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Alaska Zoo
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
4 reviews for Alaska Zoo
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.
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.
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.
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If you live in Anchorage then definitely get a membership. The behind the scenes tours are really great: you get up quite close to a number of the animals including the polar bears! I've also heard good things about their children's camps. Music is offered during summer evenings once or twice a week and it is nice walk around to take with the kids. Periodically they offer fun little events like birthdays for the animals.
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