Milwaukee County Zoo Milwaukee County Zoo News 2023

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Thank you for all the information. Me and family and/or friends may be visiting Milwaukee for the first time in years in a couple months and I wasn't sure if any of the species had left. It looks like nothing unexpected. (I already knew the caracal had left.)
 
Paid a visit over the weekend, and have some updates to share:

*Primates: This was my first time seeing the de Brazza's monkeys in the former mandrill exhibit, and they were a breath of fresh air! :) Both monkeys, particularly the male, were quite active, bounding about the branches, and the male was especially interested in the many outside elements. Next, the red ruffed lemurs have settled in well in the former cotton top tamarin exhibit. Having seen this arrangement just a couple days ago, along with my last visit in September, I feel this an even trade from the Small Mammals Building. While no longer having access to the great outdoors is a shame (even if the area was quite tiny), there is at least more exhibit space, and improved climbing area to encourage natural behaviors. Finally, the lush enclosure that held Goeldi's monkeys and cotton top tamarins is now completely empty. A staff member stated that after modifications are completed, a new monkey species will move in. While I believe it would be a good opportunity to move the ring-tailed lemurs down, I could see another smaller species like the squirrel monkey in here.

*Aquatic & Reptile Center: The Amazon fish tank is currently closed off and half-drained for the next few weeks; a leak was discovered in one of the viewing windows. In addition to this, a portion of the terrariums (king cobra side to be precise) had an additional barrier a few feet in front of the windows - I was told this was for crowd control. Olive, the new green anaconda, certainly is a sight to see! She sure seems to be larger that the other anacondas I've seen in Milwaukee. :eek: The red-tailed boas that previously resided in there have been moved to another terrarium - I believe it was the one with the other South American snakes like the emerald tree boas and red-tailed green rat snakes.

*Small Mammals: It seems like the agouti is gone, as I didn't see it on exhibit, and I don't recall seeing any signage. As for the new additions, they were quite active and enjoyable to watch. The new Prevost's squirrel has access to two different exhibits, but stuck to just one of them high up in the artificial tree. On the nocturnal side, the two pygmy slow lorises serve as a good replacement for the potto. I didn't realize how fast they were - I could barely keep up with them as the zoomed between their two enclosures!

*Pachyderm Area: The red river hogs were no where to be seen in the indoor viewing area, with the scimitar-horned oryx having taken over. Speaking of which, it was great to see them on display - they are majestic, and after the fairly recent losses of eland and yellow-backed duiker, they fill the missing African antelope void nicely. While the former elephant exhibit is on the small side for the trio of females, it works fine for the short-term until they move down the "African Waterhole" exhibit eventually. On the other side of the complex, the two female yak continue to do well, with Tinley chilling out in the dust, while Everest was munching on some hay. I know they're only here temporarily until rhino construction begins, but hopefully the species can come back in the future somehow. Lastly, Rahna the giraffe is under veterinary watch. She was holding her front legs and one of her rear legs fairly delicately. On a side note, the two calves born last year sure grew like weeds!

HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: The Zoo's African elephant herd was fun to watch, as Ruth and Belle were trying to reach up towards one of the hanging browse feeders with their trunks. In addition, watching the evolving dynamics of the herd was fascinating, particularly with Brittany reacting to Belle whenever the latter would approach. Brittany (who was previously the matriarch before Belle's arrival) would bolt to the other side of the habitat whenever Belle would so much as start walking towards her, along with the occasional head shake with ears flayed out. I even heard the iconic elephant rumble, which added to the heat of the moment.
 
Thanks for the update!

I noticed that the DeBrazzas have a breeding recommendation, so I'm quite excited to potentially see offspring from them in the future. Regarding the Goeldi's Monkeys, the zoo currently has two females. There are no current plans to breed them, but they want Milwaukee to import a male from Europe within the next two years. I'm excited to see what moves into their space! (Even if they moved the Red Ruffed Lemurs into that exhibit and moved a smaller primate back into their current exhibit.)
 
Visited the zoo today. For all the stuff I’ve said about it, it’s really not that bad (although that may be because I visited Racine earlier and that zoo is so mid that it hurts). Here’s my report:
  • According to a staff member, Princess the Mandrill moved to Disney’s Animal Kingdom! Glad to hear she’s with more of her own kind and missing out on the Wisconsin weather!
  • De Brazza’s monkeys are a much better fit for the habitat they’re in than the mandrills ever were.
  • I saw Olive the anaconda again! She is officially the first reptile I’ve seen at two different zoos, as well as the 6th animal overall.
  • I got to see the aviary for the first time! I gotta be honest, it didn’t knock my socks off or anything, but it did make the zoo feel more complete. Rhinoceros hornbills stole the show, though. I could hear those flaps from the shorebird exhibit!
  • Small mammal house was a highlight: got to see the new lorises, and one of the dwarf mongeese was hiking a plastic top between his legs! I think he thought it was an egg and was trying to crack it :p.
  • Saw a hippo using the spa for the first time… and then it let one rip in the water. It was like a friggin’ cartoon with bubbles and everything :p.
  • Went inside the giraffe house for the first time, and the giraffes were being clicker-trained!
  • I genuinely can’t want for the bear exhibits to be demolished. I don’t know what’s gonna replace them, but I just want them gone. They might just be my least-favorite exhibits that I’ve seen IRL.
  • I can’t remember the last time I’ve viewed cheetahs through glass, let alone active cheetahs.
I’m not a frequent visitor here, so sorry if this isn’t “useful” news, but I might as well share that my opinion on the Milwaukee County Zoo has gone up slightly. Who knows? Maybe in a couple years with some better weather, I can say that I love this zoo. We’ll just have to wait and see.
 
Corangurilla said:
Visited the zoo today. For all the stuff I’ve said about it, it’s really not that bad (although that may be because I visited Racine earlier and that zoo is so mid that it hurts). Here’s my report:
  • According to a staff member, Princess the Mandrill moved to Disney’s Animal Kingdom! Glad to hear she’s with more of her own kind and missing out on the Wisconsin weather!
  • De Brazza’s monkeys are a much better fit for the habitat they’re in than the mandrills ever were.
  • I saw Olive the anaconda again! She is officially the first reptile I’ve seen at two different zoos, as well as the 6th animal overall.
  • I got to see the aviary for the first time! I gotta be honest, it didn’t knock my socks off or anything, but it did make the zoo feel more complete. Rhinoceros hornbills stole the show, though. I could hear those flaps from the shorebird exhibit!
  • Small mammal house was a highlight: got to see the new lorises, and one of the dwarf mongeese was hiking a plastic top between his legs! I think he thought it was an egg and was trying to crack it :p.
  • Saw a hippo using the spa for the first time… and then it let one rip in the water. It was like a friggin’ cartoon with bubbles and everything :p.
  • Went inside the giraffe house for the first time, and the giraffes were being clicker-trained!
  • I genuinely can’t want for the bear exhibits to be demolished. I don’t know what’s gonna replace them, but I just want them gone. They might just be my least-favorite exhibits that I’ve seen IRL.
  • I can’t remember the last time I’ve viewed cheetahs through glass, let alone active cheetahs.
I’m not a frequent visitor here, so sorry if this isn’t “useful” news, but I might as well share that my opinion on the Milwaukee County Zoo has gone up slightly. Who knows? Maybe in a couple years with some better weather, I can say that I love this zoo. We’ll just have to wait and see.
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I'm glad to hear that you had a nice trip!

How were the bonobos doing?
 
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