North Carolina Zoo North Carolina Zoo News 2023

Baboon habitat opens:

The article also mentions a completion date of 2026 for the Asia exhibits:

North Carolina Zoo opens new baboon habitat

A band of hamadryas baboons was welcomed to their newly renovated enclosure at North Carolina Zoo on Tuesday after living elsewhere on the zoo grounds since renovations began in 2021.

Additional spaces in the renovated habitat will soon open, including a new 4,000-square-foot dayroom and indoor quarters with viewing areas that will make the baboons regularly visible to guests.

The band is continuously growing, with four new additions just in the last year and possibly more to come. The baboon population at the zoo has greatly developed, starting with one baboon in 1978, and now numbers 22.
 
I am stuck between visiting the Virginia or North Carolina Zoo for an upcoming trip and was wondering what species (if any) the North Carolina Zoo houses that very few or no other zoos in the US house. You can also tell me your opinion on which zoo is better.
 
I wouldn’t say you really go to North Carolina for their rarities. You go because of the scale of the Africa area. A 30+ acre hoofstock yard, one of the largest (publicly accessible) elephant exhibits in the country, and pretty expansive exhibits for everything else in that section. Also a pretty well themed desert complex, a cool cypress swamp area, and kind of average everything else. Size isn’t everything but Watani Grasslands alone can be an awe-inspiring experience.

I know nothing about the Virginia Zoo.
 
ZooNerd said:
I am stuck between visiting the Virginia or North Carolina Zoo for an upcoming trip and was wondering what species (if any) the North Carolina Zoo houses that very few or no other zoos in the US house. You can also tell me your opinion on which zoo is better.
Click to expand...
As far as rarities go, you have the parakeet auklet/thick-billed murres in the Rocky Coast area, along with presumably other herps in the Swamp, Streamside and Desert regions. That said, I echo the sentiment that North Carolina's not necessarily a zoo for rarities as it is some of the finest exhibit design in the country. It's a good quality zoo with some incredibly expansive exhibits - 7 acres for African elephants, 11 acres for bison and elk, 38-40 acres for rhinos and antelope, 3.5 acres for giraffe, zebra and ostrich, 1 acre for chimps, 0.5 acres for gorillas, etc. I also admire the zoo for its in-house rockwork team, as well as the overall sightline design for the different habitats.
 
ZooNerd said:
I am stuck between visiting the Virginia or North Carolina Zoo for an upcoming trip and was wondering what species (if any) the North Carolina Zoo houses that very few or no other zoos in the US house. You can also tell me your opinion on which zoo is better.
Click to expand...
I agree with what everyone else has said! I will also add that the art throughout the NC Zoo is amazing!
The Virginia Zoo does have a nice Aisa section, but overall, I think NC is better.
 
ZooNerd said:
I am stuck between visiting the Virginia or North Carolina Zoo for an upcoming trip and was wondering what species (if any) the North Carolina Zoo houses that very few or no other zoos in the US house. You can also tell me your opinion on which zoo is better.
Click to expand...

If you are still undecided, I created a species list from September 2022 here -> North Carolina Zoo Species List - Sept 2022 [North Carolina Zoo]. It should still be mostly accurate, but some changes have occurred; the ones I know about are the addition of Brush-tailed Bettongs and the removal of Cape Porcupines and Ring-tailed Lemurs (can someone else confirm that latter?).

As others have mentioned, the North Carolina Zoo isn't particularly known for their rarities. In fact, compared to many other zoos, their collection is fairly unremarkable from a pure species list perspective. What NC is more renowned for, and what actually makes them stand out, are their high quality, large, spread out, and naturalistic exhibits owing to a rural location (free from the confines of a city-based zoo), being first designed with more modern exhibitry standards from the start, and a fantastic landscaping and rockwork department. Indeed, NC has some of the best exhibits for many different species in their collection, most notably their Elephants. Their Watani Grasslands exhibit also includes one of the biggest mixes of large herbivores you will see outside of safari parks.

In addition to what was mentioned above, here are some other notable stuff in their collection. It's up to you on whether these will decide your choice or not.
  • Desert Pupfish, from what I heard, are not commonly held in zoos. However, they were off-exhibit during my last visit, and someone else will need to confirm if they are still exhibited in the Desert.
  • One of the largest Seabird colonies in the nation, with Horned Puffins, Parakeet Auklets, and Thick-billed Murres).
  • One of the largest troops for Hamadryas Baboons and Chimpanzees.
  • Recent additions like Gray Mouse Lemurs and Brush-tailed Bettongs, which are more "out-there" than what the zoo has usually housed.
  • There is also the Zoofari ride, where you can ride a safari bus into the Watani Grasslands exhibit. You get much closer to the animals and it provides great photo opportunities. You can get info on it here -> Zoofari | North Carolina Zoo.
IMO, the North Carolina Zoo is a beautiful facility whose exhibitry and aesthetics far exceed many of its more well-known peers, but it is held back somewhat by its collection (which is fairly standard and again, lacking in any real rarities) and rural location, which can make planning a trip around it something of a challenge depending on your circumstances (in contrast to the Virginia Zoo, which is in a much more populated and tourism-heavy area, with two other AZA facilities nearby to support it).

I haven't been to the Virginia Zoo yet, so cannot really comment on that facility, but I will be going there in the fall. There is a species list from @ZooBinh here -> Virginia Zoo Species List - June 21st, 2022 [Virginia Zoo]. I cannot say how accurate it is now, but it should hopefully give you a good starting point for comparing their collections.
 
Thanks all for your feedback I am, and was, definitely leaning towards North Carolina but Virginia peaked my interest and thought might as well ask people who know the zoos better than I do to give some feedback!
 
Virginia has a great herp building, among other things. It's also small enough that you can combine it with either the aquarium (to the east) or living museum (to the west), both of which are also AZA and fantastic.
 
The poll for naming the giraffe calf is up! The options are:
Fenn: After the founders of the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, Julian and Stephanie Fennessey.

Nelson: After the famous leader Nelson Mandela.

Mosi: African name used for "first born son.”

Jackson: “Son of Jack,” the calf’s dad is named Jack.

Tamu: Swahili for "sweet" since he was born on World Bee Day, and bees make sweet honey.

Bongani: This Zulu name means “grateful, thankful.”

What do y'all think?
 
OkapiFan said:
The poll for naming the giraffe calf is up! The options are:
Fenn: After the founders of the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, Julian and Stephanie Fennessey.

Nelson: After the famous leader Nelson Mandela.

Mosi: African name used for "first born son.”

Jackson: “Son of Jack,” the calf’s dad is named Jack.

Tamu: Swahili for "sweet" since he was born on World Bee Day, and bees make sweet honey.

Bongani: This Zulu name means “grateful, thankful.”

What do y'all think?
Click to expand...
If you're inclined to vote, I've heard that the keepers do NOT want Bongani or Jackson, but are cool with any of the others
 
According to the newest Zoo EDventures:
- Asia construction in about 1/3 complete and then the exhibit team will do the rock/plant work, etc.
- The zoo already has ~200 trees ready to go for Asia with more on the way. They also have a bunch of ground foliage, flowers, etc.
- It was said that the area where the dog show is currently set up is newly built, so after the show ends, I wonder if it could be used for other animal demonstrations.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top