In only two hours travel time you can reach one of the top zoos in the country – the Cleveland Zoo. The best way is to go by the Ohio Turnpike to the I-480 exit, then take I-71 north to either the Fulton Road or West 25th Street exit and then follow the zoo signs. Parking is free but may require a fourth of a mile walk to get to the entrance.
The Zoo is open daily from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. The Rainforest Complex is open from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. It is open from 10 a.m. until 9 p.m. on Wednesday, and on Saturday and Sunday it is open from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. The costs for adults (12 and older) is $5 for the zoo and $7 for the zoo and the rainforest. For Children (2 - 11) the cost is $3 for the zoo ond $4 for the zoo and the rainforest. Group rates are available by calling (216) 661-6500 ext. 307.
The zoo encompasses 365 rolling, wooded acres and exhibits are widely scattered, so there is a need to locate and use the free “zootrams.” To see all the exhibits in a full day, even using the trams would be a challenging feat. Even so, one can still experience the wild, the tame, and the exotic. There are many picnicking sites, beautiful flowers and tall trees throughout the zoo.
Animals from all over the world can be sighted. There are bears and elephants from Asia; giraffes, bongos, zebras and cheetas from Africa; kangaroos, and cassowary birds from Australia; and flamingos from Chile.
Special attractions include 300 birds of the world in a naturalistic setting. An outstanding collection of primates including gorillas, chimps, marmosets and orangutans is housed indoors. In addition, there is a monkey island. The fresh and salt water displays of sharks, piranhas and living coral is appealing. A cold climate section features polar bears, grizzly bears, and Siberian tigers.
Our three California grandsons were impressed by the giant anteaters and the largest of all rodents, a four foot long mother capybava with its nursing baby, in the rainforest complex. They spent a lot of time watching the antics of the lowland gorillas. The orangutans were better looking coming than going.
Our first stop at the zoo was the rainforest exhibit which we had not seen before. We were in this area almost three hours and more time was needed to fully appreciate this simulation of the feel of an actual rainforest, which I believe to be one of the best in the country.
This rainforest is home to over 600 animals of 118 different species in a naturalistic setting. The plants and animals come from the .jungles of Africa, Asia and the Americas. The soothing sound of a 25 foot waterfall, tropical birds, a huge kapok tree, and many vines create the illusion of the actual jungle.
We used their airtouch cellular rainforest audio adventure and would recommend them.
The audio wand helped us learn about the importance of the rainforest to the rest of the world. Rainforest now occupy only 6% of the earth’s land, but they contain 90% of the world’s species. This most diverse ecosystem is over 70 million years old. The Amazon region alone contains one third of the world’s bird species, and one fourth of its butterflies. To illustrate the rainforest’s diversity, tiny Costa Rica has 8,000 different native plant species, and Ohio has 1,800. Half of the rainforests are already gone and 100 acres are being destroyed every minute.
One of the reasons for preserving the rainforest is the fact that only 1% of the plant species there have been examined for possible medical applications. Among the discoveries thus far, the most effective drug against childhood leukemia comes from the rosy periwinkle of Madagascar. Cancer-fighting properties have been identified in 2,000 rainforest plants. As we left the rainforest area we could appreciate a sign outside which is attributed to Sting:
“As you get a little older, you get a little wiser. I used to think civilization was telelvision, cameras, and computers, and flying to the moon. Since being in the rainforest of Brazil, I‘ve learned that real civilization lives in harmony with its environment. By that standard, we are not civilized. We are not even intelligent. There is no point in being the most successful performer in the world if that world is dying because its rainforests are being destroyed.”
The rainforest as well as other parts of the zoo have breeding programs for endangered species. About 50 young trumpeter swans are in a pond near the entrance, part of the state’s Trumpeter Swan Reintroduction program. Another new “97 exhibit is the Wolf Wilderness Exhibit.
Mary and I heartily recommend that you plan an outing to the Cleveland Zoo. Senior Celebration Day is August 29th and visitors 55 years and older will receive free Zoo admission. The rainforest is fully accessible to the physically challenged.
– Percy