July 30, 2013. The terraced slopes with succelents used to be a walk in aviary. The area left of that used to be a black footed cat exhibit. The cement block was their night house.
July 30, 2013. The terraced slopes with succelents used to be a walk in aviary. The area left of that used to be a black footed cat exhibit. The cement block was their night house.
I distinctly recall the aviary being difficult to navigate with a stroller and toddler along for the ride, and the structure was in an odd location in the zoo so I'm not sure that many visitors will really miss it. Now the zoo just has to turn its focus to the 1920's bear grottoes, or 1940's aquarium, the puny elephant enclosure, the cement rhino bunkers, the waterfowl pits with their high walls, the ugly tiered hoofstock yards, the metal monkey cages or the endless row of wire bird aviaries. Ha!
The bear grottoes are fairly large and have vegetation and I honestly do not think they are that bad. Sure the aquarium building is small, but at least they have an aquarium. The tanks themselves are really no different than any other aquarium tanks. The few wire monkey cages at the front are a problem and I assume the elephant exhibit will go away once the remaining elderly elephant dies in a few years. But overall it is not a bad zoo and it seems I have a higher opinion of it than you do.
The bear grottoes are fairly large and have vegetation and I honestly do not think they are that bad. Sure the aquarium building is small, but at least they have an aquarium. The tanks themselves are really no different than any other aquarium tanks. The few wire monkey cages at the front are a problem and I assume the elephant exhibit will go away once the remaining elderly elephant dies in a few years. But overall it is not a bad zoo and it seems I have a higher opinion of it than you do.
I respect your opinion as a valuable zoo friend, and while I would personally like to see a large chunk of San Antonio Zoo overhauled I will admit that the newer sections are by far and away the best part of the establishment. The African zones and children's zoo built in the past decade are leagues ahead of the rest of the facility in terms of quality. I will nitpick your bear grotto comments though. The 1920's-era enclosures are mainly cement blocks and in my opinion are simply awful and practically unfit for their inhabitants. In 80 years they have hardly changed at all:
