Corangurilla
Well-Known Member
Unfortunate news: according to the weekly volunteer update, Tai the Red Panda has Kahler’s Disease. She is currently being treated at the Animal Health Center (which means I probably saw Bandit last week).
Henry Vilas Zoo Henry Vilas Zoo News 2022
- Thread starter birdsandbats
- Start date
On September 2nd, the zoo announced that she has been euthanized. She was 14 years old at the time of passing.
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Corangurilla
Well-Known Member
RIP Tai.
You lived a long life for a red panda, and will be missed dearly. May you reunite with Lum in the great zoo in the sky.
Corangurilla
Well-Known Member
Went with a friend today, here’s my report:
How long has this been there? Is this even part of the bison exhibit, let alone the zoo?
That’s all for now!
- The turtle in the pool below the Turaco exhibit is a Toad-Headed Turtle (exact species unspecified). Do any other US zoos keep THT’s of any kind?
- The dog igloo in Aayla the aardvark’s indoor exhibit is gone. I wonder why.
- For once, the penguins weren’t total wallflowers! They moved around a bit before going right back to another corner….
- Badgers were a joy to watch! They got real close to the glass and I got some nice pictures of them!
- I noticed another yard behind the bison exhibit?
How long has this been there? Is this even part of the bison exhibit, let alone the zoo?
That’s all for now!
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It's a bison holding yard for when individuals need to be separated. It's been there for years.
This must be a brand new resident! I did not see it during my visit a little while ago. I am not familiar with this species, so it must not be super common? I'll have to stop by and check it out soon.
Corangurilla
Well-Known Member
All the THT media I can find on here is from European zoos. We might be looking at something rare here…
Corangurilla
Well-Known Member
Went to the zoo today for volunteering. I spent most of my time prior to my shift in the aviary, and I’ve got some updates.
- There were some colorful streamers in nearly every large exhibit in and around the building. I think they might’ve been up for Hispanic Heritage Month, which started two days ago.
- The “Toad-headed Turtle” in the former stingray pool below the turaco is a Mesoclemmys gibba. The only US facility I could find that displayed them was Baltimore Aquarium, but they weren’t on their website. Does anybody know if any other zoos or aquariums in the US keep this particular kind of turtle?
The Smithsonian National Zoo is the only other US-based holder that is listed in ZIMS.
Corangurilla
Well-Known Member
But do they display them publicly? I couldn’t seem to find them on the most recent species list for the Smithsonian National Zoo.
According to special sources from 2022, the zoo is interested in acquiring Bennett's wallabies.
Corangurilla
Well-Known Member
Didn’t they display them in the children’s zoo at one point? That would explain why Aayla the aardvark’s indoor exhibit has an Australian wall mural.
And while I’m not thrilled by the addition of what might be the most commonly kept marsupial on the planet, any new faces at Henry Vilas are appreciated!
Where would they even keep them? My guess is that empty paddock between the camels and the wild asses.
I was trying to think of where they would go last night, and I totally forgot about the enclosure between the camels and wild asses. That would be a much better alternative than putting them back in the Children's Zoo.
I wonder what they will do with the old porcupine enclosure once the last male passes?
Another unspecified online source from 2022 says that Henry Vilas Zoo only has 1.3 African Penguins left, and that they have requested to phase out the species. (Thankfully!) They have, however, requested to exhibit Gentoos? I assumed they were transferring the African Penguins out so that they could eventually build them a new enclosure. Adding Gentoos wouldn't make any sense...
(Side note: It is confirmed they want to transfer their last giraffe too. They also want to get Green Aracaris, and they are getting a 1.1 pair. I am assuming they will be in the exhibit where the Kookaburra used to be.)
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Corangurilla
Well-Known Member
Well, that’s an awful lot to take in…
That’s two incredibly major phase-outs that the kiddos are gonna miss. Gotta visit Eddie’s wing of the zoo more often, then.
Gentoos, though… interesting choice. I guess they’re more cold-hardy than African Penguins, they might be more willing to swim, and their larger size would give them a slightly lesser chance of becoming Raccoon fodder. It’s a weird decision, but the last time I saw a non-banded penguin was 2019, so I welcome it!
I'm assuming they're moving out animals to make room for the new expansions, but that makes me question why they would be bringing in the wallabies? (Unless they don't plan to put them near the asses and giraffes?) Also, if they did build a new penguin exhibit in the African area, would they put Gentoos in it? They wouldn't match the African theme...
I'd also be really sad to see the wild asses and Harmon leave the zoo. I'm hoping that they can somehow keep them at the zoo while the renovations happen, or if they will bring them back after the renovations are done. (I find the wild asses much more interesting than zebras.)
Gentoos would be more cold-hardy and be less likely to be killed by raccoons - but they are also not heat-tolerant and would have to be kept inside over the summer months - so I'm not really sure that would be an upgrade for the zoo.
Surely netting over the penguin exhibit wouldn’t be too hard and expensive from what I understand. Why they haven’t done it yet I fail to understand though.
The people in charge of things like that right now have a reputation for being negligent, haha.
Corangurilla
Well-Known Member
How old is this information? They got the Aracaris, kept them where the Kookaburras were (above the South American fish), and then they drowned and now they don't have Green Aracaris anymore.
Henry Vilas deserves so much better than this. First the prairie dogs died en masse, then people kept stealing from them, then the head of the zoo is charged with sexual assault, and then a whole bunch of metaphorical skeletons fell out of their metaphorical closet in April. Out of all the zoos in America this could've happened to, it had to be this one...
Oh, and the zoo is down to one (0.1) bison. Mama Cow died sometime before June 30th, leaving only Wilma.
What I'm saying is that things need to change at Henry Vilas, and soon.
Is Wilma the purebred?How old is this information? They got the Aracaris, kept them where the Kookaburras were (above the South American fish), and then they drowned and now they don't have Green Aracaris anymore.
Henry Vilas deserves so much better than this. First the prairie dogs died en masse, then people kept stealing from them, then the head of the zoo is charged with sexual assault, and then a whole bunch of metaphorical skeletons fell out of their metaphorical closet in April. Out of all the zoos in America this could've happened to, it had to be this one...
Oh, and the zoo is down to one (0.1) bison. Mama Cow died sometime before June 30th, leaving only Wilma.
What I'm saying is that things need to change at Henry Vilas, and soon.