OKC Zoo

[BBatesokc]

Later this year, they're supposed to be ready to move the zoo to a new location near Thackerville and the casino, apparently to make it more convenient for Texas visitors.

Wrong "Zoo" thread. LOL

[AP]

Is it guided or self guided? Meaning can you loiter at one spot or do they make you keep moving along to flow people in and out of exhibits? Thanks.

It’s self guided. Plenty of room to pass people. No one is moving you along.

[Brad72]

Sorry, I can kind of get one-way for things like aisles at busy stores, but this whole one-way thing for the zoo is ridiculous to me. We went recently and people bunched up and could turn and walk technically against the flow to go see something in that immediate area. The whole one-way thing seemed counterproductive to me. It seemed to me if they opened the whole thing up and let people naturally disperse it would have actually been a safer environment.

[G.Walker]

Went today, it was ok, but you can't experience the full zoo, a lot of exhibits and pathways inaccesible. Also you can't access the none of the cool attractions like Stingray bay and sea lion. However, they still charge you $12. I feel they shouldn't charge you full price if you can't experience the whole zoo.

[G.Walker]

With that being said, it was still crowded. i think people were just glad to get out of the house.

[mugofbeer]

Went today, it was ok, but you can't experience the full zoo, a lot of exhibits and pathways inaccesible. Also you can't access the none of the cool attractions like Stingray bay and sea lion. However, they still charge you $12. I feel they shouldn't charge you full price if you can't experience the whole zoo.

$12 is a bargain! Denver adult is $20 for a good, but lesser quality zoo.

[FighttheGoodFight]

To be fair, they do tell you the Safari walk is not the whole zoo and show a map of what you can see. I think they had to do something to minimize risk as well as get open so they could stay afloat. I took the ZooFriends survey they sent out during the crisis and agree this was the best course of action for the time being.

It looks like they are still selling out so that is good.

[HOT ROD]

$12 is a bargain! Denver adult is $20 for a good, but lesser quality zoo.

and Seattle - double that for again a much lesser quality zoo. ..

[Pete]

[Pete]

They are bidding out a complete renovation for the cheetah and wild dog exhibit in the northwest corner of the zoo:

[David]

Oooo, nice, that area needs a refresh for sure. Would be wonderful to have a good cheetah exhibit.

[HangryHippo]

Exciting! That area is currently very drab and in desperate need of some TLC.

[DoctorTaco]

On a related note, a writing professor at OCU wrote a short novel about the OKC Zoo which came out earlier this year:

http://outpost19.com/TheWorldandTheZoo/

[TheTravellers]

The neural cruelty of captivity: Keeping large mammals in zoos and aquariums damages their brains

[mugofbeer]

The neural cruelty of captivity: Keeping large mammals in zoos and aquariums damages their brains

While the article is, l am sure, quite accurate for animals that are in stark, confined areas without adequate stimulation, there is a huge difference in the quality of zoos around the world and a huge difference between the kind of animal. For example, an orca might be OK if it's tank was the size of the zoo lake. I don't think any Sea World tank approaches that.

You may remember the polar bear they had at the OKC zoo (when l was young) that had nothing but concrete and a small pool. Yeah, it went nuts. Responsible zoos will have animals they can properly care for and stimulate. When you have facilities like OKC that are adequatly funded, the animals are - or as is being discussed - will be cared for properly.

It's all about care and entertainment. I'm stuck in a house of limited size because of covid but I'm ok because l work, garden, build things, read, play with my dogs, have my wife and have internet. I realize others are going nuts.

The article talks about stress, mood, etc. I think wild animals have plenty of stress just surviving. The article talks about illnesses, skin conditions, etc. I think wild animals have plenty of that in the wild plus parasites, venomous things, etc.

The article also seems to justify letting species go extinct rather than subject them to inadequate lifestyles. I disagree for the sake of the world. Living in an adequate captivity beats the alternative of extinction. I just wish our zoo could be more like the San Diego zoo that's large enough for free roaming.

[Laramie]

Very well stated, Mugofbeer, good points...

Selected Texas & Oklahoma zoos:

Houston Zoo - 55-acre zoological park, 6,000 animals from 900 species. General Admission: Adult: $22.95. Child (Ages 2-11): $17.95. Senior: $17.95.

Dallas Zoo & Aquarian - 106-acre zoo, 2,000 animals representing 406 species. General Admission Adults (age 12-64) $17.00. Youth (age 3-11) $14.00. Seniors (age 65 up) $14.00. Children (age 2 and under) FREE.

Fort Worth Zoo - 64 acres, 7,000 animals, 500 species. Regular Admission: Adults (13+) $16, Children (3 to 12) $12, Seniors (65+) $12. The Fort Worth Zoo has been a top 5 zoo in North America every year in USA Today’s 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards.

OKC Zoo - 110 acres, 1,900 animals, 512 species. Sanctuary Asia (9.5 acres), Great EscAPE (6 acres), Cat Forest/Lion Overlook (4.2 acres). Regular admission is $11 for adults and $8 for children ages 3-11 and seniors ages 65 and over. Children two and under are admitted free.

The OKC Zoo continues to improve with many quality exhibits constructed since voters approved its 1/8 penny sales tax funding in 1990.

Tulsa Zoo - 85 acres, 1,500 animals, 436 species. Admission Prices: $12 for adults, $8 for ages 3-11, $10 for seniors 65+, Ages 2 and under are free.

[HFAA Alum]

Comparing Houston's zoo to this one is absolutely abysmal. You have that many animals crammed in 55 acres, you give the animals no room to move. It's like throwing them in those old cubic bar cages and setting them like twenty feet apart. I know that zoning may have a lot to do with that, not to mention land availability, but that's just cruel in my eyes. And then there's the price of admittance.

Compare that to here (where land is readily available in a city that just sprawls across the plains) and you'd get a more comfortable environment that allows a lot more roaming room for the animals. And then considering the future expansions, I believe it would benefit the animals to a greater degree. Now if only they could work in that aquarium, we'd be in business.

[Laramie]

Comparing Houston's zoo to this one is absolutely abysmal. You have that many animals crammed in 55 acres, you give the animals no room to move. It's like throwing them in those old cubic bar cages and setting them like twenty feet apart. I know that zoning may have a lot to do with that, not to mention land availability, but that's just cruel in my eyes. And then there's the price of admittance.

Compare that to here (where land is readily available in a city that just sprawls across the plains) and you'd get a more comfortable environment that allows a lot more roaming room for the animals. And then considering the future expansions, I believe it would benefit the animals to a greater degree. Now if only they could work in that aquarium, we'd be in business.

Just selected a few Oklahoma & Texas zoos and information about them; thank you for making the comparison...

[d-usa]

Our Zoo could easily have twice the number of animals and species that they do now. But they have been doing a good job putting habitat quality over species quantity.

I am super excited to see how Africa will end up.

[jn1780]

Obviously nothing is better than a native habitat, but this is getting more and more difficult to come by these days as the human race spreads across the planet. What the OKC zoo offers endangered animals is still significantly better than a lot of other zoos.

[HOT ROD]

are our numbers misleading? we have 110 acres for the zoo but isn't most of that the zoo lake, ampitheatre, parking?

If I total up the provided areas subtotals, I get roughly 20 acres for our zoo where animals actually live. Perhaps that's missing Acuaticus and the Africa area under development but still not 110 acres used either. ..

Still better than Houston's 55 acres for 3000 animals (ridiculousness) but perhaps we far underutilize (or perhaps overcount) our zoo area.

[HOT ROD]

I hope/pray the plan is still to build the acqarium downtown as a greater (smithsonian style) OKC Zoo attraction. The return on investment of such a development (that we saw) when combined with residential and hotel development of the area has to be salivating. Let's get that on the hard books at least.

[Plutonic Panda]

Didn’t they say they are still looking into a downtown area aquarium even though it didn’t make the MAPS 4 list?

[jedicurt]

Didn’t they say they are still looking into a downtown area aquarium even though it didn’t make the MAPS 4 list?

from what i heard they were looking for a brief time after to see if they could get the money another way, but again, from what i had heard, is that also fell apart. maybe and hopefully Pete as heard something different? but i'm assuming with funds being down from the zoo being closed for quite a while during the pandemic, that they probably don't have the funds

[JAW]

I would love to see a Bricktown Aquarium that is integrated into the canal. Obviously a canal extension would be easier, to build from the ground up, but maybe some creativity to do so in the established desolate parts of the canal.

Divide the new aquarium in half, build two separate 3+ story buildings on opposite (or catty corner from each other, if trying to scheme in the established canal) sides of the canal. The Dallas World Aquarium is ~4 stories so that's not unheard of. Then connect the buildings with a pedestrian walkway, that can only be accessible to those who bought a ticket, that includes a clear reinforced glass arch the goes above the canal and possibly another clear passage above the passageway. This will be similar to aquariums that let you walk above and under the tanks and see a hammerhead shark swim over you. The main draw would be that this part of the exhibit would be available to everyone on the canal, who could walk under the clear arch and see various fish swimming over the canal and under the pedestrian walkway, and maybe even the second clear glass tunnel above the path between the two buildings. The canal and street level portions of the aquariums facing the canal can also have clear tanks with various exhibits for passersby. Then the second stories a balcony coffee shop and a balcony bar.

It would be a major attraction, unique, drawing street traffic to the canal, as people would take selfies under the clear arch of themselves with a shark or otter flying above them, as well as by the open tanks facing the canal.