I don't know but they usually have a docent there, so next time I visit I'll ask. If I can find out an answer I'll post it. I haven't heard anything about this being a problem but I may have missed something.
Just some observations from a visit last week (no pictures, because I only had a very long lens with me): - the river otter exhibit is closed and fenced/tarped off for renovation/expansion - nothing is happening with the tiger exhibit yet - about a dozen extremely tall trees have been planted in the giraffe enclosure - the stone wall between the aardvark and warthog exhibits has been removed, the entire area graded, and I saw at least one aardvark “tube” set in the former warthog area, so it appears the entire area may be going to be dedicated to the aardvarks - the prairie dog exhibit is still closed, but all the dirt has been replaced and new sod is in place - the large unused, grassy area across the path from the horse corral has been fenced off with the same fencing that currently surrounds the horses; I can’t imagine what will be happening there - the Rainforest Immersion Gallery inside the Amphibian Center is closed and is apparently going to be renovated as a larger space for the Japanese Salamanders; per a docent, it may be fall before it is finished/started?; Homer, the sloth, has been moved to the old meerkat exhibit behind the lion enclosure, and a Southern African Python is now also on display in that same building - the outdoor aviary between the lions and the sloth exhibit now houses two Kookaburras; the Curassow and the Blue-bellied Roller that were there last year are no longer in that exhibit - I’ve only ever noticed one Siamese Crocodile in the reptile house before, but now I see two, and the glass wall between their area and the Water Monitor area has been removed and the Water Monitor is no longer on display - Davey, the Binturong, died last fall - there used to be two, but now there is only one Bald Eagle on display, and now only one is mentioned on their website - there used to be two, but now there is only one Przewalski’s Horse on display, and now only one is mentioned on their website - their website used to mention 18 kangaroos; now they state there are 17 - one seal died; there are now only 4 - the older wolverine died last summer; only Anna is left, though I haven’t seen her the last several times I visited - the two Tree Kangaroos are no longer listed on their website, though I did see one of them in the exhibit last week - last fall, the male Red Panda was moved into the Lemur display; now the lemurs are back in their exhibit, I’ve only seen two of the Red Pandas in their area, and the male is no longer listed on their website - the website continues to list four zebras, but I’ve only ever seen three in the exhibit - very large evergreen trees have been added to the Japanese Macaque and Grizzly Bear exhibits (not planted trees, but trees that have been cut down from other areas) - lots of sprucing up is taking place…replacing broken fencing, mulching, scrubbing of water holes, etc.; things look nice! That’s all for now.
Hi Miss Gulch, Thanks for the long list of updates. Are white-lipped deer on exhibit anymore? If I recall correctly, they were in the same exhibit as the Przewalski's horse. Thanks!
Hi, jayjds2. Yes, there are still white-lipped deer in the Prezewalski's horse enclosure, along with the Bactrian camels and elk.
It is listed as 125 acres. I don't know if that includes the parking lots. But if you take a look at a map, you'll see there wasn't much room to expand the elephant exhibit. The bear dens could use upgrading.
I just added a few pictures of the newly expanded North American River Otter exhibit from my visit yesterday. Please excuse the dark edges from my lens hood; I wanted to retain as much of the images as possible.
Small update from yesterday's visit: 1) One of the two drills died last week. 2) We have another camel and yesterday was her first day out in the exhibit. From the signage: "Welcome our newest arrival, Rusi, a female Bactrian camel born at 11:40 p.m. on July 31, 2017, to parents Suren and Rusty."
