Lincoln Park Zoo Lincoln Park Zoo News 2021

Micah Satvedi said:
According to CBS Chicago, a visitor managed to get into one of the Outdoor Rhino exhibits. This was a very brief incident and not people or animals were hurt. Not much information is being shared at the moment: Visitor Gets Into Lincoln Park Zoo Rhino Habitat, No Animals Or People Were Hurt
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This isn’t the first time this happened. For the life of me I can’t find this video but I swear I found a video on YouTube of a man jumping into the west rhino exhibit many years ago. It was never a publicized incident, but I am all bit certain it did happen.
 
I visited the zoo this morning and I noticed there have been some changes on the other side of the Lion House (where the red pandas, snow leopards and lynx will be). Several tall wooden platforms have been added to most of the exhibits. In addition, it looks like new fencing is being added to where the railings currently are, which makes me think they might be planning on extending the exhibits out. There were also zoo and construction workers going in and out of the former cougar habitat. There was a zoo worker there but I didn't think to ask him what was going on. So it appears some work is being done, but I couldn't tell you the extent of it.
 
The Farm-in-the-Zoo I believe is only open to members and only on certain days. I know they had a few members only days last month and I think they said more are coming.
 
I was also at the zoo today. There isn’t enough to talk about for full visit report like usual, but I have a few odds and sodds worth mentioning…

  • The Pepper Family Wildlife Center is almost complete. This weekend the grass was laid out and various plants and furnishings have been added. The lion exhibit is essentially complete at this point with only the surrounding areas and interior needing to be finished. Regarding the south exhibits for snow leopard, Canadian lynx and red panda, like previously mentioned various wooden platforms and construction equipment filled the exhibits. The fencing is being replaced as well and while I’m not sure what will be done to these old school cages it appears some renovations are taking place. I say overall the exhibit is turning out to be quite good and it’s incredibly exciting that we are only two or so months away from its unveiling. The only major complaint from what I have seen so far are the potential for cross views in the lion exhibit. Again, I agree with past sentiments regarding the name that I agree could have been better. Pepper Family Wildlife Center is really just so ambiguous and could honestly mean anything. Something like Pepper Family Cat Kingdom would have been way better, but at that point I’m just nitpicking. Either way, I fully intend on being there whenever the exhibit does open so stay tuned.
  • With the final project of the “Pride is Chicago” campaign coming to a close, I’ve been thinking a lot about the zoos future. I imagine it will be at least several years before another major project as the past five years have seen the zoo improve at a rapid rate and while it would be great to see that continue, the zoo deserves some time off. With the lion house dealt with, there really aren’t any truly bad exhibits left at the zoo which is great. However, there are definitely still some weaker aspects, particularly the primate house and hoofstock loop. Neither are nearly as horrendous as the old lion house, but are definitely two areas that will likely need to be replaced in the distant future. The exterior of the primate house will definitely need to be maintained so gutting the interior and replacing it with a themed exhibit would most certainly be the way to go. I could see something like a flooded forest or Madagascar exhibit being a good replacement. When it comes to the hoofstock loop it would need to be completely demolished and replaced with something else entirely. This is super unlikely to ever happen, but I did the measurements and there is enough room here for a new elephant complex, just saying… :p. I may make a Lincoln Park fantasy thing for stuff like this so excuse my rambling.
  • Minor updates: Underwater viewing for the seal pool has reopened and the prehensile-tailed porcupines have taken up residence in the old sand cat exhibit.
 
I get the feeling the old cougar exhibit will be either gutted as extra space for one of the smaller big cats or just be demolished as a result. Honestly more curious about that than the other aspects of the Pepper Wildlife Center.
 
Now does the zoo have any current plans to introduce more deer to keep this new arrival company. Or is it just going to be the only individual of it’s species on display for the time being.
 
Now that’s a catch, not that many American zoos have one of them. Hopefully they plan to help it breed in the exhibit.
 
The new lion pride was announced on the zoo's social media pages today.

The females are sisters Zari, Cleo and Hasira from Riverbanks Zoo in South Carolina. The male is Jabari from Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines, Iowa. They're not at the zoo yet but should be arriving in the next few months.

Also, as a personal note, I used to live in Iowa. I went to Blank Park Zoo exactly once but it was before Jabari was born, so I've never actually seen him. But it's nice to see another shared connection between Lincoln Park and Blank Park (Eastern Black Rhino Kapuki's brother is at Blank Park Zoo as well).
 
There’s more fencing around the shore birds in the birdhouse. Probably to keep them safe from escaping or Corona.

The Cavy is currently off exhibit from the hoofstock yard currently. This is what I found the most odd of the day.

The new deer is truly a spectacle. Shame that all three of them are male. Better than nothing as some would say.
 
An article on the zoo’s recent breeding success:

Lincoln Park Zoo Welcomes Newborn Animals to Spot This Summer

Mito the Japanese macaque gave birth to a healthy male on Aug. 3

The zoo also welcomed two Chilean flamingo chicks over at Flamingo Lagoon. Two healthy male chicks hatched, one on July 17 and the other on July 27.

Over at Hope B. McCormick Swan Pond, Northern pintail hatchlings were welcomed.

They also got six other bird species including an American avocet, a Blue-crowned laughingthrush, a Golden-breasted starling, a Green broadbill, an Inca tern and a Nicobar pigeon.

Blue-crowned laughingthrush haven’t hatched at the zoo since 2009 and Green broadbill haven’t hatched at the zoo since 2015.
 
Has the Children’s Zoo opened yet? Do we know yet when the Pepper Family Wildlife Center will open?
 
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