Let’s be honest: Riverbanks Zoo just might be one of the best reasons to live in Columbia. Very few mid-sized cities can boast zoos to match Riverbanks’ visitor experience – gorillas! zip lines! a full-size aquarium! In honor of the zoo’s 40th birthday celebration, here’s 15 fun facts to know about the zoo’s coolest residents.
1. You know how every time you feed the giraffes, that big one pushes in and throws her head around? That’s Chrissy the giraffe. Chrissy is basically Rachel McAdams from Mean Girls. She butts in front of all the other giraffes, demands you feed her, and generally makes herself as obnoxious as possible. She’s as tall as a T-Rex and determined to get that lettuce by any means necessary. Your kids can feed her by hand. This is both awesome and unnerving.
2. Just around the corner from the giraffes are the babirusa (also known as the Malaysian pig-deer, or “those piggy things with weird tusks”). Their names are Bertello and Wilma. They had a sweet porkchop of a baby recently, which is way cuter than a porcine baby has any right to be. If Bertello’s out, he’ll often come when called.
3. The two Abyssinian ground hornbills are both girls. If you hang around, they’re likely to bring over things for you to admire such as leaves, sticks, and their lunch – dead mice. Act appropriately impressed.
4. If you’re ever feeling socially awkward, check out Daniella the tapir – if you can find her. She’s the size of an SUV and hangs out, almost exclusively, at the back of her enclosure. She’s shy like that.
5. The dwarf caiman is small and cute, but the toothiest of all crocdilians. And those giant lizazrds hanging out in the rainforest/sauna part of the reptle house? Those are false gharials, not crocodiles.
6. Ever heard some weird yowling calls near the entry plaza? The male red-ruffed lemur has amazing hearing – and hates trains. He hears one coming before humans do and sounds the alarm by making angry lemur screams. Eventually, the train goes away. In his lemur mind, this means he screamed the train away. It’s a self-fulfilling feedback loop. Hopefully, the female lemurs are impressed.
7. The zookeepers will talk to you about anything – so ask questions! They’re glad to tell you about their jobs and their charges. If you want to geek out about toucans, they’re your people. Last time my kids went, they told us, the tawny frogmouths are nesting right now – we’d have never known unless we asked.
8. Riverbanks does amazing conservation work. It’s one of the most sucessful breeders of the endangered Bali Myna; the zoo has received awards for its work on saving the tree kangaroo. We have five baby Galapagos tortoises from last year – there are around ten of that particular breed in zoos, and Riverbanks has 7 of them.
9. Which brings us to another important topic: tortoise sex. Riverbanks Zoo tortoises are famous for doing it loud, long, and often, usually in front of an inappropriate audience.
10. Ever wonder what the ostriches are doing when they hang out near the fence and peck at the ground? They’re eating rocks for their gizzards, which helps them digest their dinners. No, they don’t want to eat the leaves you hold out. No, they aren’t being friendly. True story: I once told a man harassing them that the male had bitten off someone’s finger the week before. He moved away quickly.
11. Free tram + view of river = awesome. You don’t have to get off when you get the botanical gardens; it’s worth the ride over and back to the zoo!
12. Riverbanks has two new ziplines – Zip the Zoo and ZOOm the River. They aren’t cheap, but they’re super fun – and not for the faint of heart! A great treat for older kids with mom and dad. For a tamer trip, try a behind-the-scenes adventure tour (both options cost extra; age and height restrictions apply).
13. There’s actually more than one tiger – Riverbanks has several females and a male. One of the females, Anya, is easy to spot: she tiger-whines to go inside at dinnertime. The goal is to breed to the tigers one day – so keep your fingers crossed for cubs!
14. On the topic of tigers, the original Riverbanks tiger, Happy, lived at a local carwash, and inspired the tiger in Pat Conroy’s The Prince of Tides. While Happy isn’t with us any longer, he’s immortalized in marble near the current tiger enclosure.
15. Speaking of original Riverbanks animals: the last surviving original animal, a flamingo, just died last week. She lived at the zoo for almost forty years – far outside her expected lifespan.
Want some more? Accost a keeper on your next visit, and cruise Riverbanks’ website for more information at the 40th Birthday Celebration, Destination Riverbanks, and more!
Do you know of some fun facts about Riverbanks Zoo that weren’t mentioned above? Please share!
The picture of a silverback sitting behind the plexiglass and two children on the other side of the plexiglass is not the silverback, Patrick, but nice picture anyway.