This building held at least one or two Red Pandas when I visited in 2011 and now 8 years later it appears as if nothing has been accomplished in terms of finishing off the area as an animal exhibit. Also, looking through @Coelacanth18 's photos, it is totally bizarre that this small zoo has several 'non-exhibit' areas that are randomly scattered around the grounds. I can scarcely believe that this place is actually AZA-accredited when there are probably at least a couple of dozen ZAA-accredited zoos that are far superior. The lack of progress at Charles Paddock must be frustrating for the dedicated staff that work at this tiny zoo.
According to this press release on the zoo's website, the facility was last AZA-accredited in early 2015 and so it will be interesting to see if it is accredited again on the next inspection after many years of inertia.
There were a lot of questions I wanted to ask during my visit, but I unfortunately didn't get the chance; I didn't see any staff members who weren't busy doing something and I was on a bit of a tight schedule. My best guess is that the "weird non-exhibit areas" I posted photos of are the locations of future exhibits; perhaps new ones for current inhabitants, or new inhabitants entirely. Or maybe they will be landscaped; who knows?
To be fair, I think the zoo is inching towards progress. It is very difficult for small facilities like this to fund new exhibits, even ones that aren't particularly large. I have no idea how much financial support they get from Atascadero; hopefully a lot, considering how many doctor's offices are on the same street. Additionally, I think a lot of the enclosures are fine for their inhabitants, if not large or aesthetically pleasing.
Also a side note: there *is* a new red panda exhibit, I just haven't posted the photos yet
@snowleopard There is no lack of progress. The zoo is in a lot better shape than when you saw it a decade ago. You are making a rather arrogant statement based on nothing but your own prejudice against this zoo.
The old red panda exhibit has been taken away here. Another empty yard is the former flamingo exhibit which was replaced with a much better flamingo exhibit over by the walk-through aviary, which itself has been renovated into a very nice modern aviary.
As I noted in my review from a few years ago there are still some junky exhibits in this zoo, but they have also cleared out a lot of the junk to build modern exhibits. The crappy reptile area has been renovated into a nice yard for endangered Madagascan tortoises and black parrots.
There is no mystery why this zoo is AZA accredited. It is a modern zoo with professional staff taking care of wildlife and advancing conservation programs in accordance with AZA accreditation standards.
