Kind of a surprising move by Denver. The area being converted was a great set of exhibits for dik dik, banded mongoose, and cape porcupines and was definitely not an area that needed improvement. With Bird World closing, I heard the penguins are the last animals to move out before it’s demolished. I assumed they would move to other zoos as the zoo also has a functional Humboldt penguin exhibit that could have been slated for renovation. Either way, this is a great improvement for the penguins. Hopefully they find or build exhibit space for the displaced species as it’s nice to have the smaller mammals mixed in with the megafauna. With the stingray/shark encounter area and the new penguin exhibit opening, could this be the start of the “Coastal” region that is described in the master plan to replace Felines? I hope so. Harmony Hill kind of mixes in weirdly between that area and sea lions but the I hope they can make it work.
It's gonna be a little odd seeing a coastal species alongside animals of the savannah, but I suppose if it means the penguins get better living space, then I guess it's not that big an issue.
