busy weekend day it is hard to park your car unless you pay a $9.00 parking fee to use a zoo parking lot. The New Orleans Zoo used to be a dump, but the Audubon Institute raised a lot of money in the 80's and 90's to really improve it. It has a really cool Louisiana Swamp exhibit. The zoo is in Audubon Park which is the large beautiful park in the Loyola and Tulane University areas. The Fort Worth Zoo is in a nice neighborhood and has a cool Texas area.

Overall, the Oklahoma City zoo is one of the better zoos I have been to. The Columbus Ohio Zoo is supposed to be good but I have never been there. That is the zoo Jack Hannah made a name for himself at. Some day I will get down to Arbuckle Wilderness and see how it compares. LOL

Bigray in Ok

cameron_405
04-08-2011, 04:15 PM
"...the Columbus Ohio Zoo is supposed to be good but I have never been there. That is the zoo Jack Hannah made a name for himself at..."

...lived in Columbus during the 90's and met Jack a few times. Whilst I enjoyed the Columbus zoo, I especially liked the 23 acre waterpark, Wyandot Lake, that was adjacent to the zoo. Looks as though the zoo bought out Wyandot Lake and has opened "Zoombezi Bay Waterpark".

Zoombezi Bay Waterpark (http://www.zoombezibay.com/)

Dustin
04-12-2011, 05:16 PM
OKC ZOO LIVE CAM: http://newsok.com/oklahoma-city-zoos-elephant-expected-to-give-birth-this-week/article/3557582?custom_click=lead_story_title

Asha the elephant is expected to give birth this week.

Thunder
04-12-2011, 05:51 PM
She shrunk since I last saw her years ago. LOL

Jesseda
04-15-2011, 01:12 PM
ASHA the elephant has gone into labor, soon we will have a new baby at the zoo, im excited about this they are saying it might be any moment now!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dustin
04-17-2011, 01:39 AM
Its a girl! 304-pounds!!
http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/205607_10150167914102385_65438557384_7139186_53446 94_n.jpg

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/208311_10150167916197385_65438557384_7139200_71118 8_n.jpg

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/208528_10150167918417385_65438557384_7139219_29270 37_n.jpg

Thunder
04-17-2011, 03:50 AM
How soon will we be able to meet her? Will there be a major celebration party with fireworks and the whole package (including drinks, concerts, etc)?

TaoMaas
04-17-2011, 10:29 AM
The only thing I have to say about elephant birth is...."OUCH!" LOL

Thunder
04-17-2011, 11:09 AM
The only thing I have to say about elephant birth is...."OUCH!" LOL

I'm sure they gave the mother the longest needle ever in the history of mankind.

jn1780
04-17-2011, 09:47 PM
I'm sure they gave the mother the longest needle ever in the history of mankind.

Their not going to interfere with the natural birthing process of an elephant. They may screw something up.

RadioOKC
04-17-2011, 11:15 PM
So - who keeps the baby. I understand that the baby normally stays with mom for 10 years or so. So after 10 Years is there an agreement in place as to who gets to keep the baby?

Chris
www.radiookc.com

Thunder
04-17-2011, 11:23 PM
So - who keeps the baby. I understand that the baby normally stays with mom for 10 years or so. So after 10 Years is there an agreement in place as to who gets to keep the baby?

Chris
www.radiookc.com

Being that its most logical thing to do, I'm sure we will keep it from birth to death. They obviously expanded the entire place to make life better for them all the while of adding more elephants.

ljbab728
04-17-2011, 11:29 PM
Maybe it will get to go visit its daddy in Tulsa every other weekend providing they have joint custody.

Thunder
04-17-2011, 11:53 PM
Maybe it will get to go visit it's daddy in Tulsa every other weekend providing they have joint custody.

Good question. Something KFOR or KOCO will need to ask when they do a special story.

Dustin
04-17-2011, 11:53 PM
Females stay with females.. The baby will stay with Asha and Chandra. If it was a male, it would stay with mom for about 10 years and then it would go on with life on its own. The new elephant habitat at the zoo can hold up to two males anyway.

jn1780
04-18-2011, 12:22 AM
So - who keeps the baby. I understand that the baby normally stays with mom for 10 years or so. So after 10 Years is there an agreement in place as to who gets to keep the baby?

Chris
www.radiookc.com

The zoo has room for 2 bulls and 4 cows plus infants so I guess it all depends on how many babies are born in the future and their gender. If the babies are male they would eventually be sent to another zoo when they grow up. They would not be doing their species any good living with their aunt, mother, sister, or brother.

BBatesokc
05-21-2011, 01:22 PM
Took the wife to the OKC Zoo early this morning (before the mass of baby strollers arrived) and really enjoyed the new elephant exhibit - wow, it is really top notch.

Here's a quick pic....

http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/630/img2114t.jpg

BBatesokc
05-21-2011, 01:48 PM
Here's a quick video clip too...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5518ilD1ytA

BBatesokc
05-21-2011, 02:03 PM
Last pic.....

http://img804.imageshack.us/img804/7196/img2090lo.jpg

HewenttoJared
05-21-2011, 02:50 PM
We went last weekend. The baby was a bit wobbly, a great time to go!

kevinpate
05-21-2011, 04:21 PM
BBates, thanks for the images. It's been awhile since I've been up there and while I heard of the improvements, I was not expecting this.
Looks like I need to get back by the zoo when my granddaughter rolls in for her unkie's graduation later this month.

PennyQuilts
05-21-2011, 07:52 PM
I love our zoo. Thanks for all the updates.

Pete
05-22-2011, 01:12 PM
Thanks for sharing... That new exhibit looks fantastic.

I was last at the zoo a few years ago and it had been about 15 since my previous trip. It was so different I had a hard time orienting myself.

I did notice the pachyderm area was pretty much unchanged since the early 60's, which I found somewhat cool from a nostalgia perspective. But of course, it was badly outdated.

I wonder if they kept the 40 year-old Mold-a-Rama machines anywhere???

Thunder
05-22-2011, 01:24 PM
I wonder if they kept the 40 year-old Mold-a-Rama machines anywhere???

I saw some last year. lolol

I remember getting some of those a long time ago.

Pete
05-22-2011, 01:36 PM
The zoo really needs to update it's website. They don't even have a current park map (just says 'Coming Soon') and the elephant exhibit is listed as under construction with very little other information. For a first-class operation then really should do a better job with this.


Here is a photo I took in September 2007. I know those machines have been around since the mid-60's:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/moldarama.jpg

Bill Robertson
05-22-2011, 03:33 PM
We went at opening this morning. The baby elephant is too cute. She was playing on one of the downed trees placed for them to play with. She got high-centered and had to wiggle around for a few minutes to get off. When she did she ran across the field as toward momma as fast as she could go. If we could speak elephant I'm sure we would have heard "MOMMMMMYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !". There's also a new litter of prairie dogs that couldn't be more cute.

FritterGirl
05-23-2011, 10:43 AM
It's been several years since I visited the zoo, and with friends visiting from Tulsa, we took the time to go on Saturday (think we missed BBates by an hour or two).

Things I was impressed with:

Overall design and flow of things. Top notch facilities, great overlook, viewing areas. It was wonderful to see the animals in a much more natural environment than in the early days where they were really caged in the small almost all-rock viewing areas. It's evident how far the zoo has come from the early days, and it's also evident there are still areas that are in need of improvement, but with obvious leanings towards great new features ahead.

The Oklahoma Trails: I hadn't seen this since it opened two years ago. What a superb way to feature wildlife found in and around Oklahoma. Even species you know are around you pretty much every day, but don't see, was neat to see. I was very impressed with the scope of this exihbit, especially the bird areas, the "night creature" barn, and even the aquatic area. They really did a very thorough job representing the state through its wildlife. We happened across the back side of this area as we were getting ready to leave. It was apparently feeding time. It was fun seeing the coyote and grey wolf whine and twirl around, just like my dogs do when they know food is on the way. Even the white-tail deer were getting excited and nudging at the door as if they knew a staff member was getting ready to walk through with a big bowl of feed.

The Great Escape: What a magnificent area. With two individual groups of gorilla, orangatans and chips, this was a fabulous exhibit that really spoke a great deal of the conservation efforts taken globally to save some of these species. It was also really neat to see the gorillas interact in a very natural way with one another. They would play amongst themselves, then come up right at the window and just watch us human folk with great curiosity.

The Asian / Elephant Exhibit. Wow! What a superb area. Not just the main overlook where Asha, Melee and her aunt are, but the entire surrounding area. Fabulous architecture, with a viewing amphitheatre for educational purposes and lots of room for the elephants to romp, as Melee grows and they begin to expand her world. Of course, she was the star attraction, absolutely adorable venturing off from her mom and aunt just a bit, only to get spooked, and as SoonerSoftail said, come RUNNING back as if mentally screaming "MOMMMMMYYYYY!!!!!" Too cute! Really, everyone should go to watch her. It's truly mesmerizing to see how she explores her world.

There is signage next to this that says the land will soon be used for new development for their "Asian Exploration." They'll move the black rino, some cat species and hopefully some other species to this area. If it is anything like the elephant overlook and area, it will be spectacular.

A small miss: I hope they do something with the giraffes soon (maybe move them over to the Asian area, although they're an African animal). Their barn seemed particularly small for such large animals. I'd love to see a larger tundra area where they have multiple hooved animals all grazing and enjoying their spot of land together.

As for those Mold-O-Ramas, unless they have them in the gift shop or their canopy restaurant (where we did NOT go), I think they're gone, and I kept my eye out for them, as they were one of my favorite things as a child. I really wanted to get one for nostalgia purposes.

Jesseda
05-23-2011, 11:52 AM
I love the mold a rama machines... i tried to collect every animal the machine offered.. okay lets name them all.. There was the elephant,polar bear,,lion,jaguar,eagle,giraffe,gorilla,dolphin,rh ino.. umm i might be missing some... i loved them.. they need to bring them back .. i hate the crank the penny intoa stamp thing, it sucks