Oregon Zoo Oregon Zoo News 2020

Zoological Point

Zoological Point

Well-Known Member
5+ year member
I visited the zoo on Saturday (Jan 4th), and here are a few things that I noticed.
The former bobcat habitat near Black Bear Ridge now holds the Allen's swamp monkeys and eastern black-and-white colobuses from African Rainforest while their habitat is renovated.
In addition to the Pacific lampreys, the habitat also houses young coho salmon and warner suckers.
Giant plated lizards have replaced red-headed rock agamas in the terrarium in African Savanna.
The aviary in African Savanna has re-opened with blue-bellied rollers, crested coua, taveta golden weavers, ring-necked doves and tambourine doves.
The African Rainforest house's former Patagonian mara habitat now houses a La Plata three-banded armadillo, Philippine sailfin lizard and red-footed tortoises (funnily enough, keeping with the theme of non-African species in an Africa exhibit).
Juvenile greater flamingos and northern bald ibises are now on display in the African Rainforest Aviary.
The Insect Zoo has new species on display including halloween moon crabs, black beauty stick insects, armored darkling beetles, Derby's flower beetles, giant leaf insects and more.
 
Zoological Point said:
I visited the zoo on Saturday (Jan 4th), and here are a few things that I noticed.
The former bobcat habitat near Black Bear Ridge now holds the Allen's swamp monkeys and eastern black-and-white colobuses from African Rainforest while their habitat is renovated.
In addition to the Pacific lampreys, the habitat also houses young coho salmon and warner suckers.
Giant plated lizards have replaced red-headed rock agamas in the terrarium in African Savanna.
The aviary in African Savanna has re-opened with blue-bellied rollers, crested coua, taveta golden weavers, ring-necked doves and tambourine doves.
The African Rainforest house's former Patagonian mara habitat now houses a La Plata three-banded armadillo, Philippine sailfin lizard and red-footed tortoises (funnily enough, keeping with the theme of non-African species in an Africa exhibit).
Juvenile greater flamingos and northern bald ibises are now on display in the African Rainforest Aviary.
The Insect Zoo has new species on display including halloween moon crabs, black beauty stick insects, armored darkling beetles, Derby's flower beetles, giant leaf insects and more.
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Any significant progress on Polar Passage, Primate Forest and Rhinos? (Aside from them keeping reindeer in the rhino yards for the Holidays/Christmas season)
 
snowleopard said:
The zoo's latest online map states that the the new Black Rhino exhibit opens in 'Fall 2020', Primate Forest in 'Fall 2020' and Polar Passage is due to open in 'Spring 2021'. Is the Primate Forest complex definitely going to only be for Chimpanzees? If that is the case then it seems an odd choice of name.

Oregon Zoo map:

https://www.oregonzoo.org/sites/default/files/downloads/oregon-zoo-map-20200210-ENG-WEB.PDF
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When I visited the zoo in summer 2019 the entire old primate area had been bulldozed except for the orangutan exhibit and holding (which is housing chimps during construction, with the orangs being elsewhere in the zoo behind the scenes presumably) and the extant outdoor chimp yard.

From all of the plans that I have seen the zoo announce, the new space will all be for chimps with modern indoor quarters and expanded outdoor spaces, so their Primate Forest will be chimps and orangs (and maybe gibbons with the orangs as they did in the past?).
 
Does the zoo still have bobcats? I know the zoo also no longer has caracals(lemurs are in there instead), what happened to the caracals?
 
Kevin2342 said:
Does the zoo still have bobcats? I know the zoo also no longer has caracals(lemurs are in there instead), what happened to the caracals?
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Caracals were sent to other zoos to breed, also their female, Peggy had a skin allergy and more or less tolerated the Oregon climate. (I believe she was sent to a zoo down south). As for the bobcats, I believe they are still at the zoo, just off exhibit as their home is (IIRC) a temporary playground for their swamp monkeys and colobus monkeys as *their* home in the Africa Rainforest is being renovated.
 
Wyman said:
Caracals were sent to other zoos to breed, also their female, Peggy had a skin allergy and more or less tolerated the Oregon climate. (I believe she was sent to a zoo down south). As for the bobcats, I believe they are still at the zoo, just off exhibit as their home is (IIRC) a temporary playground for their swamp monkeys and colobus monkeys as *their* home in the Africa Rainforest is being renovated.
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The bobcats are really old now(20 I believe). Will they ever return on exhibit?
 
Kevin2342 said:
The bobcats are really old now(20 I believe). Will they ever return on exhibit?
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Depends on how sprightly they are and how their health is. If their health is great and they've never felt better, yes. If not, the Zoo will most likely get new bobcats.
 
Wyman said:
Depends on how sprightly they are and how their health is. If their health is great and they've never felt better, yes. If not, the Zoo will most likely get new bobcats.
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Do the elderly bobcats have health issues?
 
Couple questions:
1. Does the zoo still have Patagonian maras?
2. There are now 1.2 harbor seals at the zoo. What happened to the fourth seal?
3. Filbert the beaver now lives with the zoos new female Maple. I heard Filbert’s parents died. When did they die, how old were they and were they sick?
4. How many Humboldt penguins are at the zoo and what are all their names?
5. Does the zoo still have bushbabies?
 
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This is an activist article about Oregon's elephant program. It has a much more measured tone than the typical, extremist rant, but it still succeeds in subtly damning the program and those managing it, for instance calling Bob Lee the "elephant curator" in quotation marks as if he were only a poor pretender to the throne. There is, however, some interesting material here, such as photos of Chendra and Lily, and much more specific info than I knew about the 240-acre off-campus elephant facility in the works in 2011. Lee also says he doubts Chendra will become pregnant again. He told me in 2015 that Shine never would either, and it was due to cysts, so I feel sure this isn't just pessimism, but unfortunate medical prognosis.

A Closer Look at the Oregon Zoo’s Elephant Breeding Program
 
How is the progression for the new exhibits? With the pandemic going on I am worried if they are going to slow down or even stop the project (the latter I doubt). I plan on going to the zoo once these exhibits open up for the first time hence my concern.
 
TheEthiopianWolf03 said:
How is the progression for the new exhibits? With the pandemic going on I am worried if they are going to slow down or even stop the project (the latter I doubt). I plan on going to the zoo once these exhibits open up for the first time hence my concern.
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I reckon as they broke ground for the new rhino exhibit that project will be unaffected. Also, Primate Forest is set to open this year. It might mean their future planning might be thrown up a bit and some projects on the back burner.

Link to rhino habitat: Rhino habitat
Link to Primate Forest: Primate Forest
 
There have been several Oregonian articles about elderly animals at the Oregon Zoo. Below is a list of elderly animals at the zoo, and, are they all still there today?
1. Orangutan- Inji, 60(oldest in the world)
2. Colobus monkey- Kiku,29
3. Swamp monkey- Dannon,30
4. De Brazza’s monkey- Brooke,29
5. Penguin- Monchica,30
6. Bobcat- Kajika and Kasa,both 20
7. Porcupine-Sharpie and Nolina,both 16
 
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