African Plains

A main feature of the Zoo's African Plains area is the water hole. This area shows how animals of different species are drawn together by a common need, water. An arid, rocky expanse, dotted with clumps of shrubs and tough grasses and backed by natural limestone cliffs down which a small trickling stream flows down the cliffs, across the stone floor into a rocky pool, this exhibit is a small microcosm of life as it might be encountered on the African plains. At this exhibit, look for ostriches, Grevy's zebra, reticulated giraffes, African crowned cranes, white-faced whistling ducks, Thompson's gazelles, and sometimes other antelopes. This is a great place to stop for a few minutes to catch your breath before trekking through the Rift Valley Tract.