Smithsonian National Zoo Smithsonian National Zoo News 2017
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Drew730
Well-Known Member
Gray Seal
... and the rest of the approximately 295 species at the zoo. That's a rather pointless and hopeful list. Anything can happen.
Agreed. Perhaps we should wind down with the mating discussion and reorient this thread towards actual news, else we end up with another mega-thread like before.
We'll be getting some renovations in the Small Mammal House within the next few months. The two biggest exhibits (home to red ruffed lemurs, sloth, agouti, mouse deer) are being gutted and redone. The lemurs go off exhibit tomorrow (the third), the mouse deer is already off exhibit, the lion tamarins and sloth have moved to the former saki monkey (those are off exhibit) exhibit, the male agouti is now sharing an exhibit with Prevost's squirrel, the female and juvenile agoutis are off exhibit. All off exhibit animals are still on site and will return after the renovation. The area will hopefully be emptied of mice as well, but that's unlikely.
After the death of 0.1 brush tailed bettong, 0.2 have arrived and can now be seen on exhibit. The zoo now has 0.3 on exhibit.
Malagasy giant jumping rats will not return to the zoo any time soon.
A female white-eared titi monkey went on exhibit in Amazonia about two weeks ago.
The crested oropendolas that live in the Bird House currently will soon move to Amazonia. They will hopefully be joined by a male from another zoo for breeding purposes.
Three blue-gray tanagers went on exhibit in Amazonia recently (the zoo now has five in that exhibit).
Three silver-beaked tanagers will soon go on exhibit in Amazonia, bringing the total in the exhibit to four.
The electric eel exhibit in Amazonia will go in the area with the herps at the underwater viewing for the fish (no official name for the area). The nearby animals are mata mata, Amazon milk frogs, and terrible poison frog, among others, if that helps. The entire area will be restructured and the estimated completion date is November.
One of the exhibits in the Reptile Discovery Center has been renovated, and now holds impressed tortoise, which went off exhibit months ago.
After the death of 0.1 brush tailed bettong, 0.2 have arrived and can now be seen on exhibit. The zoo now has 0.3 on exhibit.
Malagasy giant jumping rats will not return to the zoo any time soon.
A female white-eared titi monkey went on exhibit in Amazonia about two weeks ago.
The crested oropendolas that live in the Bird House currently will soon move to Amazonia. They will hopefully be joined by a male from another zoo for breeding purposes.
Three blue-gray tanagers went on exhibit in Amazonia recently (the zoo now has five in that exhibit).
Three silver-beaked tanagers will soon go on exhibit in Amazonia, bringing the total in the exhibit to four.
The electric eel exhibit in Amazonia will go in the area with the herps at the underwater viewing for the fish (no official name for the area). The nearby animals are mata mata, Amazon milk frogs, and terrible poison frog, among others, if that helps. The entire area will be restructured and the estimated completion date is November.
One of the exhibits in the Reptile Discovery Center has been renovated, and now holds impressed tortoise, which went off exhibit months ago.
They're gonna (if they haven't already) be sent to the Front Royal facility.
All that's being done is a renovation to the exhibits, right? No new species will be moving in?
Do you know what happened to the old pair? Did they die or were they sent somewhere else? Do you know what will happen to their exhibit?
Have you heard anything about the cages behind the Small Mammal House? I noticed the area was blocked off and there was no sign saying why.
Also you mentioned on the old thread that the orangutans got a major new installation in the Great Ape House. Well according to a volunteer I spoke to, the new signage is in a sorta testing phase currently. It supposed to last longer (and look nicer) than the old signage and if all goes as planned eventually the gorillas will get something similar.
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Drew730
Well-Known Member
I'm pretty sure the area is just blocked off for the winter season to come.
As far as I know, it's just a renovation that will last a couple months. No species change.
They passed away. Which exhibit where they in? I don't recall as I had just moved to the area when they no longer had an exhibit.
I don't usually go behind the Small Mammal House, nothing back there excites me enough to walk the extra trail. Haven't heard anything recently, but I didn't ask.
Thanks for the context on the signage.
I believe their exhibit comes after the dwarf mongooses and right before the meerkats.
I believe Drew is right since the only animal the lives back there permanently are the black howler monkeys.
This being because there are fewer than 5 animals left in the country and they are now a phase-out species.
A shame, that. I really like the species. I'm guessing all remaining individuals are at Bronx and Omaha?
Not sure where the remaining ones are. I know Philadelphia had them recently but I think I read that their's disappeared too, so your guess seems accurate. It is very frustrating to me, as they are both endangered and unique but the zoos who hold/held them are not committed enough to establish a viable population.
Short-eared elephant shrew, another NZP species in the Small Mammal House, is also in the single digits and being phased out.
Whereas I can see that one region has them singled out for phase out ..., it would be nice to see them then transferred to a region that DOES have an interest in establishing or maintaining a viable population? In other words: just sent them over here to ... Europe!!!
Not a bad idea, and we have done that with a few species before (a couple African monkeys come to mind). The rats are not long-lived so I don't think they'll bother. Also, while I'm glad Europe has a viable population, I'm rather tired of you Europeans picking up the slack for us when it comes to rare species!
There are many factors that are taken into account, but a non-viable population usually leads to a phase-out. Other factors that are weighed are: conservation status, education/exhibit value, zoo interest, ability to import from other regions, husbandry experience, and amount of space available. In this case, the rats are being phased out because the population is not viable and there is not a demonstrated zoo interest.
A non-viable population does not always guarantee a phase-out. Sometimes they recommend keeping the existing population around to see how it does and reevaluate it later. Or they can make the population viable by importing new animals. But this only happens if there aren't any significant issues with keeping and re-establishing the species, and usually that is not the case (and zoo interest is often the reason why).