San Diego Zoo New "Africa Rocks" complex at San Diego Zoo

The_UltimateBea said:
*area
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Just an FYI - directly under your post there is an edit button where you can fix a typo on the original post, instead of having to do a followup as you did here. The "edit" option is only visible to the person who made the post and I believe it is only there for a limited time.
 
Well here is an interesting wrinkle regarding the grand opening. ZooNooz (May issue) has articles on all the exhibits and the intro note from board chairman says it opens June 9. Their website dedicated to Africa Rocks has a big countdown leading to the same thing. Everything they are putting out makes it sound like the entire area opens then.

However on their Facebook page May 3 they did a post promoting it and someone asked when it opens. Here is the important part of the reply: "...we will be opening areas of the habitat as animals are moved in ...The Cape Fynbos habitat, where the penguins will be located, is set to open in June. Stay tuned for more info!"

So are they saying only one of the six exhibit areas will be open on the grand opening date? :eek:
 
Arizona Docent said:
Well here is an interesting wrinkle regarding the grand opening. ZooNooz (May issue) has articles on all the exhibits and the intro note from board chairman says it opens June 9. Their website dedicated to Africa Rocks has a big countdown leading to the same thing. Everything they are putting out makes it sound like the entire area opens then.

However on their Facebook page May 3 they did a post promoting it and someone asked when it opens. Here is the important part of the reply: "...we will be opening areas of the habitat as animals are moved in ...The Cape Fynbos habitat, where the penguins will be located, is set to open in June. Stay tuned for more info!"

So are they saying only one of the six exhibit areas will be open on the grand opening date? :eek:
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Although that does seem strange I would trust the CEO's message in ZooNooz over a vague message from a social media worker. Although ZooNooz doesn't state it as an all-out opening, it's pretty cleart that that's what it means.
 
Arizona Docent said:
Just an FYI - directly under your post there is an edit button where you can fix a typo on the original post, instead of having to do a followup as you did here. The "edit" option is only visible to the person who made the post and I believe it is only there for a limited time.
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Thanks for the tip.
 
The_UltimateBea said:
Although that does seem strange I would trust the CEO's message in ZooNooz over a vague message from a social media worker. Although ZooNooz doesn't state it as an all-out opening, it's pretty cleart that that's what it means.
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It's possible the social media poster had a confirmed june opening for the penguin exhibit but an unknown opening for the other exhibits.
 
First post, long time lurker.

I visit the zoo about once a week for exercise and enjoyment and from the looks of the construction site, I doubt the entirety of the project will open on time. My personal belief is that the unusual amount of wet weather in the area has put them behind schedule.

The penguin exhibit area did look further along than the others during my last visit.

I can go to the zoo and report back what I see tomorrow. I am not one who will inquire with employees though. I worked for Disney for 20 years and I know how difficult answering fan inquiries can be when you know things are not going as planned. You end up saying the wrong thing trying to be truthful to the guest without contradicting the organizations public message. I just don't like putting the employees on the spot like that.

I love this site by the way. Everyone seems passionate and reasonable. Glad to know there are others like me in regards to zoo enthusiasm.
 
@timmychompchomp - Welcome! Great to have another San Diego local (and watch for an invite to our July get together with out of towners snowleopard and myself). I think your suspicion about rain delays may be spot on. Hopefully it will be fully open when I visit second week of July.
 
Made a trip to the zoo today and I was able to take a few pictures of the construction. I uploaded the pictures to the San Diego Zoo Media Gallery. It is my belief that only a small portion of Africa Rocks will be opening on time by what I saw today. The area at the bottom of the canyon looks like it might make the opening. Take a look:
From EO Wide

From EO Wide

Africa Rocks Wider Shot From Sabertooth Grill
From EO Long

From EO Long

Africa Rocks From Sabertooth Grill

They have installed the netting mid canyon:
From EO

From EO

Mid Africa Rocks From Sabertooth Grill
From EO Uphill

From EO Uphill

Africa Rocks From Sabertooth Grill Looking Up Toward Kopje

The bridge from just behind the Gorilla Exhibit to the Bathrooms at the entrance of Elephant Odyssey is still in progress:
EO Bridge

EO Bridge

Exit of Asian Leopard or Entrance To Panda Trek Looking Up At Bridge Construction
EO Bridge From EO

EO Bridge From EO

From Sabertooth Grill Looking At Bridge Construction

The Africa Rocks construction adjacent to and heading down hill from the Kopje exhibit has not progressed much since my last visit:
Next To Kopje

Next To Kopje

Africa Rocks Next to Kopje Shot Looking Downhill
Kopje

Kopje

Africa Rocks Looking Directly At The Kopje Exhibit
Down Hill

Down Hill

Africa Rocks Construction Down Hill From Panda Canyon
Down Hill 2

Down Hill 2

Down Hill toward Panda Canyon

As I shot these pictures near the Kopje exhibit, a bus passed behind me and the driver commented that this area would be opening in July. She did not indicate a date or time frame, plainly "July."

The Kopje has been closed for awhile now, but the Meerkats and Hyrax exhibits next to the Kopje heading toward Elephant Odyssey are now "Under Construction" and fenced off. I could not get pictures here because you have to keep moving through the area as it is too tight for buses and people to fit together

As you see, it is hard to believe that anything, other than the section at the bottom of the canyon will be ready by the "opening." I would even be surprised if the entirety of the project were complete by the end of summer.

A few small things. A wombat has moved into the first of the three Tasmanian Devil habitats. Seems as though the Devils are sharing the other two exhibits. Two each. Also, the exhibit adjacent to the Peccaries is now inhabited by Yellow Back Duikers. There was a chain link fence with green mesh along the front of the exhibit obstructing the guest from seeing them, but the sign had been updated. Acclimatization in progress I would suppose.

That's it for today, unless you want to hear about a crazy lady I witnessed climbing over a fence toward the back of the zoo. I was undercover Security.
 
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Really too bad about the delays. This will be particularly bad news for snowleopard, who is touring California at the beginning of July and added San Diego Zoo specifically to see this new exhibit area. I will be joining him, but I have a membership and live six hours away, so I can go back. He lives in Canada and is not likely to return for years.
 
It looks like timmychompchomp and I were at the zoo taking the same pictures on the same day. I have loaded a few differents views into the media section. The bus driver was telling people to come back in July to see Africa Rocks. I was told by a keeper (unofficially) that all the animals will not all be in their exhibits until September.
 
This all feels a little familiar to the opening of Islands at Chester two years ago. I hope SD Zoo are careful not to overly publicise an opening date that they subsequently can't meet.
 
FunkyGibbon said:
This all feels a little familiar to the opening of Islands at Chester two years ago. I hope SD Zoo are careful not to overly publicise an opening date that they subsequently can't meet.
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They have (or had) a dedicated web page just for the opening with a giant countdown clock. They released a May members magazine dedicated solely to the exhibit (all sections) and announced in the intro it would open June 9. So I fear it is too late for overly publicizing an opening date they cannot meet.
 
I cannot seem to find the countdown clock, so it looks like they removed it. All the dates in the Africa Rocks website now say simply "summer 2017." So it looks like they dialed back the opening date quietly, without making an "official announcement" (though we will see what the June member magazine has to say).
 
Fiancé and I are going to San Diego for our honeymoon and are doing the zoo May 29 and 30. On May 29 we have punched behind the scenes passes for Africa Rocks, so we might be two of the first from this website to go in.

I guess we will let y'all know what we see? Which is hopefully something.
 
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