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Alaska Zoo
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
12 reviews for Alaska Zoo
12 reviews in English
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Review from LINDA R.
Paradise Valley, AZ
9/30/2010
It would appear they have done alot of new additions and are still in the process of adding new enclosures and exhibits.
It is a very small zoo, 1 of the smallest I've visited - I think the largest I've been to was Toronto Zoo. Since we had a gap of an hour of driving into town, and still too early to go to dinner, we did a quick tour through. It is easily done in just over 1 hour. (If you don't have kids, that is!)
The walkways, paths and trails meander through trees, over bridges and over brooks. The new sea otter enclosure looks like it is going to be quite nice. I do hope that the zoo will continue forward and expand and revamp as well as ENLARGE the cages. Most, if not all, were (as usual) WAY TOO SMALL. As 1 other review indicates, it is true: almost every single animal was asleep.
I'm giving it the 4 stars because it is centrally located, very pretty grounds, and something interesting to do if you have and hour or 2 in between your bigger adventures. It's also cheap, and I would suggest it to stretch those legs with all the driving you may be doing in this state. -
Review from Taylor A.
1/16/2012
For some bizarre reason, a co-worker (from Dallas) and I (from Atlanta) decided to go to this outside zoo when it was about 5 degrees. Literally no one else was there when we went, but they have some nice exhibits of animals that can handle the freezing cold.
Basically, you can spot all the animals that you may not have seen on your Alaskan adventures. There's a moose, bald eagles, wolves, deer, musk ox, coyotes, etc.
They also have some more exotic animals such as polar bears and an Amur tiger.
Not a bad way to kill an afternoon, though I'd recommend going when it's little bit warmer than when I went. -
Review from J. A. C.
Denver, CO
9/29/2008 3 photos
What?! No review on the zoo? But there were bears (polar, brown, and black)! Who doesn't review a bear when they see one?
Oh...and a few bald eagles. Oh, and a cheetah. Actually, there was a sh*tload of animals. I felt like I was walking through the set of Discovery Channel.
Don't wear nice shoes here - nothing's cement. It's just pure muddy goodness.
Sarah Palin needs an earmark so that taxpayers can pave the walkways of their zoo and that one bridge to ...? Oh...that exhibit closed. Well, pave the bridge to it anyway. -
Review from Angela B.
8/9/2010
The Alaska Zoo isn't enormous; you can do the entire thing in less than an hour & even have time to double back on things. I think that all the animals are either native to Alaska or come from similar climates (ie Siberian tigers). The expected menagerie's all there - seals, bald eagles, lynx, moose, caribou, musk ox, reindeer, wolves, hyenas, Dall sheep, wolverines, polar/brown/black bears - I even got my picture taken with a red fox. :)
Besides the photo shoot with the red fox, two neat things happened while we were there. 1) The caribou / reindeer keeper was feeding the animals when we walked by, so we got to chat with him for a while about the animals & learned some fascinating things (like, for example, how one of the older caribou had a vasectomy, because castrating horned/antlered animals causes their horns/antlers to grow all deformed). Also, he had the gate open so we got a much better view. 2) One of the musk ox had given birth only about 3 days before, so we got to see a newborn musk ox. And there is nothing cuter than a newborn musk ox.
On the other hand, I can't say it wasn't a touch depressing at times. Many of the cages do seem kind of small, and some of the animals looked a bit distressed / unhappy. Don't expect the lavish, sprawling habitats you see at a lot of bigger zoos. You can get a bit closer to them than in the wilderness, sure, but it's not nearly as awe-inspiring. Definitely do Denali or the wildlife preserve for that. -
Review from Julie S.
8/3/2011
Yikes. I really wish I wouldn't have dragged boyfriend here. It is super small to start. The whole thing maybe took an hour. Also almost all of the animals that are confined here can also be found out in the wild of Alaska. The paths to get to each exhibit is cute. But I wouldn't recommend anyone going there, it has a depressing feeling overall.
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Review from Sean E.
Seattle, WA
8/16/2009
If want to see animals and don't feel like leaving Anchorage, go here. The Alaska Zoo has a nice combination of Alaska's greatest hits (bears, wolves, bald eagles...) and cold climate animals from the rest of the world (snow leopard, bactrian camel, yak...) in semi-wild setting. It doesn't feel as shiny and commercial as zoos in the Lower 48, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The zoo is in the middle of a residential neighborhood, which leads to such amusing situations as a coyote howling at a neighborhood dog.
A major caveat is that the fencing the zoo uses for many of the exhibits is not conducive to taking pictures of the animals. If you really want to take great wildlife shots without actually having to go out into the wild, the place to go is the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center in Portage. If you can only visit one of the two major wildlife parks in the area, I would recommend the AWCC over the Alaska Zoo.
Poor photography conditions aside, I like the Alaska Zoo. It's close to town and has a decent selection of animals. Admission is getting higher, but $12 (less for kids, soldiers, and old folks) isn't that bad relative to many other zoos. Both visitors with free time and locals with an interest in northern wildlife will enjoy the Alaska Zoo. -
Review from Horrace W.
Anchorage, AK
2/21/2011 2 photos
Overall I had a good time. It was hard to see the bears with all the ice on the windows. I was a bit uncomfortable that they had a men's room attendant handing out towels and offering cologne. That seemed inappropriate for a zoo. I really enjoyed the lions and tigers. The giant black birds that flew around everywhere in the zoo was a nice touch. I couldn't find the reptile house, however I did find a cool three-headed dragon with a snake for a tail at the gift store..
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Review from G L.
Anchorage, AK
8/18/2009
OH, HOORAY, I took PICTURES of ANIMALS, how GREAT and EDUCATIONAL and TRASHY.
The Alaska Zoo is a PIECE OF SHIT. There's actually not much to see here because the animals are always sleeping, because they are fucking depressed, because they have the smallest enclosures of any zoo I have ever seen. The tigers and wolves are the only animals that don't live in a glass box or a backyard pen. The polar bear lives in a smaller space than you do, and the otters get to swim in a puddle. I tried the zoo twice, god knows why, and the second time they were holding two black bear cubs in "temporary" housing. I was confused as to why the sign seemed to point into a concrete employee bomb shelter with rodent cages and radio ads playing until my eyes adjusted and I could make out the bear cubs sitting in a corner of the basement.
Since I have to give one star for the privilege of writing this review, why don't I go ahead and assign that star for the BIG, HAIRY, SWOLLEN COJONES it takes not to put bears in a warehouse pit but to invite every member of the public with 12 large to come and lookee what we done! DIPSHITS.
But none of this is surprising. Let's look at the history of the zoo. The zoo was founded in essence because some fucktard thought it was a great idea to bring an Asian elephant to Alaska. That elephant is croaked and buried (take a picture of the headstone!), but the African elephant that was brought in as its companion -- since elephants are SOCIAL, HOW CONSIDERATE -- got to stay until 2007, no roommates, on 1,600 square feet. All those wasted tears over not having a pony. If only I'd known then that I had room for my own elephant!
If you want to see animals, take the short, scenic drive down to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center past Girdwood where they provide large spaces and care for orphaned and injured wildlife native to Alaska.
If you want to see animals and don't feel like leaving Anchorage, go take a hike and get mauled by a bear. Please. Thank you. -
Review from Becca C.
9/13/2010 3 photos
A small zoo, about a 20 minute drive from Downtown. My first impression was as if it were the land of Alaska's 'misfit toys,' as pretty much all of them were rescued from the wild because of a life-threatening condition. I'm glad they have been cared for here, but I still can't help but wonder if they're happy here. I enjoyed the closeups of the bald eagles and musk oxen, and the polar bear looked happy and swimming.
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Review from Geordie B C.
Anchorage, AK
1/12/2010 2 photos
I like the zoo. I've lived in Barrow and can tell you I'd rather pay (sometimes) to see polar bears and wolverine up close than freeze my tail off and risk my life seeing them in the wild. Sometimes seeing them in the zoo makes it all the better when you see them in the wild, if you are lucky enough to see them in the wild (before they stop breathing...if you catch my drift). Helps the kiddos to know what the heck they are looking for when you are out on the tundra too.
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Review from Rylee S.
Scottsdale, AZ
7/21/2010
I really hate zoos. It's so depressing to see animals in such confined places. Especially when you've seen the beautiful expanse that is Alaska. That being said this zoo also doing good work by rehabilitating injured and orphaned animals.
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Review from Ellen R.
Eagle River, AK
10/6/2010
Not the greatest zoo in the world but a nice way to spend an afternoon. Most of the animals are native to Alaska or similar climates and many are animals that are unable to live in the wild for various reasons. The grounds are wooded and nice to walk through. There is actually a wide variety of animals from wolves and bears to eagles and otters. It is constantly improving the animals' enclosures and although old fashioned, it is gradually moving to a more modern facility.
