Today marked another visit to the zoo and while I don’t have a ton new to report on it was still a fantastic day.
Construction for the new hippo exhibit is well under way. However - and this may sound pessimistic - I really feel like this exhibit isn’t going to be that great. Looking at the size, the hippo exhibit is taking up the old hippo and bongo yards, but that includes the new pathway and underwater viewing shelter, meaning only about half of the actual construction space is going to the hippos. If it comes out the way I imagine, this will follow the unfortunate trend of underwhelming hippo exhibits that are mostly just a pool with little land space and room for only one or two animals. Cincinnati and Fort Worth are the most notable examples of this, and I really cannot think of any other American zoo that has truly perfected the exhibition of hippos (I will say the new exhibit at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo looks very promising). Additionally, I don’t think the hippos are even getting a new indoor space despite the existing one being grossly outdated. It’s definitely going to be much better than the old hippo yard, but the goal shouldn’t just be to make it better than the previous one, rather to create something truly great and not just even more “meh” exhibits. It really feels like a major missed opportunity by the zoo to not do anything more than this. In all honesty, the red river hogs and indoor pachyderm exhibits should have been knocked down as well, than I would be more optimistic about this whole project.
The hippos currently have the old elephant yard as a temporary home until then, though I will say they really overdid it with the construction fencing. They can only be viewed from a very awkward angle between the giraffe house and the farm. You honestly can barely see them as there is a massive ditch next to the indoor stalls that the red river hogs are currently using and the entire path towards the construction is completely restricted.
Speaking of restricted and missed opportunities, even though it’s only used for special events and parties (and the general public aren’t supposed to be up there), I was able to sneak up to the second level of the elephant care center. Sometimes you have to take a risk for zoo journalism, haha. The “Elephant Overlook” is a deck that overlooks a portion of the elephant yard as well as the Impala Plains exhibits. It is a great overview and I really do think it’s a greatly underused portion of the Center. The “Learning Loft” area is the indoor portion of the second level and in my opinion it’s almost criminal that it isn’t the utilized more. There are massive floor to ceiling glass viewing windows that look over the indoor elephant exhibit(s) with carpeted flooring and a few smaller elephant statues with some large potted plants. It’s like they actually went out of their way to add a unique element to the exhibit and then they had to go along and ruin it. This would make it so much easier to see the elephants inside as the viewing area can get pretty congested. It is such a shame that decisions made by zoo officials tainted what could have been a great visitor experience.
I know I've been relatively negative so far, but it really was a great day because of all the active animals.
- It was wonderful to finally see the Impala Plains exhibit with every species together. There is still some progress to be made - as the impala kept running from the zebra foals any time they got even remotely close - but it was great to see. Interestingly, later in the day only the impala and the cranes were out, but the impala were incredibly energetic jolting from one side of the yard to the other.
- The new prehensile-tailed was also very active climbing up and around his exhibit taking a brief rest inside his nest box. Its worth noting that he and the armadillo were in separate exhibits with no signs indicating that they share a space. Still great to watch though.
- The elephants as usual were wonderful to watch. It will be really great to see Ruth and Brittany interact with Belle in the coming months. There were about twenty large logs in the back end of the exhibit so the yard is looking less and less barren as time progresses
- The new camel calf was adorable. He was playing with a sac filled with carrots and hay and was the most fun I've had watching camels maybe ever.
- Three of the four otters were wrestling on land and were a great time to watch.
- The male lion was roaring from the indoor exhibit, truly a remarkable sight.
- I even saw the elusive praise dog again for the second time in a row!
Milwaukee really needs some TLC. I've feel like this has been said dozens of different ways before but thats only because it is that way. It is a zoo stuck in the past that is attempting to modernize with varying degrees of success. Otter Passage and the West Entrance Plaza was a step in the right direction. It was a genuine attempted at a naturalistic and well done space for otters and an engaging experience for visitors. Combine that with the charming buildings across from it and it all added up to be a fantastic little area that makes a great first impression from visitors who come in from the west gate. Adventure Africa one the other hand was a different story. It is a great deal more appealing than how it was when it opened - now that all the animals are on exhibit and the plants have grown in - but it still leaves much to be desired. Though it may seem new, there is still some stains on an otherwise solid complex. The older pathways are cracked and disjointed, there is still mock rock that dates from many decades ago and there are still some head scratching choices when it comes to sightlines and fencing. I still enjoy it and think its a fine first big step in the master plan, but I think what makes it feel this way compared to the otters is that the otter exhibit was built from scratch on a piece of land that hadn't been developed yet while Adventure Africa was constructed on the sight of many exhibits there previously. There have been some small adjustments that have improved the zoo in the past two or three years (new tamarin exhibit in primate building, more space for animals in the small mammal house, new restaurants etc.) but nothing that will truly impress most visitors. I worry that the future of the zoos new projects will be something along the lines of, "It's not amazing, but its better than it was before at least." That shouldn't be the mentality the zoo should be aiming for and I really hope future projects will change my mind.
