Is there any list of what animals they might have
Upcoming U.S. Zoo Exhibits in 2025
- Thread starter pachyderm pro
- Start date
Is there any list of what animals they might have
USZOOfan42
Well-Known Member
Currently, aye aye, two toed sloths, caiman, night monkey, and bats are known.
Slight correction for Cleveland - 2026 is Phase I of Primate Forest, Phase II is 2032
King of Komodo Dragons
Well-Known Member
As just reported on that Zoo’s thread, Cape May County hopes to open Humboldt penguin and Chilean flamingo habitats by spring 2026.
I had no idea that Sylvan Heights' Penguin exhibit was slated for 2026. Do you have a source? I'm not able to find specifically where they mentioned an opening date.
But assuming that is their target and they make it, and neither Greensboro or Asheboro suffer any (more) delays on their new exhibits, then North Carolinians will be eating real good in 2026.
The project is beginning construction next year, which suggests an opening as early as 2026. Could end up being later, but that seems like a reasonable estimate.
Coming Soon: Penguin Point – Sylvan Heights Bird Park
Northwest_FIsh_Keeping
Well-Known Member
Very small mention but Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium's "Coral Reefs Up-Close" exhibit will be opening up in Spring 2025 (originally was supposed to be Fall of this year but was pushed back).
It's only 3 tanks and will probably be made up of your generic Coral Reef species but it should be the last part of the "Tropical Reef Aquarium" renovation. (Besides more Sharks that the Zoo says will be coming)
It's only 3 tanks and will probably be made up of your generic Coral Reef species but it should be the last part of the "Tropical Reef Aquarium" renovation. (Besides more Sharks that the Zoo says will be coming)
In theory the San Francisco Zoo will open exhibits: Madagascar Tortoises, Pandas, Lions, and Jaguars. The current window for these exhibits is anywhere from 2025 to never (err on the side of never).
To clarify, is that the winter of 2025-26 or 2026-27?
Late 2026.
The Horse Boy
Well-Known Member
The San Antonio Zoo also plans to build a modern Asian area on an undeveloped 15 acre plot owned by the zoo on the other side of the freeway not long after they finish the gorilla habitat this summer. They plan for a state of the art elephant habitat to be the highlight of the area, and they've seemed to expressed it adamantly on social media posts and news articles.
Where did you find this?
Attachments
I do wonder how far along the Palm Beach Zoo is with this African project? Especially with it being close to four years since the original article was first published.
Looks like a master plan idea, kind of like the ZooTampa South America and Africa remodels, on the long term Master Plan, but not actually on a timeline.
Although the year isn't over yet, I thought it'd be interesting to start looking back over the list, as spring/summer tend to be the peak periods for new exhibits opening up.
Focusing on the 2025 list...
I've only seen Tropical Forests in person so far, of course, and posted an extensive review in the thread but while many seemed a bit underwhelmed, the gorillas are outdoors at last and seem to be making great use of vertical space in their massive new enclosures, and seeing ten spider monkeys climbing real trees outside is a lot of fun and popular with locals. These exhibits seem to be improving on their opening day impressions as well - growing in more lushly over time, the welcome surprise of monkeys rotating into the gorilla indoor enclosures when gorillas are outside, there is still work to be done on the former gorilla enclosure, and a lot of work is going into the potential for the orangutan and gibbon to mix outdoors, with the exhibit still being tweaked for the orangutans' needs. It's a huge leap for a zoo that has stagnated and a great opening shot across the bow for the ambitious Next Century Plan.
Milwaukee's new pachyderm building looks nearly ready to open for winter. The outdoor yards looked complete during my September visit and since then some of the paths closed for construction have reopened, and there are rumors that Milwaukee has already acquired rhinos. The Adventure Africa project has taken a long time but it's exciting to see it coming to completion!
I hoped to visit World of Darkness near opening but didn't make it out to New York but it's still tremendously exciting this long closed bit of zoo history is now open to the public again. The exhibit seems to be packed with species, including some rarities, and it signals a major step forward for the Bronx after stagnation forced by budget cuts.
Construction on Primate Forest seems to moving along quickly from reports in the thread and while animal details are still a little light the overall project seems ambitious and it's clear Cleveland wants a new hub at their zoo. I'm hopeful to visit when the first phase is complete next year.
I also almost went to Philadelphia and am impressed to follow their bear exhibit plans!
Regarding the farther future...
Focusing on the 2025 list...
These exhibits have all either opened to the public, are in the process of soft opening to the public, or look poised to open soon (Milwaukee) and I have read reviews of all of these. As I mentioned previously, the diversity of these habitats is exciting - North America expansions, Africa expansions, a flamingo aviary, reptile enclosures, primates, elephants, a nocturnal house! While none of these openings seemed to alight the zoo world with excitement and innovation, almost all of them seem to have been welcome improvements for their facilities - having visited Saint Louis in 2023 for example, it was noticeable there was a massive empty space in the reptile building in a location ideal for a 'superstar' species, so Komodo Dragon were a great pick and the exhibit looks solid.
I've only seen Tropical Forests in person so far, of course, and posted an extensive review in the thread but while many seemed a bit underwhelmed, the gorillas are outdoors at last and seem to be making great use of vertical space in their massive new enclosures, and seeing ten spider monkeys climbing real trees outside is a lot of fun and popular with locals. These exhibits seem to be improving on their opening day impressions as well - growing in more lushly over time, the welcome surprise of monkeys rotating into the gorilla indoor enclosures when gorillas are outside, there is still work to be done on the former gorilla enclosure, and a lot of work is going into the potential for the orangutan and gibbon to mix outdoors, with the exhibit still being tweaked for the orangutans' needs. It's a huge leap for a zoo that has stagnated and a great opening shot across the bow for the ambitious Next Century Plan.
Milwaukee's new pachyderm building looks nearly ready to open for winter. The outdoor yards looked complete during my September visit and since then some of the paths closed for construction have reopened, and there are rumors that Milwaukee has already acquired rhinos. The Adventure Africa project has taken a long time but it's exciting to see it coming to completion!
I hoped to visit World of Darkness near opening but didn't make it out to New York but it's still tremendously exciting this long closed bit of zoo history is now open to the public again. The exhibit seems to be packed with species, including some rarities, and it signals a major step forward for the Bronx after stagnation forced by budget cuts.
I visited Toledo for the first time this year and construction work was clearly happening on the old reptile building, but it felt very odd to not to see it since I've always associated Toledo so strongly with this exhibit. I look forward to revisiting the zoo hopefully when the reptile exhibit is complete.
Construction on Primate Forest seems to moving along quickly from reports in the thread and while animal details are still a little light the overall project seems ambitious and it's clear Cleveland wants a new hub at their zoo. I'm hopeful to visit when the first phase is complete next year.
I also almost went to Philadelphia and am impressed to follow their bear exhibit plans!
Both of these projects are very curious and high interest to me, as they seem to simultaneously be trying to be large, modernized children's zoos with many familiar hallmarks while also including exotic small carnivores that appeal to zoo nerds. Detroit seems to have ramped up sharing public information about the upcoming exhibit and it looks to have more than enough additions and changes to be worth seeing for any of us, but in stark contrast, it feels as if there hasn't been a single report or update on Destination Discovery since construction started. Hopefully things are still going smoothly!
None of these exhibits appear on target to open this year at this time, although I have seen the construction at the Shedd and they do seem to be working on things. I don't know that Miami has released any news or reference to their kiwi exhibit this year, and I've not found a lot of info about Kentucky Trails at all either.
Regarding the farther future...
It looks like Gateway to Africa construction may start soon as the former pachyderm building has been emptying all year, recently closed, and is key to the first two phases of the project. On the other hand, the Southwest Australian Provinces project may be on the back burner until work on the multi-phase Africa is completed, or concurrent with a later phase, as the Kangaroo enclosures may be affected by plans. We also now know Milwaukee's Tropics building project will be Latin American Tropics, with a focus on Belize and including a reef aquarium, but also that it is still competing for focus with the possible Primate renovation and North America expansions.
Last I'd heard they want Primate Forest open for the summer. I know the staff is hoping it is, as crowds were crazy this summer without The RainForest to handle at least part of them (That building was a people eater). Although I won't be able to know if that changes any time soon as my seasonal positon with the zoo ended this week.
Thank you for letting me know! It certainly sounds on track to open by then and I'm looking forward to hopefully experiencing it myself.