I visited the zoo today and noticed a few updates:
1. The Wetlands Trail and Big Backyard areas of the zoo are both currently closed.
2. The Crane exhibit and elephant viewing area are closed and a sign mentioned construction. I did not notice any major construction though, so it's probably just minor renovations. There was a pile of fence posts sitting nearby so it's possible that what they are doing is replacing the fence.
3. I saw the ostriches for the first time today, and hope that after the aoudad dies they move in with either the Giraffe or Zebra. Half the habitat did not seem accessible to the ostriches, and they really don't seem to hold their own well, not the most exciting animal.
4. Faces of the Rainforest honestly seemed better than I remembered it. The building itself was not bad, though the monkey and Otter exhibits are ugly, and all the exhibits seemed fine. The only issue I really have with it is the amount of space it wastes around it, and hope they find uses for some of this space in the form of more exhibits.
5. There is now a Brazilian Rainbow Boa in one of the Faces terrariums. There is also a Collared Tree Runner in with the dart frogs. Neither of these species are listed on the zoo website.
6. The old Tropical America Building is still standing, and I really hope they find a use for it again. Maybe they could pair Faces with another Rainforest area featuring a second continent. Perhaps feature Asia as the old saki/tamarin Habitats could be an interesting habitat for a langur species, and then also feature various Asian birds, reptiles, and small mammals.
7. It looks like the zoo may be doing some renovation work in the old indoor Chinese Alligator habitat. There were some cinderblocks and a ladder in it, but was otherwise completely gutted out and concrete. Hopefully we will see this exhibit in use again soon.
8. Both Asiatic Black Bears were very active today, which was a nice surprise. They both seemed healthy and hopefully will still be kicking around for a few more years.
9. The zoo now has a black ratsnake living with the timber rattlesnake in the Snake Den.
10. I only noticed two pronghorn on exhibit today, so wonder if this is all the zoo has left. Does anyone have any info about what the zoo has for pronghorn?