Riverside Discovery Center
Western Nebraska’s compact community zoo pairs a five-member chimpanzee troop with rescued regional wildlife, carnivores, primates, hoofstock, and repeatable close observation.
Artwork inspired by Augustus Dunbier
Riverside Discovery Center rewards revisiting rather than racing. Its current collection includes Nebraska’s only zoo chimpanzees, a rescued grizzly, spotted hyenas, a tiger, mountain lions, several primates, and nonreleasable birds of prey, all within a scale that makes a second pass practical.
Start by asking which animals are active in the day’s weather, then choose one habitat for a patient behavioral watch. Return later to see whether feeding, shade, temperature, or social position changed the scene. The zoo’s regional value lies in sustained animal care, education, and access for the Scottsbluff community—not in imitating a destination megazoo.
- Distinctive resident
- Nebraska’s only zoo chimpanzee troop
- Regional role
- Community zoo for western Nebraska
- Best method
- Observe one habitat twice
Quick guide
- Ask on arrival
- Which animals are active in today’s weather?
- Build the visit
- One slow circuit followed by a targeted return
Use Riverside’s compact scale for a second observation
- Choose a behavior question
- Begin with the chimpanzee troop, grizzly, hyenas, or another current habitat and watch for ten quiet minutes. Record position, movement, social spacing, and use of enrichment.
- Add the regional story
- Look closely at the birds of prey that cannot return to the wild. Their injuries and care connect the collection to hazards faced by raptors in western Nebraska.
- Change conditions
- Walk the rest of the zoo, then revisit the first habitat after temperature, shade, feeding, or visitor activity has shifted. Compare behavior rather than simply adding species to a checklist.
- Use staff knowledge
- Ask keepers or front-desk staff about current animals, welfare improvements, and Species Survival Plan work. The collection changes, so present-day care is more useful than an old species count.
Good to know
The zoo’s chimpanzees are a distinctive Nebraska collection, while its birds of prey are nonreleasable animals that survived injuries in the wild. Animal groupings and visibility change over time, so focus on behavior and care rather than expecting a fixed head count.
Notice these
- Five-member chimpanzee troop
- Rescued grizzly and nonreleasable raptors
- Compact repeat-observation route