Manitowoc Lincoln Park Zoo Manitowoc Lincoln Park Zoo News

Updates from my visit yesterday:

  • @geomorph will be happy to know there are no longer any rabbits in the chicken enclosure.
  • The enclosures for Chilean Rose Tarantula and DeKay's Brownsnake are completley gone.
  • Tort, the beloved African Spurred Tortoise, has passed away. A sign says a Savannah Monitor will soon take his place.
  • There are no more prairie dogs. I don't know why.
 
I visited the zoo today for the first time since 2015. Overall, not too much has changed. The new deer exhibit looks like it's going to be nice, but a sign said the exhibit is not finished yet. There is now only one timber wolf. Still no prairie dogs.
 
A few updates from my visit today:
- The main entrance has gotten a remodel, what used to be a black gate is now dark green with bigger, yellowish that read Lincoln Park Zoo. I will try to post photos ASAP.
- Still only one Wolf. I think it's safe to assume that the other has passed away considering they were both born in 2005.
- I only saw one Cougar, but the other one may have been inside, as the one I did see went had access to the indoor space.
- The new Prairie Dogs are very shy. There is a sign at their exhibit to keep quiet and that even the zookeepers rarely see them in person.
- The Bald Eagle, Red-tailed Hawk, and Turkey Vulture/Great Horned Owl exhibits have been slightly renovated. The exhibits were re-landscaped and some plants trimmed or removed, while others were newly planted. The exhibits are more open so it is easier to see the birds, and more perching branches were added.
- The peasantry that used to be home to Silvery Pheasants and Red Golden Pheasants are empty, and will soon become North American Small Mammal Exhibits. The sign only included pictures of a porcupine, so I don't know exactly how many or what species will be added.
 
With both buildings closed, and the Sandhills, pheasants, and salmon gone, the zoo just feels so empty. In it's current state, there is almost no reason to go. Post pandemic, the zoo had 50 species spread across 43 enclosures (including two empty ones). Now, only 13 enclosures and 17 species are visible, between species that are no longer visible to the public and species that have left the zoo (the zoo also gained one species there, the Black-tailed Prairie Dog, but I actually didn't count it because the animals are never seen by anyone, even the zookeepers). Also, 4 of those species are domestic (5 if you count the impure bison).

At least the Asian Black Bears and Dall Sheep are still on exhibit.
 
From the zoo's Facebook page:
"It is with a very heavy heart for the Manitowoc Lincoln Park Zoo staff to announce the passing of Keeley, our female grey wolf. After 15 ½ years she unexpectedly succumbed to elderly issues. She lived a long and healthy life exceeding beyond the captive lifespan of a grey wolf. Keeley came to MLPZ with her partner Nuka in October of 2006 from the Wildlife Science Center in Minnesota. Keeley will be sadly missed"
I'm not sure if there is another wolf left at the zoo. If not, add another to the list of closed/empty exhibits at the zoo. I hope this zoo gets some good news in the near future.
 
Wild wolverine said:
From the zoo's Facebook page:
"It is with a very heavy heart for the Manitowoc Lincoln Park Zoo staff to announce the passing of Keeley, our female grey wolf. After 15 ½ years she unexpectedly succumbed to elderly issues. She lived a long and healthy life exceeding beyond the captive lifespan of a grey wolf. Keeley came to MLPZ with her partner Nuka in October of 2006 from the Wildlife Science Center in Minnesota. Keeley will be sadly missed"
I'm not sure if there is another wolf left at the zoo. If not, add another to the list of closed/empty exhibits at the zoo. I hope this zoo gets some good news in the near future.
Click to expand...
There was wolf in the exhibit on Sunday.
 
The Education Building is now open to the public again, now with a new millipede exhibit.
Also, the new porcupine exhibit is basically complete.
 
I saw the porcupines today. They take up two of the exhibits in the former Pheasantry, with the third being empty.

The Education and Conservation Center is open but with different hours than the rest of the zoo (it doesn’t open until 11) so I couldn’t see it.

The Turkey Vulture wasn’t on exhibit today - possibly gone?

Coho Salmon will go on exhibit on JUNE 15 in the fish hatchery.
 
Updates from today's visit:
- The younger bald eagle was not in the exhibit. Possibly moved to another facility or passed.
- The wolf exhibit is empty now as Nuka the zoo's last wolf passed away. There was a sign on the exhibit- assumably about the loss of the wolves- but the wind had flipped it backwards so I could not read it.
- Some new animals in the Education Center now that it is open again, and some animals have moved around. New animals include American Millipedes, a Greenbottle Blue Tarantula, and a Chukar Partridge in the exhibit that used to have Mourning doves and Waxwings. There is also a Spurred tortoise despite it being mentioned (in 2019) that a savannah monitor would come to the zoo. There are 2 common snapping turtles in a tank to themselves, and the Painted turtle has its own tank now. The bull snake is also gone, but there is a corn snake and a ball python.
- The tank for the toads, frogs, and the salamander was still being renovated.
- There was a deer fawn recently born at the zoo, and I was lucky enough to see it.
 
The zoo recently unveiled its master plan. From what I can see of the plan, the goals for 2022 are that the empty wolf exhibit will become a new cougar exhibit, the current cougar exhibit will become home to foxes. Goals for 2023 are that the empty former crane/deer exhibit will become a wetland aviary. Also included is a river otter exhibit and the current deer yard will become a wolf exhibit. From what I could find (only social media posts) it's difficult to read, but it should be up on the zoo's website soon. Here are some links to the announcement of the master plan:
Instagram post- https://www.instagram.com/p/CVn4170FrbV/
Most recent Zoo Nooz (master plan on page 4)- https://www.manitowoc.org/DocumentCenter/View/27991/Zoo-Nooz?bidId=
 
Here is the full Master Plan posted on the zoo's website:
https://www.manitowoc.org/DocumentCenter/View/31636/Lincoln-Park-Zoo-MP-Report_Final_542021
In my opinion, its a good master plan for the zoo. Most of the improvements seem to be related to general landscaping and improvements to service/animal holding areas. All of which are very important improvements, just not very flashy or exciting for the public. Major changes include a brand new river otter exhibit and renovations to exhibits to bring back wolves and move the cougars to a larger exhibit.
 
Wild wolverine said:
Here is the full Master Plan posted on the zoo's website:
https://www.manitowoc.org/DocumentCenter/View/31636/Lincoln-Park-Zoo-MP-Report_Final_542021
In my opinion, its a good master plan for the zoo. Most of the improvements seem to be related to general landscaping and improvements to service/animal holding areas. All of which are very important improvements, just not very flashy or exciting for the public. Major changes include a brand new river otter exhibit and renovations to exhibits to bring back wolves and move the cougars to a larger exhibit.
Click to expand...
Glad to see them take inspiration from Wildwood Zoo and Ochsner Park. Wisconsin has lots of tiny, free, municipally-owned zoos, and those two are by far the best of the type.
 
Updates from my visit today:

-On May 22, a male White-tailed Deer named Philip was born to parents Doc and Ellie.
-I saw the new Alpaca exhibit. It's very basic but does get the job done.
-The Dall Sheep is gone from the zoo, it seems.
-The Snow Leopard sign is back up at its former exhibit, even though the exhibit still just has a pair of lynx in it. Strange.
 
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