Lost Forest pretty easily, although it’s probably unfair to put it on a list like this considering it takes up 40% of the zoo.
My choice is Africa Rocks, Lost Forest is a close second though. I know some aren’t head over heels for this new exhibit but every visit I’ve had for the past couple months, I keep coming back to it and sticking around longer than usual. On my last visit, I had the fortune of seeing all 5 lemur species interacting with one another, many infant Hamadryas Baboons who seemed to be playful with guests, the leopards and fossa showing off their impeccable climbing skills, many colorful and lively birds who are frequently creating nests within arms reach, and penguins taking a dive along with the leopard sharks. Yes it’s not as immersive as Lost Forest or anywhere near as massive in size, but I think it does well in brining in zoo guests especially well designed for larger crowds and there seems to be something for every type of avid zoo goer. Personally I feel that this aviary is perhaps the best due to being able to see most of the signed birds and actually see them performing nesting behaviors that engrosses many. The primates all seem to enjoy their home and socialize so well with on another, showing off group dynamics especially with the Hamadryas Baboons. Then there is the lovely mixture of smaller mammals at the Rock Kopje that is sure to make those who pass by feel adoration for them. I’m sorry for ranting about it but I do thoroughly love this exhibit and contends to be my all time favorite next to Tiger Trail and Walkabout Australia at the safari park
I voted for Lost Forest, as it exists it is a combination of several exhibit complexes completed over a long period of time, each one being of high quality. Comprehensively it is so vast that it is hard to compare the other exhibit complexes to.
It might just be me but Lost Forest feels like a cheat as it really is several different complexes (Monkey Trails, Ituri Forest, Tiger River, Gorilla Tropics, etc.) all built at different times with different styles and all a complete experience in their own right.
@TZDugong To be fair, I think that much of the Asian Passage area and also parts of the Northern Frontier alongside most of the Urban Jungle area aren't that good in my opinion.
I'd honestly be hard-pressed to say what is a definitive "favorite" exhibit at the San Diego Zoo given that each zone (Lost Forest, Northern Frontier, Elephant Odyssey, Outback, Asian Passage, Urban Jungle *to an extent*) provides a unique experience, and such I would be comparing apples to oranges to mangoes to grapes to (in the case of Urban Jungle) a pineapple-topped-pizza. I'd say my top three favorite zones in order would be Lost Forest (particularly Tiger River, Gorilla Tropics, Absolutely Apes and Ituri Forest, haven't seen the Australasian Aviaries and only saw a glimpse of the Scripps Aviary), Elephant Odyssey (revisiting the theme I do wish they made the whole "Pleistocene vs. Holocene" (IIRC this is the current term) theme more apparent and the exhibits a tad more naturalistic), and Northern Frontier. Asian Passage was pre Outback was nice (LOVED seeing my first Tasmanian devils), Urban Jungle has some nice bits of history and some decent plantings but is otherwise an honestly kind of pretentious retheming of Elephant Mesa (complete with "high-end animal encounters"), and Discovery Outpost I didn't visit as we ran out of time. And of course Africa Rocks was under construction when I visited.
These three posts are like a character arc taking place across a three act film except it just happened instantly over the course of an hour with nothing causing it ~Thylo
I seriously am baffled why these are up. I was there last month and they are glaringly bad. The langurs have a better home near the sun bears and the aye ayes need an off exhibit home or add the proposed habitat albeit late to Africa Rocks.
Agreed although these are worse by miles I’d say, like they look as if they were made 100 years ago and the grottos at least are more open air and some more enrichment too.
Yeah but when you have animals as large as Grizzly Bears in spaces roughly the size of only four bears I don't think the enrichment and open air matters too much.. ~Thylo
I agree their homes are way too small for the bears or not as stimulating but they are undoubtedly better off than the prehistoric cages the aye ayes and langurs have. I do hope that most of the Asian Passage area that consists of the grottos and the cages are demolished in the near future after the Children’s Zoo is completed. It would be nice to the home for the bears redone and maybe in a way that specifically geared to each specie or can be substituted for a similar species of bear just in case and will take well to their settings. The Nashville Zoo Trek of the Andean Bear is one idea that can help make a more appropriate setting for their bears
I hope the monkey cages will be abandoned due to budget costs. If anything’s gonna go, it will be bear canyon and the monkey cages.
