Zoo construction

Construction on new exhibits next to the pandas. This was taken at the Treehouse Cafe.

What was there before the construction began?

Good question. I don't know the area was blocked off by a wall that had pandas painted by school children. I will ask next time I am there.

I was just looking at Google Earth and there was nothing there but a pile of logs just like in the photo above. Maybe you should ask about what was there even before the panda wall went up.

Isn't that the location of the off-show part of Panda Canyon, with the red river hogs over on the left?

Yes it is. Do you know if it was ever an animal exhibit?

Years and years and years ago, there was a string of large bird exhibits, I remember specifically cranes and cassowaries.

This area was once planned to be "Ituri Forest Phase II".

Ituri Forest Phase II which would have included bongos, leopards, duikers, red river hogs, and more primates. Sigh...I miss the old bioclimatic plan.

Good to see them finally making use of this wasted space in a prime location in the middle of the zoo. Why it was unutilized for so long was always a puzzle to me. An even bigger puzzle is why they didn't use it to make the small panda exhibits bigger from the beginning.