text: Comparing the Phoenix Zoo to the Wildlife World Zoo is like comparing apples to oranges Hot dusty smelly orangesnnYes WWZ can be far and it might cost a little more and it has more dirt roads than sidewalks and it can get a little smelly especially the Small Mammal building BUT I liked it better than the Phoenix Zoo In fact having gone to the Phoenix Zoo just three months ago I cannot remember anything distinctive about it other than a kangaroo statue photo opnnOK I was not holding the map so I realized I missed a lot of stuff the kangaroos penguins geese petting zoo and singing dogs Singing dogs Is that what the map says or am I misreading it Maybe they mean Pitbull I do not know Do the finalists go on to be on American Poodle The hyenas liked that onennIt was a nice November day when we went so none of the animals were forced to hide in the shade The only animal we could not find was the porcupine Yet we saw a porcupine in another cage with another animal an iguana I think Maybe it escaped maybe it was a play date I do not know Hope the iguana did not get a little prick Speaking of little pricks my brother Paul went too and he liked itnnWhat sets WWZ apart is that you can get really close to the animals In particular the jaguar will look at you eyetoeye just feet apart if you lean in He eyed the peacocks and children walking by licking his lips and I could not help but wonder which tasted betternnAlso super close were the giraffes because you can feed them for just cents a handful Some zoos like Santa Barbara only have specific feeding times but here it is all day If you are too queezy you can just pour the pellets onto his tongue or you can be adventurous like me and let the slimy but hard hot tongue take them from you I wonder if they do bachelor partiesnnThough the ostriches were pretty far and deserve their own feeding station like the mustsee Ostrichland in Solvang CA and the rhino had better things to do everything else was close The tigers drank water near us The tapirs snuck their snouts out and you could touch them I almost handed a lemur an ice cube before getting sternly warned by a worker not the lemur I was mere inches from a mama mouse nursing her baby mice You can go eye to eye with the tanked alligator The people right next to him at Dillons Bar are also tankednnI am kind of bummed that the lorakeet feeding area was closed and that we did go to the turaco feeding area but the workers said the birds were too full What How can that be They eat like birds nnThe map does not show many things like Dragon World or the Baby Nursery area In the past they had baby porcupines We saw a sleeping baby jaguar the size of a shoebox and a sleeping baby tapir the size of a backpack nnA highlight was feeding the stingrays which costs a little more if not included with a groupon You hold a piece of shrimp between your finger like a cigarette and they come up and suck them out Even though you know you cannot get hurt that they have no teeth and that they are accustomed to being fed by strangers it is a little freaky Highly recommended I wonder if they do bachelor parties nnWe spent hours there and I feel I could have spent at least one more hour and I would have enjoyed catching a wildlife show nnMY ADVICE wear comfortable closed toe shoes expect a little dust and smell bring quarters for the giraffe feeding do the stingray feeding allow at least hours but optimally check the social coupon sites for a discount bring sunscreen for the nonshaded areas and give the map to the most analretentive OCD person in the group me so you do not miss stuff nnAlso on the way there tell the kids that for every time someone goes on the log ride or sky ride or merrygoround or train they drown a baby tiger That should save you some money