Best Zoos in the US

Zoos are interesting places to spend a holiday at, as they provide fun and information at one go. If you are an animal lover, and wish to spend good time with your family, especially children, then a zoo is a natural choice. The United States can boast of a large number of world class zoos. Find out which one is nearest to your home, pack your picnic lunch, and get ready to spend a good time viewing the mammals, reptiles, amphibians and birds.

In this article, we enlist some of the best zoos in the United States. These include mammal parks, aquariums and zoos.

The Seaworld is a chain of mammal parks, located at Orlando, Florida, San Diego, California and San Antonio, Texas. The animals that can be seen here are orcas, bottlenose dolphins, False Killer Whales, Pacific White sided Dolphins, alligators, polar bears, penguins, walruses, sea turtles, to name a few. Other thrilling attractions in the park are Shark Encounter, Wild Arctic, Penguin Encounter, and also roller coaster rides. There is a huge play area for children. The mascot of the park is Shamu, the orca. Seaworld’s scientists and trainers have been continuously contributing to the conservation of wildlife.

The San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park, San Diego, California, is a large zoo with around 4000 animals of 800 species. The zoo has guided bus and gondola lifts called skyfari, to traverse the length and breadth. It has a number of exhibits, like the African rain forest and the Arctic taiga and tundra. The cold, sunny climate is suited for most animal and a number of plants as well. The zoo maintains a large number of rare plant collections. The zoo raises bamboos and eucalyptus trees to feed the pandas and the koalas respectively. The zoo is actively involved in animal conservation and raises a number of endangered species in its research center.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom is located at the Walt Disney World Resort, and is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The park has seven themed areas- the Oasis, Discovery Island, Camp Minnie-Mickey, Africa, Rafiki’s Planet Watch, Asia and Dino Land. All the themed areas has film shows, train rides and other activities, submerging the visitors into various entertaining experiences, while coming in contact with numerous species of animals.

The National Aquarium in Baltimore is located near the Inner Harbor area of Baltimore, Maryland. It is considered one of the best aquariums in the USA. It houses 16,500 exhibits of around 600 species. The major exhibits include dolphin display, rooftop rainforest and the centrally located ray pool. The pool is occupied by sharks, stingrays, green sea turtles and tarpons. The rooftop rainforest displays a number of reptiles, amphibians, and arthropods, along with birds and other animals.

The John G Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, Illinois is one of the largest indoor aquariums in the world, with a collection of over 25,000 fish. Other exhibits include marine mammals, birds, reptiles and insects.

by Ahmad Fairoz