Metro Richmond Zoo152

My opinion is that this is an awful place. I had to leave after about a half hour because I thought the conditions in which the animals were kept was deplorable. This "zoo" is a for-profit venture and NOT accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. I don't feel people should go because our admission dollars are only continuing the cycle for these poor animals. It was clear that the owners have this facility for entertainment, not conservation or education. If we seriously want to do a zoo photography shoot, I think it would be worth the time to explore one of the zoos that is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. You can search that list here: http://www.aza.org/findzooaquarium/

Examples:
There were tropical birds out in 40 degree weather shivering this morning.
Three monkeys kept on an island, with inadequate shelter, huddled together to keep warm, in 40 degree weather. Said island was surrounded by dirty water.
A prairie dog with an abscess on it's neck and an infected foot.
All three tigers (including two white tigers, which aren't even found in nature) were pacing one side of their cage, a documented sign of stress in animals.

Awful.

This is not a place for children who love animals, unless you want them to have nightmares. The park is dirty and expensive, but worst of all the animals live in inadequate cages, without protection from the elements, and seem to receive no care at all. This is a sad and unhappy place.