The lion cub, now named Emery, is doing well but has a couple development issues such as kidneys not growing properly. Virginia Zoo's 3-month-old lion cub, Emery, has a few health concerns Two Watusi cattle arrived. Meet the Virginia Zoo’s new Watusi cattle
A Hartmann’s mountain zebra was born and has been named Athena. https://southsidedaily.com/local-news/2018/03/12/virginia-zoo-welcomes-80-pound-foal-to-zebra-herd/
Having worked at the Seneca Park Zoo one summer about 10 years ago, it warms my heart to think of little Dara as a mother. And I guess the mating I saw last fall at the Virginia Zoo during the orangutan Halloween enrichment time paid off!
I'll be going to the zoo tomorrow to check out the new reptile building. I am not sure how many photos I will take since I'm sure field trips will be all around, but that's why I posted the video above so we have an overview of it.
I am not the greatest person to review a reptile building, but I think it was a nice renovation. I believe I counted about 73 exhibits (some including small terrariums in a room), a nursery area, a sloth exhibit, and two monkey exhibits (titi and white faced saki) who also have outside yards. The small mammals are not in their exhibits yet and they may still be doing some work in them. The building has a good collection, I liked the different color water monitor exhibits towards the end. Some exhibits seemed a little cram; the alligator snapping turtle terrarium is just water in it. Inhabitants mentioned on the website that I confirm that I saw: American bullfrog, alligator snapping turtle, arboreal alligator lizard, banded rock rattlesnake, Baron's green racer, beaded lizard, black tree monitor, blue tree monitor, bog turtle, caecillian, caiman lizard, canbrake rattlesnack, cottonmouth, crocodile monitor, dart drog, eastern kingsnake, emerald tree boa, eyelash viper, fiji banded iguana, frilled dragon, giant day gecko, giant horned lizard, gila monster, gray's monitor lizard, green basilisk, green tree monitor, green tree python, Henkel's leaf tailed gecko, Jamaican boa, king cobra, lemur leaf frog, Madagascar hissing cockroach, mata mata, new Caledonia giant gecko, red bamboo racer, reticulated python, Siamese crocodile, smallwoods anoles, splendid tree frog, tentacled snake, tokay gecko, and yellow tree monitor. There's quite a few more on the website, but I cannot remember if I saw them. Other news: Bo the red panda is in the main exhibit in Trail of the Tiger. This exhibit was empty for a bit when its former inhabitant, Thomas the red panda, moved to Oklahoma City.
@blospz Thanks for the information about the renovated Reptile House. Virginia Zoo has a great big entrance area, the excellent Asia-Trail of the Tiger, the impressive Africa-Okavango Delta, a small Australia Walkabout zone and now the refurbished World of Reptiles. I really enjoyed my visit there in 2012 and while the zoo is medium-sized the level of quality is very high. I'm curious what the next project will be...North America or South America? Here is the zoo's updated map: Zoo Map - Virginia Zoo in Norfolk
@snowleopard the event field would be a nice spot to put a new area. The Asian exhibits are so lush now after the past few years. I noticed that especially in the sun bear and binturong yards. Those animals can really hide if they want to. I almost hope within time, the yards of the new Asian Highland exhibit at the Cleveland Zoo have that look. Looking at photos of Cleveland's Asian Highlands, it looks like lawn mowed yards with random wooden platforms in them.
Orangs, Dara and Solaris, have welcomed their first infant. Zookeepers celebrate first orangutan born at Virginia Zoo
I'm going this Saturday, maybe a meet-up would be nice, if my parents would be okay with it. Can't wait to see the new World of Reptiles! Are the Blue Duikers and Stanley Cranes still there?
No they are not. That area is more enclosed now so it's inside (a wall blocks the area where you would have seen them before).
