The background wall reminds me of the bear grottoes in the old Griffith Park Zoo in Los Angeles. Old Zoo Griffith Park on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
These grottos and the African Savannah exhibit will both see a bulldozer when the Arctic Edge begins construction. From the plans I've seen Arctic Edge looks to be an exciting exhibit. Wolves, polar bears and harbor seals.
A couple of links of interest. https://www.hoglezoo.org/docs/pdfs/Underwater_Viewing_Tunnel.pdf https://www.hoglezoo.org/docs/pdfs/Progress_Plans_Arctic_Edge_6-18-08.pdf