Biodome in Montreal: A Travel Guide

Not too long ago, I had a chance to visit the Biodôme in Montreal. And while it is certainly less than advertised, the Biodôme is interesting all the same. It's a kind of zoo, but not quite so. Instead, it attempts to recreate four different world environments.

The first is Tropical Forest, and it makes an immediate impact. Specifically, the climate. Hot & humid just begins to describe it. Removing even the lightest of coats is the first thing just about everybody does. That said, it is not oppressive. It's more "attention getting." You've entered a new and different world. And here, in Amazonia, your fellow inhabitants are creatures like the tamarin (which are indeed cute and exotic) and the hyacinth macaw (which are impressively large and beautiful birds). Thankfully, the environment is hardly pristine. No, the eco-system is purposefully damaged in an effort to show the world as it really is. That said, I was very glad to see the bats enclosed in glass. There were hundreds, if not thousands of them, and for some reason, they were highly animated. Without the glass, it would have been a rather scaredy-cat experience. I think even I would have had no choice but to scream!

Second stop was the Laurentian Forest. And here, the Biodôme begins to fail. Otters, beavers, rather typical waterfowl. There was one lynx, but it, like I, appeared rather bored by it all. It laid on a ledge way up in the back and watched, with a somewhat quizzical look, as the people walked by. Of course, here, one is confronted with the dilemma places such as these propose. We want to see these animals, and we want to see them in "appropriate" and "natural" environments, but alas, we really do want them to "perform" for us as well. Nothing was "happening" in the Laurentian Forest.

Next stop was the St. Lawrence Marine Ecosystem. The above water level exhibit was, despite clearly being a stage set, quite beautiful. Obviously informed by Hollywood, it was nonetheless pleasing. The tank was even more so. Filled with mackerel, cod, salmon and halibut, it was nearly as fascinating as it was potentially delicious. But, what made this exhibit interesting was the interaction/ "performance" of the fish. It was the way they moved, some in packs, some alone, and the way that these different species shared well and sometimes not so well their shared waters that was of particular note.

Last stop was Polar World. Yes, this is where one puts one's coat back on. It's cold. And the "stars," not too surprisingly, are the penguins. A large collection of the smaller ones delighted a crowd of about a hundred of their human counterparts by diving in large numbers in unison, essentially taking "flight" as they plumbed the depths of the water. For me, personally, I liked the King Penguins. They were big and fat.

Probably a meter in height. And I don't want to guess their weight, but they were clearly much heavier than any human child of the same height. "King" is a very telling name for this particular kind of penguin. They certainly had a majestic air about them. And what I found striking was the coloring of these fascinating birds. They've the prototypical "penguin-suit" look, but it is the truly golden coloring around the head, beak, and upper breast that make these birds quite beautiful. (The Pittsburgh Penguins hockey franchise uses the same coloring in the their uniforms.)

Overall, . . . what makes the Biodôme different is that it is not a zoo. It's more of an Eco-Museum. The water, the trees, bushes, flora are all as much of the experience as the animals. Plus, there is much more of an "educational" slant to the presentation than one expects to find at a typical zoo. That said, I would have liked to have an audio component available. The Biodôme sells itself as being the only institution of its kind in the world. Maybe. More important, while somewhat crude, the Biodôme probably does clearly point the way towards the future in regards to Zoo/Eco presentation.

Admission is $16.00 (Canadian). Quebec residents received a discount, $13.50.