Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium 2020 News

They had quite a large group of dwarf croc but they left the collection a few years back, they were exhibited across from flamingo in front of rhino
 
PSO said:
They had quite a large group of dwarf croc but they left the collection a few years back, they were exhibited across from flamingo in front of rhino
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I honestly miss that exhibit. If they ever wanted to put dwarf crocodiles or some other small crocodilians in, they obviously have the ability to do so. They could probably put a Nile monitor in there to continue with the African Savanna theme.
 
PSO said:
@BigCatConniseur24 agree very much liked it
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I wish they could come up with a way to keep the American Alligator and Philippine Crocodile on-exhibit year-round. Yes, I know they both have outdoor exhibits, and the Pittsburgh fall and winter climate is cold, but couldn’t they alter the water temperature in the exhibits somehow? I love crocodilians, which is why only visit the zoo in the summer and September.
 
Okapi Lover said:
I visited today, and there were two young gharials in the exhibit in Islands next to the one signed for philippine croc, which were not on exhibit.
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Interesting. Unexpected changes can be pleasant sometimes. Never seen a gharial before, so that gives me something to look forward to when I visit next month. I’m going about a month from now for my 25th birthday. Hopefully, the lions will be out and the exhibit will be ready, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they would still be working on it, I’ll just spend extra time with the Amur tigers and Amur leopards.
 
Do you guys think the African Lion exhibit will be open with the lions on exhibit by September 26th? I’m trying to go to the zoo on that day because my birthday is the day before (and I work that day). I don’t mind waiting to go to the zoo in October or even November at all, but it would be nice to see not only the lion cubs, but also the rest of the pride (I’m more excited to see the adults than the cubs, honestly).
 
I went to the zoo yesterday and had a great time. It was my first visit since last fall and chose a weekday in the hopes crowds would be low and social distancing would be easier. The zoo is requiring masks in all areas except while eating at an outdoor table. Most of the people I observed wore their masks properly but of course about 10% were not adhering to the rules properly. They were sparse enough that it was easy to stay away from them though.

Some observations and news:
1) The zoo has done a nice job trying to protect patrons during COVID-19. They have closed or limited frequent contact areas, have hand sanitizer stations absolutely everywhere, have closed indoor dining facilities, and as mentioned before are requiring masks to be worn full-time.
2) The pool in front of the rhino exhibit has a west african dwarf crocodile. This pool previously held other reptiles so it was nice to see something back in this area.
3) The lion exhibit is getting renovations and what looks like a possible expansion. The lions were off exhibit and a construction crew was building what looked like a large indoor enclosure between the lion and leopard exhibit.
4) The indoor monkey/gorilla building had a massive ventilation improvement since the last time I was there. The air quality was remarkably better.
5) The plants/vegetation is really growing in nicely for both the Islands and Jungle Trails areas now. It has taken a few years, but the plants are really "overgrowing" in their areas and are providing a nice, more natural look to that entire corner. I was impressed with the quality of the plants and flowers throughout the park.
6) The next phase of Top of the World is well underway with construction. The zoo had a large construction crew working yesterday with what looked like several projects such as retaining walls, water runoff systems, electrical and plumbing underground, and leveling. Now that most of the brush is cleared and the area is semi-flat you can see that quite a bit of land is available for use. For those that don't know this area was a forest/brush area on a steep hillside previously (i.e. $$$).
7) It looked like the far back (what will become the outside) retaining wall on the next Top of the World phase will be a full vertical "green wall". I can't overstate how massive this wall is going to be and should look amazing whenever finished. It was probably 300 ft long and potentially 12 ft or higher in certain spots. It was really interesting to see it in its current state. It looked like sand bags were stacked as the retaining wall (but maybe dirt is in them instead of sand??) They also had custom water hoses running the entire length of the wall, fully integrated into the sand bags, about 4 feet apart from each other running horizontally. I'm thinking this will be an easy way to water whatever is planted on the wall. I'm excited to see it whenever finished.
8) The zoo had several baby black tip reef sharks on exhibit in front of the aquarium.
 
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Jay Dun said:
Some observations and news:
3) The lion exhibit is getting renovations and what looks like a possible expansion. The lions were off exhibit and a construction crew was building what looked like a large indoor enclosure between the lion and leopard exhibit.
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Please tell me they're not filling in the moat or touching the existing rockwork in the habitat...
 
Jay Dun said:
I went to the zoo yesterday and had a great time. It was my first visit since last fall and chose a weekday in the hopes crowds would be low and social distancing would be easier. The zoo is requiring masks in all areas except while eating at an outdoor table. Most of the people I observed wore their masks properly but of course about 10% were not adhering to the rules properly. They were sparse enough that it was easy to stay away from them though.

Some observations and news:
1) The zoo has done a nice job trying to protect patrons during COVID-19. They have closed or limited frequent contact areas, have hand sanitizer stations absolutely everywhere, have closed indoor dining facilities, and as mentioned before are requiring masks to be worn full-time.
2) The pool in front of the rhino exhibit has a west african dwarf crocodile. This pool previously held other reptiles so it was nice to see something back in this area.
3) The lion exhibit is getting renovations and what looks like a possible expansion. The lions were off exhibit and a construction crew was building what looked like a large indoor enclosure between the lion and leopard exhibit.
4) The indoor monkey/gorilla building had a massive ventilation improvement since the last time I was there. The air quality was remarkably better.
5) The plants/vegetation is really growing in nicely for both the Islands and Jungle Trails areas now. It has taken a few years, but the plants are really "overgrowing" in their areas and are providing a nice, more natural look to that entire corner. I was impressed with the quality of the plants and flowers throughout the park.
6) The next phase of Top of the World is well underway with construction. The zoo had a large construction crew working yesterday with what looked like several projects such as retaining walls, water runoff systems, electrical and plumbing underground, and leveling. Now that most of the brush is cleared and the area is semi-flat you can see that quite a bit of land is available for use. For those that don't know this area was a forest/brush area on a steep hillside previously (i.e. $$$).
7) It looked like the far back (what will become the outside) retaining wall on the next Top of the World phase will be a full vertical "green wall". I can't overstate how massive this wall is going to be and should look amazing whenever finished. It was probably 300 ft long and potentially 12 ft or higher in certain spots. It was really interesting to see it in its current state. It looked like sand bags were stacked as the retaining wall (but maybe dirt is in them instead of sand??) They also had custom water hoses running the entire length of the wall, fully integrated into the sand bags, about 4 feet apart from each other running horizontally. I'm thinking this will be an easy way to water whatever is planted on the wall. I'm excited to see it whenever finished.
8) The zoo had several baby black tip reef sharks on exhibit in front of the aquarium.
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It will be interesting to finally get an announcement for Compass Point since ideas seem to be so fluid on the project. The zoo’s front gate is going to be upgraded to at some point.
 
Wyman said:
Please tell me they're not filling in the moat or touching the existing rockwork in the habitat...
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I did not see anything that would suggest either of those items are being changed. The new indoor facility is on the other side of the lion exhibit. It is hard to explain via text, but imagine almost in front of the existing indoor lion building, between the lion and leopard exhibits. The new building looks to be much larger than the existing structure, and will likely have viewing windows from what I can tell (the existing structure has no windows and is tucked away from patrons).
 
Jay Dun said:
I'm not a "complainer" over things like smells at zoos. I understand I am entering their home, and their habitat. So while I understood these are animals, the old building's ventilation system had a "make your knees buckle" effect after your first breath inside! Haha.
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I've got a weak sense of smell, as well as a high tolerance rate when it comes to animal-related odors/messes, so it never really bothers me. I'm just sick of hearing my mom complain about the smells in Henry Vilas Zoo's Geoffroy's Marmoset room. :confused:
 
Can someone please clarify what species of crocodilian is residing in the pool in the Islands? Gharial or Philippine Crocodile? Thanks!
 
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