Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

Cxh216

Cxh216
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Recreating as best as I can my hometown zoo. The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.

Little information on the zoo.

The is a 183-acre (74 ha) zoo in Cleveland, Ohio. The Zoo is divided into several areas: Australian Adventure; African Savanna; Northern Wilderness Trek, The Primate, Cat & Aquatics Building, Waterfowl Lake, The RainForest, Asian Highlands, and the newly added Susie's Bear Hollow. Cleveland Metroparks Zoo has one of the largest collections of primates in North America. The Zoo is a part of the Cleveland Metroparks system.

The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (CMZ) was founded in 1882. It is one of the most popular year-round attractions in Northeast Ohio, with an attendance of 1.32 million in 2023.

The CMZ is one of five city zoos in Ohio. The 'Buckeye State' has been referred to as a "Zoo State", as only California rivals Ohio in the sheer number of options zoogoers have for visiting reputable zoos.

Current map of the zoo.
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Cxh216

Cxh216
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Ticket Plaza with the Membership Building.

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Main Entrance.

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Gift Shop as well as the Office Building to the left of entering the gates.

I tried to do everything as to what the zoo currently has, which can be a challenge given a lot of recent updates Cleveland Metroparks Zoo has been completing the past several years.

Currently working on the food court, Flamingo Exhibit, and Welcome Pavilion which is directly across the entrance gate.
 
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Cxh216

Cxh216
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Main Food Court completed.

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Lion Exhibit. Unfortunately, not Cleveland’s best exhibit as it is really old. There was talks a few years ago regarding a complete renovation of it. But that was scrapped for the new Rhino Reserve instead.
 
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Cxh216

Cxh216
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The entrance is slowly coming together. Currently debating on what my next section should be… go left and start African Elephant Crossing, but I’m not sure I have the energy for that much detail/large scale this week. Or go to the right which leads to the Savanna and Rhino Reserve. 😂🤷🏻‍♂️
 

TheNamesJonas

TheNamesJonas
Cxh216 said:
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The entrance is slowly coming together. Currently debating on what my next section should be… go left and start African Elephant Crossing, but I’m not sure I have the energy for that much detail/large scale this week. Or go to the right which leads to the Savanna and Rhino Reserve. 😂🤷🏻‍♂️
Click to expand...
Which section has the smallest total habitat space? Easier to do the smaller option first if you're starting to run out of energy
 

Cxh216

Cxh216
Captain Callum said:
Interesting to see this recreation take shape so fast, I had to rule out any serious recreation of this zoo as I didn't have near as many references to get a good understanding of the zoo.
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It’s definitely hard to find any detailed pictures online of Cleveland’s Zoo. Which is sad as it really is a great zoo, that has improved so much the past 10 years and with more already planned. Thankfully I live 10 minutes from them so I’m going off of memory/limited photos. Not nearly as good as the recreations you do! That’s for sure! Right now I’m kind of going through the major stuff and plan to go back in and fix/redo more details here and there. I’ve already found myself going back on just the small amount I’ve done and correcting things to look better.
 

Cxh216

Cxh216
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Decided to start on African Elephant Crossing.
This one’s going to take some time but so far got the entrance completed.
This is one of my favorite exhibits at the zoo.
Here is a little of information about it.

In 2011, the Zoo opened its new elephant exhibit, African Elephant Crossing. At a total cost of $25 million, the state of the art habitat quadrupled the elephants' living space, allowing the zoo to increase its number of African Elephants from three, to a herd of eight to ten. The exhibit features two large ranges—the Savanna and the Mopani—spread out over several acres. The ranges include deep ponds so that the elephants can swim, as well as expanded sleeping quarters. Areas of the ranges are also heated to maximize the elephants' habitat during the winter months. Periodically throughout the day, the elephants are shepherded across the pathway between the ranges, allowing visitors an up-close view of the animals. In addition to expanding the number of African elephants, the African Elephant Crossing exhibit introduced Meerkats, naked mole rats, an African rock python and several species of birds.

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Cxh216

Cxh216
African Elephant Crossing

The Savanna Range is completed.
Currently working on the center village, Mopani Range, and the interior.

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Indoor completed. Halfway completed with the center village. Next will be the other outdoor yard, the behind the scenes night yard.
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Cxh216

Cxh216
TheNamesJonas said:
When you say project, do you mean the next build? If so, what are some of the other nearby habitats?
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Yes, nearby. The options would be Australian Adventure which is behind the elephant yards. Waterfowl lake, which has an event center, pavilions, and a few shops which is across the main path. Or swing to the other side and start the Savanna area and Rhino Reserve.
 

TheNamesJonas

TheNamesJonas
Cxh216 said:
Yes, nearby. The options would be Australian Adventure which is behind the elephant yards. Waterfowl lake, which has an event center, pavilions, and a few shops which is across the main path. Or swing to the other side and start the Savanna area and Rhino Reserve.
Click to expand...
I'd say swing for the Aus adventure then to the waterfowl lake after that
 

Cxh216

Cxh216
Australian Adventure!
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Opened in 2000, The Australian Adventure area is an 8-acre (3.2 ha) exhibit designed to resemble the Australian outback. It is home to wallaroos, kangaroos, emus and wallabies that roam freely throughout Wallaby Walkabout. Dingoes are also housed in this area along with two aviaries one for a kookaburra and another for a Barn owl. Zoo patrons can learn how sheep are sheared at Kookaburra Station, and experience up-close encounters with Southdown sheep, goats, Alpacas and other farm animals in the adjoining Contact Yard. The Australian Adventure is also home to a 55-foot (17 m) Yagga Tree, which contains animal exhibits and a snake slide for younger visitors. Due to Northeast Ohio's inclement winters, Australian Adventure is weather dependent in the colder months.

Gum Leaf Hideout
Located in Koala Junction, Gum Leaf Hideout is home to the zoo's collection of bettongs, koalas, and Matschie's tree-kangaroos. The exhibit also features interactive displays that teach visitors about the devastating effects of deforestation on Australian ecosystems.

Reinberger Homestead
Modeled after a traditional 19th-century sheep station, the Reinberger Homestead offers Zoo visitors a look into Australian home life. The area contains animatronics of a koala and kookaburra, who speak about the culture.

Wallaby Walkabout and Boomerang Railway
Designed to replicate the Australian outback, Wallaby Walkabout features winding paths that visitors share with kangaroos, Red-necked wallabies, and Common wallaroos during the months of April through October. The landscape includes vegetation intended to be consumed by the animals. Families can also take a train ride through the exhibit.

Yagga Tree
The artificial, 55 foot tall Baobab known as the Yagga Tree is the star of Australian Adventure. It contains exhibits for a prehensile-tailed skink, a cane toad, and a sugar glider, as well as another animatronic, this time a crocodilenamed Wooly Bill.

Just a small start on a few parts of the entrance area to Australian Adventure.
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