Notes and stuff from today:
Not sure if I mentioned it last time, but the American alligator exhibit (ghosts from the bayou) has been netted over. Presumably a safety precaution, but I haven't heard of any accidents with it.
Finally cornered a staff member in the herpetarium. The zoo actually has four (3.1) perentie monitors. Currently, two of the males are rotating into the same area as the female (hopes for breeding) while one male remains on exhibit.
The Texas horned lizards will soon be going on exhibit in the exhibit to the right of the western diamondback rattlesnake. The exhibit is currently empty, but desert themed.
The Jackson's chameleon is off exhibit.
The map has been updated- now the crane exhibit is shown on it, as well as the logo for the monorail.
Obi the mandrill turned two a while ago. I keep seeing him with Saffron, his mother, but it's been ages since I've seen the foster father. Speaking of the mandrills, the pair of spur winged geese now sharing their habitat is two males named Rufus and Reggie.
There are two exhibits in the queue to the monorail. One is home to a pair of blue crane, west African black crowned crane, and Rüppel's vulture (didn't see vulture). The other is home to a pair of white storks.
There have been a few changes to Primate Place. Firstly, the saki monkeys were nowhere to be found, but I saw (for the first time) five titi monkeys. My best guess is they rotate and I just got unlucky. The second (and much more exciting, for me anyways) change is the Diana and Mona monkeys being taken off exhibit. In their place was one third of the American population of spectacled langurs! I was unsure if Dallas still had the species, but I saw all five.
The monorail, rather than being themed after habitats (I.e. River, mountain, etc.) is now themed after countries and geographic regions (such as great Rift Valley, Kenya, Sahara desert).
The Asian small clawed otters were mating, would be nice to see pups.
The pizza in the restaurant in Zoo North has changed for the 2nd time in a year or so. It's now a square.
With the addition of white storks, and if you look hard enough on the monorail, seven stork species can be seen at the zoo.
Wood stork- flamingo pond
Abdim's stork- forest aviary
Saddlebill stork- stork aviary
Marabou stork- gorilla trail and monorail
White stork- monorail queue
Black stork- animal encounters stage at 10:00 and 4:00
Yellow-billed stork- look ahead of the first car of the monorail and there is an aviary with at least three. You go right past it but since you can't look behind you, it is impossible to see the aviary unless you look ahead or behind the monorail.
The kudu are still rotating with the zebra in GotS and only two elephants are on exhibit at a time (probably the other two get introduced to the new herd).
No savanna flight for some reason today. The sign was taken out of the area where it normally occurs.
My call for correct geographical position in the zoo has been answered. The blue cranes have been moved from where they were near the koalas. The red crowned cranes got moved to where the blue cranes had been. Still not quite right, but better. Perhaps we could hope for brolgas?
