Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens Jacksonville Zoo News

The zoo added a Yellow-backed Duiker to the collection, I saw him in holding by the bongo yard. The Stanley crane pair has moved to the okapi yard, as well.
 
GraysonDP said:
What year was the elephant exhibit built
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African Loop
Completed in 1998 and originally named “the Plains of East Africa”, the loop is a 1,400 foot boardwalk that winds through a series of enclosures for African animals. The complex’s history goes back to the 1970s when the zoo created a large open expanse called “Wildlife Safari” to house various ungulates, including wildebeest, llama, gemsbok, zebra, and fallow deer (c. 1973 zoo map). At the time, the zoo’s railroad ran through the yard as well.

By the 1980s, the railroad had been rerouted, a large boardwalk was constructed out into the yard’s interior, and the area renamed “African Veldt”. The area’s collection had also expanded to include Greater Kudu, White Rhinoceros, and Eland.

The early 1990s arrived with a new masterplan and the redevelopment of this area. The first project was a one acre lion exhibit called “Mahali Pa Simba” (1993), followed by an expanded boardwalk, a new elephant barn, and new enclosures for cheetah, crocodile, warthog, rhino, and cape buffalo (1996). Further additions included a giraffe/zebra exhibit (1997) and Seronera Overlook (1998). In 1998, the entire area covered 20 acres and housed about 30% of the zoo’s animal collection.

The area expanded in 2005 with the opening of Savanna Blooms garden and Giraffe Overlook exhibit.
 
Some updates/news from today's visit:
- A bontebok now live in the large savanna with white rhinos, greater kudus, ostriches and birds.
- Yellow-backed duikers now lives with the bongos.
- The zoo is looking into bringing a younger female African elephant to launch a breeding program.
- The Great Apes section will be renovated so that gorillas will live in a refurbished exhibit encompassing the current gorilla and bonobo exhibits. Bonobos will be getting a new exhibit around the site of the current lemur exhibit, lemurs will get a new exhibit and siamang will be moved to a new location.
- Flamingos live in the former Nile crocodile exhibit.
- And the most noteworthy and strangest news- colobus monkeys and ring-tailed/black and white ruffed lemurs now share the SAME exhibit!
 
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