Finally got to see Adventure Africa today, so here is my late to the party review:
Impala Plains: Still, like other reviews, empty except for the grey crowned cranes. The exhibit is larger than I thought it would be, but still looks it's on the smaller side for the animals it will hold. Of course, its hard to gage size when only 2 birds are in the exhibit currently. Overall its nice although the fencing will be a potential problem. The plus sides of the fencing is that the animals will be very close and that if the animals are towards the center of the yard, they are around eye level, where the chainlink stops. The bad side is of course it's chain link. There is going to be little-no way to avoid the fencing in pictures of the animals.I'm also disappointed that the zebras and the male impala we have appear to be staying in the old exhibits. (Although the only thing out at the waterhole was a male kudu). I don't know if those animals not moving is 100% confirmed, but it is the way it's looking right now, which is unfortunate and seems pointless.
Elephant Care Center: Vast improvement over the previous indoor facility. Much, much more room, sand substrate flooring, and no glass or huge bars separating the elephants from the public. The elephants can even be viewed in their "off exhibit" rooms, and it looks very modern inside the building. My only complaint is that there are only 3-4 skylights letting natural light in for the elephants. That and whatever amount of light comes through the doors.
Elephant Exhibit Yard: The main spectacle! The main, big, empty, spectacle. Seriously, I wish Milwaukee weather would cooperate with us here, the ground is still too lose/fresh and slippery before the grass grows in and it rains all the time and has been mostly cloudy here. The grass is growing, slowly but surely. The exhibit is huge. Again, huge improvement over what the elephants had before. There are several enrichment opportunities for the elephants and some nice shade structures. I was pleasantly surprised that there are at least some things other than shade structures in the exhibit. A large concrete tree trunk, and termite mound, as well as the live trees and some large logs for the elephants makes the space feel more home-y for elephants.The waterhole looks really nice, and there are speakers that play sounds of water buffalo, frogs, and birds from a waterhole in Africa which, if only for a moment, makes you feel like you're in Africa. There are also some glass windows there, so guests could theoretically get within inches of the elephants, which is really awesome to think about. The building itself may be big, bland, and maybe ugly, but I found myself looking around at the exhibit more than the building; it was not distracting. I can only imagine that my (and gusts') attention will be grasped by the elephants once they're outside full time, making the building even less distracting. It will be in pictures, and it is the first thing you see upon entering the complex, but it is not nearly as bad and distracting as I thought it would be. It would have been nice if they could have added some texture to the concrete, or had a few big rocks or tree trunks even just around the doors would break up the massive wall, but some things are limited.
African Forest: My personal favorite part of Adventure Africa, partially because of its inhabitants, partially because it used to be my favorite spot in the zoo (Australia), and partially because its just a good exhibit. Again, larger than the old bongo and duiker exhibit, with lots of grass and shade spots. The metal bars going across the top of the exhibit are thinner than I expected from what I saw in pictures which is good, however its still annoying that they're there. Maybe they're just temporary until the animals are used to the exhibit? I can dream. To me, if they were going to put up bars, they should have put just one, the bottom one, or two, and left it at that. Similarly to Impala Plains, if the animals are towards the center of the exhibit, the bars don't obstruct your view. However, if the animals are close, there's bars getting in the way of the clearest view. Again, very nice exhibit, just those grey rungs really downgrade the view.
There is also the added negative, and my biggest complaint with Adventure Africa, the pathway off almost half of African Forest and half of Impala Plains from being accessible to guests. Granted, you may not miss much but if that's where the animals happen to be, you can't get as close. However, zoomoblie tours still go through the now blocked path so that is a potential option. I understand giving the animals privacy and that the zoo wants to promote breeding, natural behaviors etc, but the cut-off path interrupts flow and is frankly, just annoying.
Overall: Adventure Africa phase 1 is a HUGE improvement over what bongos and elephants had, and essentially the same version in a different spot of what impalas, cranes etc had. Aside from the cut-off paths and the fencing in the forest and plains, my complaints are brief. Obviously it would be nice to see all of the animals that are advertised at the zoo, but weather isn't cooperative. The elephant care center is bland from the outside exhibit, and the dall sheep mountain is still there (but you almost have to look for it. I don't think I would have noticed it if I wasn't looking for it). However, I look at Adventure Africa in two ways; kind of rushed & short-budgeted, and a vast, functional, improvement. The entire time, the zoo has been focusing on how functional the exhibit will be and how they will better care for the animals in this exhibit. The goal the whole time wasn't necessarily to be an aesthetically pleasing, artist masterpiece. On top of that, everything seemed rushed once it actually started. We have to remember, this exhibit did not happen solely because the zoo wanted it, it had to happen in order for us to keep our elephants. That being said, I feel as though because funds were short, the zoo was quiet about it for so long, and because we were already passed the AZA deadline of 2016, the zoo went to panic mode and did what they could in the shortest possible amount of time, which is a large, functional exhibit. I throughly enjoy the new graphics and guest interactive things throughout the exhibit. They are informative and perhaps the most aesthetically-pleasing part of the complex. No matter how you see it though, you cannot deny that is it a huge improvement over the old exhibits, which is also a major goal in all zoo projects.
I'm thinking that Adventure Arica will improve as more animals arrive, elephants are given access to the yard for frequently, and things settle in.
I'm hopeful that now that the zoo has announced and been fundraising for the hippo exhibit, and with the added excitement of phase 1 opening, phase 2 for the hippos will be even better.
