Zoo Tails

Zoo Miami Map - 2012

2012-02-08T08:11:00.000-08:00

Zoo Miami's 327 developed acres are home to over 2,000 animals including the harpy eagle. Also known as the American Harpy Eagle, this bird of prey is the most powerful raptor found in the Americas but is almost extinct in Central America. The harpy eagle is featured in the Amazon and Beyond section of Zoo Miami. Below is an overhead map of Zoo Miami and the location of the harpy eagle encounter

Chessington Plans Safari Trail

2012-02-06T13:00:00.000-08:00

Chessington World of Adventures (in the UK) is planning a new jeep safari attraction called Safari Trail. The tour is planned to feature giraffes, rhinos, and flamingos. The ride concept sounds similar to Busch Gardens Tampa's Rhino Rally attraction (minus the failed water feature). What makes this interesting to me is that in the UK, whenever a new attraction is built plans have to be

Interview with a Zoo Photographer

2012-02-05T09:33:00.000-08:00

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

How To Draw Zoo Animals Step By Step

2012-02-04T14:16:00.000-08:00

Do you like to draw animals? I recently found this beginners book on how to draw over 200 animals complete with step by step lessons. One interesting aspect is the book showcases two different methods of drawing for each animals, that way you can learn to draw each with at least two different looks. In fact, most animals only take 6 steps to draw! This fundamental book is a great resource

Picture of the Week: Monkey Hair

2012-02-01T18:19:00.000-08:00

The picture of the week comes to you from the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo in Cleveland, Ohio. I like to call this one "monkey hair."

Conservation Station at Disney's Animal Kingdom

2012-01-31T16:11:00.000-08:00

The Conservation Station is a walkthrough attraction located in the Africa section in Disney's Animal Kingdom. Conservation Station is part of Rafiki's Planet Watch, an area dedicated to the preservation and conservation of animals.The attraction has an outdoor animal area and an enclosed structure called the Hall of Animals. The Hall of Animals includes a variety of interactive screen

Bonniebeth's Playmobil Zoo Model

2012-01-28T13:05:00.000-08:00

I recently stumbled across this YouTube video of a gigantic Playmobil zoo model. The video, entitled Bonniebeth's Playmobil Zoo Diorama, is embedded above. The miniature zoo has a variety of exhibits and animals which must have taken a lot of time and effort to stitch together. I wanted to know more so I contacted the creator and was able to gain some additional information about the

Aerial Antics: San Diego Zoo

2012-01-25T17:11:00.000-08:00

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

Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Video - June 2011

2012-01-16T07:30:00.000-08:00

Are you looking to see some exotic animals? Check out our video taken at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo in June, 2011. A trip to the zoo is not complete without seeing the Cleveland rain forest and all the exciting rainforest animals and plants. One of five major Ohio zoos (not including the Wilds), the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo offers a wide variety of wild animals. Can you name all of the

New Animal Care Center Opens at Busch Gardens Tampa

2012-01-12T16:19:00.000-08:00

The new state-of-the-art facility educates guests and offers one-of-a-kind access to the park’s world class animal hospitality. Busch Gardens welcomes guests to closely observe and even take part in the animal care experience when the Tampa park opens its new Animal Care Center on Jan. 23, 2012. From nutrition to treatments, X-rays to surgeries, much of Busch Gardens’ animal care will be

Zoo America's Animal of the Month - The Bobcat

2012-01-10T19:08:00.000-08:00

Hershey's Zoo America has put together a series of informative videos about a different North American animal for every month of the year. The latest installment features the mighty bobcat which takes its name from its short "bobbed" tail. Visit Zoo America's website for more information.

Zoo Volunteer Interview: Bruce shares his zoo tails

2012-01-08T17:25:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Zoo Tails first official interview feature! We recently had the opportunity to talk to Bruce Lane, an experienced zoo volunteer. Thanks to Bruce 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? Bruce: Born and raised in Berkeley, CA, moved to Washington state in

Wild Encounters Animal Health Center Tour Review

2012-01-04T18:24:00.000-08:00

Wild Encounters Health Care Center tour at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium Have you ever wondered what it's like behind the scenes at a major zoo? How do they take care of all of the animals? The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium (in Columbus, Ohio) recently started offering two behind the scenes tours. One tour takes you backstage of the coral reef and the other walks you through the Dr. C. Joseph

New 2012 Features: Looking for Interviewees

2012-01-03T06:30:00.000-08:00

Our New Years resolution here at Zoo Tails is to make the site even better than ever. I'm looking to put together a couple of interview features for this blog. Specifically, I'd really like to interview a zoo exhibit designer or developer. I'd also love to interview anyone involved with a zoo in any form, whether it's a professional or volunteer experience. Can anyone help me out? Please leave

Columbus Zoo Update - Dec 18, 2011

2011-12-31T10:24:00.000-08:00

Sorry, I meant to post this awhile ago but I've been busy for the holidays. Here are a few pictures to go along with our latest blog post (http://zoo-tails.blogspot.com/2011/12/columbus-zoo-news-update-december-13.html). The zoo has installed two large viewings windows along the front side of the aviary for those who want to view the beautiful birds but don’t want to walk through aviary.

Zoo Tails Top Posts from 2011

2011-12-27T18:20:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year when we look back and reflect on our the great memories from the past year and look forward to the future. Here is a list of some of the most popular zoo news from 2011: Columbus Zoo Map from 2000 Cleveland Zoo 2011 Map Columbus Zoo Pictures from July 2011 Columbus Zoo Polar Bear Exhibit Model Amazon River Dolphin Vintage Zoo Pictures: San Diego Zoo 1984 Coyote+Bison

Zoo Exhibit Design Interactions: Sniff Port

2011-12-18T18:48:00.000-08:00

While at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium today I discovered a very cool interactive feature at the brown and polar bear exhibits in the Polar Frontier section. The bear enclosures feature a "Sniff Port", a small covered hole in the exhibit wall, located on the far left side of the polar bear's above-water viewing space. It allows the bears to easily smell you, and if you look through the tiny

Columbus Zoo News Update - December 13, 2011

2011-12-13T16:38:00.000-08:00

Zoo Chat forum member Team Tapir gave us an update today about a few of the ongoing projects at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. You may have noticed some working taking place in the pheasant aviaries over in Asia Quest. The zoo has installed two large viewings windows along the front side of the aviary for those who want to view the beautiful birds but don’t want to walk through aviary.

Help Name Tampa's New Baby White Rhino!

2011-12-12T17:09:00.000-08:00

At Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo, a Southern White Rhinoceros calf was born in the early morning hours on Wednesday, December 7, to second-time mother “Kidogo” in the African Rhino boma (barn) which houses the animals overnight. The birth marks the second Rhino born at the Zoo this year, preceded by an Indian Rhinoceros (also known as the greater one-horned rhinoceros) born in July. The white

Asian Elephant Arrives at Columbus Zoo

2011-12-08T15:48:00.001-08:00

Hank, a 23-old male Asian Elephant, arrived at the zoo this morning from Riddle's Elephant and Wildlife Sanctuary in hopes that he will breed with their breeding cow, Phoebe. Press release: Powell, OH – Hank, a 23-year-old Asian elephant, arrived at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium early this morning and brought with him hope for a genetically diverse population of Asian elephants within

Holiday Gift Ideas for Zoo Fans

2011-12-03T13:03:00.001-08:00

The holiday gift giving season is upon us. Here are a few gift ideas for zoo fans and their kids. World of Zoo is the only life sim game that pushes you past the fences and into a word of your own zoo. Create and customize your zoo experience and develop hands on relationships to earn the trust and love of your animals. Zookeeper DVD. The animals at the Franklin Park Zoo decide to

Image of the Week: Curious Giraffe

2011-11-30T18:45:00.001-08:00

This week's image comes from San Diego's Wild Animal park taken in 2006.

Zoo Tails Image of the Week: Playfull Polar Bears

2011-11-21T06:00:00.000-08:00

The polar bears of Polar Frontier at the Columbus Zoo were in rare form during our latest visit in November 2011. The exhibit is one of the best due to the pools being stocked with live trout which the bears love to eat. The underwater viewing area is also a great touch, especially when one of the bears decides to sit on top of it.

Zoo Image of the Week: Lowland Gorilla

2011-11-16T04:30:00.000-08:00

Checkout these hilarious facial expressions of the gorilla ad the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. Classic!

Map of the Minnesota Zoo 2009

2011-11-15T17:43:00.001-08:00

Russia's Grizzly Coast is an exhibit complex at the Minnesota Zoological Garden in the United States of America where visitors can see various animal species from the Russian Far East. Above is a map of the Minnesota Zoo from 2009. Pictured below is the site plan diagram for Russia's Grizzly Coast exhibit.