Just Past the Dunes: East Indiana

Reticulated Giraffe - Fort Wayne Zoo

I was lucky enough to revisit the Fort Wayne Zoo in Indiana. It has been about 3 years since the last time I made it out to this small zoo. Back when I first went there, I was impressed by the diversity of animals present and the commitment to the few themed zones. That impression was maintained on this second visit, with highlights of the trip being the new Red Panda and Binturong habitats, getting to see a super active and curious Tasmanian Devil, and seeing the entire Giraffe herd. This zoo does a great job of not trying to have every major animal, but instead having a smaller collection in mostly quality habitats with great theming for guests. This zoo is a bit out of the way of most major attractions, but if you end up having to travel through this area and have a few hours to spare, you should absolutely check out this well done little zoo!

I visited the Potawatomi Zoo on the way back from revisiting the Fort Wayne Zoo. It was my first visit and it was a unique little park! It had a surprisingly diverse animal collection, with tons of popular and rare animals. Its exhibit quality really varies, with really outdated Asian big cat enclosures (thankfully with a new exhibit underway soon) contrasting with the modern Andean Bear and Masai Giraffe exhibits. The layout was a bit confusing, but being such a small zoo it didn't affect the visit much. Highlights of the trip included an active Andean Bear, a photogenic Sand Cat and Amur Tiger which posed for a perfect photo while staring intensely at my camera! While there is a good bit of work to still be done here, this zoo's newer projects are showing positive signs, it'll be nice to see how it progressed on a future visit!