Because of this, Kagan's probably having his final moves with tossing out whatever more species he's tossing out of the window before he retires. Crossing my fingers that nothing more is lost.
Detroit Zoo Detroit Zoo News 2021
- Thread starter snowleopard
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I hope the staff gets to decide who they hire as the next director. Like @MIZOOenthusiast070128 said, a lot of the staff don't seem happy with Kagan's decision of phasing out all of these animals. So if all the staff, including the keepers, make the right decision I could see Detroit getting back to bringing in new species.
I've asked this before, but, do zoo directors decide who their predecessor is? I mean, with the zoo's recent push for enlargening and bettering exhibits and the good things that have happened in the last few years (wolves, tiger exhibit, red panda exhibit, penguin center, wildebeest and pronghorns, etc), and the amount of space in the zoo, the right director could really make the zoo a great place. Perhaps (I won't get my hopes up), better than Toledo Zoo?
I thought I heard that the PPCC would open this Spring. Maybe the penguin species no longer visible have been moved back to the PPCC and the king penguins haven’t been moved because of the young penguins seen in the cam?
Red-crowned cranes are back at the zoo I believe. I heard they were back, and I saw pictures of them posted by a friend. I think they're in the yard where the Chilean flamingos used to be. They might also be in the Bactrian camel yard. If they are the same red-crowned cranes the zoo had before, then they're pretty old. The species only lives for about 15 years, but it's still nice to see them.
Detroit adding a species? If this was a news article, I would have thought it was fake.
In all seriousness, good to see Detroit actually adding to its collection.Btw, where did you get the 15 year figure? I know a Red-crowned Crane that died at ICF a few years ago was over 50. Perhaps you got the lifespan for the wild and not captivity?
Good to see these iconic birds back.
Longevity wise various sources give varying life spans. Average is 20-25 years for all species. Maximum lifespan gives a more diffuse picture with 43 all the way up to an outlier captive bird at 83.
Longevity wise various sources give varying life spans. Average is 20-25 years for all species. Maximum lifespan gives a more diffuse picture with 43 all the way up to an outlier captive bird at 83.
When is selection for a new director to start?
I think he's retiring this Spring or Summer, but I could be wrong.
I read that one the National Zoo's website. It may be referring to wild individuals' lifespans.Detroit adding a species? If this was a news article, I would have thought it was fake.
Btw, where did you get the 15 year figure? I know a Red-crowned Crane that died at ICF a few years ago was over 50. Perhaps you got the lifespan for the wild and not captivity?
The pictures I saw were posted on social media by a zoo volunteer, and they were posted yesterday. I'm just not sure if I can share their pictures online since they're not mine and the zoo uses their pictures a lot on social media, so I didn't post them here.
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I saw that same information from Smithsonian and they said, "Lifespan in the wild is not well documented, but in human care the median age for both sexes of red-crowned cranes is 15.1 years."
I think the zoo just got a new anteater named Mojo. I had heard that they were going to phase out the anteaters, so hopefully this means they won't, or won't be for some time. Mojo may have already been there, but I think there were only two before and now there's Mojo, which makes three.
Where did you hear this from? Was it that same volunteer who said there were red-crowned cranes?
The return of red-crowned cranes and the giant anteater (if he indeed is a new animal) gives me a slight bit of hope.
I was reading the zoo's page on their giant anteaters for a lesson plan recently, and it mentions that Chesley, Bissell, and Mojo are living there. I'm pretty sure that Chesley and Bissell have been at the zoo for years, but I don't think Mojo was mentioned on their webpage for anteaters the last I looked. I'm pretty certain there were three anteaters a few years back, and then it was down to Chesley and Bissell for a few years. If your talking about phasing them out, I heard that from an older volunteer a few years back, but not from the same one who took the pictures of the cranes. I think phasing out the anteaters was part of the Master Plan the zoo had a few years back, but only the earlier parts of that Master Plan were carried through so far. I think the later parts of that Master Plan have been either pushed off or abandoned. That's the Master Plan I've mentioned before. That Master Plan had planned for a children's play area in the current guanaco yard area, and I think the anteaters were being phased out to make room for some part of that children's area (I could be wrong). That might explain why the zoo keeps putting random animals in the guanaco and Chilean flamingo exhibit; they don't want to introduce any new species to that area for permanent exhibition since it's gonna be a children's play area. That might also be why they got rid of the pudu exhibit, and means they might get rid of the tree kangaroo exhibit; although, the pudu exhibit was fairly small, but they could have made it bigger, and the tree kangaroo could be moved into that open area behind the bear grottos by the kangaroos. Like I said, they may not be building the play area since some later parts of the Master Plan have not been carried out.
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Also, they're down to two pink-backed pelicans; I don't know what's happened with the rescued white pelican. Is there enough room in the watering hole exhibit for the cinereous, griffon, and lappet-faced vultures, a flock of pelicans, one or two ostriches, Tubby the tortoise, and two or three large antelope or a group of smaller antelope. What about a pair of saddle-billed storks? I feel like if they could get rid of the Chilean flamingos (although moving a flock of flamingos might be difficult), and have the African birds exhibit house a flock of greater flamingos, a pair of crowned cranes, a flock of pelicans, the pair of hooded vultures, and the spoonbills. Then put the rest of the vultures and a pair of saddle-billed storks in the watering hole yard, and maybe the pair or two of crowned cranes with the ostrich and antelope.
Pretty ridiculous they wanted to get rid of the guanaco yard, hope it doesn't actually happen. I also fear the saddle-billed storks are no longer at the zoo as well...
Yeah it is. They could really put any number of species in that area and just make it part of the conservation campus section of the zoo; that way the geography is intact, not that the zoo is too concerned with the geography.
I think the anteaters are being exhibited in the original anteater exhibit and the bush dog exhibit. I think the new anteater Mojo is in the bush dog yard.