Elmwood Park Zoo, part 2

 With all of the construction at the entrance, I immediately recognized that some things inside the zoo had changed from my previous visit, chief among which was a new gift shop.  But other things were quite familiar.  

The Elmwood Park Zoo reminds me of two other zoos right off the bat: The Brandywine Zoo (in Delaware) and the Salisbury Zoo (in Maryland).  All three are built against a creek/river in what is basically a flood plain.  All three are in the center of moderately sized cities.  All three have older habitats that harken back to a time when zoos were more about exhibiting animals than caring for them in the modern sense of species survival plans, etc.  At the Elmwood Park Zoo you can almost feel the evolution in terms of the various "areas".  With a modern state of the art Jaguar centered multi-species habitat in one section, and then there's this little set of habitats centered around a square space in the center with rectangular habitats on the outer edges.  Guests access it via a raised boardwalk.  

It's home to North American River Otters, North American Porcupines, an American Alligator, a pair of Nene Geese, and a couple more smaller mammals.  One of the habitats that I am most critical of at any zoo I visit are those where North American Otters call home.  These unpretentious little critters could probably be happy in a dumpster, but I am spoiled by the Maryland Zoo's habitat.  By my standards the space allocated for the little otter here is inadequate.  The proposed new habitat under the Master Plan is amazing!  Clearly they are moving in the right direction.

A word to the mascot of the zoo.  I get why it's the Jaguar.  Very sexy animal, exotic and beautiful.  However, if they were to choose a new mascot based on their collection, it would be the North American Porcupine!  I have never seen so many porcupines at any zoo.  They have so many that they actually divide them up and have two separate habitats where guests can see them in two different areas of the zoo.

Near the entrance to this area, a zoo keeper was giving an animal talk with one of the zoo's ambassador animals, a curious and sweet Striped Skunk.  From here the logical progression of a visit is counter clockwise.  A new and generous habitat for Alpaca sits on what used to be a former playground that featured a little train for the toddler class to ride.

This is gist of the North American River Otter's habitat.  Over compensating with toys for lack of natural enrichment.

The sole inhabitant was happily swimming and running around.

At one point the otter became obsessed with exploring in the rocks along one edge of the habitat.  I assumed some morsel had been hidden there for its delight in discovery.

A beautiful pair of Nene Geese.  I've never seen them at a zoo before and don't recall them being here back in 2017.

One of the many North American Porcupines who call the zoo home.

An adolescent porcupine sacked out in the afternoon heat snoozing on a log.

Skunk chat anyone?  She is beautiful.

The new Alpaca barn is beautiful and space of the habitat generous.