San Francisco Zoo has a unique beachfront location on the Pacific Ocean within the 7mile by 7 mile city limits. Although the part of the zoo that faces the ocean is the parking lot, its informal park-like grounds are often enveloped in the frequent fog that hugs the coast here. The grounds feature large stands of mature Monterey cypress and eucalyptus trees that have grown large since the 1920s opening of the zoo; similar trees were used to reclaim the low dunes of the area as well as those of Golden Gate Park a few miles North which also abuts the ocean. Several large grassy clearings, some with ponds and selected Mediterranean climate exotic plantings on the edges, resemble those of that nearby popular park. In fact, one exhibit operated by the zoo which is not on its property is a large fenced field for bison that is an old attraction in Golden Gate Park. Separating Ocean Beach from the zoo is a road, and then a dilapidated building that at one time was a poolhouse; the zoo parking lot is built on the site of what was once the largest swimming pool in the world, a saltwater-fed 6.5 million gallon giant. It was built by the same man who funded the early zoo and at the same time. No trace of the pool itself exists, since the parking lot is a nice modern one built over it. The lot is part of the main entrance of the zoo, which was built in the last 10 years and is connected to the best exhibit complex immediatly adjacent to the zoo's entry; in fact visitors can get a view into the African Savanna outside the gates. The main entrance is not African themed, it actually is a modern interpretation of California craftsman bungalow style with its several entry buildings housing ticket booths and restrooms and gift shop. The landscape serves as a transition from the beachside location of the parking lot, composed of rough aggregate planters filled with coastal salt-and-wind-tolerant plantings. This entry area and the African Savanna were built at the same time, so the viewing areas into the animal exhibit are seamless with the entry experience while only providing a preview of the sights to come. Together these facilities form one of the best zoo entry experiences I have seen. In general, the best parts of the zoo are all toward this front section, which creates a good impression but is misleading because the rest of the facility does not live up to this promise. The grounds are attractive but haphazardly arranged, and there is a general feeling of quiet inactivity at the zoo. This is a shame since there are some strong highpoints in the fairly geographically-comprehensive collection. Most older exhibits have had little attention over the years, and renovations have often been of the bandage-slapped-over-bandage variety; even some of the newer individual exhibits have been conceived with lackluster results and often incorporate clumsy elements of past facilities. The current visitor map divides most of the zoo into regions, and I will use this as the basis of describing the zoo. Part of the Main Entrance complex: African Region is composed of 3 exhibits. African Savanna is the largest and best, and houses a mixed-species collection of reticulated giraffe, plains zebra, greater kudu, scimitar-horned oryx, ostrich, marabou stork, and East African crowned crane. It is full of activity and a great introduction to the zoo; this is the exhibit seen from several viewing areas at the zoo entrance. The large bowl-like habitat is circled by a path with several wood viewing structures and decks around it; in addition, rocky tunnels lead below the habitat to an open viewing area in the middle of the exhibit, which is a great immersive feature. The habitat is full of rocks and deadfalls, gentle grassy slopes, several ponds, and even has creeps next to the middle viewing area composed of rocks and logs for privacy for smaller animals (smaller antelope have been in the mix in the past) where the larger ones do not fit. A great collection of South African plants around the perimeter, especially near the rocky tunnel entrances, helps create the theme, including tree aloe, pincushion, narrow leaf sugarbush, broad leaf sugarbush, conebush, red hot poker, soap aloe, and silver tree; these are in contrast to the mature Monterey cypress trees that dominate the background as well as parts of the habitat itself. It is very interesting how the California native cypresses are used as stand-ins for African trees, since their high broad canopies slightly resemble those of some of the acacias familiar to these species. The whole exhibit could be considered a hybrid; its structures and proximity to the Craftsmen-style entrance are definitely not African pretenses, and there are no wrecked safari vehicles or Masai bomas or native drums in the viewing areas. Yet the landscape itself recalls the savanna in a unique way. The low hoofstock barn is in the far background, while the giraffe barn is near a path and can be entered by visitors when it is open for demonstration. Bronze statues of lions overlook the savanna, but the actual lions at the zoo are located in far older surroundings in a different region. Near the savanna is a medium-sized walkthrough African Aviary built at the same time; it contains Guenthers dik-dik, African open-billed stork, Hadada ibis, and Waldrapp ibis, and I also spotted some peafowl. It is a wood-and-netted high enclosure with thick planting and a small pond, entered on either side from a small shack. Nearby is the older exhibit in this region, Gorilla Preserve, from 1980. For its time, it was fairly nice, but today is average. It is a large grassy open yard dotted with trees and a few rock outcrops, and is viewed from several raised railings perched above its plain containment walls around much of the perimeter. African Savanna Exhibit in African Region: Primate Discovery Center consists of 3 adjacent exhibit areas from different eras. Lemur Forest is the newest and most successful, consisting of 3 steel-and-mesh plant-filled exhibits connected to one another and a very large open habitat that has a water moat on three sides. The mesh exhibits have climbing structures within, and matching ones also are in the shared yard. These exhibits are viewed from an attractive elevated boardwalk full of good graphics and even a keeper interaction area at the side of one of them. The species include ring-tailed lemur, red ruffed lemur, black-and-white ruffed lemur, and black lemur; all of them are on display in the main yard at one time. The main yard is also viewed from several areas around its perimeter, and it is filled with grass and many mature Monterey cypresses that the lemurs can climb as well, making it one of the best exhibits for these species I have seen, if not the most naturalistic one. The adjacent exhibit complex that gives this region of the zoo its name is an attractive one from 1985, a two-level mostly outdoor area of steel cages with curved roofs in an area of modern concrete stairways and terraces and walls. 1 exhibit is a small one indoors with a dark indoor viewing area: it is Aye-aye Forest, and it was not open when I visited. According to a docent, it is often closed, especially when there are signs of possible breeding. It is unfortunate since it is one of only 5 US zoos where they can be seen, but understandable. 5 of the outdoor exhibits are in a row and viewed from lower and upper levels through wire; they are not very large or detailed ones, but they do feature satisfactory height. They are for Francois langur, black howler monkey, siamang, temporarily empty, and lion-tailed macaque. 2 smaller one-level indoor exhibits behind glass are for emperor tamarin and pied tamarin. There is a large central tall building with curved roofs that used to be an interpretive graphics room but is now a gift shop. At the back of the building is a too-small outdoor wire cage for black-and-white colobus monkey; I think it was originally a smaller holding area for a much larger steel-and-mesh former exhibit, whose foundations can still be seen. The best exhibits in this complex are two adjacent planted yards within walled enclosures without overhead containment for mandrill and Patas monkey, the latter being notably larger and more detailed than the others. Both can be viewed from several areas around their perimeters. The last exhibit complex in this region is from the 1960s and it is awful; 2 small round moated yards with some ugly play equipment for chimpanzee. There is a third identical yard in the back but it is no longer seen from a closed path, so I am not sure if it is occupied or not; either way, these habitats are a lowpoint of the zoo. Patas Monkey Exhibit in Primate Discovery Center: Childrens Zoo is a fine and rather large area of various facilities connected by small winding paths. Most of it was built or renovated in the last 20 years. It has a single entrance, although it can also be accessed from an education building that adjoins it and the zoo entrance area. It begins with an area of exhibits for companion animals, including small wood-and-wire houses for domestic mice and lovebirds as well as a low-fenced yard for rabbits and guinea pigs. Nature Trail is a nearby loop path with an average fenced yard for wild turkey; it also has about 15 stations with log benches or little fenced enclosures. When the stations are staffed by young volunteers, each features a small animal, many of them for supervised contact. I am not very sensitive to youth education programs, but this one seems to be an excellent and accessible way for youngsters to enjoy and learn about animals from their older peers. Nearby is a rope spiderweb play structure at the entrance to a small unimpressive building; it is the Insect Zoo, and although its exhibit room and small terrariums are clearly over 30 years old, its collection is very fine compared to many other zoos. Small feature exhibits in glass-and-wood boxes are for honey bee (connected via a tube to the outside world), dampwood termite, red harvester ant, and wood ant. The glass terrariums are for: Anise swallowtail caterpillar Antilles pinktoe tarantula Australian walkingstick Black widow spider Chilean rose tarantula Costa Rica zebra tarantula Costa Rican tiger rump tarantula Darkling beetle Dermestid beetle Dung beetle Giant African millipede Giant desert centipede Giant hairy scorpion Giant water bug Grey death feigner Indian ornamental tarantula Jumping spider Land hermit crab Leaf insect Madagascar hissing cockroach Mexican redknee tarantula Oriental cockroach Silk moth Thai walkingstick Thorny phasmid Trinidad wood cockroach Velvet ant White-eyed assassin bug Yellow spotted water beetle Clearly this should be renamed to include arachnids, but it is a nice feature. There is also an area of exhibits along a path for native American animals, including a nice waterfowl lagoon, a small open yard and pond for freshwater aquatic turtles, and small wood-and-wire planted exhibits for white-nosed coati, macaw (scarlet?), and squirrel monkey. Family Farm is a nice complex of barns connected by a very large domestics contact yard on the edge of another waterfowl pond. There are additional paddocks for other domestics beyond the edges of the contact area, and one barn has a wall terrarium for rat snake as well. Hawk Hill is a small grassy area with perches for tethered raptors, who normally live in small wire cages nearby. The zoo seems to have a good collection and education program with them. A small wood-and-wire aviary for turkey vulture is also adjacent. The raptor area leads to the Animal Resource Center, another barn-like building similar to the others around the Childrens Zoo. This one is only open at certain times, but its front windows view the interior and its many cages for the small animals used in the education programs. It also serves as the housing for terrariums for San Francisco garter snake and Western pond turtle conservation programs. The last exhibit area of the Childrens Zoo is the best: it is composed of side-by-side open yards behind simulated rock and glass railings for meerkat and black-tailed prairie dog. Between them are play elements for digging in sand and drinking while protected by a lookout, as well as sandstone bank cutaway displays of the tunnel systems both species create. There are also a few little tunnels to walk through and a spyhole in the rock that is directed at a simulated cobra atop a nearby rock. Although the close grouping of these two species is not geographically correct, their common attributes are illuminated well here. Black-tailed Prairie Dog Exhibit in Childrens Zoo: A large area of the map that is adjacent to the Childrens Zoo is not identified as a specific region, and has a variety of minor features. The Mothers Building is a 1920s Mediterranean Revival formal edifice that is empty and deteriorating badly; it was originally a facility for mothers caring for their infants, and later a gift shop. It is on the edge of a large lawn and playground area that includes a small historic food stand that is still in use, the Playfield Café. Also nearby is the Carousel, a 1920s Dentzel model housed in a round wood domed structure. A larger and more modern food facility is Leaping Lemur Café, in a large wood domed structure that must have been inspired by the historic one nearby. In front of this café is a nice average yard behind low fencing for flamingo. Beyond that is a standard row of 5 small older cages for birds: one for green-winged macaw, one for white-cheeked turaco, marbled teal, and long-tailed glossy-starling, one for kookaburra, plumed whistling duck, and white-faced whistling duck, one for lesser vasa parrot, and one for great hornbill. A much larger bird exhibit ends this unnamed region of the zoo: it used to be a walkthrough bird feeding exhibit that began the Australian exhibit area, but it now houses Southern ground hornbill. Some of the outback theming is still on the outside, including the former entrance shacks. However, the former interior path and railings appear to be gone. It is still a fairly nice exhibit within its roomy wood-and-netting enclosure. It is hard to believe that the popularity of similar bird-feeding (usually lorikeets) exhibits did not justify keeping this one open! Outback Trail is an area of 3 Australian exhibits. It begins with Koala Crossing, a large yard with trees surrounded by an undulating low wood wall to contain koalas. One side of it is viewed from a raised deck, which also adjoins a small modern wood building with a window into a small interior holding room with standard perches and a eucalyptus mural on the walls. Australian Walkabout is a large mixed-species yard that slopes away from a long curved path for viewing Eastern gray kangaroo, red kangaroo, and common wallaroo (there also may be emu inside). Adjacent is a smaller sloped fenced yard with heavy tree cover for double-wattled cassowary. All 3 exhibits are average but nice, and are more believable with the large stands of eucalyptus in the background. Koala Crossing in Outback Trail: South America is on the edge of one of the informal park-like clearings on the property, and features a large marshy lagoon for American white pelican that is quite scenic. Nearby is the Tropical Forest Aviary, a 1940 large white stucco building in the modern style of its time that is currently closed for asbestos removal! In past visits I recall the interior being a large skylit room with a lush jungle interior, mostly for free-flying birds but also featuring a few reptile exhibits. Outside is a long fenced yard that is empty, next to a 1940 rocky pool that is also empty; it was formerly a pinniped exhibit, and I think most recently was used for rehabilitating local elephant seals. Puente al Sur is a more modern exhibit complex of a few enclosures, and begins with a small building with window views into a small room for great currasow who also have access to a small aviary in the back. There is also a window view into a giant anteater bedroom. Back outside, there is a small fenced yard for giant anteater, and a much larger fenced grassy yard for giant anteater and black-necked swan and a species of duck. These are viewed across a small pond from a deck, and the yard is sloped and fairly naturalistic. There is also a wood-and netted aviary for Maguari stork here. Although Puente al Sur has a theme, like much of the zoo it is not especially evocative of that theme, is several exhibits short of feeling like a complete experience, and is generally of cheap exhibit quality. Bear Country is also on the edge of the same clearing as South America and begins with a row of 5 similar moated bear grottos from 1940 that are certainly past their prime. For what they are, they do have a good ground-to-wall ratio, meaning that they feel more open (not larger) than many others I have seen. The first is for Andean bear; next are three that have been joined for polar bear; and finally, one for grizzly bear, which is combined with a recent and larger adjoining exhibit yard for the same species. Four of the five still have concrete substrate, with the exception being the middle grotto for polar bear. The newer exhibit is called Grizzly Gulch, and is viewed from several modern concrete-framed windows as well as some set in a simulated rock outcrop. The yard is large and fenced with unpainted galvanized fencing, so that it is too obvious; however, the space and reasonable naturalism and natural substrate are far superior to the grottos. Inside it are fallen logs, grass, and plentiful shrubs. There is also a rock mound with a waterfall-from–nowhere spilling down it, into a nice shallow pool that adjoins a viewing window in a small modern pavilion for watching any splash play. Viewing area features include a bronze statue of a bear, a flagpole for the state flag (which features the grizzly) and a bronze wall sculpture with a dedication above it to Monarch (the last known wild grizzly of the state who was captured and became the inspiration for the state flag depiction in the late 1800s). There are also some nice paving details such as bear tracks that are continued in the exhibit pool floor, but the overall design of the features and viewing areas is a bit hodge-podge. Nearby is Eagle Island, a small wooded island in the middle of a historic scenic pond area for bald eagle. The resident can not fly, so does not escape the uncaged habitat. At one time, the zoo had a great bald eagle breeding and releasing program with over 100 chicks raised, but it was not on this island, which I think has always been for injured or unreturnable birds. Oddly, there is also a nice average yard for warthog nearby, which at one time was seen further from a path that connected several other hoofstock yards nearby; the path is now closed for no apparent reason. Terrace Café is another 1940 modern-style building, a food facility with outdoor terrace seating overlooking the waterway and bear grottos beyond. Part of Bear Country and South America is circled by Little Puffer, a historic miniature train with a scenic route. The grounds in Bear Country, with bear grottos in the background: Cat Kingdom is the most concentrated region of exhibits and is centered on a formal plaza surrounded by two historic 1940 buildings. The area has more varieties of animals than felines, so it is not well-named, and it is the most disappointing region of the zoo with many poor enclosures. I am not convinced that it was ever really satisfactory, or that careful renovation would be worthwhile for the bland structures. The plaza itself has a large circular fountain at one end and a staircase flanked by historic lion sculptures. A few sets of long-abandoned small grottos are nearby, as if awaiting careful preservation in this preservation-obsessed city. The majority of the plaza is a long rectangular low-fenced yard for a large colony of Magellanic penguins, mostly occupied by a shallow pool but also featuring a dry island with a burrow mound. It is not attractive, but notable for being the home of the male-male pair that were a couple for 6 years before they broke up! The other end of the plaza has a small round yard behind glass railings for river otter which has been decently renovated but is rather small. Pachyderms is one of the flanking buildings, and its interior is thankfully closed. On its exterior are several poor plain-walled rectangular yards with little detail. One is for a gray seal, who is 40 years old and has outlived the usual life expectancy. Apparently it is kinder to let a senior live out its life in familiar surroundings than move it to a better exhibit, and this one is a dump. It has a small oval pool in the center of a concrete yard, with a giant cloudy sky mural painted on the entire side of the bland building which forms the backdrop. Blech! Next door is a Bairds tapir exhibit that is nearly as bad but lacks a mural. Next to that is a similar one that is mercifully empty. A much larger yard is for greater one-horned rhinoceros and is probably the result of combining several former smaller yards; it is viewed behind hefty steel pole-and-cable fencing and has some old clumsy rockwork behind a swimming pool with a waterfall and trees that at least obscure the stucco building behind. There is also a smaller yard for black swan on the side of the building. Lion House is the other building on the other side of the plaza, and it is nearly as unattractive. This building can still be entered for part of the day, and inside is a large rectangular room with all the small indoor bedrooms for the felines behind bars. It is very archaic and I see little benefit in allowing any public access to this area. Three of the smallest bedrooms are for fishing cat, and they rotate into a small outdoor wire cage on the front side of the building facing the plaza which is small and below average in detail, although it does have a pond inside. There are 4 large cat grottos on the backside of the building, and they are for Sumatran tiger, two for African lion (separate), and Siberian tiger. They are average grottos for their era, but they all have natural substrate and grass, trees, and shrubs. They were formerly viewed across moats, but the front viewing areas have been converted to window views set in rather slick metal frames and arbors set on a concrete base, which adds a great deal of height to the moat depth; of course, they were added after one of the Siberian tigers escaped by climbing the moat and killing a visitor a few years ago. There are also multiple bands of electrified wire around the top of the rockwork walls, and the Siberian tiger exhibit even has a fence several feet in front of the moat so that they can not approach it! There is also a snow leopard exhibit on the side of the building, a rather mundane yard against the building with little detail, contained by wood-and-netting with a small window viewing shelter on one side. The feline viewing at the zoo was once more extensive because a separate newer area at the back of the zoo had many small netted enclosures for breeding smaller cats, but access to it is now closed. Near the grottos are a few larger average hoofstock yards: a grassy sloped fenced one for giant eland with a moat in front, and a steel-pole-and-cable fronted one with a separate back yard for Eastern black rhinoceros. When it was renovated not long ago, a small hippo exhibit next to it was included, but it is now empty. Near the Cat Kingdom plaza is also a nice large grassy yard for blackbuck, but it is unsigned and only viewed from one side; a path that led further around it and to other hoofstock yards (eventually reaching the previously described warthog exhibit) is closed. San Francisco Zoo is obviously an aging and ailing facility, and the reasons for this seem complex. It is operated by a society but owned by the city, so subject to random budget constraints; city support resources seem to be siphoned elsewhere for other improvement projects most of the time. The region in general has many people who do not support the idea of animals in captivity; in addition, many locals I have met have never visited the zoo. The region is also home to so many other attractions that this one gets lost in the mix. However, its prescence is certainly obvious to the many public transit riders, since one of the main light rail lines ends a block from the zoo and is titled as such, resulting in free advertising. The weather may also be a factor; many summer days are gloomy here, while just a few miles inland it is sunny and warmer, discouraging some visitors. Recent incidents have certainly not helped, with the famous tiger mauling and later escape and killing, the grizzly bear exhibit intrusion, and awareness of antiquated habitats. It ranks at number 41 of the 55 zoos I have visited; this relatively high rank for the lower quality of the facility comes from its larger size and collection and unique grounds compared to others that are lower on the list. The front of the zoo also adds to its rank, with the African Savanna exhibit coming in at number 17 in my top 25 large mammals individual exhibit category, and its entrance area and Childrens Zoo being assets as well. If I had a top lemur exhibit list, it would make that list too, also near the front of the zoo. General adult admission is $15, which is $4 overpriced currently. I have added additional pictures in the gallery.
I agree with everything in the review, and even with the excellent lemur forest and African Savanna my visit in 2006 convinced me that the San Francisco Zoo needed either hundreds of millions of dollars invested in new exhibits or should face potential closure. Sadly the zoo continues to stumble along with nothing of note occurring to excite zoo fans.
Great review, I think you very accurately described the SF Zoo. Have you recently reviewed the Oakland Zoo? I'd be interested in a comparison.
gnuzoo, I have not been to Oakland for about 6 years, and I plan to go soon and photgraph it and review it. Have you ever been to the safari park in Santa Rosa? I have not, but it would be fun to hear your opinion of it if you have been.
If you mean Safari West, yes, I've been. It is owned by Peter and Nancy Lang. Nancy was a zoo curator of birds at one time. It's not inexpensive but well worth the cost if you want a taste of what an African safari is like and definitely less expensive than a trip to Africa. The lodging is in genuine safari tents which they source from South Africa. They have exhibits which can be viewed on foot: a lemur island, two aviaries that contain and impressive collection of birds, two cheetah, giraffes, an a small cat (ocelot I think). You board a safari vehicle to tour the park driving past a large hoofstock area, white rhino, bongo, the giraffes and continue up into the hills to view watusi cattle, cape buffalo, zebra, etc. They have a dining facility and a gift shop. Everything is priced separately so you can just visit for the day or spend the night. In my opinion, it is worth a visit.
gnuzoo, thank you for the info! siamang, the only birds I know at the SF Zoo I have described in the review.
Sorry, can't remember them all except that my impression was that it was a far better bird collection than the SFZoo had. What was interesting is that their aviaries are quite spacious and were built for a fraction of the cost of what zoo's tend to spend.
Great review of the most consistently disappointing zoo in the country. With it's lovely (if often foggy) site, the fact that it is in the heart of the most environmentally-conscious region in the country, and the great community wealth it could potentially tap into, the San Francisco Zoo should be one of the very best. It's had no shortage of great plans, and many very talented and dedicated staff members over the years. But nothing seems to get done right. In the late 90s. the voters issued $48 million to make improvements, and additional earthquake repair funds and significant private dollars were raised. Well over $100 million was spent, and while the nice new entry, education center, lemur forest and savanna are the result, many (including me) feel far more should have been accomplished with the money. Millions of dollars were squandered on designs of projects that never got built (including an interesting South American Cloud Forest complex slated to be built on the site of the demolished Monkey Island), and millions more on layers of "project management" that served little visible purpose. Recent ham-handed efforts like "Grizzly Gulch," the "safety improvements" at the Lion House and the hardware-centric rhino yard renovation indicate an atmosphere of confused direction and desperation. Now the zoo is a pariah, following years of questionable management, poorly-handled elephant issues and of course the tragic tiger incident. Seeing projects barely 25 years old (Primate Discovery Center) rapidly moldering into junkpiles due to poor initial planning and even worse maintenance tells the story--the zoo is not beloved by its community, is not on the radar screen of San Francisco's massive tourism market, has lost credibility with the philanthropic world, and has very little hope of becoming the standout zoo that by all rights it should be. A very sad tale indeed.
I have now seen this zoo, and while there are many average to below average enclosures, there are also some I enjoyed, like the savanna and lemur forest. The african aviary is nice, but there needs to be more birds inside. Actually the only birds I saw were ibises. The gorilla exhibit is now average. When it was built it was probably pretty impressive, but it feels outdated now. Aye-aye forest was closed. I did not see any Siamangs or Francois's Langurs on exhibit. While it is true that the primate enclosures are just average they are at least tall, and definitely not close to the worst primate enclosures out there. The lion house was open from 1 to 4 PM, and I didn't see it, but judging from your review I didn't miss much at all. The tropical forest aviary was also still closed. The Andean Bear was not on exhibit, and neither were the hippos. I actually liked the penguin exhibit. It contains a large colony of a species not often seen in zoos, with a large pool although I would have liked it to be deeper. The Giant Anteater yard with waterfowl contained Black Swans and White-faced Whistling-ducks. The Black Swans really don't fit the theme... There were also wild Anna's Hummingbirds in the zoo. The bird collection is very small, with the really only rare species in zoos being Long-tailed Starling, Black Parrot and Waldrap Ibis. Even so I did enjoy it, and it was a little better than I expected. The zoo still has a long way to go though. It is said to be one of the best zoos in North America, which it definitely isn't, but I wouldn't say it's near the worst either.
The penguin colony is certainly prolific, I believe there have been several shipments of the birds to begin colonies at other zoos! If you visited recently, I imagine it was a foggy day, there have been loads of them by the coast recently!
Actually it was the only sunny day I had around San Francisco and it was also the most warm, which I was surprised about.
I don't think the zoo has hippos currently. The last one, a geriatric female, died about a year ago. I don't believe there are plans to bring in hippos at the current time.
gnuzoo, that's right, no hippos anymore here. I am not sure about the plans for future collection though. I imagine the most urgent issue will be to restock the indoor rainforest once it is refurbished?
I visited the zoo yesterday for the first time since June 2010, when I wrote the review at the top of this thread. Here are some observations and changes since my review, I will discuss them in the order they are encountered in my original review. The African Savanna exhibit is still excellent, and now has a yellow-backed duiker (or two?); the one I saw was hiding in the creep and that is where the identification sign was for it, so it either loves that little private area or is confined to it (if the latter is true it is an exhibit area too small for it). The animal count I made in the main exhibit was: 3 reticulated giraffe, 3 plains zebra, 4 greater kudu, 2 scimitar-horned oryx, 1 ostrich, 2 maribou stork, and 2 East African crowned crane. African Aviary's identification signs included some species I had not noted before: Lady Ross' turaco, South African shelduck, lesser vasa parrot, and hamerkop (a large nest was present). Gorilla Preserve was open but many of the viewpoints were closed off for installation of tall glass railings instead of low open railings, which should help give the gorillas a slight break from direct human voices on all sides. Primate Discovery Center's Aye-aye Forest was not open again (frustrating!) but the Lemur Forest is still excellent and was very active when I visited; it is a thrill to see so many lemurs bounding and leaping in the 50+ foot tall trees throughout their extensive exhibit and it is a highlight of the zoo. Children's Zoo: this is the only part of the zoo I did not see this time. In the unnamed section of the zoo, the row of bird cages had several fewer species and one empty cage. Outback Trail has changed little, I really enjoyed the double-wattled cassowary this time as it came up to the fence and stared me down, cocking its head back and forth. South America's Tropical Forest Building was reopened after its asbestos removal project and its interior is fairly ugly and unimpressive. Fortunately it is going to be renovated soon, and its tall volume is promising for a nice concentrated experience. Currently, about half the floorspace is a plain tiled expanse for walking, with a lower plain reinforced concrete ceiling than the taller volume where the animal exhibits are. The animal exhibits are few; the main volume is a free-flight aviary and does have some tall trees and shrubs and a fairly naturalistic groundplane but I did not see any birds or signs for birds except one green-winged macaw. A shallow waterway meanders on the ground, connecting two separate enclosed slightly-deeper water exhibits with underwater viewing behind glass: one is for a turtle and one is for anaconda. Several rectangular terrariums in a row are also present, but I only saw one signed for poison dart frogs. The absence of many animals is probably an indication that this building is just about to be closed for its renewal. Outside of it, it looks like the area has been cleared where the zoo's next animal exhibit will be, a new (and reportedly spacious) mesh enclosure for squirrel monkey so that the zoo's current inhabitants can move from the Primate Discovery Center. The old pinneped exhibit (1940's?) is in use again, inhabited by two blind California sealions that were rescued. Puente al Sur's species have changed considerably; the window view into the small aviary for great curassow is covered up, and I assume the great currasows are gone. The aviary next to that now has white-faced whistling ducks...and an unsigned East African crowned crane! (Temporary holding?) The Maguari stork aviary is now empty, and a sign explained that the stork was sent to Audobon zoo for its breeding program since there are only 6 Maguari storks in AZA-accredited facilities. The main exhibit was very active, with more swans and the addition of 2 capybaras and 3 rheas. Both anteaters were very active as well! Bear Country's Andean bear exhibit is empty and a sign says it will be renovated, although it does not say for what kind of inhabitant. The hoofstock exhibit that held warthogs on my last visit now holds an even more delightful species to see: Chacoan peccaries. I counted 3, and they were all actively walking and rooting and bristling (is that a verb?) Cat Kingdom continues to be a travesty. The grey seal has passed so its exhibit is empty; next door the Baird's tapir has passed so its exhibit is also empty; it will be an improvement if these exhibits remain unused in their current form. I suppose the walls between them could all be knocked down and the former Pachyderm house and yards could be combined to be one larger exhibit for the greater one-horned rhinoceros that remains. Two 'new' exhibits have opened nearby: both are in adjoining rectangular concrete small-animal grottoes (1950's era?). One is for a third giant anteater (I must say that this is currently the best zoo for giant anteater watching that I can think of!) and it has a soil groundplane scattered with logs and artificial termite mounds. Some low-relief sand dune-like forms decorate the rectilinear walls that form the backdrop (was this for meerkats at one time?) and a small straight dry moat separates the exhibit from visitors. Next door is a very new renovation of a similar grotto, but this one has a large simulated tree trunk in the middle that supports a wire mesh draping for overhead containment; this one is for bobcat. It is another lackluster renovation, but it is sometimes hard to fault a zoo for doing the best it can with available funds...and adding an exhibit where there had been an empty one for a long time. However, just around the corner, the nice large yard for giant eland is now...empty. The war on hoofstock continues. Through the fencing at the back of that former exhibit I spotted what looked like another yellow-backed duiker, not on exhibit. Since my last visit, the zoo obtained a single Nile hippopotamus and it inhabits the little unimpressive yard and pool that was created for the species next to the black rhinoceros yards which are currently separated by plywood covering the gaps between hefty poles instead of just cables (perhaps to alleviate some current aggression?) For new projects, the Tropical Forest renovation and squirrel monkey exhibit are not the only thing coming: a 52,000 square foot playground is also on the way, and the three models of the three main areas of the playground look excellent. However, I am not a fan of spending so much money and resources on playgrounds (in a zoo like this with so many issues, is the installation of a playground like re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic?) although I understand that certain funding sometimes comes with stipulations about where it is to be spent. It is certainly possible that with a truly stellar playground, more local families will buy the family annual passport, and with each visit will buy food and souvenirs, and thus be a partial step to greater funding.
I'm pretty sure the recently "renovated" exhibits for bobcats and anteaters were part of the WPA work that built the majority of the zoo in the 1930s. In the late 60s and70s I remember sun bears (!!!) in those tiny moated exhibits with weird concrete carvings. I don't think anything has lived there since the 70s until now. The Tropical Building is about to undergo its 4th or 5th makeover since it opened in the 30s. Originally, it was a single glass fronted interior aviary that opened onto a very large outdoor aviary, site of the future Squirrel monkey exhibit. In the 1970s, a glass partition in the round opening connecting the indoor and outdoor aviaries was filled with opaque glass, and the interior glass barriers removed to make the indoor aviary a walk-through space, with the addition of planters in the former public gallery providing a very weak attempt at immersion. In the 90s, the outdoor aviary was demolished, and the interior area modified again with small exhibits for caimans, turtles and anaconda added. Maybe the next iteration will finally get it right.....
