The main reason we became Peoria Zoo members is because of the baby tigers. The baby tigers are small and cute now, and we want to watch them grow up. That enclosure will not hold all those tigers indefinitely. The baby tigers will be there one to two years, before they are moved to another zoo. So, we want to enjoy them now. An interesting fact a zoo staff member told me was that these four baby tigers are 4 of the 16 tigers born worldwide in captivity.
The Peoria Zoo also has a new entrance, and the Australia exhibit has been updated. The kids will see the black swans and an emu up close in the Australian walkabout. There is also a new walk-in aviary, where kids can feed birds, in the Australia area. Just be prepared for poop in the aviary, but the kids were so excited in there.
The Africa walk is always enjoyable. On our last visit, the giraffe was playing tether ball, and the red river hogs were chasing each other or the colobus monkeys. Kids were giggling and absolutely delighted.
Also, you get to see the animals that were housed in the old gift shop better. I don’t think we ever looked at them closely, since the kids were distracted by the gift shop. There are a lot of big beaked birds in there.
The Peoria Zoo Family Membership is $80 for the year. We’ve visited the zoo more than 4 times, and the membership has paid for itself all ready. Our family highly recommends a zoo membership.
For more info on the baby tigers or zoo membership, visit:
http://www.peoriazoo.org/tigercubs.html