I'm not sure anything for today's trip report was newsworthy, but I did snap photographs of the previously mentioned moose signage and another closed exhibit visible from a pathway (which I'm sure is old news) behind the North America exhibits, possibly where the wolverine once was? I also included a photo of the new backyard bird walk.
Highlights and Observations
- The exhibit to the left of the alligator in Aquatic and Reptile Center is empty still.
- Saw the gorilla family troop in full this time!
- watched a waldrapp ibis feed on the ground very close.
- California Sheephead continue to be an unexpected highlight.
- Onassis was interacting with a keeper I think, the turtle had its head out of the water above the tank.
- I love the cotton top/golden lion tamarin mix in Small Mammal House but wish they were displayed together in Primates of the World instead.
- Saw callimico this time; such cute monkeys!
- I've never seen one of the brown bears using the water before; it's a lot deeper than I thought! This was the one next to the badgers after the elk, I think Boris.
- Ruth was very close to the fence using the enrichment wall, which was the elephant highlight of the trip!
- The baird's tapir was out this time and close to the fence; between the alpaca, rhea and tapir, the South America yard still packs a punch as a solid mixed exhibit.
- Briefly saw the several's ears.
- Saw my first Greater Kudu today I'm pretty sure, unless I saw one as a small child -- wow, what a beautiful animal and a trip highlight! The waterbuck were also out.
- Both female lions, one of the tigers, and the serval were visible indoors.
- All four seals were active and playful today! I love that they have such an active pool. The exhibit needs improvement for the animals but for visitor experience it's great.
- I visited the interior to the giraffe house for the first time in years and although the exhibit itself is subpar and frankly worse than I remembered, as a guest experience it's a great building.
- I also went through the whole children's/farm area briefly for the first time since childhood. The The theater side was familiar, but the barnyard side was not. The goat yard was active and I loved the signage explaining the history of the pig and cattle breeds. The new backyard bird walk had just closed. I also briefly saw the zoo's red-tailed hawk.
- I had the chance to see zookeepers herding the thomson's gazelles indoors and like the kudu, this is very likely my first experience with this fairly common zoo animal, and wow, they were so cute! It was fun to see the keepers goading them indoors.
- There was one hippopotamus in their older indoor habitat (to the right of the 'spa') and another using the new Hippo Haven and... wow. I'm sure for those who travel to great zoos this exhibit is boring, but for people who haven't seen a hippopotamus underwater before, this exhibit magic. This was my first time seeing a common hippopotamus underwater, and an active one at that! Wow! I understand why we all want to see more innovation in the industry, and it definitely feels incomplete without the pending additions, but I think it's a leap forward for this specific zoo.
- The agouti, marabou stork, bali myna and fly river turtle are double misses, as I think was ground hornbill.
It was very loud and crowded today, which was unfortunate as dad was accompanying me for the first time in a couple years. The crowd was overwhelming for him.
Highlights and Observations
- The exhibit to the left of the alligator in Aquatic and Reptile Center is empty still.
- Saw the gorilla family troop in full this time!
- watched a waldrapp ibis feed on the ground very close.
- California Sheephead continue to be an unexpected highlight.
- Onassis was interacting with a keeper I think, the turtle had its head out of the water above the tank.
- I love the cotton top/golden lion tamarin mix in Small Mammal House but wish they were displayed together in Primates of the World instead.
- Saw callimico this time; such cute monkeys!
- I've never seen one of the brown bears using the water before; it's a lot deeper than I thought! This was the one next to the badgers after the elk, I think Boris.
- Ruth was very close to the fence using the enrichment wall, which was the elephant highlight of the trip!
- The baird's tapir was out this time and close to the fence; between the alpaca, rhea and tapir, the South America yard still packs a punch as a solid mixed exhibit.
- Briefly saw the several's ears.
- Saw my first Greater Kudu today I'm pretty sure, unless I saw one as a small child -- wow, what a beautiful animal and a trip highlight! The waterbuck were also out.
- Both female lions, one of the tigers, and the serval were visible indoors.
- All four seals were active and playful today! I love that they have such an active pool. The exhibit needs improvement for the animals but for visitor experience it's great.
- I visited the interior to the giraffe house for the first time in years and although the exhibit itself is subpar and frankly worse than I remembered, as a guest experience it's a great building.
- I also went through the whole children's/farm area briefly for the first time since childhood. The The theater side was familiar, but the barnyard side was not. The goat yard was active and I loved the signage explaining the history of the pig and cattle breeds. The new backyard bird walk had just closed. I also briefly saw the zoo's red-tailed hawk.
- I had the chance to see zookeepers herding the thomson's gazelles indoors and like the kudu, this is very likely my first experience with this fairly common zoo animal, and wow, they were so cute! It was fun to see the keepers goading them indoors.
- There was one hippopotamus in their older indoor habitat (to the right of the 'spa') and another using the new Hippo Haven and... wow. I'm sure for those who travel to great zoos this exhibit is boring, but for people who haven't seen a hippopotamus underwater before, this exhibit magic. This was my first time seeing a common hippopotamus underwater, and an active one at that! Wow! I understand why we all want to see more innovation in the industry, and it definitely feels incomplete without the pending additions, but I think it's a leap forward for this specific zoo.
- The agouti, marabou stork, bali myna and fly river turtle are double misses, as I think was ground hornbill.
It was very loud and crowded today, which was unfortunate as dad was accompanying me for the first time in a couple years. The crowd was overwhelming for him.
Nearby, the former Goeldi's monkey/curassow exhibit has a new occupant: at least one golden lion tamarin. I ran out of time to get to the Small Mammals Building, so I don't know if the species has moved down from that structure or if these specimens are brand-new to the Zoo. If the former, this is a great improvement, and represents another step in moving animals out of there after the red ruffed lemurs.
This was all accompanied by the animals demonstrating their behavioral cues. At the end, some guests even had the opportunity to either take a photo with or feed fish to the seal - I was thrilled to partake in the latter. Again, it's been a long time since I've been to the show, and it's not something I usually do when I go to zoos, but I'm glad I saw it before they left. I'm curious to see what becomes of the land as it seems to be fairly spacious. Personally, I'd love for it to become a small Madagascar section to continue the Primate theme, with new lemur exhibits, and perhaps bringing in fossa and aye-ayes.
