Henry Doorly Zoo
The Henry Doorly Zoo is considered to be one of the better zoos in the country and we were very impressed. It was kind of a rainy day when we visited, but we still had a great time. We were very fortunate and got to see several animals be fed. We just happened to be at the right place at the right time. The best was seeing the polar bears get fed.
 |
A zoo keeper came with five gallon buckets of frozen fish. The fish would come out in one frozen chunk of ice. He stood above the polar bear area and dropped the barrel-shaped block of fish and ice into the pool from 25-30 feet up. The three bears dove into the water and one of them finally came away with it. Then the keeper threw the next block of fish, and finally the last one. It was amazing to watch them grab onto it, then swim to the side and break into it with their powerful paws and jaws. |
The zoo features the Lied Jungle, and 8 story, 60,000 square foot building that recreates a tropical rain forest inside. It was truly incredible. Animals are contained with rock and water barriers as opposed to cages or bars. It was very large, very warm and humid, and very neat to see!
The zoo also has a sizeable aquarium that features a large penguin area. All sorts of Antarctic penguins are housed there and we probably spent 15 minutes watching them. You can easily see in the water to watch them swim, and it is easy to see them up on the rocks and snow as well.
We saw many other animals at the zoo as well. You can view a few more of them with the slide show below.
|
|
|
|
Next |
We really enjoyed our trip to the Henry Doorly Zoo. It is considered to be one of the better zoos in the country and after being there, we see why. We plan on going several more times in the future. A desert dome is currently under construction and should be finished by 2002. That should be really cool also.
For more information on the zoo, visit their website at: www.omahazoo.com