Rainforest Falls – This large rainforest building (at least my 7th of the trip as American zoos love these costly jungles!) is quite beautiful and easily the newest, biggest and best thing about the subpar Buffalo Zoo. I’ve mentioned the fact that I generally love the immense rainforest complexes that are found in many American zoos, and even though Buffalo has a fairly small complex (18,000 square feet) it is still a terrific addition to the zoo. One of the cool aspects of this particular jungle setting is that there is an observation deck that allows visitors to look out over the trail that they have just completed. Looking down into the ocelot exhibit, the saki/toucan canopy or the beauty of the bird-filled treetops was quite enthralling and picturesque. This new addition to the zoo is not on par with the incredibly large indoor rainforest buildings in Omaha, Sedgwick County or Cleveland, but it is still excellent in its own right.
The area is one large loop, and it contains a crashing waterfall, a mini cave zone, and a rather slippery suspension bridge. Considering the tenacity of certain Americans to sue everyone and everything I’m surprised that there is not a disclaimer on the tiny bridge! Exhibits in this jungle: ocelot; giant anteater; capybara; anaconda/piranha; vampire bat; Cuvier’s caiman/Giant South American river turtle/yellow-spotted Amazon River turtle; black howler monkey/squirrel monkey; toucan/white-faced saki monkey, and a few reptile, amphibian and invertebrate terrariums. Boat-billed herons, spoonbills and scarlet ibis are free-flying, although they tend to hover over the pools of water.
It's the best part of the zoo. Perfect for the winter time when you're freezing. Nice in the summer with a/c and the occassional misting. My goal is always to try to spot the tamandua. In the summer it can be difficult with the high foliage and good his good hiding spots.
