New at the Zoo

The brand new M&T Bank Rainforest Falls exhibit at the Buffalo Zoo is scheduled to open on Wednesday, September 10th.  The $16 million fully-enclosed Rainforest Falls is designed to be a state-of-the-art zoo experience that thrills and delights every member of your family with a two-story exhibit including a Visitor Center with interpretive graphics, interactive displays and a short video about rainforest life.

The exhibit replicates the unique geology and ecology of Canaima National Park in Venezuela and will house a variety of animal species native to South America.  After watching a short film, visitors are invited to enter a unique habitat unlike any other. 

The back wall of the exhibit was built to resemble a flat-topped mountain with lush vegetation complete with a cascading waterfall that plunges 25 feet, modeled after the world’s tallest waterfall in South America, Angel Falls.  Hundreds of animals line the exhibit from ocelots to a colorful collection of poison dart frogs, capybara, giant anteaters, red-footed tortoises and dwarf caiman. Dozens of free-flight birds including boat-billed herons, roseate spoonbills, blue-crowned mot-mots and scarlet ibis will soar above you.  Behind the waterfall is a cave inhabited by vampire bats, piranhas and a giant anaconda that are easily viewable (or avoidable) by bridge across the wetlands.

On the other side of the bridge and waterfall, squirrel monkeys, capuchins and howler monkeys can be seen in the treetops.  The final exhibit contains white-faced saki monkeys, chestnut-mandibled toucans, tamandua, and armadillos.  At the end of the path, visitors can climb a set of stairs (or take a lift) to a balcony offering breathtaking views of the two-story waterfall and all of the rainforest animals. 

For more information, visit www.buffalozoo.org