Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

[All Images and Content are Copyright 2010 by KellieAnn Reynolds]

I have lived near and around Northeastern Ohio for practically my entire life, however I have only been to the Cleveland Zoo twice in the last decade. The Cleveland Zoo has brought ZooKeys back. It was really popular back in the day. I have an old elephant key stashed away. The animal-shaped keys unlock audio story books full of information about the Animal Kingdom. The audio boxes can be found all over the zoo, and they now operate on solar power, which I thought was pretty awesome, except that the boxes have a big British Petroleum logo above it. The ZooKeys still have the same nostalgic appeal, but with an updated look much like a card rather than a key.

We didn't see much of the lions, but we did get to see the Clouded Leopard, perched so prettily on a branch, snoozin'. And, through the plexiglas, I spent a few curious moments with a Wolf's Monkey.






We missed seeing the Elephants due to construction, but we plan on returning to see the new African Elephant Crossing when it is unveiled next year. When we got to the Rhinoceros, we were told in secret that a baby rhino had been born and that she would be announced the first week of September. That explained why we were seeing one very lonely looking Rhino.



They have a new Dinosaur! exhibit that I was so excited to see. The Dinosaurs are medium to tall, rubber animatronics that Roar and some will spit water on you if you're not paying attention. The dinosaurs are definitely cool, but I was hoping for something a little more entertaining. The most lasting effect of the Dinosaur exhibit is the Jurassic Park theme music, which we were humming for the rest of the day.

We looked at just about everything in the the Aquatics at the Zoo. Ocean life always puts me under a love spell. I've spent hours looking at fish in tanks. One of my life goals is to learn to scuba dive so I can take underwater photographs. The octopus was very dimly lit and we almost didn't see it tucked into a corner, bein' all squishy. I have a rule that every time I see an octopus, I will take a photo of it. Jelly-fish, too. And unicorns.








I put my camera away for the Butterfly house. I was paranoid about the moisture. This gave me a chance to really be immersed and impressed. These butterflies are exotic, they are from all over the world, so we had to be very careful. They fly freely in a greenhouse to classical music while you walk in a big circle until you are ushered out the door. But while I was in there, I was convinced that I was a magical dream princess. The butterflies are so beautiful and colorful and plentiful. Sometimes the butterflies would fly right past my face and brush over my cheek or get stuck in my big hair, and they even made my eyelashes dance from their butterfly breeze. It was awesome.

Have some bees, if you please.



Monkey Island seems to have noticeably fewer monkeys than I remember, but the monkeys now share space with a few adorable, teeny-tiny antelope creatures called a Klipspringer.





My favorite part of visiting the Cleveland Zoo? The Rain-forest. We usually save it for last since it's closest to the parking lot. I love everything about the Rain Forest exhibit. I didn't take any photos because it's dewy and humid in there with the waterfalls and sprinkler systems. After the Rain Forest, we had enough time to take a trolley up the hill to walk the Northern Trek. The seals were missing and the wolves were sleeping in far, far away land and I didn't have my tripod. But we saw the three bears, the Malayan Sun Bear, the Black bear, and the Polar bear. And few minutes before we were told it was closing time, the seals came out to play :)








It feels like a new experience every time we go to the Zoo. Next, we want to see the Columbus Zoo & Pittsburgh Zoo :)

One final thought: This was the first time I had a chance to bring a camera to the zoo with me, and I tell ya, I thought Zoo photography was going to be a cake walk. What I didn't realize is, animals are animals. They don't respond like dogs and house cats. Zoo animals will turn their back on you and fall asleep, meander over to the shade at the farthest point of the map, hide from you and hide their babies, huddle together in protective groups, and urinate when you first meet them, and for a really long time. I also forgot about the dirty, scratched up plexiglas windows and sometimes unattractive caging systems. But it goes without saying, I love a good challenge. :) Also, thanks to my patient and amazing family, I was able to hang around certain exhibits long enough to get these shots.


Cleveland Metroparks Zoo | Cleveland, Ohio

[All Images and Content are Copyright 2010 by KellieAnn Reynolds]