That seemingly "vacant" part of the plan is the current Galapagos giant House and outdoor exhibit. So no ..., you wish for something that is not there to be. @antonmuster, thanks for the updated webcam pictures. To the left-hand side is possibly already the finished up Lorikeet landing, right?
The other webcam indeed shows the already opened lorikeet aviary. The 'vacant' part is the open space with the small water pool between the lorikeet aviary and the Galapagos house (the outdoor enclosure for the Galapagos giant tortoises is to the right of the Galapagos house). It is the area immediately to the left and behind the lorikeet webcam. I could not find any info on what this space (~500 m2) will be used for.
Does anyone know more on the plans for this aviary? Will it be wire (i.e. summer only) or a greenhouse-style aviary? What species are planned for it? Is the zoo planning to bring back shoebills (many visitors - not just afficcionados - miss them, something the zoo is surely aware of)? Same question goes for the visitor center (Besucherzentrum) in the giraffe and rhino building (c.f. here): the map indicates a decent sized area in the building for this (~500m2); will it be similar to masoala's visitor center with a few vivaria and mostly educational displays, or more akin to the exotarium with a larger amount of vivaria and indoor enclosures?
All I can say is that whether the aviary nor other animals beside Giraffes, Grevyzebras and White Rhinos are confirmed for this complex (Hyenas most likely, but keep in mind that in the original plans African Hunting Dogs should have been exhibited instead). Even inhabitants of the Kopjes (and the Kopjes itself) that @arafan mentioned are just plans at the moment (at least over official channels). Last time I ask for the Shoebills I was told that there are no plans to bring them back at the moment.
The aviary is supposed to hold at least African grey parrots (and I hope some other species as well). The kopje area *should* also feature porcupines and meerkats (though meerkats are not exactly Kenyan...)
That's the last thing I heard too, I'm not really happy with the decision of the aviary, specially because there will be a African Rainforest-complex shortly after that, some vultures and maybe even some cranes, marabous ect. When I asked which species would be in the Kopje, the only answer was hyaenas and "small animals", I just hope that it won't be meerkats...
Could knowledgeable parties please take a look at this thread? Thanks. Zürich Zoo - Mosoala Halle Species List
For some time an unknown number of Perenties ( Varanus giganteus ) arrived at Zürich. They are at the moment behind the scenes.
Unfortunately, this is exactly the species that is planned for the African Village part of the exhibit....
They off-course fit perfectly in the East-African theming of the area , but then they also plan to bring in springbok and scimitar-horned oryx as their antelope species of choice. The reasoning behind that is beyond my imagination, as there are enough Kenyan antelope species that are widely available....
