April 1, 2022

THE JACKSON ZOO

2918 W Capitol St, Jackson, MS 39209

“The Jackson Zoo is located in Jackson, Mississippi. The Jackson Zoo was established in 1919 and exhibits over 120 species and approximately 250 individual animals, providing the public the opportunity to observe and study wildlife from around the world and region.” - Wikipedia

Pulling into the parking lot at 11:30 a.m. I questioned whether the zoo was open.  There were literally four cars in the parking lot, and I saw no sign of life.  I thought the cars might belong to zoo employees, so I turned around and started heading out.  After passing another car coming in and checking the sign giving the zoo’s hours to confirm the zoo was open, I headed back towards the entrance of the zoo.  The zoo’s website warned people that the zoo was “not at full operation due to continuing repairs,” so my expectations weren’t very high. 

What I found when I got inside was a zoo that has a lot of potential, but also one needing some work.  As I strolled through the zoo, it felt to me like they had been completely closed for a while and had recently opened before getting everything properly cleaned and manicured for the public to see.  The number of different animals was typical for a small city zoo.  Several enclosures had signs saying, “New resident coming,” which I wondered how long the signs had been posted.  The animals I did see all looked healthy, though some of my pictures later revealed some of the typical boredom animals experience in zoo settings.  I enjoyed several different monkeys, the Cougars, the Asiatic Black Bear, and several birds.

As I’ve said about other zoos, I’d like to come back after their repairs are done.  However, unlike other zoos, I didn’t see any construction work being done here, so I wonder where the zoo is making repairs.