Visitor Reviews

Review submitted by Kevin Guilfoyle May 2006

The Bronx zoo is a wonderful model of what zoos should be. Animals are kept in large naturalistic enclosures which draw the visitors to learn more about conservation. Upon entry, the Congo exhibit- a $43 million dollar exhibit is one of if not the largest African rainforest exhibits in the world and provides the visitor a slice of the Congo. The gorillas have a huge living space whose perimeter is hard to measure. And upon exit, the visiter decides which rainforest animal he/she would like their entrance fee to help preserve thus including the visitor in the conservation efforts of the WCS. The Jungle World Exhibit is a large indoor Asian rainforest with several langur- an Asian monkey, species alongside tree kangaroos, malayan tapir and a black leopard. This must see exhibit boreders on the Wild Asia Monorail. A journey on this shuttle takes the visitor through a myriad of Asian herbivore exhibits such as the Asian Greater one-horned rhino and the rare Indian bovid the Gaur. Upon departure from Wild Asia, the visitor can venture into the himalayan highlands exhibit, home to Snow leopards and red pandas. The Tiger Mountain Exhibit is a vast space lush with foliage, home to rare Amur (Siberian) Tigers. The Baboon Reserve is home to a large troop of Gelada Baboons and a herd of Aodads- a sort of wild sheep. This vast exhibit provides a copious amount of room for the animals to act as if they were in the valleys of Ethiopia-their native home.  Lunch can be purchased at one of the great many concession stands located throughout the zoo or if the visitor desires can eat their meal in the beautifully themed Dancing Crane Cafe, overlooking a flock of Chilean Flamingoes. The zoo has made every effort in affording its creatures the very best life possible. Upgrades and construction are constantly ongoing, providing for more and more naturalistic immersion exhibits that transports the zoo-goer to exotic places. Anyonone serious about wildlife and conservation should pay this paragon of zoos a visit.

Anon review 2000

We were foreign visitors, with kids in the car, and a visit to the Bronx Zoo struck us as slightly intimidating. It didn't help that we got lost en route, and only when you're roaming the Bronx with no idea of where you are do you start to understand just what a large place it is.

Nonetheless we found it. And thank goodness. For the Bronx Zoo is a Garden of Eden, an impossible glorious sanctuary of rich natural woodland and a riot of wonderful wildlife sunk into the very heart of one of the world's most intractible metropolitan sprawls. It really is a heartwarming place, generous in the space it gives to the animals, broad in its appeal, and vivid in its design.  This is a zoo that opens its gates to two million visitors every year, and on our visit the lanes swarmed with school parties, vacationers, New Yorkers and tourists – but far from choking the place, the zoo seemed better for the crowds; it knows how to accommodate them, and it does so well on its miles of rambling pathways, with its sheer variety.

As a collection, this is the major collection of the New York Zoological Society and it is rich.  From Polar Bears to Przewalski Horses, Great Indian Rhinos to gorillas, this is a rich and breathtaking collection.

We didn't take notes (alas) and so I'm not going to pass judgement upon any of the individual exhibits or programs. I hope that regular visitors to the Bronx Zoo will contribute some up to date  reviews for us. But if you're visiting New York, add it to your list of must-see places.