ABQ BioPark Zoo — Attraction in Albuquerque

We're members of our local zoo which has reciprocal benefits with ABQ BioPark Zoo. Unfortunately, the ticket person didn't understand that the name of the zoo was not the same as the name of the city it's in. He told us that our zoo was not listed but fortunately some ABQ members behind us graciously brought us in as their guests today.

ABQ BioPark is small so it's really only accessible by foot or wheelchair/scooter. There is no train or bus tour. There's no need for them and the paths are too small anyway. I didn't see many areas for visitors to rest. I would have liked to see more benches throughout the park. There are also no mirrors in the bathrooms I used, which I found a bit odd. I specifically went into the restroom to look at a scrape on my face from hitting a branch by accident. It was a shame I couldn't properly address my minor injury because of that. Most of the concession stands were also not open. I saw maybe one education session listed for the day.

Besides those little hiccups, we enjoyed meeting all of the zoo inhabitants. We came at opening so most of the animals were active. The polar bears and tiger didn't make an appearance while we were visiting but we got to interact with all of the others. The chimps were especially energetic and tried to play with us on the other side of the enclosure. Unfortunately, the lions have been moved to a new zoo. As far as specimens go, I do feel like this zoo does lack in variety but it's very apparent that they care about all of their charges. All of the enclosures were clean, water and food bowls were full, the reptiles seemed to be adequately moist, etc. I felt like I was able to safely get close to all of the animals. I believe in ABQ BioPark Zoo and their mission. They are just capable of being better. There is quite a bit of construction so maybe my complaints are...

I was so looking forward to this zoo but I found myself disappointed. The Zoo is incredibly clean and the habits where well maintained, trails were easy to follow and you can finish the entire zoo in about 2 hours. These are all great things.

However most of the exhibits where either under construction, animal not currently available for viewing, or the animals were just plain not outside. I understand that some prefer to remain inside. But about 80% of the animals where unavailable to see. The catwalk was entirely under construction with no way around to even see those exhibits.

There is also a problem with short staffing (according to an employee by the aviary) and a lot of the activities are cancelled or do not match times online and in park. Tried to go to the walk through Aviary (said it's open Wednesday to Sunday 10am to 12pm and 1pm to 3pm) I tried going in at 1030am and again at 2pm (on a Friday). No employees ever showed up to let people in or announce it remaining closed. Tried to attend the Komodo Dragon Walk (website said walk is at 1130am on Fridays, I planned my day around this as they are my favorite animals), get to the Zoo and am told it's at 130pm, I actually leave and go to the ABQ Aquarium and come back at 1pm and waited until 145pm, and had to hunt down an employee to be told it was cancelled. Despite the schedule never changing! It was a waste of time and extremely disappointed by that. At least make sure to let zoo goers know when an activity is cancelled so they don't just wait around.

Also if you are out of ingredients for an advertised item, please please tell the people before they order. By the time the third Dole item i ordered was denied because of missing this that or the other ingredients I just walked away.

Will not be coming...

I love our zoo. Its much nicer than many we have been to. There is a great selection of animals to view: elephants, hippos, rhino, zebra, giraffes, polarbear, but to name a few. I love the fact that the animals have the choice to be out in their enclosures or inside where they have temperature controlled environments. That does may mean, however, that if animals choose to be inside, you will not see them. Sometimes I walk around twice just to double check. In the summer, it's always good to go early in the morning. There have been some great changes to the habitats at the zoo. The animals really do have great space. However, there has been ongoing construction due to this, and it seems about 1/3 of the zoo is currently closed. Four more habitat construction. I have been super excited about most of the changes except for the Australia shores. That has been disappointing after the big build up to its opening. The paths are well maintained, and zoo well mapped out. It's great that even in the heat of the summer, many of the areas are shaded by trees. You can always pop into the Penguin Chill to cool down and watch these cute amazing little creatures. It's always entertaining. There is also the reptile house and indoor amphibian exhibit. While the cost of entry is low compared to some other zoos, unfortunately the food prices inside are exorbitant. You might wish to pack a lunch or take snacks, and water in the hot summer. There are water bottle, refilling stations throughout the park. I do really miss the train and think it's a shame that the shuttle is no longer in service. One thing I think really needs to be remedied. Overall it really is a great zoo...