The Oakland Zoo
2/28/2008 Oakland, California
Review: The Oakland Zoo is a nice little zoo with a really great flying fox exhibit. The layout is easily meander-able, but very hilly, and unless you’re reading the map, there are surprises around every corner.
Photographability: Most of the exhibits are pretty easy to work with, a lot of the exhibits utilize the moat barriers which provide unobstructed views of the animals, though you’ll need that zoom lens to get up close and personal. I used my Canon Mark IIn camera and 70-200mm zoom lenswith the 1:4. The Canon G7 came out for the macro moments.
Highlights: The gibbons were howling and the siamangs were out and on the move swinging around their exhibt. I like those neck monkeys. Oakland has made a commitment to keeping their elephants and are building a wonderful facility to accommodate them. The flying foxes were especially cool too, I’ve never seen an exhibit like this one. Judy made a fun video of the flying foxes.
Lowlights: They’ve got a troop of chimps but it’s impossible to shoot through the fencing.
Pleasant Surprises: This was my first visit to the Oakland Zoo, sandwiched between visits to several others. I loved the smallness of it, and prefer it to the San Francisco Zoo.
Would I Return?: Yes, I already have plans to in April 2009.
Rating: 7 (out of 10)