Detroit Zoo – Royal Oak, Michigan

No matter your age, we all love to see animals in the wild. We don’t always get the chance to go to a place where we can see animals running around and living their normal life, in the wild. We do, however, get to see injured animals being cared for in the best manner possible when we visit our local zoos. One of my most favorite zoos is the Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak, Michigan.

Yes, I know, animals should be left in the wild to live their life the way they were intended. However, not all people agree and will sometimes take wild animals into their lives. Unfortunately, they don’t always take proper care of them. This is where zoos come into play. They care for these animals and let them live as good of a life as they can. These animals usually cannot go back out into the wild and live their life as originally intended.

As Michigan residents, we opted to purchase memberships to the Detroit Zoo because we would visit multiple times a year. By multiple times a year, I mean that we would go to the zoo about 15-20 times a year.

The Detroit Zoo

The zoo opened to the public on August 1, 1928. At the time there were habitats for bears, lions, elk, raccoons, wolverines, African veldt, and a bird house. There have been so many changes and updates to the zoo over the years. Today, you can find all kinds of wild life throughout the Detroit Zoo.

The one animal you will not see here, however, are the elephants. In 2005, the elephants made a move to a much larger habitat out in California. I will say that this was the most disappointing decision the zoo made, in my opinion. I grew up coming tot he zoo and seeing the elephants there and was so sad when they were no longer there. One of the things I remember while visiting the zoo as a child was following the elephant foot prints throughout the zoo grounds.

Zoo Animals

Here are just some of the animals that you’ll get to see while at the Detroit Zoo.

Dinosaurs at the Detroit Zoo

While we come to the zoo to see wild animals, there are times that you can see much more! Some times you get to see Dinosaurs! That’s right, they bring a bunch of dinosaurs into the zoo and you get to not only walk around and see dinosaurs at the zoo, but they some times interact with you. There are some that are animated. There are also some fun activities; digging for dinosaur bones, and more.

That’s not all that is at the Detroit Zoo. They have educational programs, volunteering programs, and more. You can even rent out areas of the zoo for business picnics.

If you are in the Metro Detroit area, you have to visit the Detroit Zoo!

Have you ever been to the Detroit Zoo? Let me know your favorite part of visiting!