AFRICA ROCKS

            Paul and I visited the San Diego Zoo — fresh off celebrating its first 100 years — steps into the future with the opening of Africa Rocks, its biggest construction project ever.

    New exhibits are more naturalistic and more focused on conservation than entertainment.

            Africa Rocks replaces Dog & Cat Canyon, which dated to the 1930s.

Six distinct habitats will feature flora and fauna from the African continent.
    There is a 65-foot waterfall people can walk behind and a 2-acre tensile metal aviary net overhead. It’s more about immersion than staring.   






  
             The space for the African penguins, an endangered species, includes giant artificial rocks like the granite ones found at Boulders Beach in South Africa. It’s why the 170-foot-long pool they swim in has a wave-making machine to mimic gentle surf rolling ashore. And it’s why there are holes that lead to nesting caves carved into some of the rocks, a way of encouraging the penguins to breed. 

 
















  They are black and white and cute all over. African 

Penguins are also known as “jackass” penguins for their donkey-like bray. They bray to attract a mate.  They yell to defend territory and haw to locate each other.

            The African penguin is only found on the south-western coast of Africa, living in colonies on 24 islands.

       

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