M&T Rainforest Falls Now Open

M&T Bank’s Rainforest Falls replicates the unique geology and ecology of Venezuela’s Canaima National Park, home to Angel Falls - the tallest waterfall in the world.  The Buffalo Zoo’s two-story exhibit includes a Visitor Center with interpretive graphics, interactive displays and a short video about rainforest life.

After viewing the film, visitors enter the rainforest itself. The back wall of the exhibit resembles a flat-topped mountain with lush vegetation complete with a live working waterfall that dramatically cascades 25 feet to the ground.  Upon entering, visitors will first encounter a pair of ocelots hiding in the bushes.  A colorful collection of poison dart frogs can be found in a buttress tree nearby.  The center wetlands exhibit houses capybara, dwarf caiman and dozens of free-flight birds including boat-billed herons, roseate spoonbills, blue-crowned mot-mots and scarlet ibis. To the left, giant anteaters share their home with red-footed tortoises. Behind the waterfall is a cave inhabited by vampire bats, piranhas and a giant anaconda.  The faint of heart can bypass the cave and take a 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. A fallen log provides a home for some creepy crawlies found on the forest floor.  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 the rich variety of wildlife they have encountered along the way.

Take a slide show tour of M&T Bank Rainforest Falls, courtesy Dr. Donna Fernandes and the Buffalo Niagara Convention and Visitors Bureau