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About 350 animals call the 53-acre Virginia Zoo home. The Africa exhibit features lions, elephants, giraffes, white rhinos, zebras, ostriches, red river hogs, meerkats and gazelle.
Over at the Waterfowl Pond, you’ll find resident swans and turtles. Many of the Canada geese and ducks just drop in from the nearby Lafayette River. The Nocturnal Habitats building is where snakes, reptiles and monkeys hang out. You’ll also find a sloth, an ocelot and prickly porcupines. To be expected, the Barnyard exhibit features chickens, goats, cows and pigs. A must-see is the prairie dog town, home to about a dozen of the cute little guys. Visitors may climb under the exhibit and view them up close through a pop-up dome.
Among new features since 2008:
- Norfolk Southern Express zoo train A $990,000 project that offers a 3/4-mile narrated tour from the entrance to the Africa exhibit.
- Kangaroo exhibit has seven western and eastern gray kangaroos, native species of Australia.
- Tortoise exhibit has five Aldabra tortoises.
- Trail of the Tiger, a new Asia exhibit, opened April 2, 2011. The addition contains about 40 new animals, including orangutans, siamangs and other gibbons, otters, tapirs and Malayan tigers, in an $18 million, 5-acre space.
Virginia Zoo
3500 Granby St.
Norfolk VA 23504
757-441-2374
http://www.virginiazoo.org
Small but fun.
Small but fun.