I visited the zoo today for the first time this year. Here's a few updates. The former bald eagle exhibit is still empty. They are building a wooden night house in the exhibit. The future occupant is still unclear though. A pair of secretary Birds are now on display in the old African Rift Valley area. The small exhibits for seriema and hooded crane next to bird row have been demolished. Both species of bird have been relocated to new exhibits. The small exhibit next to the bat display is now home to a pair of Cuiver's dwarf caiman. It had been empty in recent months. The mesh for the aviary in Africa Live is looking pretty bad. Definitely needs to be replaced as some holes have started to appear. In better news though, several species of parrot are now in the aviary (which wasn't the case during the end of last year). The spider monkey (former jaguar) and Amazonia aviary have been emptied of animals. Some animals (mainly the waterfowl) were relocated within the zoo. Other species have been sent to other zoos. This will enable an expansion to the jaguar exhibit with a bridge over the visitor path to the existing jaguar exhibit. This has been years in the making and is sorely needed, as the zoos pair currently rotate thru a single space. Fiji Crested Iguana have been added to the Roti Island Snake Necked Turtle exhibit in the reptile house.
A male Southern white rhinoceros has been transferred from the North Carolina Zoo: San Antonio Zoo welcomes new rhino to the Savanna habitat The goal is to get Stormy to breed with the zoo’s two females. “We are thrilled about Stormy’s arrival,” President & CEO of San Antonio Zoo, Tim Morrow said. “San Antonio Zoo was the first facility in the Americas to successfully birth a rhino in 1972. Since that time, San Antonio Zoo has had 22 rhino births, both black rhinos, and white rhinos, throughout its history, with the last being in 2004.”
A Whooping crane egg has been laid: Log into Facebook | Facebook The Whooping crane is one of the rarest birds in North America (estimated wild population of 505 in 2017). San Antonio Zoo has held this species since 1956 - when there was an estimated 16 left in the wild.
Female Komodo Dragon, Kristika, has laid 26 eggs: Log into Facebook from Houstan Zoo's Facebook page; BOGA UPDATE: A few months ago, Boga headed south to San Antonio Zoo for an extended “dragon date” with female Komodo dragon, Kristika. We’re thrilled to share that they were successful! Today, San Antonio Zoo announced that Kristika laid 26 eggs. Their match was part of a recommendation from The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan® (SSP) to ensure a genetically diverse Komodo dragon population.
A tiger and a bobcat were rescued by the San Antonio Zoo San Antonio Zoo takes in confiscated tiger cub, bobcat
A male Sumatran Tiger, Jeda (2018) has arrived from Disney's Wild Animal Kingdom. San Antonio Zoo News & Updates 2021 [San Antonio Zoo]
Visited this week. Here are some observations: The massive winter storm really killed a lot of the zoos vegetation. Its rather bare and is gonna take some time (and money) to recover. The zoo currently has 2 animatronic exhibits. One is for dinosaurs and is included in guest admission. It is located throughout the zoo. The second is themed to dragons and occurs across the highway, on the land slated for the zoos expansion long-term. The zoo seems to have gotten a new caracal. They were very angry, attacking the glass. As a result staff have painted over part of the glass, likely to aid in the acclimation. Signage for the Northern Tree Shrew has been removed. I am unsure if they still have them. As of my last visit they had a single female. The white stork pair in the giraffe exhibit is currently sitting on a nest with four eggs. Nicole (Asian elephant) seemed to be having some issues with her front right leg. I am unsure what is happening. I hope its a treatable issue. A little off-topic but it amazes me how spry Lucky seems for 61. As I mentioned last time the spider monkeys and birds have been moved for the jaguar expansion. Now the zoo has disassembled the exhibits for ocelot, agouti, and howler monkey. The jaguars are still there, although they will have to be relocated for construction to begin. The goal of the project seems to be creating an aerial walkway between across the main zoo-path to a 2nd jaguar exhibit. The new facility will allow for easier breeding and enable both cats to be on exhibit at the same time. The signage for the Speke's Gazelle, Reeve's Muntjac, and the Kirk's Dik-Dik has been removed. All three species were nowhere to be seen. I imagine they were moved up the hill to the off-exhibit area. The zoo now has a second male Raggiana Bird of Paradise on exhbit in the bird row.
The zoo has started construction on the Jaguar expansion. It will expand the jaguars space 120%. I imagine this work will largely be adapting the spider monkey and aviary into a second habitat, as the later part of the project (the catwalk) will require moving the cats. The zoo also in the comments teased that they have plans for the tigers in the not too far future.
Thanks for the updates. I just re-read an old article about the zoo's future jaguar exhibit...from 2016! It's great that San Antonio is finally seeing some forward momentum with the project.
The zoo does not have the resources of the other big Texas zoos sadly (San Antonio is not as wealthy as Houston, DFW, or Austin). It did build a new parking garage, opened a new carousel/restaurant/whooping crane area, build a 17 milllion dollar zoo school (a nature based pre-k attached to the zoo) and do a lot of exhibit renovations. These include lion, white rhino, and giraffe. In addition they have closed down the horrid primate house (happy I never saw it). And they do So a lot of small movement, nothing massive. But the Jaguar project is sorely needed. All these projects are small though in comparison to the zoos master plan. They were set to unveil that before covid hit. Its likely gonna be delayed, but the zoo has an extra 17 acres on which they plan to expand (Current zoo is 26 acres). Hopefully they can line up the money.
I’m just glad the San Antonio Zoo is starting to take a step in the right direction for once. It wasn’t that good as we thought it was when we first went there, but the Africa Alive exhibit was outstanding! I’m really looking forward to these new exhibits. Also, you know what happened to the Cheetahs? They weren’t anywhere on the current map.
I am not sure if they died of old age or were sent away tbh. The exhibit was rather steep for them so the zoo decided to put Sitatunga in their exhibit.
An article about the upcoming jaguar extension, set to open this fall. There are also plans to bring back the “sky ride,” a popular attraction that shut down in 1999. San Antonio Zoo to open $1.4-million overhead path for jaguars in the fall
I believe the master plan at some point called for changing to African Elephants after current Asian elephants phase out. But if the elephant SSPs (both African and Asian) don't become more successful, I am not sure where they will get their elephants for future exhibits.
Nothings been said publicly. Lucky's in pretty good health so hopefully she lives a while more. But once she is gone I do expect the elephant program to end. The zoo boxed in the elephants with Africa Live, rhino renovation, and bringing back giraffes. The renovation a few years back maximized all they can do on the current site for elephants. The only other option besides ending the program would be to use 1/3 to 1/2 the land across the highway for elephants in a brand new exhibit. But the zoo has other plans for this land.
The zoo posted a list of recently hatched or born species on Facebook as part of a fundraiser. Raggiana Bird-of-paradise (Least Concern) Red Bird-of-paradise (Near Threatened) Micronesian kingfisher (Extinct in the Wild) Crested coua (Least Concern) Fairy bluebird (Least Concern) Wreathed hornbill (Least Concern) Great blue turaco (Least Concern) Armstrong dusky rattlesnakes (Least Concern) Henkel’s leaf-tailed gecko (Vulnerable) Texas river cooter (Least Concern) La Palma pupfish (Extinct in the Wild) Charco Palma pupfish (Extinct in the Wild) San Marcos redtail splitfin (Critically Endangered) Degeni cichlid (Least Concern) Baby-eater cichlid (Vulnerable) Twig catfish (*Data Deficient) Tarantsy cichlid (*Data Deficient)
