On July 9th, it was announced that the zoo has transferred a (1.0) North American river otter named Fisher to the Blank Park Zoo in Iowa.
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Henry Vilas Zoo Henry Vilas Zoo News 2022
- Thread starter birdsandbats
- Start date
Corangurilla
Well-Known Member
According to the zoo's weekly newsletter (which I will not be sharing because I am not sure if I am allowed to share it), the birds are back on exhibit! (most of 'em, anyways)
The penguins, flamingos, Buckbeak the Sandhill Crane, and Hagrid the Tawny Frogmouth are back on exhibit!
Will the aviary re-open before this Saturday? We'll just have to wait and see.
The penguins, flamingos, Buckbeak the Sandhill Crane, and Hagrid the Tawny Frogmouth are back on exhibit!
Will the aviary re-open before this Saturday? We'll just have to wait and see.
Corangurilla
Well-Known Member
I think Bandit is now the youngest animal in the Green Barn. Aside from him, Mosi the hornbill, and Aayla the aardvark, everyone in the Green Barn is geriatric for their species.
Are the meerkats old?
Corangurilla
Well-Known Member
I think one of them is 9 years old? Jubala (who may have passed away) was stated to be 14 in 2020. I’ll have to ask the zoo when I get back to Madison.
AnonGibbon
Active Member
Donald and Franklin turned 11 in June. Tinker will be 11 in September.
Corangurilla
Well-Known Member
From the zoo’s Facebook page:
“We have begun phasing out some of our Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) precautions as cases have started to go down in Wisconsin. Our flamingos, crane, and penguins are all able to utilize their outdoor spaces again. The next step will be opening up the Aviary, which we hope to do in the next few weeks. The last birds that will be allowed back outside are our chickens, who are the most susceptible to HPAI.”
Genuinely forgot about the chickens. But hey, aviary will be reopening soon!
“We have begun phasing out some of our Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) precautions as cases have started to go down in Wisconsin. Our flamingos, crane, and penguins are all able to utilize their outdoor spaces again. The next step will be opening up the Aviary, which we hope to do in the next few weeks. The last birds that will be allowed back outside are our chickens, who are the most susceptible to HPAI.”
Genuinely forgot about the chickens. But hey, aviary will be reopening soon!
Apparently the aviary was open yesterday, but has since re-closed. It will still be several weeks, according to the zoo.
Corangurilla
Well-Known Member
Yesterday was Birds of the World Day, which is why it was open (I think). Anyways, glad the zoo got their “reopen and re-close an indoor exhibit while I’m out of town” kicks out early (this happened with the reptile and primate houses last year and it made me very disappointed).
I don't understand the decision at all. If it is truly too dangerous to let the public into the aviary, they why did they do it? If it isn't too dangerous, then why don't they just re-open it?
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Corangurilla
Well-Known Member
This just in: according to the volunteer-exclusive newsletter, the aviary is reopen! Hawk-llelujah! 
(nowpleasestayopenoriwillbeveryangry)
(nowpleasestayopenoriwillbeveryangry)
AnonGibbon
Active Member
This just in: according to the volunteer-exclusive newsletter, the aviary is reopen! Hawk-llelujah!
(nowpleasestayopenoriwillbeveryangry)
Visited and can confirm it's open. Generally unchanged since 2.5 years ago. The first fish exhibit on the way in is still empty. No more green aracari - I guess they didn't get a third after the first two drowned. The lonely turaco is still there, but the stingray that lived in the pool underneath was not there. Geoffroy's marmosets are now where the golden lion tamarins were, and bats are where the Geoffroy's marmosets were. If I'm being honest, the bat exhibit is not good - the space it gives the animals is fine. but it lacks good signage and the room still smells. I wish that room had monkeys of some type. Bats just seem out of place to me. I'm not sure where the golden lion tamarins are - they were in the AHC for a while but I haven't checked there recently. I thought they would have taken the opportunity given by 2.5 yrs without visitors and done some more significant updates.
Birds are almost the same as before, but I did not see the stilts or a sign for them
Anyway.... I'm very glad it's reopened, and it was great to see all the animals again.
Once the chickens are back out, the zoo will be 100% reopened!
I am shocked to hear that it didn't change much. When it first closed, the zoo made it seem like they were renovating it. They mentioned redoing the entire entrance area of the aviary, which included new invertebrate species that were invasive. (Or something along those lines.)
Corangurilla
Well-Known Member
Visited and can confirm it's open. Generally unchanged since 2.5 years ago. The first fish exhibit on the way in is still empty. No more green aracari - I guess they didn't get a third after the first two drowned. The lonely turaco is still there, but the stingray that lived in the pool underneath was not there. Geoffroy's marmosets are now where the golden lion tamarins were, and bats are where the Geoffroy's marmosets were. If I'm being honest, the bat exhibit is not good - the space it gives the animals is fine. but it lacks good signage and the room still smells. I wish that room had monkeys of some type. Bats just seem out of place to me. I'm not sure where the golden lion tamarins are - they were in the AHC for a while but I haven't checked there recently. I thought they would have taken the opportunity given by 2.5 yrs without visitors and done some more significant updates.
Birds are almost the same as before, but I did not see the stilts or a sign for them
Anyway.... I'm very glad it's reopened, and it was great to see all the animals again.
Ngl, it's been so long that I thought that they had Common Marmosets instead of Geoffroy's Marmosets.
As for the Golden Lion Tamarins, I think the zoo may not have them anymore? If the bats are in the marmoset exhibit, and the marmosets are in the tamarin exhibit, then there's no room for the tamarins, unless the zoo wants to put them in the exhibit where the aracaris were (was that one empty, @AnonGibbon? Or did you mean the piranha tank?). I'll have to check the AHC when I get back.
Ngl, it's been so long that I thought that they had Common Marmosets instead of Geoffroy's Marmosets.
As for the Golden Lion Tamarins, I think the zoo may not have them anymore? If the bats are in the marmoset exhibit, and the marmosets are in the tamarin exhibit, then there's no room for the tamarins, unless the zoo wants to put them in the exhibit where the aracaris were (was that one empty, @AnonGibbon? Or did you mean the piranha tank?). I'll have to check the AHC when I get back.
I believe they are in the AHC still. I think I heard that they temporarily had them off exhibit, but they may be back now. They could also have them behind the scenes for a while, too.
I visited today. The aviary was open but this Discovery Center was closed (possibly for a program). The only changes in the aviary appear to be updated signage (they update the animal signage and removed all the cultural references).
The Gila Monsters are gone.
The rhino now has access to the old tapir yard.
The baby orangutan is very cute.
The Gila Monsters are gone.
The rhino now has access to the old tapir yard.
The baby orangutan is very cute.
Corangurilla
Well-Known Member
The discovery center hasn’t been open for a good long while. It seems that the zoo is exclusively using it for stuff like Zoo Camp (which sucks, but that’s the way it is).
Harmon has had access to the former tapir yard for as long as I’ve been in Madison (which has been about 3 years).
Hopefully the zoo will get something to replace the Gila Monsters (like more Gila Monsters…?).
You’re right about the baby orangutan. She is adorable!
Their website says nothing about that. So it's basically permanently closed?
AnonGibbon
Active Member
Seemingly. I have not seen it open since August of last year. I don't think we're missing much though. The bats, or most of them at least, have been moved to the aviary. Besides that, there were ferrets and cockroaches.