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Wildlife World Zoo
Rating Details »
Categories: Amusement Parks, Zoos [Edit]
16523 W Northern AveLitchfield Park, AZ 85340
(623) 935-9453
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
20 reviews for Wildlife World Zoo
The highlights:
(1) You can feed giraffes! Climb up a raised platform and get pellet food from coin operated vending machines. Bring quarters!
(2) The big cat enclosures are awesome. Part of their cages are over your head and while we were there, we got to see both a panther and a leopard from about a foot away.
(3) Lots of birds and monkeys, including some kinds I had never seen before.
(4) The aquarium is small, but growing. In 2010, they will be building an addition to include a 40,000 gallon South American exhibit, a jellyfish tank, and otters. Currently, they have some cool things like a shark tank, nautilus, a large ray touch tank, barracudas, moray eels, a giant alligator snapping turtle, and some awesomely weird stone fish.
It's a tad pricey at $28.00 for adults, and you need to bring additional cash for any of the snack shacks since only the gift shop and main ticket area at the entrance take plastic. There are ATM's, but few were working order, and the prices were typical for an amusement park.
Overall, we had a great time, and WWZ is a nice place to have in AZ, especially since they seem to be doing a very good job with the animals themselves. They have some successful breeding programs, and the animals all seemed healthy.
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As the forecast called for a break in the 110-plus weather, we decided to take advantage of it and make the trek to WWZA. It's far, but mostly freeway, so I don't think it took us more than 30 minutes from Central Phoenix.
The prices are a bit to swallow, I'll admit, but we left feeling pretty impressed by this little gem. We didn't get to see about half of the outdoor exhibits as the heat & sun were taking it's toll after about an hour and a half, but once we found sanctuary in the Aquarium our sun-beat bodies were quite rejuvenated.
Okay, so, the animals--yes, they do look like they live in some tight quarters, but I imagine everyone from the ASPCA to the Humane Society to PETA have checked this place out a time or two and it's still up and running. In almost a decade of living in The Valley, I have never heard any negative press about this place.
You can get SO close! The Jaguar was sleeping in his overhead paddock and I could have literally reached through the fencing to touch him (I didn't, of course--who really wants to be that guy on the 5 o'clock news?) The Reptile House was orders of magnitude better than the one at the PhxZoo and featured not only an Albino Alligator but also a HUGE boa constrictor that was NOT behind glass--just sleeping on a branch under his heat lamp. This place gives a lot of credit to it's patrons to not be retarded, but maybe the price weeds out those destined for the 5 o'clock news.
The primates were also much closer, interactive, and varied than the PhxZoo. The baby Spider Monkey was literally performing for us in the trees, leaping and climbing then waiting for our reactions, then following us around the exhibit from one side to the other.
What was most impressive had to have been the aquarium--not bad for middle of the desert! Touch tubs featuring star fish, crabs and anemone, more turtles & tortoises than you can count, beautiful tanks of fresh and salt water fish, upside down jelly fish, sharks, and baby white tigers! Wait--what? Baby White Tigers in an aquarium? Yes! And they are so friggin' cute! I could have sat and watched them all day, but there were sting rays to feed.
For the record, the sting ray exhibit at WWZA is far superior to the one at PhxZoo. Adults and kids alike can actually reach the rays to pet them (at no additional charge) without having to lay the top half of one's body across the wet tank edge like you do at the zoo. There is a $3 per person charge to feed them, but they give you a little cup of shrimp, not a decapitate fish. I did get chomped on by a sting ray. It was like being bitten by something with no teeth, only gums. Enough to get my attention, but not painful.
We will definitely be back when the heat subsides.
A couple of pointers:
**BRING YOUR OWN WATER!!! or pay $3.50 for vending machine Dasani
**The extras are truly extra ($4 each for the train, $6 each for the flume, $2 each for the boat ride) so if you have your heart set on those, you're gonna have to pay what amounts to another admission
**Quarters for the feeders. We didn't make it over to the other side of the park, but for the pellets to feed the birds it's $0.25 a turn.
Our 6 year old's favorite part was "seeing the giant lobsters coming to get Daddy."
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I finally got a chance to go to the aquarium and it didn't let me down! Absolutely beautiful and the pride of the West side. The exhibits are well done right down to the Rays that you can pet and feed shrimp to. And yes, while someone might argue that there are better aquariums out there, this is the FIRST here.
I did have to demote the place to four stars because I feel like it's getting a little out of hand with the prices. It's now $28 per person (although don't forget my entertainment book tip...that came in handy again!) and while I know they need money to stay open, it seems a little cheap that you have to pay additionally for every single ride they have. Couldn't they at least throw in one ride for free? And let's not even talk about the concessions...
It was also ridiculously pricey to feed the rays. For $3 you get a small piece of shrimp cut up into thirds. Whoopee. Can't you hear the excitement in my voice....
While it was very cool feeling your fingers get sucked into the slippery mouths for an instant, you can pet the little buggers for FREE. Save your $3. I guarantee they will not starve from lack of touristy shrimp.
Here's another hint (wow, I'm so hinty today!)...
If you only want to see the aquarium, you have to go after 5pm. Otherwise you have to pay for going through the zoo too, even if you don't go through it.
If you don't want to pay for the food there and want a break, you can get a stamp on your hand before you leave, which will allow you to re-enter the park any time that day.
It sure came in handy when we all had grumbly stomachs but couldn't stomach the park food or park food prices. That meant I went back to see the aquarium much more refreshed.
It's definitely worth a once over at the very least, and I still love this place...I just wish there was more of a feeling of getting you're money's worth.
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2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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1/4/2009
The new aquarium is open! It's an extra $6...and while I haven't visited the aquarium yet (this… Read more »
As much as i hate seeing animals in cages i decided to go to see if it was as good as i had heard. It had it's pros and it's cons. ..
Some of the animals are in too tight cramped spaces looking sad and whatnot, the boa constrictor's habitat happened to be missing the glass, so anyone could basically go into his little "house", and there were a lot of the same birds repeated throughout the park.
The aquarium wasn't that awing but i guess for the phoenix area is still pretty cool. One neat thing was that you could touch the stingray's, starfish and crab. Eww!! they were so slimy =)
As always food and gifts are hella expensive and i don't understand why we can't bring in our own food to eat there.
Now the pros- they had at least 4 baby critters there, 2 of which were monkeys and i must admit they were kinda cute. learning to swing on the ropes and attaching itself to it's mother. don't you miss childhood?
The highlight was a baby chimp on an island that as soon as he/she saw us started flailing it's arms frantically trying to get our attention and then began rolling around. it was cute.
It's a nice place but not worth the $30. But pretty good for having exotic animals in the desert.
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Visited the zoo with a friend to mainly see the new aquarium.
I've been to this zoo before and have always been kind of "whatever" about it. Yeah, it's got some really cool and different animals, and yeah, you can feed the giraffes....but some of the pens they have them in kind of depress me. "Here's a plot of land....let's put some fences around it...and throw some type of animal in." I don't know how to explain it. Some of the other reviewers have said how this zoo is so much better than the Phoenix Zoo. Don't get that at all.
But......in all fairness....I was completely impressed with the newly added aquarium.
There are three new buildings in all and lots of cool fish and other water-living animals on display. For Arizona....and the Wildlife World Zoo.....I was impressed.
Make sure you look up in the "Diversity of Life In Water" building. There is a cool 'overhead river' exhibit that runs above everyone close to the ceiling. You look up and see fish and turtles swimming in an acrylic 'tube' over your head. Pretty neat.
And the massive 83 year old 100 pound alligator snapping turtle is something out of your worst nightmares. And they can get even bigger!! No thanks....
The other two buildings house "The Wild and the Wonderful" and "Predators".
The seahorse exhibit is pretty cool as is the spiny lobster tank. And there is a South American fish towards the end of the "Predators" building that has a nickname of the "vampire fish". I forget it's real name....but it's pretty darn scary, too. Long fangs growing out of it's lower jaw.
The aquarium is open nights after the zoo closes. Wouldn't mind going back to just the aquarium at night. For being in the middle of the desert in Arizona it's pretty cool.
I just hope they take some of the pride and innovations they used for the aquarium and put that to use in the zoo side.
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Hands Down Better than the Phoenix Zoo!
I'd never really heard about this zoo until I got coupon in the mail, but I went today for the first time and don't know who had more fun - me or 2 year old daughter!
I like the Wildlife World Zoo better than the Phoenix Zoo because overall it's less crowded, you can get closer up to the animals, and there are a lot more interactive exhibits. You can actually enter the kangaroo pen and walk on the path with the kangaroos lounging just feet from you. We got to to pet a bunch of animals today including the sting rays, giraffes, goats, baby deer, and llamas.
The newest exhibit at the zoo is the aquarium and it had some beautiful fish and a lot of different species. The sharks are still really small since they're babies, but nonetheless they were cool to watch. We got to see the black footed penguins at feeding time and they were so cute I wanted to take them home with me!
We didn't eat there since the food was pretty expensive, but the menu at the Tiberon Restaurant looked pretty good. They have a buffet for $18/adult if you're looking for a big meal.
If you're planning to go on a weekend I suggest going early - they open at 9 on Saturday. When we left at 12:45 there was a long line to buy tickets and a lot more people walking around the park. I'll be sure to go back again when I have visitors in town or want to teach my daughter more about animals as she gets older.
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You can easily spend a whole day (we just did) at the World Wildlife Zoo. I live in the East Valley, and it was almost an hour drive, so planning to spend less than a day would be pointless. While the zoo does not have all of the fancy environments that others do, they have an interesting collection of animals.
Hands down, my favorite parts are the interactive ones. The giraffe feeding station is the reason I love the Wildlife World Zoo. After climbing the platform, getting to pet and feed giraffes is amazing. This also makes for incredible photo opportunities, as the almost 800 photos I took will attest to; some of the best were of the giraffes.
Next to the giraffes, the Lorry Parrot feeding was amazing - I could have done that more than once that day. Walking into the aviary, having the parrots land on you, eat apples right out of your hands - it's so amazing. Lots of laughs when two parrots decide they like the same apple. This is another great place for those who like to take pictures. No fences or cages between you and the birds - and the brightly colored feathers come out great!
The new aquarium is also very cool - this was the first time I ever got to pet stingrays. The only thing I was not as thrilled with was the penguin exhibit. The glass was dirty and harder to see through than I would have liked. Of course, I do have an irrational love of penguins (it might be a Linux thing) and so unless I can actually pet the penguins, I'm never satisfied.
In response to the more negative reviews: Um, you are in Phoenix, I never recommend doing anything outside if it's more than 105 degrees - that's supposed to be a given when you live in a desert. And while they do charge extra for some of the little features like the train ride - so does the Phoenix Zoo - and the World Wildlife Zoo's additional charges are minuscule. Keep in mind this is not just a look pretty zoo, they actually have an amazingly successful breeding program, and the primary focus is saving species. If you don't want to experience the real smells and sounds of wild animals, stay home and watch the Discovery Channel.
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Went again this time with my kiddos entire Kindergarten class. We only had like 2.5 hours and we had to eat lunch in that time frame so I focused on the new aquatic stuff and hit the main points again quickly skipping the boring stuff. The stingrays are a nice addition and the sharks will be much cooler to see when they get much bigger. If you go this time of year that log ride looks nice and refreshing so bring extra cash for it!! Don't forget the wet naps for after your visit too you will smell like fish, giraffe spit and possibly tiger piss like poor w w. below damn!!
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/30/2008
I don't suggest this place in 1000 degree weather. This is a lot diff from the PHX Zoo for sure you… Read more »
I am a huge animal lover and a big time fish enthusiast. I make it a point to visit any and every aquarium I can find in my travels. It's been disappointing to live in AZ and not have an aquarium, until now.
The aquarium portion of this place is still a work in progress. I kind of felt like I was intruding on a prohibited construction site when I was here because there was still a lot being worked on. Unfortunately, only about 1/2 of the fish exhibits were operating, but they were pretty cool. I love touch tanks and they have a well stocked ray tank to get your arms wet. There was even a hawk in one of the rooms. The hawk keeper politely informed us that we may want to look away as he was going to be feeding the hawk. YEAH RIGHT! I stared at that thing as it literally shredded the already dead mouse. It was so nasty, but I couldn't stop watching!
The zoo part of this place is quite nice. Much better than the Phoenix Zoo. The animals seem to be quite happy in their lush surroundings. Something that is really cool though, is they feed the animals up in the front of their confinements. That way you get to see the animals up close and personal.
Overall, a really cool place to visit. If you don't live out in the area, it's quite a drive, but definitely worth a visit at least once. I found it to be a bit pricey at 26 dollars a person for both aquarium and zoo, but I still paid it and I still enjoyed it. Just go.
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I am a photographer. This place is great for upclose opportunities to shoot wildlife. However...
You get the sense that many of the animals could escape their habitats at any time. The flamingos have LONG legs as we all know, yet the only thing preventing them from leaving their little area is a string of railroad ties that are only 2-3 feet tall! Even the giraffes have the same size wall! Its not exactly an easy feeling after what happened in San Diego:)
This place is dirty. My heart strings tug every time we visit as I see food wrappers in mass collection all over the place. They do not do a very good job cleaning the habitats.
Much more opportunities to get close to the animals compared to most zoos, but is it worth it?
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I have to say it appears my idea of a great zoo differs greatly from my fellow yelpers.
This zoo does have some great features. Fantastic variety of animals from all over the world. And if you like tigers, this is the zoo for you. The animals appear well-cared for and the grounds are reasonably clean.
However, it escapes me how this zoo can warrant a five-star rating given the number of "exhibits" that are merely large cages sitting side-by-side like little hotel rooms. Don't get me wrong, some of the exhibits are great and well-designed. But many others are terrible and seem to offer little to the animals except shelter. Perhaps this zoo houses more animals than it can adequately support.
For $18 a ticket, I expect more.
I
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Expensive, but worth it! I got to feed a giraffe. That was cool. Lots of different animals, and the nicest petting zoo I've ever seen (the deer ate our map, though).
All the places to buy food carry generic stuff like hotdogs and ice cream (I got suckered in and bought an ice cream sandwich for $3). Nothing fancy here.
I don't know if I was just tired today or what, but I was pretty exhausted by the end of the whole thing, so I'd bring kids here just to have them conk out in the car on the drive home.
I was kind of bummed that they don't have elephants. But that's a pretty petty thing to complain about when you can get licked by a giraffe or hand some food to a monkey.
On top of all the great animals to see out-of-doors, their small mammal and reptile buildings are pretty impressive.
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I just had my first trip to the Wildlife World Zoo. It was great! I like that it's dirt, makes it seem more genuine than the Phoenix Zoo. The map was easy to read and I got to skip over what I really wasn't interested it. I'm not big on birds :P
I also got to feed the giraffes! Gross! But, cool!
There are animals you won't see anywhere else: the albino alligator, which was my reason for going there in the first place. You won't get to get as close to a rhino as here.
It's also less commercial than other zoos: no plastic lids or straws, not inundated with vending
There are even a train ride and sky ride!
I went with a 4-yr old. I was exhausted and needed a nap. Not sure if it was because there was so much to see, or that I went with a kid. I'm not around kids very often!
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I had a blast! We roamed around on a gorgeous spring day walking along a dirt path among the open animal exhibits and really enjoyed ourselves. Is it San Diego Park Wildlife park....um no. Is it a start for Phoenix and a great way to kill a day catching the gondola ride, watching the rhino charge or feeding the giraffes and cruising along the man made river on a barge boat watching the kangroos hang out. Yes, it is. The reviews below are all accurate from 2 -4 stars. Yes, some of the cages are empty, some of the cages do seem small and cramped but overall the experience for a relatively new venture in Phoenix where the arts, culture and outdoor experiences are not as well supported as chain restaurants and outlet malls, it was FANTASTIC! It was worth the drive, the aquarium is brand new, the animals, reptiles and fish are all young and new and I will be back to support it and may even donate! I liked it that much!
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Make sure you set aside an entire day to visit this zoo, especially if you're a photographer.
The zoo is pretty well laid out and the animals are reasonably accessible for photos except the big cats that are kept inside very tall cages including some you can walk under!
Yes, it is a bit dirty and moronic visitors do have a habit of throwing their trash around instead of using the plentiful trash cans. It's also dusty (unpaved, including the parking lot) and there's not enough shade for afternoon summer strolls. If it's windy, be careful to turn your back to the wind gusts or you'll get a faceful of dust.
The food selection is terrible, but they're working on that with a new restaurant being built along with their new aquarium opening within a few months.
They only take cash, which truly stinks, but they're working on taking credit cards. They do have an ATM (for a fee, of course) in the gift shop if you don't bring enough cash with you.
They do put out 2 for 1 admission coupons from time to time in ValPak coupon mailings and in the Arizona Republic's Calendar publication.
My biggest beefs with this zoo are the admission price and additional tickets for the rides along with how they treat members. Membership doesn't have too many privileges aside from some guest passes and admission for a year. There are no member newsletters or emails. Want to know what's going on? Check the website or watch the newspaper. This is why I'm not a member anymore.
However, the zoo itself is still a wonderful place to go. And, seriously, set aside an entire day. You'll most likely need it.
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This little zoo really impressed us! They have a huge population of primates! As my daughter was carefully surveying a spider monkey through the glass it was inches away examining her just as carefully. Bring lots of quarters as they have feeding machines all around which dispense pellets for their waterfowl. The kids loved that part!
I could have gone without the sky ride as the mandatory round trip was a bit much for me, particularly when we got to an extremely bumpy section. I really prefer the one way option as offered at the San Diego zoo. A pro was the opportunity to look at the layout of the park and plot where to go after hopping off. The are several other extras such as a train ride, a boat ride, a rainbow lorakeet feeding area, a childrens carousel, and a giraffe feeding platform - be sure to bring lots of monies in order to do the fun extras!
Unfortunately they don't accept credit cards so bring cash or be willing to pay a fee to withdraw cash from the ATM in the gift shop! They also do not honor reciprocal memberships for a discount or free admission which is just as well as they are a non profit institution.
Another con is the hot, dusty landscape(it IS in the desert). It would be nice if they had water misting stations like the Miami zoo does and interactive sprinklers for visitors to cool off on a hot day, be sure to bring lots of cold water and drinks. I am sure that the waterpark addition will help on that measure(though it WILL cost extra!). An extra that I would be ever so happy to pay for would be one of the Italian Sirenetta bicycle carts - it would have been ever so nice to load the whole family in and pedal through the zoo. They should follow the Miami and Phoenix zoos examples and get some of those to rent out! I did notice rubbish dropped by other patrons left discarded but cannot fault the zoo for that. As a non profit they likely can't afford to have all of the attendants that places like Disneyland require in order to maintain order. We found the elderly volunteers at the zoo to be helpful and charming.
We left this zoo exhausted after treking around in the heat all day but were very satisfied with the experience. We took Olive road back to Phoenix and were pleasantly surprised by a fruit stand with DELICIOUS pineapples, watermelon, prickly pear cactus, and other assorted, cheaper than grocery store goodies for the offering(bring extra cash if you opt for this extra stop as they also only accept cash!).
We will be back with lots of greenbacks to tour their new waterpark when it opens and take lots of pictures!!! Look for an update in late Spring :-) Next time we go I'll definitely follow the advice of other posters here and utilize some sort of money saving offer for the admission!
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EXCELLENT
Some of the most amazing birds I've ever seen! The scarlet Ibis is so beautiful.
Great animal park for sure. They all looked happy, lots of room to roam. It didn't feel like a "zoo" environment at all.
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I'd just like to supplement Shannon's review since I agree with it....
It's important to know everything is cash only at the Wildlife World Zoo, no credit cards. So, you'll need cash for tickets, food, the gift shop, $1 to ride the merry-go-round, $2 for the boat ride, not sure how much the train and sjyride are, and quarters so that you can get food to feed the giraffes, ducks and wild animals at the petting zoo.
I think the giraffe feeding is the best part of the experience. Watch small kids in the petting zoo...the animals are very enthusiastic about receiving their treats, not as docile as most petting zoo animals.
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Have you ever been peed on by a Siberian tiger? I have, but let's get to that in a minute.
First things first: tickets are $18 per person, but if you happen to know someone that buys Hickman eggs (which I do) you can get a coupon off of the back for a buy one get one free deal. Not bad at all.
This is the best zoo I've ever been to. Hands down. It was amazing. You are able to get very close to the animals, which is cool and a little scary.
Back to the pee incident- I was about a foot away from the Siberian tiger and the only thing separating me from him was a fence. He was pacing back and forth and everyone was remarking on how cool it was to see him up close until....wait for it...
he sprayed a few people, myself included with urine or his man tiger scent. Whatever you might call it, it was sick and pretty funny all at the same time.
After dousing myself with water, we moved on to the rest of the zoo. My boyfriend and I fed giraffes and monkeys, rode on the sky ride, took a train ride through a little portion of the zoo, saw 2 two-month old baby tigers and fed goats and llamas in the petting zoo.
They have a ton of really cool, exotic animals here that you get to see up and close and personal- something that doesn't happen at most other zoos. I didn't try any of the food at the snack bars or cafes, but they have a few, so you definitely have the option of having lunch or an early dinner there.
The zoo is 55 acres I believe and is open from 9am to 5pm. It's the coolest thing ever, so check it out.
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This zoo is far out there, but totally worth the drive! I went here and then the Phoenix zoo the next weekend, and what a difference!!! The Phoenix zoo was a joke in comparison! The animals were so close, you could almost touch them! There was just so much to see and it was nice to actually be able to see it, instead of walking all around the Phoenix zoo and feeling like I only saw like 5 animals! Maybe I'm just used to the Brookfield zoo and Lincoln Park zoo in Chicago, but I am super picky about my zoos :-) I definitely recommend checking out this one instead!!!
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