St Louis Zoo

The St Louis Zoo is known across the globe as one of the best zoos in the country. The St. Louis Zoo is one of few zoos to have free admission into the zoo. This zoo has become one to see in this country. The newest area built was Fragile Forest, which is home to the zoos gorilla, chipanzee, and orangutan. The zoo has one awards for exhibits like River's Edge, which allows visitors to get up-close and personal to animals big as hippos and elephants to animals that are tiny like the dwarf mongoose and the bush dog( about the size of a beagle), these little guys call the Amazon home. River's Edge is layed out over roughly 10 acres and gives guest a look into animals from Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Penguin/Puffin Coast another award winner let visitors actually share the area with birds of the Arctic and the Antacrtic. The exhibit allows the zoos penguin and puffins to go from there exhibit to your exhibit and you might want a jacket because it's kept at a chilly 35 degrees. The zoo has some older exhibits that need renovated but for the most part it's one of the most well kept and beautiful zoos around.

Columbus Zoo

The Columbus Zoo has fastly become one of the most popular and most innovative zoos in the country. The Columbus Zoo sits on 82 acres in Powell,OH. The zoo is home to some of the rarest animals on earth and has been one of the trend setters of biomes. Biomes are areas in zoos built to house animals and plants of the same area whether it be a rainforest style or tundra. The Columbus Zoo got it's fame by breeding the first gorilla in captivity and the lovable leader Jack Hanna. Tho he is no longer the director he still is connected to the zoo. Jerry Borin the current director has taken the zoo over the top. The newest exhibit Asia Quest has been nothing short great, home to the zoos tigers, elephants, Asian deer and crane, red panada, markhor(large goat), a black water monitor named Prince and until October it houses the largest snake in captivity named Fluffy a tiger retic python.

The future of the this zoo will make it the new world-famous zoo. In 2008 the zoo will open it's new entrance and the newly renovated waterpark that the zoo purchased for 2 million in 2006. The zoo will also bring back the polar bear that visitors have been wanting for. The polar bear will be housed in Polar Frontier, which will open in the fall of 2008 and will also be home to animals such as the arctic fox, Dall sheep, seal lions, Kodiak grizzly bear and reindeer. In the upcoming years the zoo will also open a new African Savanna that will have rhino, lion, hyena, warthog, hunting dog, cheetah, meerkat, giraffe, antelope, and many more. Also the zoo will have a South America area with jaguar, tapir, monkeys, birds, bear, anteaters and maybe a zip-line. With the help of Franklin County voters, visitors, donations, and volunteers this zoo has grown to world-class in just a short while.