This was most obvious in the set up of the aquarium. It does not look like a particularly large building, but there was a lot in it. The first floor was organized around a central tank. As you circled, the exterior side had small tanks devoted to specific areas or species, like Budd Inlet, or moon jellyfish. There was excellent local representation, and if that had been all there was, it would have been pretty good. Then we went upstairs.
As well as being able to view the central tank from above, there kept being more. There were seahorses, and tropical fish, and sharks, and sting rays, and a discovery center. The most interesting part for me was watching the leopard eel swim. That may not sound like much, but usually the eel representation you have in aquariums is a brown moray eel with just its head peeking out of a its hiding place. Here was a fabulous spotted creature moving through the water, and it was really cool.
We had actually started in the Asian Forest Sanctuary, seeing elephants and primates but being most entranced with the tigers. There was a pair of twins that were having a birthday, but what we really loved was the 4 month old cub playing with a section of watermelon. Their tiger breeding program seems to be doing well.
Coming out of there by the camels, we did not take a ride, but we did take advantage of the opportunity to feed the camels. You are just pushing carrots through a hole in a grate, rather than actually being with the camels and petting them, because they apparently don't want guests to lose their fingers. However, the camels then bob and dip and look at you trying to see when the next carrot is coming, and we found it to be a good deal.
It was after the camel feeding that we went through the aquarium, and then had lunch. At this point we had basically looped around the right side of the zoo. Now we headed left.
First we had some penguins. It was an open space, which I prefer to the enclosed buildings, and if you'll notice the photo, while the rest of the penguins were taking it easy, that one was standing and almost seemed like he was trying to sing for the crowd. Well, it worked. He got his picture taken.
The penguin exhibit was the beginning of Rocky Shores, which had been a big part of the attraction for us. We hadn't been anywhere with a walrus, and they had three. They had seals and otters too
(and puffins and murres), and we enjoyed seeing them, but we were there for the walrus.
Their tusks have been removed. Their purpose in nature is for help in climbing the ice, which is not needed here, and they are prone to infection. As the base of the tooth is so close to the brain, that can be very dangerous. So, they looked a little different, but then it is easier to see how they are similar to other pinnipeds. Rocky Shores flowed very naturally into Arctic Tundra, where there were polar bears, reindeer, muskox, and arctic fox.
At this point we were coming back on the left loop, and that brought us into Red Wolf Woods, home of another effective breeding program. I had never seen red wolves before either, but they were beautiful and appeared to be thriving. There was a lot of historical and conservation information available, showing how the species had become almost extinct, and the progress that has been made.
Up to this point the path had either sloped downward or been fairly level, but to return to the entrance it was necessary to climb up. There was on area still not explored at this point. After going uphill towards the entrance, you could take a detour into the Kids Zone. There are some animals that can be pet and fed, but there are also many other displays, from small tanks for frogs to larger enclosures for lemurs and meerkats.
Back at the entrance, there is a gift shop, cafe, and carousel. Overall, the navigation within the zoo is pretty good. For the larger Point Defiance park, it can be a little more confusing, as it easy to miss which road will take you to the park exit, and which road will take you further into the camping and hiking areas, but it is a nice place to drive around, and the zoo is well worth seeing.
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