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Zoo Henry Vilas Park Zoo
Rating Details »
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
17 reviews for Zoo Henry Vilas Park Zoo
Free (even parking).
Clean.
Lots of cool animals.
The end.
"The Ugly:
-Emaciated male lion.
-Too-small enclosures for the animals that need lots of space, like the polar bears and seals. Is it really worth not charging admission?"
The male lion is certainly not emaciated. Check out some wild lion photos on the web. You will see that lions are not plump animals, by nature. Henry looks no different. I have never heard him called emaciated.
http://www.flickr.com/...
The zoo is not allowed to charge admission. It's not that they just choose not to. I believe the land would be returned to the owners should they even consider this. Should you visit the zoo, please just drop $10 into the donation tubs. There...youpay admission...they get a donation that they, yes, desperately need to make changes and improvements. The county and city give them an annual budget that hasn't changed much in many years. This covers administrative costs and does not cover and costs of improvements. So, it is up to us to speak with our money. Don't like what you see? DONATE!!
I went here a couple of weeks ago, the zoo was very nice, although the bears didn't seem happy at all, their enclosures were very small and it was 90+ out. Otherwise the zoo was great, free of course, parking wasn't too much trouble but I imagine it could be difficult. The worst exhibit obviously was the one with all the small primates riding the carousel.
It's nice to be able to just walk out of the zoo and along the lake.
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I've been going here since I was a kid. Love the petting zoo and the prairie dogs. If you go, hope that the badger is out because he is ADORABLE. And the whole thing is free! Can you believe it? Very clean, very nice zoo. An asset to Madison. The beach and park across the street are very nice and clean as well.
I am always going to love anything that's free. And the Henry Vilas Zoo is free.
The zoo has it's few problems, and I really hate the renovation and the stupid carousel/kid's zoo crap. I also miss the wax animal machines. I luckily still have several.
But, it's a zoo, there are sea otters there, so what else can I ask for?
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This is the little zoo that could. It's not a destination. It's a place to go because you're here anyway. But they are working to improve their exhibits over time and updating their enclosures. It's just a very slow process. The bear enclosures are the same I think from when the zoo was originally built. The otter enclosure looks great.
So yes, it's a bit depressing to go here and see the sad bears. Especially if you've been spoiled by other zoos. But kids love it. The staff does care. And they're working to make it better.
We had a very interesting conversation with the orang keeper when we were there about the orangs, their personalities and what she was trying to do to improve their living conditions. It made me want to whip out my checkbook right there and help them out. Or maybe go to Home Depot and pick them up a swimming pool.
4 stars for free and a fun kid destination.
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This is hard for me, I'm conflicted.
You walk in and are greeted by a plethora of flamingos. Nice.
Some of the cages are like wrought iron bird cages, with bigger animals. Not nice. Creepy.
Free camel rides on Sundays - at least there used to be. Yeah, nice.
They have those wierd plastic melting machines that make gorillas and other fine figurines, still warm when they plop out of the machine. Cool.
Petting zoo/children's zoo. Cool.
Right next to Lake Wingra.
I didn't see it but angry polar bears? Scary.
Free zoo. FREE ZOO. Donate money or something, they need it. It's a pretty damn great zoo for it's size and pocketbook.
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The Good:
-Free! Freeeeeeeee!
-A generally clean and pleasant place to spend a sunny afternoon.
-The prairie dog exhibit. Life just does not get any cuter than watching those little guys clean each other faces before they curl up for a nap.
The Bad:
-Scary alpha male Chimpanzee who is constantly posturing and attacking the windows.
-Perpetually AWOL tigers. Seriously, where are they?!
-The parking. Oh, god, the parking.
The Ugly:
-Emaciated male lion.
-Too-small enclosures for the animals that need lots of space, like the polar bears and seals. Is it really worth not charging admission?
Woohoo! As good as it gets! Especially for FREE!! The variety of animals is pretty good (only missing my beloved elephants). And for the past 20 years they've been updating exhibit by exhibit and have done a decent job, I believe. It's a great place for kids, too, with being able to feed the goats, get close to the turtles, and blow off some steam on the playgrounds.
Even though I lived in Madison for six years, I only visited this zoo once. I left the place so disturbed by the experience that I swore I would never return. I don't think I will ever forget the sight of a group of about 6 chimpanzees living in an tiny, box like enclosure with nothing but tile walls and floors, with only some ropes and long branches to keep them occupied. These chimps were going absolutely nuts, literally bouncing off the walls, screaming, as if to say "get me out of here!"
I will never forget the sight of a giraffe, chained into place on a concrete slab caked with its own droppings. I will never forget the sea lions swimming around in filthy, algae-caked water.
The Henry Vilas Zoo did not give up its elephants because Madison is so "caring." They gave up their elephants because they were forced to by the AZA. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums told the zoo to let go of their elephants or face disaccrediation. So much for "liberal" and "caring" Madison, Wisconsin.
I have heard that the Henry Vilas Zoo has improved in the last few years. For the sake of these animals, I really wish it has. It's nice to have a free zoo, but I think it's time for this zoo to start charging an admission so that the funds are available to give these animals clean, livable enclosures and a better life overall.
I am not an animal rights activist who is against all zoos. Nealry 100% of the animals in a modern US zoo were born in captivity. This life is all they know. But I think all zoos have a solemn responsibility to give their animals as good of a life as possible. The Henry Vilas Zoo failed to do that, and that's why I give it one star.
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I should start off by saying I'm not a very big fan of zoo's or the use of animals as entertainment in general but the Henry Vilas Zoo seems to be very well kept up and the animals all appear healthy. It's free so it's a great educational and fun place to take kids as long as the parents aren't complete morons and try to instill some manners in their children and stop screaming "LOOK AT THE LITTLE MONKEY!" in the primate exhibit which coincidentally houses absolutely ZERO monkeys. The Vila's Zoo mostly houses the standard zoo fare and some of the animal habitats seem a little antiquated but they've made some improvements over the years and according to all of the signage around the park they are working towards some new exhibits, most notably an Arctic area where I'm hoping the Polar Bear will be more comfortable. These animals deserve your support so please don't take this place for granted.
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Better (and cheaper) than the traditional Sunday drive...
Madison offers a full size zoo. It has the works, lions, tigers, bears, flamingos, monkeys, penguins and etc. The park is well-maintained and a tolerable stroll (as opposed to the foot numbing extended walks of the Milwaukee County Zoo) without damaging your wallet.
The only difficulty is getting (and parking near) there. Nearby roads have been pounded with construction for over a year. Your car will feel the effects of half-finished roads and poor detours. Parking is another problem, but since it is free and available to those that come early (and make it through the construction), that complaint lacks validity.
Visit the wonderful park, eat at their value-conscious (and adequate) concessions and stop over at the gift shop on your way out ... you will leave Henry Vilas Zoo as if you left the Fountain of Youth.
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Very nice zoo for being free. Lots of great animals - particularly enjoyed the polar bear, giraffes, and flamingos. Could not find the lions or tigers. Parking is inadequate but if you drive around long enough you'll find something. Or just get there early. My only real complaint was lack of signage throughout the zoo. It made finding particular exhibits difficult. I'm still unsure whether I saw everything or not.
Who wouldn't you give a free zoo five stars? I completely took this beautiful place for granted when I lived in Madison. Although I went occasionally, I didn't realize how special of a place it was. Students and families frequent the zoo daily in the summer. I can't wait to get back and experience how it has changed since I last went!
Five stars for the free zoo! On summer and spring days where your agenda is wide open this is a fabulous place to check out. A must for showing the city to out of towners.
Big Zoo, alot of fun to watch the animals and best of all it's FREE!!!
There's even a park to play at right near the zoo for kids, you can have a get together, play Frisbee or baseball or whatever you like to do.
its free. they don't have any elephants because the people of this fair city deemed it cruel to chain an elephant to anything. i loved the elephants, but i'm glad to see them go as opposed to unchaining them and letting them live free and prosper. i live by the zoo and safety is a key. so this zoo is both free and safe. all the animals can't get you, although, when i was there last, the polar bears looked pissed.