On August 27th, I visited the Brookfield Zoo for the second time ever, and, man, is it unbelievable! Milwaukee and Chicago have been rivals in almost any category you can name. But in terms of zoos, this one definitely blows Milwaukee County Zoo out of the water! Brookfield Zoo Review Chicago Zoological Society - Zoo Home The zoo opened in 1934, and has always been known as among the zoos that first attempted creating naturalistic habitats. It began with the bear grottoes, and had since been renovating old buildings into immersive habitat powerhouses. (more info later) In this review, I will once again describe the exhibits in order of what I saw them. Enjoy! Australia House - The building is divided into two parts. The first part seems to be a day time room. It begins with some small displays for a variety of reptiles and amphibians, ranging from snakes and skinks, to a giant monitor lizard and cane toads. At the end of the room, there's a good mixed species exhibit with bird species and short-nosed echidna. It was pretty neat seeing an egg-laying mammal for only the second time in my life. After this, visitors travel along a boardwalk to the night time room. There are only two species here: wombat and (I think) fruit bats. The wombats have got three exhibits. Two of them are not that great because they're small, have little natural features, and, due to the path that has them almost completely surrounded, it looks like they're given little privacy. The third exhibit is larger and better, with a stream and some sand for digging. Before leaving the building, there is a neat walkthrough bat cave. Surrounding the building are okay exhibits for cassowary, kangaroo, and emu. An above average exhibit for emu and kangaroos to live together complete the Australian area. Hoofstock Row - Four okay exhibits for Bactrian camel, Mongolian wild horse, zebra, and a large herd of addax (including a cute 1 month old calf) make up this unexciting section. Habitat Africa! The Savannah - I love zoo exhibits with African animals, but, in my opinion, this one is a little disappointing. It starts strong with an excellent savannah for reticulated giraffe and a great scrubland-like exhibit for African wild dog, but then the rest is only of average quality. First, the aardvark house is home to a unique creature (WOW! Those things are HUGE!), but the indoor and outdoor exhibit is on the small side for them. It would be perfect for meerkats, but the aardvarks need a bigger home. Next is the giraffe building, which is uniquely designed to resemble a kopje. The main room serves as a free flight aviary, as well as the place where two corner exhibits for klipspringers are. Both are designed to resemble a mountaintop, and are average quality, but a bit too small in my opinion. A cave-like room is pretty cool and home to dwarf mongoose, pancake tortoise, and a snake (can't remember the species). The final part of the building has the indoor giraffe room and a medium sized yard for tortoises (don't remember the species). Lastly, there's a large grassy exhibit for waterbuck. It is above-average, but I would have liked to see the zebras from the hoofstock area move here. All in all, this exhibit has potential, but is missing out on some things. Habitat Africa! The Forest - Across from the savannah is the more successful Habitat Africa! exhibit. You move along a winding path through the "jungle," crossing a river and reading several interesting facts about the forest people. Soon, the first exhibit for the okapi is seen. With the exception of the visible chainlink fence, it is a great exhibit. Next door is a duiker exhibit of the same quality as the okapi exhibit. You then enter an immersive African rainforest building. Exhibits for dwarf crocodile, red duiker, chameleon, and snakes are seen here. The indoor okapi pen can be seen too. Once outside, you come across a second okapi exhibit. It is the same quality as the first enclosure, but a bit smaller. I believe I saw a third exhibit behind this enclosure as well. You then go down a path that leads to the end of the Forest. Originally, there was a path that took you to the forest buffalo and red river hog facilities, but it was closed down. The buffalo went to a different zoo, and the hogs were relocated to a different exhibit in the zoo, but I couldn't find them. Great Bear Wilderness - This brand-new complex opened in 2010, but is overall average. Once again, the exhibit starts strong with a spacious American bison meadow. The neat thing about this single enclosure is that it goes over the visitor pathway (and entrance to the area), forming a sort of bridge to another part of the exhibit. And an added bonus, the sound of a bison stampede can be heard underneath the bridge! Before going down the main trail, there's a village with the Bison Prairie Grill restaurant, and the Bear Crossing gift shop. You then leave the village behind as make your way down the path. The first exhibit to be seen is a small bald eagle aviary, which is grassy and has a large tree in the middle. A decent exhibit. Next, is a really good gray wolf exhibit. The woodland habitat is large, and makes you feel like you're truly in the world of the wolf. There are plenty of cool interactive stations that are wolf-related, too, like the room where you listen to constant howling in the dark. Then, comes the namesake bears. Three identical exhibits have got grass, a few trees, rocky walls, and deep pools, two of which have underwater viewing. The other exhibit has an up close view into a den, like a hibernating bear would have. The exhibits are an improvement over the concrete grottoes (never saw them, but looked bad), but could've been better. It was a thrill to be there during the bear feeding, however - they came right up to the glass! Overall, "Great Bear Wilderness" is probably more like "Good Bear Canyon." The Living Coast - This is one of four major immersive buildings (ones that have been drastically transformed from their original form). People walk along on a squishy floor (nice touch!) for most of the trip through the building. The first tank is home to freshwater fish, like large and smallmouth bass, among others. Then, a focus on the ocean begins to take shape. It begins with a barren tank for rays and some more fish, followed by a jellyfish display, and another tank for leopard shark and some more fish. It is the best fish tank with enormous rocks and tall seaweed plants growing. Then, the coast comes into view with a neat bird display. Species include Humboldt penguins, terns, and more species that I don't recall. The habitat has a large rocky wall with holes for the flying birds to nest in. Though the exhibit is good for these birds, the penguins are reduced to a small amount of land and a somewhat small pool. Perhaps the best part of the exhibit is that people view the birds from a shipwrecked boat. The exhibit finishes with a cave full of tarantulas, snakes, and vampire bats. Baboon Island - Guinea baboons have a good-sized exhibit, but the fact that it's all concrete for the surface, except for some large logs, doesn't really appeal to me in my opinion. If there was some grass on the flat parts of the exhibit, then it would be better. The Swamp - The original primate house. In 1996, it got a massive renovation. And now, it is what it is today: an immersive powerhouse. People walk on another squishy pathway as they wind their way through the wetlands. The first habitat is home to some birds (little help with the species), and some displays of venomous snakes. Next, a boardwalk overlooks a pond of ibis, and one of two American alligator pools. This gator pool, along with the other next door one, are identical in quality (average) and size (between small and medium). After that, a shack designed area has a multitude of invertebrates, such as the walking stick, black widow spider, and grasshoppers, some amphibians, and two exhibits for rats. I'm not sure how I would rate these individual exhibits. The last display of The Swamp is more Illinois based. The first exhibit has an average exhibit for ducks, followed by a rocky below-average river otter exhibit, and a too-small snapping turtle pond. Of the four immersion powerhouses, this one is the best one in my opinion. Tropic World - Ah, the infamous rainforest house! This enormous indoor primate display opened in the 80's. The first display is the smallest of the three and is for South American wildlife. Species here include capuchin monkeys, spider monkeys, squirrel monkeys, a Brazilian tapir, and a giant anteater. The second area of the building is the home of Asian animals. Gibbons and small-clawed otters occupy a much bigger space in the room compared to the small, horrible island for orangutans. The last room is the best one. One side of the room has mandrills, colobus monkeys, a pygmy hippo, and a couple of other monkey species. The other side is where the notorious gorilla exhibit is. Here's what I say about this great ape exhibit: if this is just the indoor area and there's an outdoor exhibit too, then this exhibit's average. However, because this all the gorillas have to live in, then it's below average. At least it's much better than Buffalo's all-indoor room. Tropic World, like some other exhibits in the zoo, has potential. It just needs to replace the concrete ground with something like wood chips, and probably make the fake trees have some vegetation. Pachyderms - Black rhinos have a nice exhibit that is half grass, half dirt, along with a mud wallow. A pygmy hippo has a small not-so-great exhibit with only a mud wallow for entertainment. The Nile hippos have the best exhibit of the animals here, with a large pool, and a nice grassy shore to rest on. Lastly, a Brazilian tapir has the lushest exhibit of all the residents in this area. African elephants used to live here as well. When I came here last year, the single female, Joyce, looked like she had an average exhibit. The indoor part of the pachyderm house is now open, but I didn't have time to take a look inside. Fragile Desert - This is one of three sections of the Fragile Kingdom part of the zoo, and another immersion powerhouse. You travel underneath a white tent-like ceiling for most of the journey. The first exhibit is for a colony of meerkats. It may be all indoors, but its quality makes up for it. There is a fake termite mound, a whole lot of space, and a rock mound with holes in it, so the critters could get some privacy. Next door is a mixed species exhibit for bat-eared fox and African crested porcupine. A neat thing about the exhibit is that it seems to rise up, and the visitor path slopes down. Underneath that exhibit is the area for a naked mole rat colony. What a nice touch! In the next room, you cross a bridge that separates two species: the rock hyrax and the caracal (not on exhibit due to the birth of kittens). The exhibits have a rocky wall with ledges to rest on, along with a concrete floor - identical and average. Now the pathway converts into a cave like setting. The first exhibit has a facility for aging and injured meerkats. It was the former home of the dwarf mongoose. Next is a roomy excellent display for fennec fox. The final exhibits are black-footed cat. Fragile Hunters - It may house the most popular animals in the Fragile Kingdom, but the exhibits are below-average to me. An Amur leopard, African lions, sloth bears, an Amur tiger, and a snow leopard all have grassy grottoes with little detail to them. Fragile Rainforest - The weakest of the four immersive powerhouses. You start off with an above-average display for binturong (those animals stink!), small-clawed otters, and Prevost's squirrel. An okay exhibit for burmese python is around the corner, along with two cat exhibits. The first is an average one for clouded leopard, and the other is a weak one for fishing cat. The exhibit finishes off with a snake and bird exhibit. Pinniped Point - I wasn't a big fan of this exhibit. Gray seals, harbor seals, and California sea lions have horrid exhibits above the water, but when you go to the underwater viewing, everything is uphill. The visitor area looks a lot like the dock of a harbor, and the sea lions frolic and play right by the glass! The Seven Seas - The bottlenose dolphin aquarium. I have no opinion about the exhibit quality, but I will point out that is a little small for seven dolphins (and one on the way) to live in. NOTE: There are two areas of the zoo I didn't see due to time restraints: the Feathers and Scales building, and the Reptile and Bird building. Overall: Brookfield Zoo is definitely among the best in the country! Of the 12 zoos I visited, this one is #2 on the list; only Columbus beats Brookfield. The future of the zoo looks very bright as well. With the new additions of an outdoor gorilla exhibit, a new elephant center, and a new Asian section, among others, this is a zoo to look out for!
I really enjoyed your review, as it was well-written and extremely informative. Thanks for posting it! Brookfield is a huge facility that takes many hours to see and I personally rank it in America's top 15 zoos. The collection is massive and there is a great representation of many continents and species, but I feel that the exhibitry is not as impressive as it should be for a zoo of its size and fame. A few comments: - Is there a sign where the red river hog/forest buffalo trail was? Is there not another species in that exhibit? - Did you see the old concrete grottoes for the bears? Is that area closed off to the public or are there any animals in the old bear grottoes? - Did you also skip the children's zoo? - How long was your visit?
Great review. I just visited this zoo for the first time in early July, and think you descibed it perfectly. I also have a few comments: - I enjoyed the hoofstock exhibits mainly for one reason, they have two zebra species right next to each other. Maybe you didn't notice, but I think it makes for a fairly interesting exhibit. - I think you desribed the feel of Habitat Africa The Savannah pretty accuratly, except that the aardvark exhibit was poor. I though it was pretty nice, especially with an outdoor area. I don't think they are extremely active creatures. Lincoln Park's is better though. - When I was there, the duiker inside Habitat Africa The Forest was a blue duiker, instead of red. - Birds in the Humboldt penguin exhibit were Inca tern and grey gull. - I think the first swamp exhibit had snowy egrets, little blue herons, and a third heron (green heron?) -I believe that alligator snapping turtles prefer tight spaces, so I think the exhibit is actually decent for them. -There were dwarf mongooses in there when I went! I like this idea better, as it was too small for the mongooses, but probably better for elderly meerkats. -The only reason you should have gon in Perching Birds building would be for the red bird-of-paradise. Other than that, pretty boring. These comments were not meant to detract from this excellent and well-writted review. Did you go to the Lincoln Park zoo or Shedd Aquarium while in Chicago? @snowleopard: When I went, the old bear grottos were open to the public, but empty. ([ame="http://www.flickr.com/photos/nvarvel/5947795652/in/set-72157627217387844"]Unused Grotto | Flickr - Photo Sharing!@@AMEPARAM@@http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6123/5947795652_e717e00a1d_m.jpg@@AMEPARAM@@5947795652@@AMEPARAM@@e717e00a1d[/ame])
Thanks for the replies, guys! @snowleopard: There were no signs at all. The trail to the exhibits was just barricaded off. I didn't purchase a pass for the zoo extras (Children's Zoo, Dolphin Show, etc.), so I didn't go to the children's zoo. My visit lasted for about seven hours. @KCZooFan: Yeah, I understand there's both Grevy's zebra and Grant's zebra there, but only Grant's zebra were on display. As for the duikers, it said on the sign that the female red duiker is new and getting used to her new habitat for breeding. A male is supposed to arrive soon. The blue duiker was outside, however. You think they may rotate? Thanks a lot for all the species list too! I didn't have time to visit Lincoln Park Zoo or Shedd Aquarium during the weekend. I do want to go sometime in the future however! @Team Tapir: Too bad about the bear grottoes being demolished eventually. I understand they may take up space, but they could be a nice historic element to show off.
I didn't see a red duiker outside, just yellow-backed. I am a little angry that I missed that, as I've never seen one before! Brookfield was a good choice, as, while both Lincoln Park and Shedd are great institutions, Brookfield is just miles ahead of both of them. As you live only 2 hours? from Chicago, I'd think you'd be able to make it down there somewhat often. Great review though!
A great review matey, Tell me was the silverback still on display, when l was lats there a couple of years back he was suffering terribly from arthritis and on allot of medication for pain ect.
Yesterday was my 3rd visit (the others being 2010 and 2011) to Brookfield Zoo, and it certainly was a blast! A lot has changed at the facility in the last couple of years. I realize that most of these have been described in the regular Brookfield Zoo thread, but I thought I'd just gather them in one place again, along with some of my opinions. The updates will be described in the order of my review. Australia House - New decks were added in front of two of the four outdoor habitats: the wallaby/kangaroo enclosure, and the awesome kangaroo/emu open woodland habitat. Inside, the lighting for the wombat and bat enclosures changed from dim regular lighting to pink and dark blue in color. My favorite part of this complex was seeing an active wombat just inches away as it climbed on some rock next to the wall were I was looking. Also, I saw four echidnas in their habitat; last couple times I saw just a pair that would waddle the perimeter of the exhibit, but this time the four monotremes were climbing on logs and rocks - the most active I've ever seen them. Hoofstock Row - This area is the same as the previous two visits: a row of similar size and quality enclosures that are average at best. The species count on my visit was: two Bactrian camels, two Przewalski's wild horses, a single Grant's zebra, and a herd of six addax; two of which were a couple months old. Habitat Africa! The Savannah - In my review, I considered this complex average, mostly because of some of its unfulfilled potential. However, since my visit, this area seemed to receive the most changes. First, the kopje (klipspringers and indoor giraffe pens) was closed for renovation, then the African wild dog habitat was being renovated, set for completion sometime in September. Unfortunately, the renovation consists of a natural hill that sloped down towards the public now being replaced by a brick wall to form a deep moat. A decrease in quality and space for such a unique carnivore! Next door, the waterbuck have been joined once again by ostriches and warthogs (both of which I saw in 2010, but not 2011). However, the ostriches were nowhere to be seen, and the warthogs were in a separate exhibit behind the aardvark house. I did, however, find another interesting new resident in the waterbuck habitat: a red river hog. Habitat Africa! The Forest - As reported on here, there has been an okapi calf born a couple months ago (the latest in the Zoo's baby-boom); however, the calf won't be on display for another month because, according to a person I talked to, the mother has died and the calf is being hand-reared. Inside the building, the former red duiker exhibit is now home to red-billed hornbill, and royal antelope are due to join the exhibit soon. Back outside, the path to the buffalo and red river hog exhibits has been reopened. The forest buffalo exhibit now holds a yellow-backed duiker, and the red river hog exhibit remains just the same as I last saw it in 2010. Great Bear Wilderness - While their home is being renovated, the African wild dogs are staying in what is normally an off-display area for the Mexican gray wolves. I know the wild dogs aren't part of North America, but boy do I wish they could stay there - the exhibit is much better than what awaits them back at the Savannah. Other than that, I didn't notice any other major changes here. The Swamp - Whether it's just to add diversity to the animal collection or the beginning of a new South American complex, either way this building has seen some of its Florida species replaced by South American wildlife. Orinoco crocodiles have replaced American alligators, piranhas were added, and a row of tanks that once held venomous snakes from the Southeast U.S. are now home to lizards and snakes from South America. Unfortunately, I don't recall the species besides some cobra species and a large monitor lizard. Also, most of the shack, which holds invertebrates, was closed down; only about 5 tiny tanks for black widow spiders, centipedes, and others remain. The rest of the building still maintains its Florida-theme. Tropic World - Many animals have moved out of here: the lowland tapir and pygmy hippo have moved to new homes in the Pachyderm House (a big improvement), and I believe the mandrills went to a different facility. In South America, the giant anteater and capuchin monkeys now rotate everyday because they don't get along; the capuchins were out on my visit. Also, a small island right in front of the viewing area holds a pair of cottontop tamarins - they were just a few feet away from the crowd! Then, they climbed all the way to the top of their tree to rest. In Africa, the mixed-monkey habitat is down to just two species: colobus and (I believe) red-capped mangabey. Pachyderm House - As stated above, the lowland tapir and pygmy hippo have moved from their previous Tropic World homes to the habitats that border this building. One hippo occupies the habitat that used to be home to a Nile hippo, and the other still lives in the tiny poor pen next door. It was, however, a thrill to be just a few feet away from the little hippo as it walked along the edge of the pen! Finally, a breeding pair of Baird's tapir now occupies the habitat in between the lowland tapir and pygmy hippo. Fragile Desert - The mixed-species habitat that held African crested porcupines and bat-eared foxes now holds just a porcupine. The bat-eared fox was found in the excellent fennec fox habitat, and the fennec fox could be seen in a small den. Also, the cave that held sick and injured meerkats on my last visit was being renovated; dwarf mongoose will live in there once again. Lastly, the caracal pit (across from the hyraxes) was empty again - anyone know if the caracals were shipped out? Fragile Hunters - Nothing new here, besides the birth of sloth bear cubs in January (who weren't out ) and a snow leopard cub (who will be on exhibit next month). Fragile Rainforest - The mixed-species habitat that features binturongs, Asian small-clawed otters, and Prevost's squirrel is still the best habitat in what is, in my opinion, a weak complex. This time, the otters and squirrels were out and about, and the binturongs weren't around. Ironically, on my last two visits, the binturong was always out, but not the otters and squirrels. Lastly, the aviary at the end of the complex (drat - forgot the species again!) was being renovated. Pinniped Point - Nothing new here - same old same old. Seven Seas - Besides the birth of two dolphin calves soon, no news. NOTE - I didn't get a chance to see The Living Coast, Baboon Island (I thought I heard that it's under renovation for Hamadryas baboons to replace Guinea baboons), the Reptile and Bird building, or Feathers and Scales. HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: After missing out on seeing okapis in St. Louis, it was thrill to see my favorite animal once again! At first, I got nervous when the first habitat was empty, and the gate to the habitat behind it was opened. But then, in strolled the awesome okapi! It stood for a while browsing from the trees before it strolled back the way it came.
Thanks jusko88. Good to hear about the caracal kittens. The caracals were off-display on my 2011 visit as well due to the birth of kittens.
For the first time in 4.5 years, I returned to Brookfield Zoo a couple weeks ago! I had a great visit, seeing the establishment in a different season other than summer, noting the various changes, and of course, seeing some cool animals. Here's a little trip report: Australia House - I've always adored this complex. Not only is the collection of Aussie animals very impressive, but the attention to details are superb. From the signage to the theming of the visitor walkways, this is some of Brookfield's best immersive detailing. The first room is brightly lit, and is home to various reptiles and amphibians in solid exhibits (a couple standouts I remember are cane toad, water dragon, and woma python), and an aviary at one end of the room that features colorful birds (no more echidnas) and a naturalistic outback-like appearance - I enjoyed trying to find all six species. Things get even better in the nocturnal section, with the large, nice wombat habitat (featuring a specimen trying to get comfortable in its nest box), the pair of sandy pit-like exhibits for five or six(!) echidnas (formerly home to some of the wombats), a large kookaburra/tawny frogmouth habitat, and a cool walkthrough bat habitat. Outside, the only major change was the unfortunate loss of the cassowary, but it was nice to see its replacement species (burrowing geese) for the first time ever. Hoofed Animals - To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of this row of paddocks. By no means awful, just adequate, generic, and nothing more. The only notable changes from my previous visit were no more Grant's zebra (the last one passed one some time ago, and now addax occupy the exhibit), addax were off-display due to the cold, and I did venture further down the path and saw the Grevy's zebras for the first time. On a side note, the Bactrian camels and Przewalski's wild horses looked cool in their thick, winter coats. Habitat Africa! The Savannah - I used to think of this complex as average. However, going through here again, I actually am starting to see it in a little better light. The giraffe and African wild dog habitats are still excellent, but the kopje building really grabbed my attention this time around. Not only are the educational and immersive features well-done, but I found the exhibits generally better than I recall before. The cave featuring dwarf mongoose, lizards, and two tortoise species is pretty cool, the free flight aviary is impressive, the klipspringer habitats look fairly natural though a bit too small, and even the average-sized indoor giraffe pens look nicely designed. Recent changes include no more warthogs, the closing of the aardvark house, which despite being too small for them, is still an unfortunate loss; and apparently the mixed-species habitat no longer houses waterbuck. It'll be neat to see what becomes of the exhibit, though I personally see this as an opportunity to move the zebras down here along with mixing in the gerenuk and dik-dik (both yet to be seen by me) and maybe adding a bird species or two, an improvement over their current exhibits and fulfilling this exhibit's full potential. Habitat Africa! The Forest - Ah, my first sighting of the pangolin! It was a real treat to finally see this recently-introduced species - probably the highlight of the entire visit. Another nice change I saw was the addition of an outdoor red-flanked duiker exhibit, and it looks like it would be a nice, lush habitat during the warmer months. There were a few disappointments I noticed though. Thanks to the bare winter trees, I could now see the full outline of the first okapi exhibit, and it's quite smaller than I remember; the pangolin exhibit is also a bit on the small side and so-so quality in my opinion; the trail to the red river hog and duiker exhibits was closed (to be fair this could've just been a seasonal happening); and the new outdoor duiker exhibit is completely enclosed in chain-link. So, while my opinion on this area has decreased a bit, I still feel it's a nice section. After all, what other zoo exhibit complex highlights okapi (my favorite animal) as its star? Great Bear Wilderness - The main update I noticed is one of the bear exhibits was undergoing renovations during my visit. The grizzlies were dozing by the window in one habitat, and the polar bears were in the waterfall habitat. Hudson and Nan the polar bears were put together for the day, and it was interesting to watch the tense meeting between the bears, as they eventually tolerated one another's space in the exhibit. This 2010 addition seems to get a bit of a mixed response on here. Personally I'm kind of stuck in the middle in terms of opinions on this complex. Most of this complex is nice as on one hand, the large bison habitat is solid, and the up-close views and the way the space goes over the visitors is cool; the bald eagle aviary is nice though small; Wolf Woods, the Mexican gray wolf habitat, is a fantastic, naturalistic habitat and featured an active pack that seemed to be digging a new den; and the educational signage is impressive with its ties to Native American cultures. However, what brings this complex down is the trio of bear habitats - they're generally described as just modern-day grottoes, and I agree - they looked especially disappointing and barren on a wet winter's day. Tropic World - There were a few nice additions and memorable moments I saw here. In South America (this is now the best of the three rooms in my opinion), a sloth has a resting area on the back wall, along with a vine to climb over to the Goeldi's monkey island next to the visitor path; a pair of giant anteaters was wandering the ground area - I'm always so intrigued by those creatures; and several monkey species were climbing and jumping all around the fake trees. In Asia (probably the weakest area), there is a new slow loris habitat that was mostly covered, but looked nice from what I could see. Finally in Africa, the spot-nosed guenons and colobus monkeys were sticking together in their troops and were a joy to watch. Next door, there were two young gorillas that were pretty active. One even climbed wadded through the water and climbed on the mesh below the bridge, while the colobus watched. I admit, I do feel bad for this indoor rainforest complex. I am always amazed by the size and scope of the building, the climbing opportunities and space for most of the primates, and the social interactions between the large groups of monkeys. However, I certainly agree that it is unnatural in appearance and the lack of outdoor access especially for the great apes (the unnatural orangutan island, where I saw no red apes, along with that tiny side exhibit for the old male gorilla are especially terrible) are significant detriments to the facility; but, with the right renovation job like adding mulch, greenery that is artificial and/or able to thrive somehow, and adding outdoor spaces for its occupants especially the apes, I get the feeling that this could be a return to glory. Pachyderms - My visit marked the first time I ventured inside the building and saw the interior exhibits for the black rhinos and pygmy hippos. I liked the details that were provided such as the murals, fake rocks, pools, and even a few fake trees or stumps, though the exhibits were pretty cramped especially for the rhinos. Half of the building was closed off due to construction; according to a sign I saw, the building will eventually be dedicated to being a black rhino breeding facility. Fragile Hunters - I never was real crazy about these grottos, and they looked worse in the winter season. While I didn't see any tigers or sloth bears, I did see a snow leopard, a pair of lions relaxing by the window, and a fairly active Amur leopard. Seven Seas - Nothing of note here, except it's always great to see the playful, aquatic mammals cruising through their tank. Pinniped Point - I only went to the underwater viewing part of this complex. Nothing new to report. Clouded Leopard Rain Forest - Once known as the Fragile Rainforest, this was another exhibit I noticed a lot of changes. To begin with, the mixed-species habitat that featured binturongs, Asian small-clawed otters, and Prevost's squirrels now holds a clouded leopard. If I remember the previous exhibit right, this is a step-up with more space and variety in terrain. The binturongs are now in the former leopard exhibit, otters are no longer in the area, and squirrels are found in the last exhibit before exiting. Another bonus is the addition of tunnels above visitors' heads for the squirrels to wander through - a clever idea for enrichment! Like the African Savannah complex, this is another exhibit complex I have a better outlook on now. NOTE - I unfortunately did not have time to see Wild Encounters (the newest exhibit to open since my last visit), The Living Coast, The Swamp, and Fragile Desert. I also still have never been in the Reptiles and Birds building (though I did see terrariums for Galapagos tortoises and Argus monitors from outside windows, along with a walkthrough aviary with macaw when peeking through further) and the Feathers and Scales building (though I did see the attached massive Andean condor aviary outside). On a side note, it was pretty eerie walking along the massive, mock-rock, empty Baboon Island. I look forward to finding out what its replacement will be.
