I'll try to type up something about the Madagascar exhibit later tonight, as I've seen it thrice. To sum it up, great collection, nice outdoor exhibits, great small animal exhibits, but rather lacking on indoor lemur exhibits and bland visitor experience.
I'll try to type up something about the Madagascar exhibit later tonight, as I've seen it thrice. To sum it up, great collection, nice outdoor exhibits, great small animal exhibits, but rather lacking on indoor lemur exhibits and bland visitor experience.
The indoor part features a hallway that leads past spacious but bland exhibits. The first exhibit is for black lemurs and Madagascar big-headed turtles, while mongoose lemurs live in the next. Aye-ayes and Straw-colored bats live in a very large and excellently built for minimal light and maximun visibility exhibit nearby. Madagascar jumping rats have their own exhibit, while lesser vasa parrots and northern crested couas share one. Ring-tailed and collared brown lemurs share a large and boring exhibit with radiated tortoises. Giant day geckos, spiny-tailed iguana, Oustalet’s chameleon, plated lizard, and flat-tailed tortoises live in an exhibit for reptiles. Several mantilla species live in an amphibian exhibit, and a snake exhibit includes Madagascan tree boa, Madagascar ground boa, and Malagasy hognose snake. A freshwater fish exhibit followed by one for Madagascar button quails, Chekesday geckos, and panther chameleon, rounds out the building.
Outside is a large, lushly planted fossa exhibit. An island houses ring-tailed lemurs, along with a crappy fake baobab tree. A sizable mesh exhibit is home to Coquerel's sifakas. The main attraction of the exhibit is a walkthrough red ruffed and black and white ruffed lemur exhibit. Fake trees adorn the exhibit, allowing lemurs access to the elevated boardwalk.
Overall, the outdoor part is very nice, though very fake looking. The indoor part is boring for the visitors, and most of the lemur exhibits are just average. However, the small mammal, bird, reptile, and amphibian exhibits are all excellent, as is the large aye-aye exhibit.
