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Asian Highlands named Best Zoo Exhibit
Best Zoo Exhibit (2020)
A great zoo exhibit engages visitors with the animals they're observing while keeping the welfare and enrichment of its animal residents front and center. We asked our readers to vote for their favorite animal exhibits in North American, and these are the results.
The top 10 winners in the category Best Zoo Exhibit are as follows:
No. 10: California Trail - Oakland Zoo
The California Traill at the Oakland Zoo tells the story of how humans have shaped the ecology of the San Francisco Bay Area through a series of native animal and plant exhibits. American bison, black bears, California condors, eagles, mountain lions, gray wolves, grizzly bears and jaguars all call the area home, accessible via an electric gondola from the main portion of the zoo.
No. 9: Devereaux Tiger Forest - Detroit Zoo
This exhibit at the Detroit Zoo provides a home to three Amur tigers, Nikolai, Aleksei and Kisa. The enclosure features naturalistic elements you might find in the tigers’ natural environment, including elevated vantage points, wooded areas, pools, open spaces, a cave and a waterfall.
Photo courtesy of Sedgwick County Zoo
No. 8: Reed Family Elephants of the Zambezi River Valley - Sedgwick County Zoo
This 5-acre exhibit at Sedgwick County Zoo is the third largest elephant habitat in the country. The African elephants have access to both indoor and outdoor spaces, including a 550,000-gallon pool, while visitors can observe these gentle giants from the comfort of a covered pavilion.
Photo courtesy of Byron Jorjorian / Nashville Zoo
No. 7: Expedition Peru: Trek of the Andean Bear - Nashville Zoo
Among the newest exhibits at the Nashville Zoo is Expedition Peru: Trek of the Andean Bear, marking the first time this species has appeared at the zoo in its entire history. The exhibit is fashioned after a traditional indigenous village, with unobstructed views of the bears from aboveground and underwater observation points.
Photo courtesy of Jacksonville Zoo & Gardens
No. 6: Land of the Tiger - Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens
Land of the Tigers at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens provides a home for Malayan and Sumatran tigers, free to roam through the area on a series of trails. Guests can see these animals from almost any angle while enjoying the 2.5-acre exhibit.
No. 5: Simmons Hippo Outpost - Dallas Zoo
The 2.1-acre Simmons Hippo Outpost, an expansion of the already incredible Africa experience at the Dallas Zoo, features a replicated African waterhole habitat with a 120,000-gallon pool and a 24 by 8-foot underwater viewing window, bringing guests up close to the zoo’s Nile hippos. Above the water, the hippos share their home with an okapi herd. The zoo hosts daily keeper chats where guests can get up close with the hippos and okapi during educational training demonstrations.
Photo courtesy of Amy Smotherman Burgess // Zoo Knoxville
No. 4: Boyd Family Asian Trek - Zoo Knoxville
Zoo Knoxville’s Boyd Family Asian Trek is home to Malayan tigers, white-naped cranes, silvered leaf langurs and white-handed gibbons. Guests can observe these species while climbing a multi-level tree house or walking across a swinging suspension bridge.
Photo courtesy of Philadelphia Zoo
No. 3: Gorilla Treeway - Philadelphia Zoo
The Gorilla Treeway at the Philadelphia Zoo is part of the facility’s Zoo360 initiative, aiming to enrich the environments of all animals in their care. This 300-foot walkway passes 12 feet above the visitor path, giving the gorillas a way to explore and move between a variety of environments.
Photo courtesy of iStock / avstraliavasin
No. 2: Rocky Mountain Wild - Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
Colorado wildlife is front and center at this exhibit at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs. The 3-acre exhibit is home to moose wandering amid pine woods with their own small lake, mountain lions in a naturalistic rock canyon, the elusive Canada lynx, river otters playing in a waterfall and grizzly bears roaming the mountainside.
Photo courtesy of Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium
No. 1: Asian Highlands - Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo
The Asian Highlands exhibit at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo takes visitors through the foothills of Northern India to see Indian rhinos and Père David’s deer, and the Himalayan Mountains to spot sloth bear, Amur tigers and snow leopards. Guests enter the area by passing beneath a replica Himalayan ruin.
A panel of experts partnered with 10Best editors to pick the initial nominees, and the top 10 winners were determined by popular vote.
Congratulations to all these winning zoo exhibits!
About 10Best Readers' Choice Awards
Nominees are submitted by a panel of experts. 10Best editors narrow the field to select the final set of nominees for the Readers’ Choice Awards. Readers can vote once per category, per day. For any questions or comments, please read the FAQ or email USA TODAY 10Best.
The Experts
Alan Sironen
Alan Sironen is the owner of Zoo Consultants... Read More
Alan Sironen is the owner of Zoo Consultants International. Zoo Consultants International assists their clients in animal exhibit planning, zoo animal equipment development, exhibit blueprint review and animal transportation. Alan was employed for over 35 years at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. During his employment at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo he held positions as Zookeeper, Head Zoo Keeper, Assistant General Curator, Curator of Mammals, Curator of Mammalogy, and Curator of Large Mammals and Carnivores. Alan Sironen received a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Capital University in 1975 and a M.B.A. in International Business Administration from Baldwin Wallace College in 1986. Alan currently is a Professional Member of the Zoological Association of America and a Professional Associate Member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. He also serve on the Board of Global Conservation Connection.
Alan Sironen
Alan Sironen is the owner of Zoo Consultants International. Zoo Consultants International assists their clients in animal exhibit planning, zoo animal equipment development, exhibit blueprint review and animal transportation. Alan was employed for over 35 years at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. During his employment at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo he held positions as Zookeeper, Head Zoo Keeper, Assistant General Curator, Curator of Mammals, Curator of Mammalogy, and Curator of Large Mammals and Carnivores. Alan Sironen received a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Capital University in 1975 and a M.B.A. in International Business Administration from Baldwin Wallace College in 1986. Alan currently is a Professional Member of the Zoological Association of America and a Professional Associate Member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. He also serve on the Board of Global Conservation Connection.
Debra Erickson
Debra Erickson is President of the International... Read More
Debra Erickson is President of the International Zoo Educators Association. She is also the Marketing Director for San Diego Zoo Global, Executive Director of Atlantis Blue Project Foundation and Accreditation Chair for Atlantis, Paradise Island. She has been in the conservation, interpretation, marketing, communications, and education fields for 30 years and has worked for the San Diego Zoo, the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, Atlantis, Paradise Island, Atlantis, The Palm, SeaWorld San Diego, SeaWorld Orlando, S.E.A. Aquarium and Dolphin Island. Debra has held a wide variety of positions in the education and interpretation field including Education Director at San Diego Zoo Safari Park, SeaWorld Orlando, and Atlantis, Paradise Island. She has created interpretive plans for a wide variety of exhibits including Manatees: The Last Generation, Wild Arctic, and Tiger Trail which have all won the American Association of Zoos and Aquariums Top Exhibit Honors award. Currently she is leading the effort to provide San Diego Zoo Kids, a 24-hour, commercial-free television channel, to 300 children’s hospitals and Ronald McDonald Houses around the world. Having worked in over 40 countries during her career and seeing the challenges that many developing countries face, Debra has a keen commitment to conservation. She worked as Executive Director and Conservation Director for Orangutan Foundation International and was responsible for developing and implementing the conservation plan for Tanjung Puting National Park. Debra continues her conservation work through the Atlantis Blue Project Foundation where she funds marine conservation projects and mentors conservationists in the field. Debra received her B.A. in Biology from Scripps College and her M.A. in Educational Technology from San Diego State University.
Debra Erickson
Debra Erickson is President of the International Zoo Educators Association. She is also the Marketing Director for San Diego Zoo Global, Executive Director of Atlantis Blue Project Foundation and Accreditation Chair for Atlantis, Paradise Island. She has been in the conservation, interpretation, marketing, communications, and education fields for 30 years and has worked for the San Diego Zoo, the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, Atlantis, Paradise Island, Atlantis, The Palm, SeaWorld San Diego, SeaWorld Orlando, S.E.A. Aquarium and Dolphin Island. Debra has held a wide variety of positions in the education and interpretation field including Education Director at San Diego Zoo Safari Park, SeaWorld Orlando, and Atlantis, Paradise Island. She has created interpretive plans for a wide variety of exhibits including Manatees: The Last Generation, Wild Arctic, and Tiger Trail which have all won the American Association of Zoos and Aquariums Top Exhibit Honors award. Currently she is leading the effort to provide San Diego Zoo Kids, a 24-hour, commercial-free television channel, to 300 children’s hospitals and Ronald McDonald Houses around the world. Having worked in over 40 countries during her career and seeing the challenges that many developing countries face, Debra has a keen commitment to conservation. She worked as Executive Director and Conservation Director for Orangutan Foundation International and was responsible for developing and implementing the conservation plan for Tanjung Puting National Park. Debra continues her conservation work through the Atlantis Blue Project Foundation where she funds marine conservation projects and mentors conservationists in the field. Debra received her B.A. in Biology from Scripps College and her M.A. in Educational Technology from San Diego State University.