Had my first look at Heart of Africa today.
And yep, it's good. The Hidden Savannah building is excellent - I went straight there at opening which was a good shout as it got very busy later, but I don't think this will be an issue once it's not brand new (except maybe if you want to climb in the locust Land Rover!). In fact, with one or two exceptions (Fruit Bat Forest notably) the rest of the zoo felt quiet if anything - rather than being a super busy day it felt like a normal sunny day but with more of the people in one place than usual.
But yeah, the new area is good - in classic Chester style there are a few pinch points that feel like they easily could have been avoided (signs or rocks sticking out), and a few bits where the theming suddenly gives way to practicality in a bit too visible a way, but otherwise - very little to criticise.
In keeping with Chester's general recent trends there are some really choice species alongside the ABCs and EEP species - the Southern African Spiny Mice (
Acomys spinosissimus) are a real rarity with only 7 holders on ZTL, for instance.
The main savannah animals are clearly still in the process of being introduced and there was a lot of keeper monitoring and activity all day - and for example the Roan were confined to the hardstanding for the morning but did get out on the paddock in the afternoon.
One thing I really did like - the structures and theming of the retained wild dog/hyrax section have been integrated really well into the new area, with the rockwork style carried on. It felt far more integrated than I was expecting, almost to the point of being slightly eerie when you suddenly find yourself somewhere familiar in the middle of all the newness.
