Predators of the Serengeti

Lions rest on warm rocks and prowl through open grassland. One cheetah drinks from a waterfall-fed pool, while another investigates a safari vehicle, then lies down for a nap on the warm metal hood. Meanwhile, a pack of African wild dogs frolics in the grassland, their growls loud above the sound of a rippling stream. The Oregon Zoo's Predators of the Serengeti exhibit features nose-to-whisker views and expansive naturalistic environments for some of Africa's most endangered carnivores.

Opening Date:
Summer 2009

Cost:
$5 million

Size:
50,000 square feet

Animals

Lions: Can grow up to 10 feet in length and weigh up to 530 pounds.

Cheetahs: The fastest land animals, capable of speeds up to 70 mph.

African wild dogs: Wolflike, with oversized ears and unique spotted patterns.

Caracals: Small cats with amazing jumping ability and large, black tufted ears.

Red-billed hornbills: Female hornbill birds stay with their chicks in tree nests while the male seals up the entrance and delivers food through a tiny hole.

Dwarf mongoose: Africa's smallest carnivore, similar in size to North America's red squirrel.

African rock python: The largest snake on the continent, reaching 20 to 30 feet in length and weighing up to 250 pounds.

Features
As visitors enter the open-air plaza, their eyes gaze up toward the giant limbs of a life-size replica baobab tree. Walking under its canopy, they discover a group of traditional African huts and hear the faint beating of drums in the distance. Silence returns as visitors leave the plaza, entering the realm of the animals. Around the corner, huge granite boulders, called kopjes, jut from the earth. Beyond them, visitors get their first unobstructed view of the lions roaming the Serengeti plains.

Next, visitors encounter a small tuft-eared cat called a caracal, one of the smaller African predators. It prowls over a landscape dotted with heated rocks, small trees, shrubs and grassy knolls, heading toward its heated den near the viewing window. Suddenly, a dwarf mongoose darts through the caracal's habitat via an acrylic tunnel. The swift caracal pursues it, but cannot penetrate the acrylic. Tunnels snake through the space, providing both species with interesting encounters.

As visitors travel beyond the caracals, African wild dogs, some of the Serengeti’s most successful predators, lie in wait. The dogs enjoy their heated dens just inches from the public, and visitors can hear the animals communicating with each other in squeaky, high-pitched yips.

Past the wild dogs, visitors encounter the fastest land animal on the planet, the cheetah. An open-air mesh screen is all that separates visitors from these sleek, beautiful cats. The sloped and hilly habitat features a watering hole, where cheetahs can take a refreshing drink during the heat of the day.

Next, visitors encounter the beautiful red-billed hornbill living with the dwarf mongoose.

As visitors depart the Predators of the Serengeti exhibit, they come across an enormous rock python. African rock pythons have been known to grow up to 20 feet long. As the snake slithers about its habitat, visitors may decide it is time to move on and see some of the other animals in the zoo's Africa complex.

Art projects
In the open-air plaza, a large, colorful mosaic in the shape of the host continent, Africa, adorns the walkway.

In the plaza, the great canopy of a life-size replica baobab tree stretches across the sky.

At the foot of a huge granite kopje, cast in bronze, stands a life-size bronze rendition of a lion pride: an impressive male walking with two lionesses and three cubs — a beautiful tribute to these majestic creatures.

The exhibit's Roaring Canyon feature evokes the canyons and gorges of Africa's Rift Valley. Along the rock walls, ancient petroglyphs and rock art adorn the pathway.