Another article about Harmony Hill (yes that’s the official name of the exhibit confirmed on Facebook). Exhibit is opening in May. Denver Zoo transforming polar bear habitat into new home for grizzlies
Having had a chance to peek behind the curtain recently, I'm not sure how far along the renovation is; at least a few more weeks seem necessary. An end of May opening might be doable. A lot of the area seems like... well, a construction site rather than a soon to be opening exhibit. On an unrelated note, Yuri, the new Siberian tiger, seems to be doing quite well. He was in the yard nearest the P-horses, and he was thoroughly checking out his enclosure. A lot of scent marking was going on, and per the docent, they are indeed hoping to make an introduction and to produce offspring in the future.
Grizzly bears have moved to the new exhibit and are getting access to the space so they can acclimate before the grand opening. According to the Facebook post, the zoo is importing pine trees for the exhibit. One interesting shot in the video is of one of the bears in the swimming pool (literally styled as a backyard swimming pool). Denver Zoo
The zoo is aiding in the rescue efforts for flamingo chicks in South Africa. Denver Zoo aids rescue of 1,800 flamingo chicks, unhatched eggs in South Africa
A mandrill baby was born at the zoo for the first time in 16 years. Denver Zoo Welcomes First Mandrill Baby Since 2003 - Denver Zoo
I added a few images from my visit today. I'll give a few updates and then my review of Harmony Hill. For the first time, I saw a greater one-horned rhino used for the Elephant Passage show. They plan on using the male rhino, Bandhu in the Tuesday morning shows for the summer in case anyone wants to see them do rhino training. The green anaconda is now in the former caiman lizard exhibit in Tropical Discovery. The space is way more appropriate for a snake that size and now has adequate land area and much more aquatic space. The former anaconda exhibit has tarp covering the viewing. The former pygmy marmoset exhibit in Primate Panorama is also covered up but with a large, wall colored window cling. There is A LOT of land cleared for the new vet hospital. I thought the new hospital would just replace the old one but the land is cleared and there are work walls from the bighorn sheep exhibit to the event space in front of the cheetah exhibit. Speaking of the sheep, the bighorn sheep exhibit's viewing area is inaccessible and the bighorn sheep were moved to the dall sheep exhibit next to is which is unaffected by the construction. There is no sign of the dall sheep and I couldn't see if the simply switched exhibits or not. So now for my thoughts on the new exhibit. The theming is really good around the exhibit for the most part. New gardens, the signage, the camping accessories (including a bag hung in a tree) are all done well. There are some young trees planted and we will probably need to wait a couple years to get the full effect of a state park. In terms of the first yard, the space probably quadruples the grizzlies former space. There is a nice stream running through the middle part of the yard and a lean-to type shelter. There are a couple cave like structures. One built into the back wall and one that was formerly the polar bear underwater viewing. There is a lot of natural dirt and when I visited, both bears were lounging in a hole they dug. The yard is a bit bare in terms of foliage with no trees and just some patches of grass in the corners. They probably need some time to grow but if the bears keep digging up the dirt, I'm not sure if it will happen to any significant extent. It would have been very nice to see some sort of foliage whether it a transplanted tree or some bushes surrounding the yard. Without greenery, this yard looks out of place with the surrounding theming. which is supposed to be a lush state park. Another odd thing was that they put up a bunch of wooden fencing around the exhibit that make it impossible to view the bears from any point other than the windowed areas. I can see this causing a lot of congestion when the zoo is busy and I even had issues finding a point that I could view the bears and it was not a very busy day. The second yard fits its own theming even less than the first yard. The second yard is supposed to be a backyard with a swimming pool, bird feeders and a porch. But if you look around those things, the second yard is even more bare than the first in terms of foliage. Backyards have a distinct look to them. Concrete mock rock is not anything that I would see in any backyard and it really distracts from the aesthetic the zoo was looking for. Any sort of bush, foliage, or even a wooden fence that lines the wall would really bring the theme together much better than what is here. The viewing areas for the second yard are pretty nice for the most part. The first has a training wall while the second looks like you are looking at the pool through a living room window. There are bookcases, a desk with a fake computer at it, a couch and a side table, all with educational materials regarding bears. There is an odd section of the second viewing window with a wall between the two panes of glass. This is right in front of the pool and I feel the same issue of congestion will come up especially when the bears choose to swim in the pool. As you move on from the second bear yard, you come up to the former arctic fox exhibit. Or whats left of it. It's now a gravel rectangle with a DipinDots stand on it. The former NA river otter exhibit next door is also apparently empty but the walls and windows are still there. Just painted and covered with Harmony Hill art and theming with no indication as to where the otters are. This is pretty disappointing as I thought the otter exhibit was decent and without them, the bears are the only species in the entire area. The seals and sea lions next door are still considered "Northern Shores" on the map and theming. On one of the state park themed signs, It has some removable plaques that describe the "animals in the area" with only three plaques on it (there is room for up to 6) one of which is the grizzlies and the other two are literally for the wild Canadian geese and tree squirrels. Harmony Hill (new for 2019) by Echobeast posted 28 May 2019 at 7:37 PM Harmony Hill (new for 2019) by Echobeast posted 28 May 2019 at 7:37 PM Harmony Hill (new for 2019) by Echobeast posted 28 May 2019 at 7:37 PM Harmony Hill (new for 2019) by Echobeast posted 28 May 2019 at 7:37 PM Harmony Hill (new for 2019) by Echobeast posted 28 May 2019 at 7:37 PM Grizzly bears by Echobeast posted 28 May 2019 at 7:37 PM Harmony Hill (new for 2019) by Echobeast posted 28 May 2019 at 7:37 PM Harmony Hill (new for 2019) by Echobeast posted 28 May 2019 at 7:37 PM Harmony Hill (new for 2019) by Echobeast posted 28 May 2019 at 7:37 PM Harmony Hill (new for 2019) by Echobeast posted 28 May 2019 at 7:37 PM Harmony Hill (new for 2019) by Echobeast posted 28 May 2019 at 7:37 PM Harmony Hill (new for 2019) by Echobeast posted 28 May 2019 at 7:37 PM Harmony Hill to me seems like an exhibit that was built not because of the want or desire to create an immersive North American or Colorado wildlife exhibit complex, but out of necessity to get the grizzly bear siblings out of Bear Mountain ASAP. There is room for other animals. The zoo could have meshed the second yard in and created a new habitat for their bald eagles. The river otter exhibit could have been kept how it was and it would have made a great compliment to the grizzly habitat and connected Harmony Hill better with Northern Shores. which are now pretty different in aesthetics. I don't want to ramble for too long but the past two new exhibits for Denver have been pretty disappointing in terms of theming and immersion. Both The Edge and Harmony Hill are vast improvements for the animals they contain but are the epitome of function over form. The Edge is a giant black metal cage with the oddest choices for guest viewing I've seen for a tiger exhibit and Harmony Hill could have been so much better if the animal exhibits matched the theming. After the two new exhibits before The Edge (Predator Ridge and Elephant Passage) being considered world class and what other zoos look to emulate around the country, all I can say is that it's disappointing and I hope whatever renovation comes next is aligned with PR and EP rather than the newest exhibits.
Thank you for your review and perspectives on Denver’s direction, Harmony Hill looks like lipstick on a pig (no offense to our zoo swine friends)!
More on the sea eagle chick. Apparently the parents were bickering about who would sit on the chick so the father was sent to Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. Unfortunately, he is off exhibit. Steller sea-eagle father banished to another zoo ahead of chick’s birth
In honor of Pride Month, here's a story about a gay flamingo couple at the zoo. Denver Zoo shares story of same-sex ‘love birds’
Planning on visiting the zoo later this summer and was wondering if anyone could point out the main rarities to pay attention to. I plan on spending a whole day at the zoo and trying to see everything but would really like to focus on species that are rarely seen in other facilities, especially birds.
There’s an Egyptian vulture in the Forest Aviary in Primate Panorama. They also have cinereous vultures outside the Pachyderms building. Most people miss the kea and the cassowaries around Bird World so be sure to walk around the building and not just through it. Secretary birds are in one of the okapi yards (the one closest to elephants). The primate collection has some rarities such as the previously mentioned aye-ayes (wait in the room they are in for a few minutes. It’s very dark but the past few times I’ve been there, the animals have been super active. Your eyes will adjust), red-crested mangabies and golden-cheeked gibbons which are all rare primates in AZA zoos. Tropical Discovery has some gems too with Lake Titicaca frogs and Siamese crocodiles. If you are going the full day, definitely try and catch one of the Elephant Passage shows. Most of the time, the elephant ends up in the moat and swims for a bit. It’s right next to an Asian restaurant which is the best place to have lunch in the zoo in my opinion. There a show at 11:30 everyday so I usually have lunch and watch the demo.
