PercideRolo
Well-Known Member
Gorilla were outside today in Gorilla Grove. Still not open to public.
Franklin Park Zoo Franklin Park Zoo News 2022
- Thread starter Smaggledagle
- Start date
-
- Tags
- massachusetts zoo news
gardener14
Well-Known Member
Condors and Stellar's Sea Eagle are off exhibit. According to the zookeeper I chatted with today, the exhibit will be closed for at least six weeks while they refurbish it including a new covering on the large flight cage.
Also, per another zookeeper, the hyenas are currently in holding and should return to their exhibit very soon.
Also, chatting with a third zookeeper, today was the first day the gorillas were introduced to their new outdoor habitat. He said they will continue monitoring introductions. The construction fence remains up, but it's rather easy to see that the exhibit is essentially finished aside from some peripheral landscaping in progress. He speculated a soft opening on April 9. The zoo has formerly announced the grand Opening for April 12.
Also, per another zookeeper, the hyenas are currently in holding and should return to their exhibit very soon.
Also, chatting with a third zookeeper, today was the first day the gorillas were introduced to their new outdoor habitat. He said they will continue monitoring introductions. The construction fence remains up, but it's rather easy to see that the exhibit is essentially finished aside from some peripheral landscaping in progress. He speculated a soft opening on April 9. The zoo has formerly announced the grand Opening for April 12.
What kind of landscaping are they doing for the gorillas? Are they planting bamboo or are they just keeping it to grass and mulch?
gardener14
Well-Known Member
QUOTE="StoppableSan, post: 1379564, member: 14155"]What kind of landscaping are they doing for the gorillas? Are they planting bamboo or are they just keeping it to grass and mulch?[/QUOTE]
I honestly didn't notice (or maybe I didn't pay attention to) landscaping within the enclosure. I mostly saw rockwork, ropes, and waterfalls. The landscaping being done was peripheral, mostly between the gorilla and hyena habitats. My point was mainly that aside from this landscaping, the habitats looked complete, including signage.
I honestly didn't notice (or maybe I didn't pay attention to) landscaping within the enclosure. I mostly saw rockwork, ropes, and waterfalls. The landscaping being done was peripheral, mostly between the gorilla and hyena habitats. My point was mainly that aside from this landscaping, the habitats looked complete, including signage.
Last edited:
If the gorillas were outside, does that mean the inside habitat was empty? Or were some gorillas outside and some inside?
gardener14
Well-Known Member
Yesterday, we didn't see any gorillas inside, but I don't know if they had the choice.
A new high-quality image of the gorilla habitat was posted by the zoo on social media. It looks really good to me with all the climbing structures and different substrates. The habitat also looks way bigger from this angle than it has seemed before.
Log into Facebook
Log into Facebook
gardener14
Well-Known Member
As for size of the area, there is also an additional area on the other side of that concourse, so it's rather nice.A new high-quality image of the gorilla habitat was posted by the zoo on social media. It looks really good to me with all the climbing structures and different substrates. The habitat also looks way bigger from this angle than it has seemed before.
Log into Facebook
A new high-quality image of the gorilla habitat was posted by the zoo on social media. It looks really good to me with all the climbing structures and different substrates. The habitat also looks way bigger from this angle than it has seemed before.
Log into Facebook
Hopefully this exhibit ages well. From the picture, it looks rather barren, but I've known quite a few exhibits to start out barren and grow into much prettier exhibits (plants do take time to grow, after all). Either way, this'll be a really nice addition that is essential to the zoo's future.
PercideRolo
Well-Known Member
A new high-quality image of the gorilla habitat was posted by the zoo on social media. It looks really good to me with all the climbing structures and different substrates. The habitat also looks way bigger from this angle than it has seemed before.
Log into Facebook
I ask animal care person and they say exhibit is 20000 square foot with most surface able to be climb that doesn't have electric deterrent.
A new high-quality image of the gorilla habitat was posted by the zoo on social media. It looks really good to me with all the climbing structures and different substrates. The habitat also looks way bigger from this angle than it has seemed before.
Log into Facebook
Are the animals able to access the top of the viewing areas? I'm surprised they didn't incorporate a glass ceiling or tunnel above the visitors head so they could watch them cross over, similar to what Bronx has in CGF.
~Thylo
Yeah, the animals can climb over the viewing areas to access another part of the habitat on the other side of the path.
I don't think there's any glass in the roof, but you should still be able to see the gorillas if they're on top, from some other viewing angles by the mesh on the edge of the exhibit.
I don't think there's any glass in the roof, but you should still be able to see the gorillas if they're on top, from some other viewing angles by the mesh on the edge of the exhibit.
PercideRolo
Well-Known Member
There skylite windows in the roof of the viewing room that can see the back side of exhibit.
Hyena back on exhibit today. They were smelling their new neighbors. Hope they plant between the exhibits. Can see tarred path and wire tent foot anchor.
The gorilla habitat is now open:
Franklin Park Zoo opens new, $9.1 million outdoor gorilla habitat
Franklin Park Zoo on Tuesday opened the new, $9.1 million habitat to the general public following a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The new space, which was funded by anonymous donors, gives the troop 360,000 cubic feet of space to explore.
Video of exhibit in link.
Franklin Park Zoo opens new, $9.1 million outdoor gorilla habitat
Franklin Park Zoo on Tuesday opened the new, $9.1 million habitat to the general public following a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The new space, which was funded by anonymous donors, gives the troop 360,000 cubic feet of space to explore.
Video of exhibit in link.
Animallover360
Well-Known Member
I went to the zoo today, not many major changes but here’s what I noticed:
-Gorillas weren’t outside but I believe they had the option to.
-The aviary by the children's zoo, wattled cranes, white-naped cranes, kori bustards, ostrich, maybe a few more I’m forgetting we’re all off exhibit due to the avian flu.
-There was construction at the flight cage. The whole thing was being taken a part pretty much. Due to this the Andean condors and Stellar’s sea Eagle were off exhibit. Picture of construction attached. I found this very interesting as I am wondering if the zoo is getting rid of the flight cage completely or just making renovations.
-Indian peafowls and black swan were in the parakeet cage most likely because of the Avian flu.
-The Laughing kookaburras were in an aviary by the Bird’s World building.
-The zoo had an eastern screech owl, which I’ve never seen before, in an aviary by Bird’s World building.
-The small cage in Bird’s World building Rainforest Room was gone. This used to house blue bellied rollers and before that the green aracari which now has free flighted access in the rain forest room.
-Gorillas weren’t outside but I believe they had the option to.
-The aviary by the children's zoo, wattled cranes, white-naped cranes, kori bustards, ostrich, maybe a few more I’m forgetting we’re all off exhibit due to the avian flu.
-There was construction at the flight cage. The whole thing was being taken a part pretty much. Due to this the Andean condors and Stellar’s sea Eagle were off exhibit. Picture of construction attached. I found this very interesting as I am wondering if the zoo is getting rid of the flight cage completely or just making renovations.
-Indian peafowls and black swan were in the parakeet cage most likely because of the Avian flu.
-The Laughing kookaburras were in an aviary by the Bird’s World building.
-The zoo had an eastern screech owl, which I’ve never seen before, in an aviary by Bird’s World building.
-The small cage in Bird’s World building Rainforest Room was gone. This used to house blue bellied rollers and before that the green aracari which now has free flighted access in the rain forest room.
Attachments
I went to the zoo last week, and the Gorillas weren't outside then too. I asked a keeper, and they said that Kitombe (one of the silverbacks) was very anxious about going outside. He wants to stay inside even when given the option to go out. Then, all of the females would decide to stay indoors with him, and to not leave him alone due to his social dominance. So until Kit gets used to the new habitat, we should expect the gorillas to only be outside if Joe is the silverback on exhibit.
In terms of the flight cage, Painted Dog said it was under construction to remove and redo the outdated paint in their FPZ Review a couple weeks ago.
Animallover360
Well-Known Member
Do you know what the zoo does with the silverback who’s not on exhibit? There’s only one group of gorillas that switch out silverbacks.
PercideRolo
Well-Known Member
Flight cage must be very expensive. Paint removal and new tent very costly. They shoulf remove the walkway and make one that goes around the whole cage. Free up the middle for flight and more immersive than triangle tent.
The other silverback just lives alone behind the scenes for the day.
I don't know how realistic this would be, but it would be nice if the zoo acquired another adult female or two, and created two groups of gorillas (one for each silverback). In the summer, the groups would rotate between the outdoor and indoor exhibits every day. In the winter, they would rotate between being on exhibit indoors vs behind the scenes. I'm not 100% sure if FPZ would have enough space for something like this though.
I don't know how realistic this would be, but it would be nice if the zoo acquired another adult female or two, and created two groups of gorillas (one for each silverback). In the summer, the groups would rotate between the outdoor and indoor exhibits every day. In the winter, they would rotate between being on exhibit indoors vs behind the scenes. I'm not 100% sure if FPZ would have enough space for something like this though.
Animallover360
Well-Known Member
For exhibit space, I’d say there would be enough space. Behind the scenes, I’m not sure. That would definitely be more ideal though.
Last edited: