The Montgomery Zoo was a pleasant surprise for us. It’s a good size zoo, and we spent about 3 hours there. The zoo is split into five regions. These regions are South America, North America, Africa, Asia, and Australia. The biggest thing that stuck out to us was how open the zoo was. Many times we’re commenting on the exhibit being outdated. That did happen a little in the South American section, with the animals in wire cages. But in many of the other sections, the animals roam together with a lot of space.
Highlights:
- Aviary – Upon entry into the Montgomery zoo, if you head to the right, they have a walk-through aviary. The aviary was very enjoyable to us. A pair of ducks was waiting under a tree, as 12 of their babies jumped out to see them! We stayed for 10+ minutes watching them come out one by one!
- Pygmy hippos – Hippos are always fun to see. If a zoo doesn’t have nile hippos, then pygmy hippos are a great consolation prize. Because of breeding, this zoo has hippos in three different sections! It was a bit unexpected, but very fun to see. Our favorite was seeing one strolling by the stream in their African savanna. Although pygmy hippos wouldn’t be found in Africa, Nile hippos would, so it kind of simulated that for us.
- Jaguars – We rarely see black jaguars. Seeing the black jaguar at the Montgomery Zoo was a delight!
- Savannas – Most zoos employ the use of a savanna to put multiple animals together. Savannas give the animals plenty of space. The Montgomery Zoo actually has three savannas!
Lows:
- Lack of staff – It was really disappointing that there weren’t any staff around most of the exhibits. For example the ducks popping out of the tree in the aviary – no staff around to ensure they’re ok. In Africa, the cheetahs caught a bird, and were eating it in the exhibit. Staff members need to be aware of what they’re consuming. Between docents or zookeepers, would love to see more staff around this zoo.
- Alligators – The alligator exhibit had very poor visibility. It’s setup is down by the water, in a secluded exhibit. But too much algae/condensation clouded up the viewing windows. Would love for them to figure out how to improve the viewing here.
- Australia – I think this section should just be renamed. Australia houses parakeets, a binturong, and a pygmy hippo. Only one of these three species are native to Australia.
Thanks for reading our Montgomery Zoo review. Want to see how it compares to the other AZA zoo in Alabama? Check out our comparison here.
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