Maryland Zoo Reopened! Part 1: Schaefer Plaza to Buffalo Yard Road

The Maryland Zoo opened today for the first time since mid-March.  It was only for members, and all the tickets are timed entries.  I don't know how many people are allowed in for ever 30 minute block, but I was told that throughout a full day, it could amount to just over 4,000.  When I went to get a ticket, the opening slot of 10:00 AM was sold out.  I then chose 1:30 PM and had no trouble getting a ticket.  I arrived at the gate around 1:20 PM, and was happily ushered in.  Others were also arriving, but there were no lines. 

The zoo has been cordoned off in key areas to create three single-direction loops.  1) starts at the Maryland Wilderness and works its way around to the Children's Farm and out through the food court.  2) creates a loop throughout the African Journey section.  3) is a loop thought the Arctic Polar Bear Watch.   These all begin and end in the vicinity of the Penguin Coast Habitat.  Additionally, Schaefer Plaza's Prairie Dogs were accessible at the zoo's entrance.  So let's start there.

SCHAEFER PLAZA

What's closed: The play ground at Celebration Hill (a site used by guests for children's parties and small family picnics), The Lion statues (usually used for photo ops), and the shuttle!  No easy ride to the heart of the zoo these days.  If you want to get in, you've got to walk the Buffalo Yard Road.  At a little over a quarter of a mile it's down hill going in...and, yup--UP hill getting out.  While this is NO Smithsonian National Zoo hill in Washington, DC--it is something I heard a lot of complaining about from tired guests who are used to being shuttled out after a couple of hours of walking and dealing with their children. 

What's open: The restrooms (yeah), the gift shop, access to the Black-tailed Prairie Dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus), the Buffalo Yard Road.

Black-tailed Prairie Dog

One of this year's pups.

One of the things I noticed everywhere I looked were improvements and up-grades all over the place.  In the absence of guests, the Maryland Zoo has obviously taken advantage to do a lot of work.  I was aware of a couple of the larger projects currently under way: Renovations to the Giant Tree Herpetarium and the Amur Leopard habitat.  However, seeing the maintenance to the Buffalo Yard historic habitats and the additions to one in particular surprised me.  

Among the oldest remaining structures at the zoo are a series of 5 stonewall spaces that once where home to a range of hoof stock, including American Bison.  With the wild deer population in the park at historically high levels, it's hard to imagine that White-tailed Deer were among the early prized collection of the zoo.  In the 1880's, the zoo even sold some of them to their sister zoological park in Central Park!  Yet, in the early years of the 20th century, White-tailed Deer were all but extinct along the eastern coast and Appalachian Mountain range, a casualty of over-hunting (think Carolina Parakeet and Passenger Pigeon--killing animals was all the rage).