Philadelphia Zoo Philadelphia Zoo News 2023

[StoppableSan]

Went to the zoo today and I feel like I'm going crazy. Has that desert section of the herp house always been there? I haven't been in there since 2019, but I remember it being a horseshoe shape with the little aquatic nook. I have no memory of this entire extra room in the middle!

-Small mammal house definitely isn't being knocked down, it would cost more than redoing the building. They have no idea what they're doing with it.
-Maned wolf said "habitat temporarily empty".
-Lots of extra netting on most bird areas. Bird Valley birds were all out, though.
-Travancore tortoise is off exhibit.
-Hippos weren't out.
-Ankole-Watusi are VERY popular.

• I remember there being a desert room since the last few times I've been to Philly - I have a gut feeling that's the room with their Conant's milk snake.
• While they don't have a proper ventilation system to keep their small mammals safe, the Small Mammal Building itself has pretty good bones. I personally think it'd make sense to convert it to an invertebrates house.
• Hopefully they stick with maned wolves, or the new species they receive is cool too. (As long as it doesn't become another playground)
• Makes sense if they're prepping for the worst with Avian Flu.
• Ankole-Watusi being popular'd make sense - a hardy, large, active species that's a legitimate new species for the zoo.

 

[TinoPup]

• I remember there being a desert room since the last few times I've been to Philly - I have a gut feeling that's the room with their Conant's milk snake.
• While they don't have a proper ventilation system to keep their small mammals safe, the Small Mammal Building itself has pretty good bones. I personally think it'd make sense to convert it to an invertebrates house.
• Hopefully they stick with maned wolves, or the new species they receive is cool too. (As long as it doesn't become another playground)
• Makes sense if they're prepping for the worst with Avian Flu.
• Ankole-Watusi being popular'd make sense - a hardy, large, active species that's a legitimate new species for the zoo.

I didn't see a Conant's, just a Pueblan.
I hope it doesn't become an invert house They already have those in KidZooU.
Maned wolves are my second favorite, after cheetahs, so I will be sad if that changes!
Still odd that the bird valley animals are all out and free, with lots of mallards and Canada geese mixing with them.
Most were more impressed with their horns, no one seemed to really know they were new.

 

[red river hog]

They haven’t kept Conant’s Milksnake for years now.

Considering there were rumors of the small mammal house becoming a restaurant a while back, I’d be happy with anything that involves animals.

 

[StoppableSan]

They haven’t kept Conant’s Milksnake for years now.

Considering there were rumors of the small mammal house becoming a restaurant a while back, I’d be happy with anything that involves animals.

Shame, given Roger Conant's history with the zoo and the herpetological field.

Even if the zoo does go with the restaurant idea, as long as the vampire bats/other small critters are still in the zoo's collection I'm fine.

 

[ZooElephantMan]

Went to the zoo today and I feel like I'm going crazy. Has that desert section of the herp house always been there? I haven't been in there since 2019, but I remember it being a horseshoe shape with the little aquatic nook. I have no memory of this entire extra room in the middle!

-Small mammal house definitely isn't being knocked down, it would cost more than redoing the building. They have no idea what they're doing with it.
-Maned wolf said "habitat temporarily empty".
-Lots of extra netting on most bird areas. Bird Valley birds were all out, though.
-Travancore tortoise is off exhibit.
-Hippos weren't out.
-Ankole-Watusi are VERY popular.

Hey, I was there yesterday too! I wonder if we ran into each other.

I had never been before, and I think overall I liked the zoo more than the average zoochatter. The African Plains and Rare Animal Conservation Center were probably my least favorite sections, but I actually enjoyed the Primate Reserve. I liked that the Orangs had access to 3 large live trees, and I saw one individual climb all the way to the top and sit in the branches. It was also cool seeing the Colobus use the 360 trails in the background, and it was rewarding to spot my first ever Aye-Aye who was very active and a pleasure to watch. A lot of the exhibits at this zoo struggle with immersion, theming, and inclusion of natural substrates. But the primates had plenty of climbing opportunities (particularly indoors) and, partly due to Zoo360, animal enrichment seemed strong overall. If you ignore the functional appearances of many of the enclosures, the place overall wasn't as bad as I expected.

 

[RatioTile]

Went to the zoo today and I feel like I'm going crazy. Has that desert section of the herp house always been there? I haven't been in there since 2019, but I remember it being a horseshoe shape with the little aquatic nook. I have no memory of this entire extra room in the middle!

-Small mammal house definitely isn't being knocked down, it would cost more than redoing the building. They have no idea what they're doing with it.
-Maned wolf said "habitat temporarily empty".
-Lots of extra netting on most bird areas. Bird Valley birds were all out, though.
-Travancore tortoise is off exhibit.
-Hippos weren't out.
-Ankole-Watusi are VERY popular.

I remember seeing the desert section in the herp house in December 2021. Shingleback skink, Hosmer's skink, rattlesnakes, and Mali uromastyx were there at the time.

 

[kitnkat58]

The zoo added info about Staying Power to their website: Staying Power at Philadelphia Zoo

They've also changed the digital membership cards to QR code, from barcodes... I just want the physical cards back

I agree! Since I don't own a cell phone, I have been printing my membership cards. A couple of visits back, they were having trouble scanning my paper, so the attendant went to the office and - TADA - handed me a real plastic member card! So, going forward, I will ask for a card.

 

[TinoPup]

They haven’t kept Conant’s Milksnake for years now.

Considering there were rumors of the small mammal house becoming a restaurant a while back, I’d be happy with anything that involves animals.

There's still a chance they turn the actual building into some sort of eatery, but hopefully that's more complicated than they want to do! There really is no idea what it's going to be, so I would guess we're years out from anything with planning and design, permits, then building and getting animals for it.

 

[TinoPup]

Shame, given Roger Conant's history with the zoo and the herpetological field.

Even if the zoo does go with the restaurant idea, as long as the vampire bats/other small critters are still in the zoo's collection I'm fine.

Vampire bats are staying, they'll likely end up over in water is life (lol), where it will be easier to clean. Meerkats are staying obviously. Everything else is unknown.

 

[TinoPup]

Hey, I was there yesterday too! I wonder if we ran into each other.

I had never been before, and I think overall I liked the zoo more than the average zoochatter. The African Plains and Rare Animal Conservation Center were probably my least favorite sections, but I actually enjoyed the Primate Reserve. I liked that the Orangs had access to 3 large live trees, and I saw one individual climb all the way to the top and sit in the branches. It was also cool seeing the Colobus use the 360 trails in the background, and it was rewarding to spot my first ever Aye-Aye who was very active and a pleasure to watch. A lot of the exhibits at this zoo struggle with immersion, theming, and inclusion of natural substrates. But the primates had plenty of climbing opportunities (particularly indoors) and, partly due to Zoo360, animal enrichment seemed strong overall. If you ignore the functional appearances of many of the enclosures, the place overall wasn't as bad as I expected.

I'll PM you

I hadn't been in two years and I liked the zoo more than I remembered, despite all of the current downfalls. I'm really glad to hear you enjoyed it! I was wondering if the orangs ever climbed the trees, they were both on the ground every time I walked by, very sad I missed that. I had been planning on doing a post about how great the primate reserve is, since it tends to get no love here, but too many of my photos ended up blurry. I'll be going again in early June so hopefully there will be less school groups

 

[TinoPup]

I agree! Since I don't own a cell phone, I have been printing my membership cards. A couple of visits back, they were having trouble scanning my paper, so the attendant went to the office and - TADA - handed me a real plastic member card! So, going forward, I will ask for a card.

This is very good to know, I'll ask about it on my next visit! Thank you!

 

[CarLover]

Went to the zoo today and I feel like I'm going crazy. Has that desert section of the herp house always been there? I haven't been in there since 2019, but I remember it being a horseshoe shape with the little aquatic nook. I have no memory of this entire extra room in the middle!

-Small mammal house definitely isn't being knocked down, it would cost more than redoing the building. They have no idea what they're doing with it.
-Maned wolf said "habitat temporarily empty".
-Lots of extra netting on most bird areas. Bird Valley birds were all out, though.
-Travancore tortoise is off exhibit.
-Hippos weren't out.
-Ankole-Watusi are VERY popular.

This all sounds pretty unfortunate.

 

[StoppableSan]

Vampire bats are staying, they'll likely end up over in water is life (lol), where it will be easier to clean. Meerkats are staying obviously. Everything else is unknown.

Last I heard, they were debating between Water Is Life and the Rare Animal Conservation Center - I'd rather they do the former as the former dwarf mongoose habitat is practically gift-wrapped for the vampire bats. Only issue is how they may sort out glare...

 

[TinoPup]

Last I heard, they were debating between Water Is Life and the Rare Animal Conservation Center - I'd rather they do the former as the former dwarf mongoose habitat is practically gift-wrapped for the vampire bats. Only issue is how they may sort out glare...

It won't be the RACC, because of the damage their feces and urine does to the floor. There was a boarded up section in water is life but I have no idea if that was new.

 

[StoppableSan]

It won't be the RACC, because of the damage their feces and urine does to the floor. There was a boarded up section in water is life but I have no idea if that was new.

That boarded up section would be the former dwarf mongoose space - back when Water is Life was Carnivore Kingdom.

 

[Kevin2342]

• I remember there being a desert room since the last few times I've been to Philly - I have a gut feeling that's the room with their Conant's milk snake.
• While they don't have a proper ventilation system to keep their small mammals safe, the Small Mammal Building itself has pretty good bones. I personally think it'd make sense to convert it to an invertebrates house.
• Hopefully they stick with maned wolves, or the new species they receive is cool too. (As long as it doesn't become another playground)
• Makes sense if they're prepping for the worst with Avian Flu.
• Ankole-Watusi being popular'd make sense - a hardy, large, active species that's a legitimate new species for the zoo.

-The desert wing currently has the following species: sidewinder rattlesnake, shingleback skink, Hosmer’s skink, Gila monster, Western diamondback rattlesnake, knob-tailed gecko, spiny-tailed lizard, pancake tortoise and Pueblan milk snake. They haven’t kept Conant’s milksnake since 2018, after their lone individual died. The Pueblan milk snake is named Pablo and is retired for the education department due to his old age(somewhere in his 20s.)
- The maned wolf was moved to the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute(SCBI) in hopes of breeding, but she’s 12 years old which is very old for any canine so the hopes are low. The zoo is working on the exhibit to bring something similar to maned wolves.
- There are two young male black tree monitors on exhibit in the Reptile House. They are two brothers who arrived last September. Meanwhile, the two very old male black tree monitors are hanging out behind the scenes and are officially retired from display. The Travancore tortoise is also off exhibit because the exhibit dosen’t really fit it(after the renovations there are now more branches and logs near the ground so there isn’t as much space for the tortoise.) It is unclear whether it will come back, move to another exhibit or stay behind the scenes.
- A number of animals have passed away this year, including the red-capped Mangabey, a green tree python, cattle egret, hellbender, a Nigerian dwarf goat, a Temminck’s Tragopan, and a zebra. The green tree python exhibit is also going to be redesigned for a new young adult breeding pair.

 

[TinoPup]

-The desert wing currently has the following species: sidewinder rattlesnake, shingleback skink, Hosmer’s skink, Gila monster, Western diamondback rattlesnake, knob-tailed gecko, spiny-tailed lizard, pancake tortoise and Pueblan milk snake. They haven’t kept Conant’s milksnake since 2018, after their lone individual died. The Pueblan milk snake is named Pablo and is retired for the education department due to his old age(somewhere in his 20s.)
- The maned wolf was moved to the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute(SCBI) in hopes of breeding, but she’s 12 years old which is very old for any canine so the hopes are low. The zoo is working on the exhibit to bring something similar to maned wolves.
- There are two young male black tree monitors on exhibit in the Reptile House. They are two brothers who arrived last September. Meanwhile, the two very old male black tree monitors are hanging out behind the scenes and are officially retired from display. The Travancore tortoise is also off exhibit because the exhibit dosen’t really fit it(after the renovations there are now more branches and logs near the ground so there isn’t as much space for the tortoise.) It is unclear whether it will come back, move to another exhibit or stay behind the scenes.
- A number of animals have passed away this year, including the red-capped Mangabey, a green tree python, cattle egret, hellbender, a Nigerian dwarf goat, a Temminck’s Tragopan, and a zebra. The green tree python exhibit is also going to be redesigned for a new young adult breeding pair.

-No gecko currently. When did this section of the building open?
-That's really sad to hear Especially when combined with the species also leaving Smithsonian zoo.
-No black tree monitors out yet. A keeper moved around some rocks in the Travancore exhibit, I was hoping he'd put the animal back out, but no luck.
-The python exhibit is completely empty and was being cleaned. Disappointing to hear about the mangabey, that was one of my favorites.

 

[Kevin2342]

-No gecko currently. When did this section of the building open?
-That's really sad to hear Especially when combined with the species also leaving Smithsonian zoo.
-No black tree monitors out yet. A keeper moved around some rocks in the Travancore exhibit, I was hoping he'd put the animal back out, but no luck.
-The python exhibit is completely empty and was being cleaned. Disappointing to hear about the mangabey, that was one of my favorites.

- The knob-tailed geckos are not signed, there is a small exhibit with purple light to the left of the western diamondback rattlesnake/Gila monster exhibit where they are on display. The desert wing has always been open, but sometimes people miss it if they don’t take a right at the king cobra temple.
- Today is the first day the black tree monitors came on display so they weren’t out yet at the time you were there. The Travancore tortoise used to live in the same exhibit as the black tree monitors when the older boys were on exhibit, but since the renovation the exhibit dosent really fit it anymore as there are way more branches and logs near that ground. But don’t worry, the tortoise is perfectly fine.
- Both the python and mangabey were in their late 20s which is very old for both species and both were euthanized after years of declining health. The mangabey had diabetes since 2019 that suddenly got out of control and the python had arthritis down its back and spine, and it got to a point he was experiencing increased back pain and stopped eating.

 

[TinoPup]

- The knob-tailed geckos are not signed, there is a small exhibit with purple light to the left of the western diamondback rattlesnake/Gila monster exhibit where they are on display. The desert wing has always been open, but sometimes people miss it if they don’t take a right at the king cobra temple.
- Today is the first day the black tree monitors came on display so they weren’t out yet at the time you were there. The Travancore tortoise used to live in the same exhibit as the black tree monitors when the older boys were on exhibit, but since the renovation the exhibit dosent really fit it anymore as there are way more branches and logs near that ground. But don’t worry, the tortoise is perfectly fine.
- Both the python and mangabey were in their late 20s which is very old for both species and both were euthanized after years of declining health. The mangabey had diabetes since 2019 that suddenly got out of control and the python had arthritis down its back and spine, and it got to a point he was experiencing increased back pain and stopped eating.

-There's sort of a sign, it's just black-on-black, but the exhibit was empty. I'm finding it hard to believe I managed to miss an entire section on dozens of visits? It's not exactly a big or complicated building...
-I was there yesterday, there was no exhibit set up for a pair of monitors. Unless you mean the exhibit that is signed for Travancore now holds them?
-Just knowing they're no longer there is enough, there's no need to bother grieving keepers to find out all of the details.

 

[JVM]

Terrible to hear about Storm's passing, though definitely not unexpected. I had noticed nobody had mentioned him in a while and considering he was a zoochat favorite it was starting to feel a tad conspicuous. Glad it's been reported now. I recall telling a friend about the douc langur and finding out only a day later the animal had passed away months earlier.