SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) -- After years of anticipation, the doors of the new California Academy of Sciences opened for the first time Saturday to anxious and excited visitors of all ages.
A chubby, albino alligator drew quite the audience from 9-year-old Megan Fierro of San Jose.
“I like the rainforest the most, it shows lots of unique animals from Madagascar and all over the world,” said Fierro.
But before visitors could see those amazing animals, they had to get inside the building. Some waited in line for two to three hours, hoping to take advantage of the museum’s opening day free admission. Others, who arrived later, were turned away once the museum reached maximum capacity.
KCBS’ Tim Ryan reports
Academy President John Hafernik wore a green sweater as 500 monarch butterflies were released to mark the re-opening of the new building to symbolize the new green design of the new building adjacent to the DeYoung Museum.
“We hope it’s going to be a way of leading us to an even greener way of lifestyle and to deal with some of the major issues in the planet now, [including] global warming,” said Hafernik. “There’s an exhibit within the building that talks about global warming, it explains the issues and it also explains how people can be part of the solution as well.”
Other exhibits include the Rainforests of the World, the outer reaches of the Universe, the depths of a Philippine coral reef, the remote islands of Madagascar and the Galapagos and more.
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