The Oklahoma City Zoo
Posted: Monday, December 03, 2007
by Lin Stone
Tale Wins
The Oklahoma City Zoo is the #1 tourist attraction in Oklahoma -- and it ranked THIRD in the nation in attractions for children. Just looking at the number of animals would make anyone wonder how this is accomplished. Well, it takes work to be #1, and more work to keep it. This zoo is eager to keep the endorsements they have earned.
The second thing that I noticed was cleanliness. Not only was everything in the zoo spotlessly clean, there were none of the odors lingering in the area usually associated with captivity. Smoking is NOT allowed inside the zoo, which makes it even easier to keep clean.
The third thing thrust upon my view was SPACE. The animals were not crowded in their exhibits. The exhibits were not crowded together either. Walking through the Oklahoma City Zoo is like strolling in the country -- except the squirrels will surround you and hold you hostage for peanuts. In many of the zoos I have reviewed the animals are subtly pressured to show themselves. Here the animals have places to hide, to rest and relax, out of your sight. Many animals prefer their solitude; they ignore your presence.
Some of the animals, notably the white tailed
buck in the Oklahoma Trails department, reared right up and stared me in the
face, then tracked me along the way as I went. The Wild Turkeys (in
the same exhibit) came rushing up to demand attention also. 1 bird (in
another exhibit) screamed at me until I came back and took his picture.
Another bird preened her feathers until I took her picture, then walked off
to brag to her friends.
There are many restrooms and conveniently placed.
They are delightfully warm (in the winter) and exceptionally clean.
The one in the Pachyderm (Palace) does need to change the way toilet paper
is dispensed. I sincerely doubt any youngster under nine could get it
for himself. One handed lumberjacks would definitely be left wanting
there. Incidentally, the Pachyderm does smell a little bit, no where
near bad, but in this zoo it is noticeable. Someone there has my sense
of humor because so many exhibits have cute names, like Explorakeet,
Kangaroo Court and Jungle Gym.
In
the Adventure Zone kids can climb the wall, ride the children's train and
the Endangered Species Carousel. One of the things kids liked most
were the lifelike sculptures. They climbed all over them.
More than 800,000 people visited the zoo in the last fiscal year, the
highest number ever. Zoo membership has gone up along with attendance.
There are 110 lushly planted acres to the zoo. 8 acres have recently
been set aside for Oklahoma Trails, revealing primitive Oklahoma at its
best. Staff provides an ever changing educational and recreational
experience throughout the year. Just reading the placards will
probably increase your knowledge about some animals. Kids over twelve
are called Adults and charged $7 admission. Grandfolks over 64 can get
in for only $4. Kids 2 and under can squeeze in for free. Every
Monday in December, January, and February is a freebee. You can come
to the Zoo on any Monday in December, January and February and enjoy FREE
admission -- for everybody! Grandpass are $60 per year, and allow two
adults and five children (from 3-18) in as many times as they want to come.
Just
as you come through the front gate, on your right you will see the Guest
Relations Office. Go inside the first door and on the right hand wall
you will find a large tapestry, Perhaps it is a quilt. It is
definitely thicker than the precious Italian Tapestries originally being
sold before cheapskates ruined the market. This homespun tapestry is
decidedly beautiful even if the lighting is a little bad for taking
pictures.
After you get your tickets and just before you go through the turnstile,
over on your right is an office where you can get strollers, wheelchairs,
and a motorized scooter. That scooter is not the wimpy shopping cart
you get on at supermarkets; it can get away from you in a hurry.
Scooters
are $20 for all day, wheelchairs are only $5. Unfortunately, just
about every thing at the zoo is either UP, or DOWN from where you are and if
you are negotiating your own wheelchair you are in for a BIG workout.
You'll need someone bigger than you are to help you up, and down.
Almost all the walkways are wide, flat (across, not flat up and down) and
safe for normal foot traffic. Even for healthy walkers, the inclines
are safely less than steep but will give you a good workout. If your
knees are weak your best bet is to wait for the tram and ride around the zoo
in comfort.
If you keep a close look, throughout the zoo you'll find carved wood sculptures, kind of tucked away in the underbrush.
The rocks in all the exhibits look very much like real ones. The trees in many exhibits match what would be found in the native environment of some of the animals being shown there. You will also see numerous trees not inside an exhibit which are delightfully beautiful. Bamboo shoots sky high almost everywhere.
The Oklahoma City Zoo is found right next to the Omniplex
Northeast 50th at MLK Blvd.
Phone 405 424 3344
>p>Sixteen more pictures are available from Http://www.talewins.com/OK/okczoo.htm -- if you need them.
Please include the following as a resource box.. Lin Stone is the author of thirty three books and has published numerous articles in magazines and on the web. His home base is established in Noble, Oklahoma but he travels extensively to fulfill his travel writing obligations. StoneSoup provides a long list of those articles and books of his that you can pick up for free.