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With the addition of the James's flamingo in 1964, the San Diego Zoo could boast having five of the six living types of flamingos. The James's flamingo is the smallest and rarest of the New World flamingos, native to the Andes. For many years it was believed to be extinct, until in 1960, William Conway, director of the New York Zoological Garden at the time, brought the first live bird to be seen in man years out of South America.
The Dining Terrace and Terrace Lagoon opened at the Zoo in 1964, providing visitors with the now-familiar view of the pond from the curved bridge.
A pair of one of the rarest cats in zoological collections at the time was added to the San Diego Zoo in 1964: the marbled cat, a species native to South and Southeast Asia.
Dassie Delight: In 1963, the Zoological Society received 10 Cape hyraxes, also known as dassies, as a gift from the Department of Nature Conservation, Capetown, South Africa, the first time this species had been exhibited at the San Diego Zoo. On June 27, 1964, keepers were happy to discover two new youngsters had been added to the colony, tucked among the rocks to blend into the habitat.

1964

Innovation 1957 - 1966
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