San Diego Zoo New "Africa Rocks" complex at San Diego Zoo

The Africa Rocks website has updated. It lists the Fynbos habitat as "On Tour 7/1" and the rest as "Coming Soon".

 

Very unfortunate that the exhibit has been delayed. Especially for the people who have already planned trips. I thought I was going to go this summer, but with this news those plans have changed. Hopefully I can go for Spring Break 2018.

 

I agree its quite unfortunate about the delay. Lucky for me I wont be going until this Holiday so it should be complete by then.

 

So now even the first habitat will not be ready by their announced opening of June 10? What is going on there???

 

I had originally planned to go about a month after the "Opening Date" around July 10th, but due to time constraints the trip got moved up to June 22-28, but now I probably won't go until 2018. The first exhibit won't open until nearly a month after the whole thing was scheduled to open (June 10th) and the rest won't open until Labor Day, almost 4 months after June 10th. This exhibit had me really excited and though I still am, the cuts (aye-aye, zebra), and now the delay, upsets me, usually zoos set an official date to open an exhibit, the SDZ can't even give us an official date for when the whole exhibit is completed. The SDZ last major exhibit, Elephant Odyssey, has the community split in half. Some exhibits are great, some not so great. EO has underperformed for how big the project was set out to be. I just hope Africa Rocks isn't a disappointment, but the delays and cuts are upsetting. For those who planned trips to come see the new exhibit must be quite disappointed. Well I think I have said enough and a little too much, but this is my take on the delay.

 

Unfortunately. I already have everything set for a San Diego trip in Early August, so I fear I'm going to miss the rest of Africa Rocks. I wish these delays weren't happening.

 

I feel the same, these delays are throwing wrenches in everyone's plans

 

Let us all hope that the zoo is making these delays make Africa Rocks a near flawless exhibit, I am concerned about an elephant odyssey repeat and I just think San Diego can go that route again.

 

The problem with EO is the keystone species. Elephants are just plain difficult to house and exhibit. As much as I hate EO (and I am chief among its critics), most of the other animal exhibits are not bad (jaguar, rattlesnake, condor, etc). Given the species lineup for Africa Rocks, I am certain it will not be another Elephant Odyssey. The other issue with EO is the bizarre theming that no one gets, but with Africa Rocks the theming is solid and consistent.

 

IMG_3656 by betsy posted 26 May 2017 at 8:29 PM

IMG_3658 by betsy posted 26 May 2017 at 8:29 PM

Look what arrived for me in the mail today. I will bring my camera.

 

San Diego Zoo gets ready to open $68 million Africa Rocks exhibit

 

Where have they sourced the Gelada's from?

 

6 males from Wilhelma Zoo.

 

Now there is another issue of simply not having enough elephants. Just 4 in that massive enclosure leafs to lard swaths of plain dirt and utilitrees.

 

Timmychompchomp has created an excellent photo tour of the new exhibit. You can view it here: San Diego Zoo - A walk through Africa Rocks

 

Update for Acacia Woodlands Construction!!!!

A wall was moved up the path further into the Acacia Woodlands portion of Africa Rocks giving us a view of what would probably be the Vervet Monkeys exhibit and a glimpse at the Aviary further up path.

Acacia Woodlands Construction 4 by timmychompchomp posted 25 Sep 2017 at 1:49 AM

Acacia Woodlands Construction 3 by timmychompchomp posted 25 Sep 2017 at 1:51 AM

Acacia Woodlands Construction 2 by timmychompchomp posted 25 Sep 2017 at 1:51 AM

Acacia Woodlands Construction 5 by timmychompchomp posted 25 Sep 2017 at 1:51 AM

The display of these Lemur Plushes made me uneasy. Looked like pelts in a bush meat market.

Lemur Pelts by timmychompchomp posted 25 Sep 2017 at 1:49 AM

 

Since I was there a week ago, I have one observation. The six habitats (or whatever they call them) are not as distinct as I envisioned them to be. It is basically just one continuous exhibit.

 

What a shame that my visit was during summer 2016, when Africa Rocks was under development :-( Some species can already be seen onshow by that time, such as serval, Madagascar partridge, dwarf mongoose, kilpspringer (hidden during my visit, not saw), rock hyrax, and the aviary with golden-breasted starling, crested coua, tambourine dove, etc. But I would have died for see Nubian ibex, Painted snipe!!, Sifakas and black-footed cats! Anyway I had not enough time fot visit the whole zoo in a day (I also missed Urban Jungle, Koalafornia and the aviary with Crowned eagle (sigh)).

 

Black footed cats are not part of this development. However they do have them now at the Safari Park, so maybe that is what you meant?

 

Ops. I saw them in the Flickr gallery of San Diego Zoo account, long time ago, and I tought that they were part of Africa Rocks. Shame that SDZ doesn't have this species too (many of the species are shared between both parks).