Top Zoo Exhibits In Denver
African wild dogs at the Denver Zoo (credit: Denver Zoo)With the arrival of summer and the warmer months finally here, it's the perfect chance to get out and enjoy some of Denver's great activities to do under the sun. One of the best is the Denver Zoo, which dates back to 1918, when it opened its first exhibit, Bear Mountain. It was the first American institution to bring people to eye-level with the animals in the zoo, without bars or fences. Instead, it featured animals in their natural habitat. It was ground-breaking for its time, and is now on the National Register of Historic Places. If you need some suggestions to plan your trip to the Denver Zoo, here are five of the best exhibits to check out while you're there.
2300 Steele St
Denver, CO 80205
(720) 337-1400
www.denverzoo.org
Benson Predator Ridge
If you love lions, this is the exhibit for you. One of the Denver Zoo's most popular exhibits, this great stop transports you right to Africa. The award-winning exhibition allows you to walk through different rock formations and natural grasslands to view lions, hyenas and even African wild dogs. The exhibit has rotational yards, which means that different species will be in the yard at different times, so you'll want to visit throughout the day to catch all the different animals in the habitat. Benson Predator Ridge is the pride of the Denver Zoo and has been used as the standard for visitor and animal care for other zoos all over the world.
If you've been to the Denver Zoo at all in the past few decades, you probably remember the old giraffe exhibit. This new one just opened, however, and it allows you the chance to interact with the beautiful reticulated giraffes at the Denver Zoo in totally new ways. You'll have the chance to hand-feed the four giraffes, Dikembe, Masika, Heshimu and Kipele. You'll love gazing up at these stunning animals and it's sure to be one of the highlights of your trip to the Denver Zoo. The Giraffe Encounter is open for limited hours, so be sure to check the times and plan your day accordingly.
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Gorillas, orangutans, mandrill, aye-aye and Red River hogs all call the Denver Zoo's Primate Panorama home. This popular exhibit is an astonishing seven acres and provides a home to all of the zoo's most popular primates. You'll watch as the tree-dwelling monkeys soar through their tents, and you'll love watching then play on the twisting vines. Meanwhile, the gorillas and orangutans get to wander freely in their section of the exhibition, with plenty of space to nap or climb some ropes for activity. It's one of the best ape habitats in the world.
With two miles of trails on 10 acres of land, the Toyota Elephant Passage is "the crown jewel of the Denver Zoo" and is one of the most interesting elephant habitats in the country. Not only will you get to see Asian elephants and one-horned rhinos, but it's also home to Malayan tapirs and clouded leopards, plus a prehensile-tailed skink and a green tree python, among many others. There are 11 different specials to check out in this habitat along, as it's divided into three different sections, the animal preserve, urban center and rural village. If you love the beautiful animals of Asia, this is the exhibit to visit first.
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In 1993 the Denver Zoo opened Tropical Discovery, which took 11 years to fully realize. The completion of which officially marked the end of the 1959 master plan for the Zoo itself. Now, you can immerse yourself in a totally different world, filled with coral reefs and humid jungles. So many beautiful animals call this exhibition home, including a Komodo dragon and plenty of other fish, amphibians, reptiles and invertebrates. This massive exhibit could easily keep you wandering for hours, so plan your day accordingly, but don't miss out on this beautiful exhibit at the Denver Zoo.
