myrhlyn

There are some things at the Minnesota Zoo that aren’t at Como, which I found to be a lot of fun.

(1) A fully functional farm. Complete with cows, horses, pigs, goats, sheep, bunnies, and chickens. They also have Lantz, a cloned cow, which I found interesting. They also have milking demonstrations, and the smaller farm animals are really friendly and like to be petted (and, um, GET SNACKOS. Be sure to bring lots of ones or quarters!)

(2) Beautiful walking trails to all the animals. My girlfriend and I went on a rainy day, which is best for seeing all the animals without pushy kids and their mothers.

(3) The wolves! Granted, Como has wolves, but I never really see them; as they have a nice forested area. The MN Zoo has Mexican and Midwest Wolves, and I got to see both up close.

(4) Meerkat exhibit. There is a tube that you can crawl through to get inside the exhibit, and see the Meerkats up close.

(5) Pettable sea life! Starfish, stingrays, and small sharks. Also, they have several aquariums with lots of exotic salt water fish – including my favorite, which was a Leafy Sea Dragon. (And yes, they have dolphins, but you only see them at the Dolphin show. Bummer.)

What makes me say Como is still better at this point, is the animals that MN Zoo lacks, Como has: Arctic wildlife (polar bears, penguins, and seals), various types of great apes and monkeys (MN Zoo only has the Japanese Snow Monkey. Say what?!), along with more large cats (MN Zoo only has tigers). What might even out this competition, however, is that in 2008 the MN Zoo will open another exhibit called “Russia’s Grizzly Coast” – which, yeah, will have a Russian Grizzly Bear. On the outside, it is all ready looking impressive.

Overall, I love both zoos, but I visit Como more often because it is free, and closer to home. However, I would say that the Minnesota Zoo is still worth visiting, and I plan to go back when the Grizzly exhibit is finished.