The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore The Maryland Zoo News 2023

Neil chace said:
Who's Samson? Including species is typically the best policy on this site as many of us don't know names of animals who aren't at our local zoo and/or of species we specifically follow.
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I know, sorry. I even thought about it, he’s just such a celebrity here. Samson is the youngest elephant in the zoo’s herd. He’s been very nervous and unwilling to shift to the pair of new yards added in the elephant renovation, so it’s a very exciting development.
 
TheGytrash said:
Two new sifakas (1.1) have arrived at the zoo! This was a longtime species exhibited by the zoo, but their previous one died in 2021. It'll be nice to see them again!
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The male is 3 year old Terence from the duke lemur center, nephew of Zaboomafoo. The female from Mesker should be 12 year old Arcadia, unless one of her two sons there was sexed incorrectly.

And people here might be happy to know that Gratian the male who sired all of our previous infants has sired two more since his departure, in Philadelphia and Duke!
 
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Phew, took ten years and a few exhibits, but I’m ecstatic that this vulnerable species is breeding here. Hopefully more chicks come in the future!
 
Some updates from my quick visit:

African Journey:
- Mae the sitatunga calf is now on exhibit in the smaller exhibit yard with two of the adult females including her mom, Ally
- Beau is sadly not going to be integrated into the main marsh exhibit with the rest of the sitatunga as he is apparently rather territorial towards the exhibit mates that also live in the marsh (the birds) and is often too rowdy with the females, so it gives them a break. Currently you will either see him or Mae in the yard behind the tortoises.
- The birds are continuing to move around African Journey and the crane barn. There is a pair of both Saddle billed storks and Northern Ground Hornbills in the main sitatunga exhibit, the bird holding that used to hold the storks and currently holds a single white stork (separate from the individual living at the crane barn). The most notable thing I noticed is that there are two Saddle bills in the sitatunga exhibit as well as a third individual living with the mother-daughter pair of adra gazelle at the watering hole. Does anyone know if this animal is an offspring of the pair or a new animal all together?
- The tortoises are almost all separated. The oldest male was not getting along with the two females, so the exhibit was divided and he was kept with the younger male. Now he has become aggressive to the young male and the exhibit is now separated in three. The older male did live with the flamingos for a short period but that appears to not have worked either.
- Additional signage has been added featuring the names of some individual animals now, which I just thought was near enough to mention.
- The ostriches were still not out with the rhino and zebra at the watering hole, though the aviary was closed too so it may be bird flu precautions.
- The Chimpanzee Forest holding will be receiving some major holding updates tentatively by next spring.
- Though the Red Tailed Guenons have a breeding recommendation, the female is on birth control as the male is very food aggressive and often obsessive over her. The plan is to keep her on bc until a second female is acquired for support and as a distraction for Gus.
- Arcadia the new Sifiaka female is on birth control right now so that the pair have at least a year to bond and settle in before an offspring is born. They were released for the first time in the Sky trail this week and have been very brave, so they’ll definitely be a good addition to the trail system.

Main valley:
- The new Northern Ground hornbill chick is very tucked away in the barrel nest, so he’s completely unviewable.
- Only the male snowy owl was on exhibit, which isn’t news but it’s a very easily viewable exhibit and I was shocked the new female wasn’t there.
- Currently ambassador hawks are inhabiting the old North American porcupine holding. Cactus, the Harris Hawk seems to move around between the old cages a bit, but I have seen Tulsa, the red tailed hawk in the right side of the holding every time.
 
The lone saddle-bill is one of the original saddle-bills, which has been at the zoo for decades (obtained in the 1990s when the Watering Hole was first opened). The pair are new animals that arrived last year. Almost without exception, saddle-bills do not breed in situations in which they are not kept full-winged, and Baltimore has never bred the species
 
It sounds like they're still planning to send her to another zoo at AZA recommendation but that this is a temporary measure to get her used to seeing zoo guests and stuff, so I wonder when a permanent replacement for Piper will arrive at the zoo and how long Nora (that's what they named her!) will stick around. But it'll be so nice to see two otters in the exhibit again! It really is a lovely otter habitat.
 
According to the Zoo's social media, Everest, the male Northern ground hornbill, is now on exhibit frequently with his mother, Blue, in the large exhibit yard at Crane Barn. He will be exhibited in the mornings and weather dependent as he becomes more independent and continues to grow.
 
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