CarnotaurusSastrei
Well-Known Member
Seems that the Shedd's website has moved up the expected opening date for the Welcome Plaza, Wonders of Water, and Amazon Rising to some point this fall
Shedd Aquarium Shedd Aquarium
- Thread starter okapikpr
- Start date
I'm hopeful (but not optimistic) it'll be before my September visit...
ConcernedThirdParty
Well-Known Member
They have yet to release a specific time for the next phase of the construction to start. They still say that Amazon Rising and the Wonders of Water will open some time this fall. I highly doubt that the next phase will start before those exhibits open. If those two continue to go according to plan, I expect the next phase will start in early 2025.
CarnotaurusSastrei
Well-Known Member
They seem to have recently teased the reopening of Amazon Rising on their Twitter account
Persephone
Well-Known Member
Per a member email, Amazon Rising reopens October 2.
USZOOfan42
Well-Known Member
What’s included in the renovation?
Only two weeks too late for my visit to Chicago last weekend. While I would've loved to see it, this only gives me more reason to return in a few years (I'll likely want to see some of Brookfield's new exhibits anyways). The aquarium pretty obviously had some growing pains during construction as it created some awkward visitor traffic patterns, so having it re-opened will likely be great for the guest experience in the future.
Persephone
Well-Known Member
They gave very little information on this. The email emphasized adaptations. Confirmed there will be public feeding of the arapaima and made a pretty big deal of it. There will apparently be some kind of thermal vision tool tied to the anaconda. And electric eels will return. That's all the "new information from the message.
A return of electric eels sounds kind of exciting. The anaconda was long overdue for some enrichment for the big snake.
But arapaima feeding sounds like something cool kids would enjoy doing for their visits.
Persephone
Well-Known Member
Arapaima are known to eat things above the water’s surface. With the emphasis on feeding I suspect they’ll have targets above the water.
The email made it sound like the thermal vision thing was for guests, not the snake.
The updated species list for Amazon Rising was added to SheddGo today. For the most part, it seems to be pretty much the same, which is very good to see. Unfortunately, there is one glaring gap - it appears that the Amazon Commons is gone, or at the very least drastically reduced in collection. 
In fact, birds and non-aquatic reptiles (other than tortoises) appear to be gone from this area entirely, which is such a shame, even though it's far from a devastating loss.
In fact, birds and non-aquatic reptiles (other than tortoises) appear to be gone from this area entirely, which is such a shame, even though it's far from a devastating loss.
A few pictures of the newly renovated Amazon Rising gallery.
Amazon Rising exhibit at Shedd Aquarium raised to new heights
Amazon Rising exhibit at Shedd Aquarium raised to new heights
The only picture visible without subscribing is obviously concept art and not an actual photo of the exhibit.
It is obvious? Looks like the real deal to me; quite good at that. The article also mentioned that the anaconda and electric eel exhibits were expanded in some capacity.
BlobfishBoy
Well-Known Member
Shedd Aquarium on Instagram: "With heavy hearts, we are mourning the loss of Elelo, our 6-year-old Pacific white-sided dolphin. Elelo came to Shedd in August 2023 as a vulnerable rescue. He has spent the past year with dedicated, expert care and sanctuary, while inspiring millions with his vibrant and resilient spirit. We hope to learn more through a thorough necropsy report about why this young dolphin passed. We are forever grateful for the joy Elelo brought and for the reminder that every animal deserves compassion, care and a second chance."
Eleo, the 6 year old male pacific white sided dolphin transferred from the Miami Seaquarium in August of last year has passed away.
So sad… every death in this population is significant. Hearts out to his caretakers. I wouldn’t be surprised if his death ends up being linked to his time at MSQ.
Eleo, the 6 year old male pacific white sided dolphin transferred from the Miami Seaquarium in August of last year has passed away.
So sad… every death in this population is significant. Hearts out to his caretakers. I wouldn’t be surprised if his death ends up being linked to his time at MSQ.
Both of these appear to only be concept art, or at the very least have many of the people and animals edited in. And where are the windows in the first photo looking out into? I was really hoping for real images of the exhibit.
Not sure about the first photo but the second one is definitely fake - none of those people are real.