This looks to be extraordinary...truly world-class...and the zoo seems to do no wrong these days. For sure there are some issues with some of the older exhibits, but the new stuff is phenomenal.
A condensed timeline of the zoo's recent history under Director Dennis Pate:
2012: Scott Aquarium - $6 million in renovations to an existing aquarium
2016: Alaskan Adventure Waterpark - $14 million
2016: African Grasslands - $73 million
2017: Children's Adventure Trails - $27 million
2018: Asian Highlands: Phase One
2019: Glacier Bay Landing - $9 million
2019: Asian Highlands: Phase Two - $22 million for both phases
2020: Coastal Shores - $27.5 million
Plus around $11 million has been spent on the North Gate entrance, visitor pathways, signs around the zoo, various other amenities, etc. The 40-year era with Lee G. Simmons as Zoo Director was phenomenal, but the decade under Dennis Pate (he took over in 2009) has been just as astonishing.
