Baryonyx
Well-Known Member
Last time I went to the Australia area Wooly Bill wasn't even working
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Cleveland Metroparks Zoo News, 2023
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The lights would flash, the "thunder" would sound, and the sounds of Bill would play but the animatronic itself wasn't working
Baryonyx
Well-Known Member
Nothing was working for me, all I saw was the animatronic stuck on top of the water, not even moving.
The baby bison has been named Tighee
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Given the animatronic is now 20+ years old, I'm not shocked it was doing that, even after a long refurbishment.
Last I'd heard from guest services it was supposed to open in July. I'm waiting for word from the zoo though
What I was told is the bears would come back in June (at least the Sloth Bears have) and that they'd spend a few weeks getting acclimated then Bear Hollow will open mid-July. Although I wouldn't be shocked if it does end up opening in August
The bugideer aviary in Australian Adventure (formerly Lorikeet Landing) will not be opening for the rest of the summer season
And will possibly never open again. Last time I went to the zoo, I noticed all references to the budgerigar aviary on signs (the Australia train ticket booth, etc.) had been covered over with masking tape, which makes me think that yes, it is permanent.
Has the aviary ever been renovated? It has been open nearly a quarter century. I am also wondering if it may get renovated into a regular habitat without guest entry. If it was a regular habitat, staff could be otherwise assigned.
There has been a few minor changes to the aviary... in the beginning, you bought the lorikeet nectar cups from a little booth right by the entrance. That closed at some point (not sure when), they reversed the exit and entry doors more recently (that may have been last year) and last year, Lorikeet Landing (might have been Lorikeet Lane at one time...) became the Outback Aviary and the lorikeets were replaced with budgerigars and crested pigeons. But other than those changes, no renovations...
. That's a good point about them renovating it, but it's too bad if they renovate it into a regular habitat or close it entirely. I personally loved that aviary and a lot of other people did.
Just left the zoo. Here's what was new-
- Snow Leopards were a no-show
- Only saw one Yellow Belly Mangabey
- Work going on in the outdoor PCA exhibits, aside from the Gorillas
- Gharial was off exhibit
- Wooly Bill was working
- A few insect exhibits in The RainForest were empty
- Research Hut exhibit still empty
- Bear Hollow is now aiming for an August opening, according to the employee I spoke to
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On a side note, I was comparing footage of Wooly Bill I took today, and I realized he's lost most of his motion. He was only raising, moving forward, snapping his jaws, and sinking. He's supposed to have alot more motion. Compare this video from a few years ago. I'm not shocked, given the age of the animatronic, but I was hoping he'd work a little better given he just came back from a massive refurb
The zoo's youngest Black Rhino, Dalia, turned 1 today.
Has the Food Court reopened yet?