I hope that the zoo brings back not only Pygmy Hippos (Bison exhibit) but also Grevy's Zebras. The zoo's history has 3 iconic species with Asian Elephants (Dunk & Gold Dust), Grevy's Zebra (Dan) & Pygmy Hippo (Billy). I really hope the zoo brings these species back because even though its the not the same it was 50-100 years ago I always see the zoo with the same level of prestige like the other Smithsonians and it'd be great for the zoo to pay homage to its history!
I'm pretty sure that fan favorites like Lesser Kudu and Northern Ground Hornbills will be coming back. I think it would be good to combine the former Addax and Hartmann's Mountain Zebra yard into one multispecies exhibit with Dama Gazelle, Scimitar Horned Oryx and a large bird species to showcase what they do at SCBI and showcase conservation in the Sahara region.
Also there's a big empty grassy area on the side of the hill near the Asian Elephant exhibit that I think could be great for an ungulate species like Takin, Bactrian Camels or Pere David's Deer. My first suggestion would be Eld's Deer but they don't do well on public dispaly which is why the species didn'ty do well at places like Disney and Sedgewick etc.
I'm looking forward to seeing the front of the historic Reptile House being restored. I haven't seen it looking how it does normally since 2016.