Metro Richmond Zoo

Before heading into Washington DC (that you'll be able to read about soon) we spent some time with my in-laws in the Richmond, Virginia area.  One new place (at least to me) that we visited was the Metro Richmond Zoo.  My wife had gone to this zoo while growing up in the area and at least some of our kids had been there before while staying with their grandparents.

The story that I was told was that the zoo started as someone's private collection of animals, but was eventually purchased and turned into a regular zoo.  According to their timeline they first opened in 1995 with 250 animals and 30 acres of land.  They now have at least 120 acres and over 2000 animals.

When you first pull in you're on a wooded drive.

The parking lot is partly paved and partly grass.

A number of school groups were lining up when we arrived.

We headed towards the main entrance.

Their price sign was large and highly visible.

As tickets were being paid for I had to check out what equipment they were using for their point of sale systems.  I can't help it, I always check out the systems wherever I go to compare them to what I utilize at work.

Inside were a number of picnic tables--but we'd left our food in the car and ended up eating there before we left.

Their map was most useful as a navigation aid.  I took a picture both to remember it and in case I needed a digital copy while we wandered.

Inside an aviary we spotted this bird high stepping around.

The netting was quite high overhead.

There were also a large number of flamingos nearby.

The Fennec foxes looked tired when we saw them, but they are nocturnal so this isn't a surprise.

The Komodo dragon was definitely staring back right at me when I snapped his photo!

I enjoyed seeing the snakes, but for some reason my wife wasn't keen to do so!

Have you ever seen Colombian black spider monkeys?  They were adorable.

This flamingo definitely liked staring at its reflection.

Another draconian closeup!

Back outside we got to get a large avian closeup.

A keeper presented a talk about a dog and cheetah that have been inseparable for years.

The giraffes were all next to the fence because they could be fed.

They were quite adept in getting through the bars for food.

Their tongues are quite sticky and adept at snagging food.

We also visited the budgie aviary and had a great time tempting the birds close to eat.

We didn't ride this but it looked fun.

This zebu made me think of a cebu, ;-).

Camels are fed at a distance.

You'll also find Bactrian camels!

We saw a bison as we went further down the path beyond the camel pens.

And then it came almost directly underneath the boardwalk we were on.  I've never seen a bison from above before.

We saw these hornbills hanging around later.

Eventually we swung back around to the giraffes and got a closeup.

All in all it was a fun visit.  You can see a number of other photographs in this album.

~Matt