For more than 30 years, the Scripps Flight Aviary had been home to shore and marsh birds, built on the side of a canyon to give the impression of a cliffside rookery. But visitors had to be content with watching the birds through wire from outside the enclosure. Enter, once again, Dr. Charlie Schroeder's dislike of wire and his campaign to remove as much of it between visitors and animals as possible. One of the innovations in the new Children's Zoo was a small walk-through aviary, which was working very well. On a visit to the Zoo, Captain Jean Delacour, director of the Los Angeles County Museum, had suggested to Dr. Schroeder that perhaps the Scripps Aviary could be made into one as well. Dr. Schroeder put the idea to his staff: could they do it? It was a bold idea, and a bit of a risk, but they decided to give it a try. It was an eight-month renovation project, which included rebuilding the main structure itself and redesigning, sandblasting, and painting the interior. When the remodeled aviary opened in the fall of 1958, for the first time visitors could go inside it and stroll along a winding pathway, alongside a rushing brook, shallow pools, and tumbling waterfalls, to an exit at the base. Visitors could now get up close and mingle with hundreds of birds representing 85 species, watch the birds' interactions and behavior, and see them feeding, nesting, swimming, and flying. It brought a whole new dimension to an iconic San Diego Zoo exhibit.

1958

Innovation 1957 - 1966

In 1958, the Scripps Aviary opened up so that guests could now walk inside it for the first time—before, people could only walk around the outside. Now visitors were immersed in the world of many species of birds and could encounter them up close, watching them feed and interact.

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