So... I did make a very sudden trip to the zoo today, and I did intend on making a review. I did not, however, manage to see most of the species in Africa Rocks, which soured my experience, and I don't think I could write a review that would reflect my opinions on a day where I actually see the animals in their habitats. It was also over-cast and nearing sunset, so the inhabitants weren't active, for the most part. That said, what I did see was good.
Cape Fynbos
In my opinion, this is a very worthy addition to the zoo. The planting is great, and the size of the exhibit was definitely appropriate for its inhabitants. I can't wait to see what it's like when the penguins start breeding. The inhabitants were energetic, and obviously penguins are a crowd-draw, so I'm glad to have them. I do have a nitpick, due to not being able to spot any signage for the various fish in the exhibit. It could also be that I just missed the sign, but it generally bothers me when there's fish in exhibits that seem to be there as just some kind of decoration. At least tell us what those fish are, or why they're there. (unless it's "mosquitofish", that are only used for pest control).
West African Forest and Rady Falls
Did not see a single signed species in this exhibit. Several unsigned fish were visible, but I decline to comment overall. This looked like a good exhibit, but nothing particularly special.
I did see the waterfall. It's significantly larger than I expected. It is definitely a waterfall. The noise, as mentioned above, was a nice immersive effect, but I was a tad perplexed by the need for the color changing lights in the cave. Still, I'm not above enjoying randomly placed color-changing lights. A solid B, as far as artificial waterfalls go.
Madagascar Forest
Out of this entire complex, I saw two ring-tailed lemurs. The exhibit they were in was absolutely huge for those two ring-tailed lemurs, so that was good. As I am unsure of the normal number of inhabitants, however, I really cannot honestly comment.
Acacia Woodlands
I got lucky, and managed to see the leopards and the vervet monkeys in this area. I will say I was a bit disappointed by the size of the leopard exhibit. I expected a bit more. The vervet monkey exhibit was good. I'd never seen vervet monkeys before, but they were active, and seem rather charismatic and fun to watch. Sadly, I was not able to enter the aviary, as it closed literally as I got to it. It seemed rather large, but I didn't see the number of species in the exhibit, nor did I see a single bird in it. I'm wondering if there's so few inhabitants (and so small) that it seems empty at the moment? Or perhaps it was just due to the time of day. I noticed The_UltimateBea also mentioned having issues locating inhabitants, so it seems like overall it might be hard to spot inhabitants, which doesn't necessarily make for a good visitor experience. It does, however, make for a good exhibit, as clearly the inhabitants have plenty of room. I have mixed feelings, and will hopefully be able to decisively comment once I return.
Ethiopian Highlands
I did not see a single animal in this area. I did like the exhibits, but I find it hard to comment on the quality of an empty exhibit, myself.
Kopje
This... is more or less what it was before. I've always liked the Kopje, myself. The klipspringer/hyrax/mongoose exhibit has always been a favorite. I always manage to see a klipspringer in the perfect pose for photography, and it showcases pretty nicely how its inhabitants have adapted to life on the rocks. The serval exhibit is appropriate, but it's hard to call it anything beyond that. The two smaller aviaries are nice, and I've always enjoyed the Bateleur myself. Overall, it was good before, and they didn't change much of anything, so it's good now.
Overall
I can't make any real judgement, due to having missed most of the species on exhibit. What I did see was promising, save for the disappointing leopard exhibit. It seems to be something of a trend at the Zoo to make disappointing cat exhibits, as Arizona Docent will happily tell you, and this just feels like a continuation of that. Also, I was a big fan of the planting. Planting isn't something I normally comment on in an exhibit, but the plants present were attractive, and at some points, such as the entrance to the penguin exhibit, almost artful. I also think the species present are, for the most part, charismatic, active animals that one could likely spend quite some time viewing. I could easily see spending over an hour in Africa Rocks on a day when all inhabitants are visible. This seems to be a worthy addition to the San Diego Zoo. I do hope for a more ambitious project in the future, but on the bright side I can't say there was a truly "bad" exhibit in the complex.
