Dallas Zoo Update

cleusk

cleusk

Well-Known Member
Here's an update on the future plans of the Dallas Zoo. All of this info comes from observation and a few questions.

1) The Big Mammal Building is completely gone. They've already started watering the area.

2) They've leveled the entire area on the left side leading up to Reptile Building. The porcupines, anteaters, fossa, etc. have been evacuated. There's nothing left in that area. They're probably going to improve the area with better exhibits.

3) They're completely redoing the tortoise area, presumably to ensure that visitors can't easily get into the enclosure.

4) They're building a new stage in the WOA to show off animals to the public.

5) They're going to be improving the monorail.

6) They're also working on a much-needed educational center. The current location looks like a trailer park.
 
Thanks for providing us with some updates, and between the Big Mammal Building and the old Snout Route it sounds as if a lot of exhibits are now extinct. What that means is that overall the zoo is much improved, with barely any poor sections. I think that beyond a shadow of a doubt Dallas is the best zoo in the state of Texas, and I'd place these areas in my "best" category: Wilds of Africa: Giants of the Savanna, Wilds of Africa: Monorail Journey, Wilds of Africa: Nature Trail, Reptile/Amphibian House, Tiger Habitat, Wings of Wonder and Otter Outpost. In my "average" category I'd place Koala Walkabout, Children's Zoo, Primate Place, Lemur Lookout and Bug U! That leaves the trio of cages called Texas Cats as the only part of the entire zoo that I'd personally have in a "worst" category.
 
It's located at the restroom to the left of the nature trail entrance near the monorail.
 
Snout Route is gone? That is a surprise (but not a bad change - those were some outdated cages).

What exactly will be the changes to the (already outstanding) monorail?

And Snowleopard is correct, it is the best zoo in Texas (and probably the entire southwest, the only contender being Oklahoma City which I have not seen in person).
 
I did not find anything on the website (even tried typing "monorail" in the search box). Will be interesting to see what (if anything) changes.
 
It's located in the last paragraph of the History of the Dallas Zoo section. However, the monorail is just mentioned. No details whatsoever are given. The only reason why I know that they're building a wildlife stage in the Wilds of Africa is because I asked one of the foremen what they were doing.
 
New Update :

1) The Galapagos Tortoise exhibit is now open, though the animals are still in their winter quarters. The old walkway no longer exists. In its place, there's a wooden ramp that goes upward and along the old path past the cranes and hornbills. There are high handrails to prevent people from getting into the enclosure. The ramp/bridge divides the exhibit in half. On the left side is the winter quarters with lots of extra added space. On the right side is the place where you usually find them during the summer. It now has a large pool. There's a large square entryway underneath the ramp/bridge which allows the the animals to traverse from one side to the next with no difficulty.

2) More antelope and rock hyraxes have been added at the kopje exhibit at the WOA Trail.

3) More vultures and a new type of bird has been added to the Saddlebill Stork exhibit.

4) More birds have been added to the forest aviary.

5) A new exhibit is being built next to the Saddlebill Stork exhibit. I don't know what animal will be there, but they're presently adding patio-style structures.

6) The wildlife stage is complete. It's only about three inches high. The wood floor is covered by fake grass. There are two trees on the left side. It located in front of a building to the left of the restrooms which are next to the monorail entrance.

7) Construction still going on for the new picnic area.

8) They have erected the first exhibit divider for the new exhibits of the old Snout Route area.
 
The Dallas Zoo has created a new map. According to the map, there will be a train ride at the location of the Big Mammal Building in addition to the picnic area, which appears to be very small. The entire Snout Route will now be an anteater exhibit.
 
jbnbsn99 said:
That new map is truly one of the most awful things I've ever seen.
Click to expand...

As a zoo enthusiast who has collected different zoo maps from around the world (I have over 800 of them) I'm a little surprised that Dallas has altered its previous impressive map to one that is quite disappointing. How does it look as a hard-copy? Are the two distinct zones (Wilds of Africa + ZooNorth) divided on two sides of the piece of paper? Also, there are far worse maps in my collection...Chester Zoo, anyone?
 
snowleopard said:
As a zoo enthusiast who has collected different zoo maps from around the world (I have over 800 of them) I'm a little surprised that Dallas has altered its previous impressive map to one that is quite disappointing. How does it look as a hard-copy? Are the two distinct zones (Wilds of Africa + ZooNorth) divided on two sides of the piece of paper? Also, there are far worse maps in my collection...Chester Zoo, anyone?
Click to expand...

The previous map contained paths that were closed. It also contained the Big Mammals Building and Snout Route, which no longer exist. Plus, some other things are being added.

The brochure is like a newsletter with the map on one side and all the activities on the other.
 
The Galapagos tortoise exhibit is now open. They're also slowly replacing the old animal signs for each exhibit. Lastly, in front of the entrance to Zoo North, there's a new post with arrows pointing toward the main areas. Underneath the arrows is a blown-up version of the new map. On a different note, they are now allowing the two ocelots to share the same area.
 
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