Louisville Zoo Louisville Zoo 2018

Moebelle

Moebelle

Well-Known Member
10+ year member
Just went through my fourth visit. My footage will cover tours of the African Savannah (highlighting rutting warthogs, and fighting giraffes - along with a look at the newer elephant renovation), the award winning Gorilla Forest, the award winning Glacier Run, Cats of the Americas, and the Islands Pavilion (only the pavilion - the regular outdoor yards were either closed or it was too cold for the animals). Unfortunately that means I couldn't cover the new Penguin Cove exhibit.
Couple of updates that occurred between now and April of last year:
African Savannah:
1. In the South America/others section, the Black Stork/Waldrapp Ibis exhibit was demolished. The birds were moved to the indoor exhibit in the Giraffe House that once exhibited the Steller's sea eagles.
2. I have a photo of the construction for the upcoming colobus exhibit, it isn't much.
3. For whatever reason the access to the meerkats is cut off but they were still on display.
4. The lion viewing is cut off by 90% and I do mean that literally. Nothing is being done to the exhibit but they are adding a new viewing shelter for the guests.

Tiger tundra
1. The thing that frustrated me most on this visit was the amount of detours guests had to take to get to the other side of the zoo. The Tiger Tundra exhibit is closed off from both sides and it appears that the paths within the attraction are being updated. Doesn't appear to be any renovations for the exhibit itself.

HerpAquarium
1. Numerous exhibits were emptied out for renovation. This includes the tropical fish tank, along with the Egyptian cobra terrarium, which is being renovated for the soon to come baby komodo dragons.

Islands
1. The Penguin Coast in the Pavilion (not to be confused with Penguin Cove) exhibit is being renovated, and has since April, although not a single thing has been changed. The animals are off exhibit, including the shovelers and the rockhoppers. However, the Inca terns were moved to the next door walk through aviary.
 
Last edited:
I completely forgot the reason behind Tiger Tundra's temporary closing - the future snow leopard exhibit is going right next to it. I figured the future attraction would take place in its current location - acting as a phase of many to renovating the rest of the area.

Also, does anyone know when the African Savannah and Cats of the Americas opened? - and how many gorillas does the zoo have?
 
Moebelle said:
The zoo just announced that Mikki, the African elephant, is pregnant. There is no word on who the father is, but for those who don't know, there are no males at the zoo.
Click to expand...

Assuming that the pregnancy works, does this mean that a new elephant exhibit is likely their next big project?
 
DavidBrown said:
Assuming that the pregnancy works, does this mean that a new elephant exhibit is likely their next big project?
Click to expand...
You can look up their master plan and it appears that they'll stick with their current, recently expanded exhibit. It appears they'll be able to access a future savanna across from them, however. The plan will occur I assume within the next five years or more - I forget the dates per plans.
 
The first tour of the Louisville Zoo, and I'm starting with the smallest of the zoo's attractions - Cats of the Americas.

 

Excerpt from the description:

Right here in Kentucky, is a passage way that shows off Africa's best- the African Savannah in the Louisville Zoo. The zoo finds new ways to amaze their guests every year but their Africa attraction has been doing that every single day for decades. Warthogs rutting in front of your feet, giraffes directly above your head, and in here I repeat a very important and exciting development in the zoo's elephant family. Of course, as usual, I give a breakdown of all of the Savannah's developed structure - meanwhile I also present the zoo's proposal for their growth and evolution with their in depth master plan. Not only will their elephant complex be completely up to date, but even newer creatures like more big cats will get their own space. Don't forget to look out of Colobus Crossing in 2019, where they'll crawl over your heads in every general direction possible.
 
The Award Winning Gorilla Forest
"The center of inspiration at the Louisville Zoo"

In the Louisville Zoo, at the edge of the African Savannah is the calling rainforest. The sun disappears behind the green, creatures become camouflaged, and haunting calls echo from every direction. This edge is the Gorilla Forest! A 2.5 acre attraction that's retains the elements of the natural landscape. It was designed to create enough space to display more than two gorilla troops at a time. The Gorilla Forest emits a sanctuary like environment, as if the animals are safe within their barriers as hazards roam around them. In the middle of your journey you'll come upon an abandoned, idled logging truck, and evidence of the forest's destruction. In the epicenter of it all is the Gorilla Sanctuary, a two story, rotunda shaped dayroom that allows gorillas to rotate through three separate and connecting enclosures in a near 360 degree fashion. Allowing visitors to interact with gorillas at all times. Decorative elements help submerge visitors into the world of the African forest. Through extensive interpretive displays, you will be enlightened and more importantly, impacted from the dangers wildlife and our ecosystem face. You'll learn the negative and positive effects humans have on our environment. Through this tour, my goal is to show you why the Gorilla Forest is deserving of its award in excellence through design. Enjoy.

​
 
The Award Winning Islands Exhibit
Travel through the village to catch a glimpse of island life around the world. Those from Southeast Asia, Madagascar, Australia and even Hawaii. An exhibit with a satisfying mix of everything you'd want to see - Penguins, tapirs, tropical birds, Komodo dragons, tigers and more. At the Indonesian cedar homes, you'll never know what you'll see and when, as the Islands became the first exhibit in the world to rotate a variety of animals through the same shared habitats. So much awaits on this Island adventure.

 
Moebelle said:
The Award Winning Islands Exhibit
Travel through the village to catch a glimpse of island life around the world.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the video tour of the Islands complex. Do you know why they shut down their cold-weather rockhopper penguin exhibit and have not replaced it?
 
Last edited:
Moebelle said:
The Award Winning Islands Exhibit
Click to expand...


Thanks for the video! There were some exhibits in this area that I completely forgot about. I also went before they built the little penguin exhibit. I always found this area interesting it holds a special place in my heart as it was the first time a tapir sat inches away from me as I stared at it through the window.
 
Moebelle said:
The Award Winning Islands Exhibit
Travel through the village to catch a glimpse of island life around the world. Those from Southeast Asia, Madagascar, Australia and even Hawaii. An exhibit with a satisfying mix of everything you'd want to see - Penguins, tapirs, tropical birds, Komodo dragons, tigers and more. At the Indonesian cedar homes, you'll never know what you'll see and when, as the Islands became the first exhibit in the world to rotate a variety of animals through the same shared habitats. So much awaits on this Island adventure.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the tour, it looks better than I had imagined it would be, I still have never visited this zoo.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top