The Africa Rocks website has updated. It lists the Fynbos habitat as "On Tour 7/1" and the rest as "Coming Soon".
San Diego Zoo New "Africa Rocks" complex at San Diego Zoo
- Thread starter DavidBrown
- Start date
Very unfortunate that the exhibit has been delayed. Especially for the people who have already planned trips. I thought I was going to go this summer, but with this news those plans have changed. Hopefully I can go for Spring Break 2018.
I agree its quite unfortunate about the delay. Lucky for me I wont be going until this Holiday so it should be complete by then.
So now even the first habitat will not be ready by their announced opening of June 10? What is going on there???
I had originally planned to go about a month after the "Opening Date" around July 10th, but due to time constraints the trip got moved up to June 22-28, but now I probably won't go until 2018. The first exhibit won't open until nearly a month after the whole thing was scheduled to open (June 10th) and the rest won't open until Labor Day, almost 4 months after June 10th. This exhibit had me really excited and though I still am, the cuts (aye-aye, zebra), and now the delay, upsets me, usually zoos set an official date to open an exhibit, the SDZ can't even give us an official date for when the whole exhibit is completed. The SDZ last major exhibit, Elephant Odyssey, has the community split in half. Some exhibits are great, some not so great. EO has underperformed for how big the project was set out to be. I just hope Africa Rocks isn't a disappointment, but the delays and cuts are upsetting. For those who planned trips to come see the new exhibit must be quite disappointed. Well I think I have said enough and a little too much, but this is my take on the delay.
Unfortunately. I already have everything set for a San Diego trip in Early August, so I fear I'm going to miss the rest of Africa Rocks. I wish these delays weren't happening.
I feel the same, these delays are throwing wrenches in everyone's plans
Let us all hope that the zoo is making these delays make Africa Rocks a near flawless exhibit, I am concerned about an elephant odyssey repeat and I just think San Diego can go that route again.
The problem with EO is the keystone species. Elephants are just plain difficult to house and exhibit. As much as I hate EO (and I am chief among its critics), most of the other animal exhibits are not bad (jaguar, rattlesnake, condor, etc). Given the species lineup for Africa Rocks, I am certain it will not be another Elephant Odyssey. The other issue with EO is the bizarre theming that no one gets, but with Africa Rocks the theming is solid and consistent.
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6 males from Wilhelma Zoo.
The_UltimateBea
Well-Known Member
Now there is another issue of simply not having enough elephants. Just 4 in that massive enclosure leafs to lard swaths of plain dirt and utilitrees.
Timmychompchomp has created an excellent photo tour of the new exhibit. You can view it here: San Diego Zoo - A walk through Africa Rocks
timmychompchomp
Well-Known Member
Update for Acacia Woodlands Construction!!!!
A wall was moved up the path further into the Acacia Woodlands portion of Africa Rocks giving us a view of what would probably be the Vervet Monkeys exhibit and a glimpse at the Aviary further up path.
The display of these Lemur Plushes made me uneasy. Looked like pelts in a bush meat market.
A wall was moved up the path further into the Acacia Woodlands portion of Africa Rocks giving us a view of what would probably be the Vervet Monkeys exhibit and a glimpse at the Aviary further up path.
The display of these Lemur Plushes made me uneasy. Looked like pelts in a bush meat market.
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Since I was there a week ago, I have one observation. The six habitats (or whatever they call them) are not as distinct as I envisioned them to be. It is basically just one continuous exhibit.
Kakapo
Well-Known Member
What a shame that my visit was during summer 2016, when Africa Rocks was under development :-( Some species can already be seen onshow by that time, such as serval, Madagascar partridge, dwarf mongoose, kilpspringer (hidden during my visit, not saw), rock hyrax, and the aviary with golden-breasted starling, crested coua, tambourine dove, etc. But I would have died for see Nubian ibex, Painted snipe!!, Sifakas and black-footed cats! Anyway I had not enough time fot visit the whole zoo in a day (I also missed Urban Jungle, Koalafornia and the aviary with Crowned eagle (sigh)).
Black footed cats are not part of this development. However they do have them now at the Safari Park, so maybe that is what you meant?