Day trip down to Norfolk to visit one of my favorite zoos. The Virginia Zoo is not only a beautiful zoo, but one that really does provide excellent care for it's animals. Another member of the AZA that is very active with multi-zoo SSP (Species Survival Plan) projects. The zoo had a massive Master Plan at the end of the last millennium that called for five global based zones: Asia, Africa, South American, North America and Australia, along with their Zoo Farm. The plan was divided into phases to roll out over the next 20 years. As a result, two of the five zones were completed to great effect: Asia and Africa. One was partially implemented: North America. Two more were never realized: South America and Australia (however, the zoo does have a few species from Australia in a small walk though habitat.) In that time frame, the zoo has also upgraded it's Zoo Farm and has just opened a redesigned and greatly expanded herpetarium plus called "World of Reptiles and Friends". You know me--a sucker for a good herpetarium! So seeing this long awaited addition was really the impetus for taking this trip, but knowing that I would also get to see a lot of great animals didn't hurt--including, hopefully, their two week old Bornean Orangutan baby. 
The entrance of the zoo is marked with a stunning sculpture of an Africa Elephant. It is now an ironic ambassador to the animals within in that the zoo decommissioned its African Elephants in 2016, sending the remaining two animals to ZooMiami where they would join a larger herd in a newly expanded and renovated exhibit there. As I do, I will be subdividing my thoughts and images in several posts. I haven't determined the total number yet, so I will be "part" identifying them in smaller clusters as I figure this out.
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