Following an overdue return trip to the zoo yesterday. I was therefore able to document many of the following changes and updates from said visit (28/07):
Unfortunately they didn't give any timeframes for completion. But the parking lot has been under construction since around mid May.
For now, at the very least, the zoo now states that the new entrance will be completed sometime this fall (no specifics were advertised). Additionally, in light of this construction, a temporary entrance and a rerouted exit are currently set up in the meantime (see below):
Photo Credit: yours truly, Austin the Sengi
Directly in front of the Manatee Fountain, several animal Rydables have been added. In ZT’s case, I don’t really see a reason as to why they should be here, for there are several areas that restrict them from entering (such as Australia/Wallaroo); but what more can one do about it now that they’re here.
Photo Credit: yours truly, Austin the Sengi
Speaking of Australia, the track and supports for the
Tasmanian Tiger (roller coaster) are now painted the same shade of dark green; with a large shade canopy being installed paralleled to the coaster’s station, and the area surrounding the ride gaining a minor refresh as well.
Over towards the “Koala Sunyard” (where the koala encounters take place), the fencing that serves as its backdrop has been painted this rather ugly red-orange (I much prefer the original blue).
Photo Credit: yours truly, Austin the Sengi
Continuing onto
Africa*, the tunnel mural that connects the area to the rest of the zoo has been replaced with a more generic mural that highlights many of the zoo’s upcharge encounters (a personal downgrade imho).
*Safari Africa was the superior name for this section, but alas, let’s not kid ourselves on the zoo’s decision of changing its name
Photo Credit: yours truly, Austin the Sengi
Apparently, the zoo constructed a new barn for their giraffes, which brought with it the addition of some chainlink fencing that subjectively degrades the area’s original theming.
Alas, the saga of the giant plot of grassy land between the white rhinos and painted dogs remains an uneventful one… Minus some tractors and some workers setting up a temporary structure (nothing animal-related), there wasn’t much else to add on the state of this empty space.
Unfortunately, it appears that the Radiated Tortoises between their giant counterparts and the restaurant building next door are now gone (seemingly, for good). In their place, there was a small climbing that could very well be used for the odd animal ambassador.
I should also mention that while I did rush by the former meerkat/porcupine enclosure. I managed to quickly glance from afar, and from what I saw, it appears this empty space had no present signage and was slightly overgrown with weeds… Needless to say, nothing’s moving into there any time soon.
In more positive news, the zoo’s Silvery-Cheeked Hornbills (or at least, the female) now live in the Shoebill aviary alongside the titular pair and some African Spoonbills; with their former space now being planned for, I quote, a “new species”.
Photo Credit: yours truly, Austin the Sengi
Additionally, there was a lot more shoebill-related merch when compared to my 2023 visit; with the most notable being a decorative pillow shaped as the bird’s head!
Heading on over to
Asia (formerly Asian Gardens), the old amphitheater-style seating in front of the tapir enclosure has been flattened for more conventional metal benches.
From a personal perspective, this next update was the most disappointing; but the iconic “Asian Gardens” entrance piece has been removed entirely for a widened pathway.
Since my last visit, ZooTampa’s take on a “Lorikeet Landing” was also open; with the aviary’s species list being less than stellar… I mean, between feature the ubiquitous Coconut and Rainbow Lorikeets (labeled by the zoo as two separate subspecies
), hybrids between the two, and some unseen Weber’s Lorikeets; all of which are displayed in a less-than-lush walkthrough exhibit. It was a rather polarizing experience, to put it lightly.
Turning towards both sides of the
Florida Wilds, the neighboring exhibit for the tomistoma (who unfortunately, I didn't see
) now has a backdrop of these peculiar cage-like structures for several ambassador animals (mostly for macaws, nothing too exciting).
Photo Credit: yours truly, Austin the Sengi
Heading towards the area that will encapsulate the “Straz Family Manatee Rescue”, construction for a multi-level viewing area is well underway. The manatees themselves can still be viewed from the outside, it’s just that the majority of the construction is happening indoors.
Backtracking around to the other side, I noticed that the zoo installed interpretive signage relating to the Florida Wildlife Corridor. As a local, this is a major improvement, with each sign being rather well-detailed as well as educational!
It also appears that the striped skunks are no longer signed in the usual exhibit; did the last ones pass away and are they not getting anymore to replace them?
(Either that or they were not on exhibit due to the less-than-ideal temperatures)
Nearby, the neighboring moat for the American Alligators was completely drained; with the respective reptiles not being on display as a result.
This visit also marked my first time seeing the reimagined stingray pool in person; and I have to say, it is a well-worthy improvement from what it used to be!
As far as observations from
Primate World go, it appears that the now-former titi enclosure is home to a single Prehensile-Tailed Porcupine; with the golden lion tamarins still present in their usual space.
Additionally (and most bizarrely), it appears that while the Red-Tailed Guenons are here to stay; the neighboring enclosure that used to hold Mandrills is now an exhibit for, wait for it… a Linnaeus’ Two-Toed Sloth!
Photo Credit: yours truly, Austin the Sengi
Anyways… turning towards the Canopy Aviary, it appears that the red-billed hornbill enclosure that greets visitors as they enter is now empty; with the space also planned for a new species.
Continuing the theme of empty exhibits, several of the side aviaries were also void of any bird life; though, not all were empty entirely.
As made apparent by hanging signage, nesting season for several bird species are well underway, with the aforementioned signs telling visitors to keep their distance from nesting birds (including this African Spoonbill)
Photo Credit: yours truly, Austin the Sengi
Rounding out these updates, a significant amount of foliage throughout the entire zoo had either been trimmed down or replaced entirely… I wonder if one of last year’s hurricanes had something to do with it?
Lastly, as I began to leave the zoo; the new expansion to the parking lot looked to be almost complete, with the only thing missing was the addition of ornamental plants.
Following that final observation, this concludes this rather lengthy list of news and updates. With that being said, stay tuned for some subsequent posts to the zoo’s media gallery, for my latest visit had a lot of animal highlights!
ZooTampa mourns the loss of Malee, our beloved 14-year-old clouded leopard. Malee, whose name means flower, was diagnosed with a severe illness and... | By ZooTampa at Lowry Park | Facebook
