Detroit Zoo Full Tour - Royal Oak, Michigan

The Detroit Zoo is a zoo located in Royal Oak and Huntington Woods, Michigan, about 2 miles (3.2 km) north of the Detroit city limits, at the intersection of Woodward Avenue, 10 Mile Road, and Interstate 696. It is operated by the Detroit Zoological Society (DZS), a non-profit organization, along with the Belle Isle Nature Center, located within the city limits of Detroit on Belle Isle. The Detroit Zoo is one of Michigan's largest family attractions, hosting more than 1.5 million visitors annually. Situated on 125 acres of naturalistic exhibits, it is home to more than 2,400 animals representing 235 species. The Detroit Zoo was the first zoo in the United States to use barless exhibits extensively.

Habitats:

National Amphibian Conservation Center
The National Amphibian Conservation Center is a $7 million, 12,000-square-foot facility situated on a two-acre Michigan wetland area and pond called "Amphibiville". The center, which opened in June 2000, has a diverse range of frogs, toads, salamanders, newts and caecilians. The Wall Street Journal dubbed the attraction "Disneyland for toads". The National Amphibian Conservation Center participates in research and conservation efforts for species including the Panamanian golden frog, Puerto Rican crested toad, and Wyoming toad.

The Arctic Ring of Life
The 4-acre Arctic Ring of Life, which opened in October 2001, is home to two polar bears, gray seals, a harbor seal and arctic foxes. It is among the largest polar bear habitats in North American zoos.

Cotton Family Wetlands and Boardwalk
Mimicking a Michigan ecosystem, the 1.7-acre pond and wetlands area and accompanying 7,200-square-foot boardwalk is home to native fish, frogs, turtles and birds as well as the zoo's trumpeter swans. The boardwalk itself is made from a 95-percent recycled wood-alternative decking material called Trex, composed primarily of plastic grocery bags and reclaimed hardwood. The Wetlands and Boardwalk are bounded by Amphibiville, the Warchol Beaver Habitat, the Edward Mardigian Sr. River Otter Habitat, and the Holden Reptile Conservation Center.

Thanks to a $102,350 grant from NOAA, the Wetlands are also able to be used as professional development and outdoor classroom for teachers and students underrepresented in science fields.

Cotton Family Wolf Wilderness
The Cotton Family Wolf Wilderness is a $1.4 million two-acre sanctuary that features native meadows and trees, a flowing stream and pond, dens, and elevated rock outcroppings from which two gray wolves survey their surroundings. The habitat also incorporates a renovated historic log cabin which had existed on the property.

Giraffe Encounter
At the Giraffe Encounter, guests are able to feed the giraffes from an 18-foot-tall platform that extends into their habitat. This experience, which started in July 2007, runs Tuesday through Sunday from spring through fall.

The Great Apes of Harambee
The Great Apes of Harambee is a 4-acre indoor/outdoor habitat home to chimpanzees and western lowland gorillas. The animals may be rotated into each other's habitat spaces, as this simulates nomadic movement similar to wild behavior.

Holden Reptile Conservation Center
Opened as the Holden Museum of Living Reptiles in 1960, the Holden Reptile Conservation Center is home to 150 reptiles representing 70 species, 45 percent of which are considered threatened or endangered in the wild.

Edward Mardigian Sr. River Otter Habitat
The Edward Mardigian Sr. River Otter Habitat provides a habitat for five river otters and features a 5,900-gallon pool complete with waterfall and waterslide. The pool is enclosed on one side by a glass wall, on the other side of which is an observation building. The habitat is designed so that visitors – including small children – can enjoy an eye-level view of the otters as they swim.

The North American river otter (Lontra canadensis) can weigh 20-30 pounds, and its slender, cylindrical body can reach 2–3 feet in length. The aquatic mammal sports short, dense, waterproof fur and profuse whiskers. The playful river otter is swift on land as well as in the water, though its loping trot can look somewhat ungainly compared to its graceful slide through the water.

Polk Penguin Conservation Center
The Polk Penguin Conservation Center (PPCC), opened in April 2016. The Polk Penguin Conservation Center is the largest center for penguins in the world and was awarded the 2017 Exhibit Award by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, given annually to accredited zoos and aquariums for excellence in exhibit design.

The Wildlife Interpretive Gallery
The Wildlife Interpretive Gallery is home to the Butterfly Garden, Matilda Wilson Free-Flight Aviary, Science On a Sphere, as well as DZS's permanent fine art collection. Shelle Isle, an exhibit dedicated to the partula snail- a once-extinct animal the DZS is credited with saving.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detroit...