Kids & Family
America's Best Zoo Is In Saint Louis: USA Today
The Saint Louis Zoo is the best in America, according to USA Today. The zoo's Sea Lion Sound also won best exhibit.
ST. LOUIS, MO — For the second year in a row, the Saint Louis Zoo has topped the USA Today's Readers' Choice list of the 10 best zoos in America. The zoo's Sea Lion Sound also won best zoo exhibit in a separate poll.
USA Today said a panel of zoo and family travel experts nominated zoos around the country and readers voted online for their favorites. They said of the Saint Louis Zoo:
Situated within the nation’s largest urban park, the free-to-the-public Saint Louis Zoo features a stunning diversity of animals — more than 600 species in total. The zoo is divided into six zones, including Lakeside Crossing where the award-winning Sea Lion Sound combines a stellar exhibit experience with educational presentations and shows. Centene Grizzly Ridge, new to the zoo in fall of 2017, expanded the original bear grotto to twice its original size.
The complete list of best zoos includes:
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- Saint Louis Zoo
- Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium
- Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
- Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
- Fort Worth Zoo
- Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
- Dallas Zoo
- Audubon Zoo
- Zoo Miami
- The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens
“We’re humbled to be chosen again as the Best Zoo by our dedicated fans in the St. Louis region, across Missouri and friends around the country,” said Jeffrey P. Bonner, the Saint Louis Zoo's president. “Our visitors, volunteers, members, generous donors, employees, and especially the taxpayers of St. Louis City and St. Louis County are the real champions. It’s through their strong support that we can provide superior care for the animals, save wildlife in wild places, connect people with nature, and offer a great place to spend time with friends and family members.”
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This is the first weekend the zoo's new cheetah cubs — all eight of them — will be on public display at the River's Edge habitat. The five girls and four boys were born last year and are named for the numbers one through eight in Swahili: Moja, Mbili, Tatu, Nne, Tano, Sita, Saba, and Nane.
For more information, visit www.stlzoo.org.
Photo by J. Ryne Danielson/Patch
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