Las Vegas does indeed have a zoo, officially named the Southern Nevada Zoological-Botanical Park, but known locally as Las Vegas Zoo, which is located at 1775 N. Rancho Dr. (just south of Texas Station). It's open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is home to a number of big cats and some fossas (carnivorous mammals unique to Madagascar that are something like a cross between a large cat and a ferret), plus the last family of Barbary Apes in the U.S., and a chimpanzee, ostriches, emus, talking parrots, wallabies, flamingos, and some large exotic reptiles.
The current writer has never visited this attraction, so cannot speak from first-hand experience, but over the years we've heard mixed feedback about our zoo. While we came across a 2009 online review that described "a hometown park with a friendly, caring atmosphere," in 2009 local investigative reporters, backed by the Humane Society of America, reported very different findings, including, "conditions that were too hot, too dirty, too small and overrun by pigeons and flies" and described it as a "depressing, sad place." The report evidently gave rise to some improvements and the zoo was subsequently found not to be in violation of any rules by USDA inspectors.
Reviews on Yelp.com are as mixed -- while all seem to concur that it's small and takes less than an hour to see in full, some reviewers evidently find a certain charm to Las Vegas Zoo and indicate that the animals seem well cared-for, while others cannot contain their anger at what they report seeing. The facility apparently has little private funding and no financial support form the City of Las Vegas, and the $9 admission fee probably doesn't go far toward the upkeep of the premises and its inhabitants.
Bottom line, we really must go along and see for ourselves; meanwhile, if any reader has an experience of this zoo, whether happy or adverse, we'd be interested to hear your take on it.
Until recently, we would have left this answer at that, but only a week ago we became aware of a new exotic-animal facility about an hour's drive north of Las Vegas, which we're also intrigued by. Roos-N-More is a privately owned non-profit owned and operated by a veterinarian couple and their family. It bills itself as an "educational zoo" that hopes to inspire visitors to support conservation efforts through up-close-and-personal encounters with some 160 animals, including camels, monkeys, lemurs, otters, wallabies, and kangaroos.
The facility is private and only open to the public about one day a month, although private bookings are also accepted. When open, it's $10 admission for adults. Check out the website for more information and if anyone out there has been to this zoo, we'd love to hear more.
