The Cat Yard area you refer to, The Lion House, I believe has no plans to reopon beyond the east viewing area by Snow Leopards*. It has been closed at least five years.
The three new occupants to the acrylic boxes in the Primate Center are, the Sloth that was in the Lion House, Red Footed Tortoises, and the three Yellow Crowned Amazon Parrots, that came to the Zoo last year as rescues (google news story). I have no idea what the future holds for these occupants.
No one seems to know what the plan is for what I call Bird Row, across from Orangutans. Hercules is unfortunately still off exhibit. Quetzal the Spectacled Owl has finally moved into his new home at the Puente exhibit. It's really nice and he seems to like it.
*Note the north Snow Leopard enclosure where the Twins lived, is now home to the Jaguar who arrived Tuesday. The Twins are off exhibit.
I'm happy to see that Quetzal the spectacled owl is finally in that flight! I've been wanting a better picture of him since I got a new lens for my camera. Can't wait to see him next time I visit. Speaking of Puente al Sur, are the black-necked swans back on exhibit? Has the zoo ever thought about netting the entire Puente al Sur area into a walkthrough aviary (with keeping Quetzal's area the same)? It would prevent any native waterfowl species out while also giving more space to the current birds in the area to roam and fly. I thought I heard or read somewhere it used to be that way...
That's frustrating to read regarding the future of Bird Row. I was hoping that Hercules would get a larger flight that could accommodate a female so that they would breed, and maybe have another walkthrough aviary that can incorporate the flamingo area and net the entire top of it (I noticed on my last visit how there were gaps in the flamingo netting). Again, this would prevent native waterfowl from coming into the exhibit.
I was wondering where the Amazons went since the Bali mynahs are now in that flight where they originally were. I'm glad to read the red-footed tortoises are still around since I saw them last in the South American Tropical Rainforest. In the deserted acrylic boxes in the Primate Discovery Center? I'll have to go through that area during my next visit. I generally like to visit the Coquerel's sifakas during my visits. Any word about how that yard where Sureshot used to reside? I remember scrolling through the pictures here and it used to be where the Patas monkeys resided.
Since Sacramento Zoo is the nearest zoo from me, I have seen Tikal a couple of times, so seeing him clearly without the vegetation in his exhibit will be a treat to see. I'm also looking forward to seeing the female ocelot that's now inhabiting the former fishing cat exhibit. Any reason why they're closing off the entire area except the east side? Still concerned about COVID transmission for the big cats?
Any word about how the empty flights by the petting zoo will be utilized? I read that the white-cheeked turaco has been transferred out and that the laughing kookaburra had a baby last year (?). I know the agoutis are in Puente al Sur last I visited and only a great horned owl is in the flight where the kookaburras used to be.
Lastly, there was a blue-bellied roller in an aviary hidden away across from the old Pachyderm house but I didn't see them my last visit. Was that species returned to the African Aviary or off site somewhere else entirely?
Sorry for the multiple questions but these have been things I've noticed and wondered.
I'll make a separate post about my "daydream" for San Francisco Zoo in another post but those were.
