Does anybody know when this exhibit ceased to be? I have not found definitive information. Some sources imply it was replaced by Sea Lion Sound, but others suggest it was in the empty valley in the middle of Historic Hill. It appears to have formerly held exhibits for sea lions, otters, and snapping turtle.
Saint Louis Zoo Chain of Lakes
- Thread starter JVM
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cloudedleopard611
Well-Known Member
I know it was sometime in the mid-late 2010s, but I could not tell you the specific year. Stuff like this makes me wish I had held on to the maps from my childhood and teenage visits, but I unfortunately only started doing that in 2020. I will try to do a deep dive though so I could at least narrow it down.
I can tell you it was NOT replaced by Sea Lion Sound. Sea Lion Sound is next to where whey were, but not in the same location. Jayjds is correct, they were in the valley, in that between the Bird House and the Herpetarium and Primate House/Canopy Trails.
I can tell you it was NOT replaced by Sea Lion Sound. Sea Lion Sound is next to where whey were, but not in the same location. Jayjds is correct, they were in the valley, in that between the Bird House and the Herpetarium and Primate House/Canopy Trails.
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cloudedleopard611
Well-Known Member
Alright, after a little digging, it appears the Chain of Lakes were removed in the year 2017. In the species list as of July 15th, 2016, they are included. In the list from June 14th and 15th, 2018, they are notably absent. They are also not mentioned in a review from 2017, but seeing as they were a pretty unremarkable and forgettable part of the zoo, they might have just not been worth mentioning. However, I looked at the new threads within this timeframe and there is no mention of their removal.
Check out the first map in this history post by @snowleopard. It shows the location of the exhibits in the zoo.
Zoo History Via Maps [Saint Louis Zoo]
Zoo History Via Maps [Saint Louis Zoo]
cloudedleopard611
Well-Known Member
Its a great thread, but we there are no maps between 2014 and 2023. We can infer from the thread that they were removed sometime in that gap, but its a pretty big range.
I took a look at my review of Saint Louis Zoo from 2010 and I mention River Otters and "an abundance of waterfowl" in the Chain of Lakes section of the zoo. Then in my 2014 review of the zoo I again mention the waterfowl but I don't make note of any otters. I wonder if they left the collection between 2010 and 2014? Or were perhaps off-exhibit?
It would be nice if someone had maps from Saint Louis Zoo that date from the last decade, because then we could pinpoint what happened to Chain of Lakes.
It would be nice if someone had maps from Saint Louis Zoo that date from the last decade, because then we could pinpoint what happened to Chain of Lakes.
cloudedleopard611
Well-Known Member
The zoo had North American river otters in the Children's Zoo after 2014. I believe they were in the Children's Zoo while the species was also included in the Chain of Lakes, and the zoo just exhibited the species in two different places.
Thank you for the insight everyone!
That's what I thought but wanted confirmation. I'm working on my review of the facility still and one aspect of my trip that kept coming up was how empty the valley space was and how I managed to get myself lost there twice. It was only later I realized there'd ever been an exhibit there, and since it's so empty, it made me wonder why it was gone. Did Sea Lion Sound replace something else?
Yeah, I tried to check the news threads first and that was part of why I felt compelled to ask, since it went completely unmentioned. Good to know we can narrow the approximate date to within that year at least.
It's a great thread and very informative for a lot of the zoo's other changes. I've also spent some time looking up press releases for some of the zoo's other changes, such as the opening of Fragile Forest and Sea Lion Sound. This change puzzled me because there seemed to be almost no documentation it had even taken place, as if nobody on zoochat had ever even noticed the exhibit disappeared.
I recall reading a lot of reviews in the run-up to my visit and definitely recall the mention to the waterfowl; which lead to my surprise when I didn't really see any at the facility outside the excellent Cypress Swamp aviary.
cloudedleopard611
Well-Known Member
Sea Lion Sound replaced the previous sea lion exhibit. Lets just say that absolutely needed to happen. The previous exhibit (I think it was called "Sea Lion Basin") was definently a product of its time, to put it lightly.
These pictures from snowleopard in 2010 gives a good sense of how it looked in that space.
Very reminiscent of Omaha’s old sea lion exhibit.Sea Lion Sound replaced the previous sea lion exhibit. Lets just say that absolutely needed to happen. The previous exhibit (I think it was called "Sea Lion Basin") was definently a product of its time, to put it lightly.
These pictures from snowleopard in 2010 gives a good sense of how it looked in that space.
