Zoo Review Update

Coronavirus may have put a financial hurt on many zoos and aquariums, but 2020 still saw notable changes at many of the facilities we've visited on this blog.

Among the causalities of the COVID-19 pandemic was the Audubon Butterfly Garden and Insectarium, a  member of the Aududon Nature Institute located in downtown New Orleans.  Formerly located at the US Custom House, the insects are being relocated to the Insectarium's nearby sister-facility, the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas.  The move is expected to save Audubon roughly $1,000,000 annually.

Brandywine Zoo has continued its ambitious overhaul with the opening of a new Madagascar exhibit.  Radiated tortoises join three species of lemur in a new mixed-species habitat with indoor and outdoor viewing.

Brevard Zoo has announced the addition of a new lion exhibit, scheduled to open next year.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo reopened its Aquatics House, rechristened as Water's Edge - Africa.  The exhibit brings back two of the zoo's most popular species, African penguins and Nile hippos, with indoor and outdoor, above and underwater viewing.  Warthogs and lemurs also join the collection.  At the same time as Water's Edge was unveiled, the zoo shuttered one of its oldest exhibits, the Monkey Pavilion, which no longer met the standards of animal habitat that the zoo was striving for.  New habitats for primates are part of the masterplan.

The Cincinnati Zoo opened not one but two new penguin habitats.  African Penguin Point provides their African penguin colony with three times more exhibit space, as well as better facilities to support breeding.  The penguins share their habitat with other African water birds, such as ducks and pelicans.  A much less-commonly encountered species of penguins, Australian little blue penguins, can be seen in Roo Valley, which stands were Wildlife Canyon once stood (an unfortunate loss of zoo history, as Wildlife Canyon was, until recently, home to Cincinnati's famous Sumatran rhino program).  As the name would suggest, Roo Valley is also home to kangaroos, which can be found in a walk-through habitat that allows visitors to get very close and personal.

The tiny Clearwater Marine Aquarium isn't so tiny anymore after an $80 million dollar expansion, which saw its famous dolphins move into much larger digs.  The facility is also home to rarely-exhibited rough-toothed dolphins, and has the potential to house manatees in the future.

Marine mammals were also highlighted at Columbus Zoo in the new Adventure Cove, home to California sea lions and harbor seals.   The pinnipeds can be experienced though underwater tunnels, meandering through their home, as well as a demonstration area.  Also part of the expansion is Jack Hanna's Animal Encounters Village, providing a new home for Columbus's expansive collection of animal ambassadors.

Georgia Aquarium opened a new shark pavilion.  It would be hard to imagine a more impressive shark experience than seeing their whale sharks in Ocean Voyager, but they try, adding several new species, including rarely-seen ones such as great hammerhead and tiger shark.

Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo continues its massive growth project with a new sea lion habitat, complete with a wave pool, huge beach, demonstration area, and underwater viewing.

The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore follows up last year's renovation of its lion, giraffe, and elephant exhibits by redoing the habitat of another iconic African species, the leopard.  

The Milwaukee County Zoo followed up the opening of a new elephant exhibit last year by opening a new hippo habitat this year.  The facility provides more space, as well as underwater viewing.

Having moved its elephants in a new, more spacious habitat, Zoo Atlanta has converted the old elephant habitat into a new home for white rhinos.

And in perhaps the biggest (literally) zoo news of the year, White Oaks Conservation Center is now the home of the largest herd of Asian elephants outside of Asia.  A series of nine interconnected, diverse habitats, sprawling over 2500 acres, will house the 30 elephants, retired from Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus.  I'm not certain whether or not this means White Oaks will eventually become a breeding facility.  If it does, having a facility that size would be a game-changer for maintaining Asian elephants in the US.