Cincinnati zoo

 

Manatee

We had planned to visit the Harriet Beacher Stowe house as part of our Civil War theme, but it was closed for renovations. Just a few blocks away was the Cincinnati Zoo, which has been rated as one of the best zoos in the country. I also would give it a high rating, because of the many unique animals we saw there. We spent most of four hours at the zoo and probably saw about half of the zoo. We decided to skip most of the Africa sections and spend our time elsewhere: Cat Canyon, Dragons (with a Komodo Dragon as well as a Blue Tree Monitor), Gibbon Islands, Gorilla World, Jungle Trails (with an Aye-Aye and Sifaka), Manatee Springs (with Manatees, Alligators and turtles), the Reptile House (with quite a few poisonous frogs and a Galapagos Tortoise)  

Black Footed Cat

There were a couple buildings where you could see nocturnal animals ( Aardvark, Aardwolf, Black Footed Cat, Sand Cat, Fennec Fox, Bushbabies, Ocelot and Ringtails). Also unique was the insect world with lots of tarantulas, beetles, and spiders. Well worth the visit.

Giant Dead Leaf Mantis