Buttonwood Park Zoo Buttonwood Park Zoo News

Two younger males in the emperor tamarin family were sent to the Denver Zoo, according to a post on that Facebook page. The mother and father were imported from Europe, and have been breeding like crazy. I don't really think the transfer was necessary because of how much space they're afforded, but these two removals won't hurt how busy the enclosure can be.
 
wild boar said:
Two younger males in the emperor tamarin family were sent to the Denver Zoo, according to a post on that Facebook page. The mother and father were imported from Europe, and have been breeding like crazy. I don't really think the transfer was necessary because of how much space they're afforded, but these two removals won't hurt how busy the enclosure can be.
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This transfer is, however, in consistent with how this species is typically managed. It's important to allow tamarins to see at least one or two litters be raised by their parents first, as this helps with future rearing, however at that point dispersal can occur. Furthermore, I suppose Denver Zoo may consider this transfer "necessary" in that this provides the zoo with a new species to exhibit.
 
Moose And Oona can now be seen in their enclosure. Moose, a male, is about nine months old at this point, and female Oona is a month or so younger. “He is the sweet and gentle type – gently taking treats from us, while she is showing us her sassy side. Both cubs are eating well and appear to be in excellent health.”

The facility is now a home for a Russian tortoise called Spudnik. He will be an animal ambassador.
"Spudnik's past is a bit of a mystery since she's a rescue, but we suspect she was once a beloved family pet who found herself released into the wild. Now, she plays a crucial role in helping us educate people about the importance of researching an animal's needs and understanding how those needs evolve throughout their lives before bringing them into your home.
Her unique name, "Spudnik," is a playful twist inspired by the discoloration on her shell that resembles a potato.
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Since we don't have an exact hatch date for her, we chose October 4th for her celebration—coinciding with the launch of Sputnik 1 on October 4, 1957."

The two red panda cubs are both females and have been named Pip and Sprout.


This news is all from the zoo Facebook page.
 
  1. Three or four pink-footed geese intended to be shipped out were euthanized recently due to a strange illness that befell all of them, however there are still four at the zoo, and they’re breeding!
  2. the puna teal and Magellan geese chicks have been moved to the Livingston Ripley Waterfowl Conservancy
  3. red-breasted geese, a Puna teal, Magellan geese, and northern pintails hatched this year
  4. all of the Argentine ruddy ducks, Indian pygmy geese, African pygmy geese, and Andean geese have been sent to the Bronx Zoo
  5. the last fennec fox, who is very elderly, broke his leg but is doing well now
  6. the southern lapwings, green aracari, and Montezuma quail are all gone, although the veterinarian couldn’t say with absolute certainty
  7. the sora rail is temporarily off-exhibit
  8. fencing has been put up splitting bison and deer again because one of the deer was still so fearful of the bison that she would run along the edge of the water, eventually breaking her leg on the rocks
  9. fencing for separating beavers has been removed
  10. one of the monkeys is injured so they’ve had to shuffle the families around, meaning that titis and pygmy marmosets are off-exhibit and the emperor tamarins are in the Bolivia enclosure
  11. all signs for the Bolivia enclosure and most of the signs at Peru have been removed
  12. The lined seahorse tank is vacant, if I remember correctly, for repairs
  13. There has been an increasing issue number of snapping turtles in the North American plains yard water body, which is an issue for the waterfowl eggs and chicks, one batch of victims being poor pink-footed geese
  14. the red-breasted geese are all in a new version of what would have been the fennec fox enclosure enclosure (it is literally four walls, a roof, and a kiddie pool)
  15. The domestic animal barn is going to be gutted for new public animal ambassador enclosures, soon apparently. The keeper I talked to was uncertain if they would be maintaining Daisy the cow and the two horses, which I really hope is possible.
 
wild boar said:
all of the Argentine ruddy ducks, Indian pygmy geese, African pygmy geese, and Andean geese have been sent to the Bronx Zoo
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So disappointed to see the waterfowl collection at Buttonwood taking a hit. It's the most unique thing about Buttonwood, and I was so nervous when Keith Lovett left that a lot of the more unusual waterfowl would shortly follow. At least a few of those are amongst the more common species, but Andean geese are a big loss.
 
Neil chace said:
So disappointed to see the waterfowl collection at Buttonwood taking a hit. It's the most unique thing about Buttonwood, and I was so nervous when Keith Lovett left that a lot of the more unusual waterfowl would shortly follow. At least a few of those are amongst the more common species, but Andean geese are a big loss.
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The Argentine ruddy ducks had to go because they both developed a film (I don't know what else to call it) on their feathers that ruined their waterproof coats. They think this species was somehow susceptible. They have adequate housing for birds that don't rely on water, but these ducks would be living there long-term, which I gather isn't the intent of the enclosures.

The Andean geese have always been bullies and were honestly never suited to be with all of the other birds. I was told recently they also had occasional problems with the deer, which makes sense.
 
Neil chace said:
So disappointed to see the waterfowl collection at Buttonwood taking a hit. It's the most unique thing about Buttonwood, and I was so nervous when Keith Lovett left that a lot of the more unusual waterfowl would shortly follow. At least a few of those are amongst the more common species, but Andean geese are a big loss.
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They have just one nene left which is a huge bummer, too.
 
Neil chace said:
This transfer is, however, in consistent with how this species is typically managed. It's important to allow tamarins to see at least one or two litters be raised by their parents first, as this helps with future rearing, however at that point dispersal can occur. Furthermore, I suppose Denver Zoo may consider this transfer "necessary" in that this provides the zoo with a new species to exhibit.
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What I meant was that there is still more than enough room for these older tamarin siblings.
 
OTiTheZooGuy said:
A pair of red-crowned cranes now live in the former pudu enclosure, and have been on display since last week.

I asked a keeper what happened to the pudu, and apparently he was transferred to the Queens Zoo in NY, as the zoo felt it'd be better for him to be with a herd rather than on his own.
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Are the southern screamers that used to reside with the pudu still in that habitat too?
 
gardener14 said:
Are the southern screamers that used to reside with the pudu still in that habitat too?
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Doesn't look like it nope. Even so, I imagine they'd be pretty out of place living with a crane that's native to East Asia.

Come to think of it, given how the enclosure is right next to the red pandas and elephants, perhaps the inclusion of cranes was another step into giving the section of zoo a more consistent geographic theme (especially if the working masterplan is anything to go by).
 
OTiTheZooGuy said:
A pair of red-crowned cranes now live in the former pudu enclosure, and have been on display since last week.

I asked a keeper what happened to the pudu, and apparently he was transferred to the Queens Zoo in NY, as the zoo felt it'd be better for him to be with a herd rather than on his own.
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A shame to lose pudu, but red-crowned cranes are always a nice species to see. It's a little interesting how now all three AZA zoos in Southeastern New England keep the red-crowned crane, yet neither of the Zoo New England facilities do (despite their specialty in cranes).
 
"A shame to lose pudu, but red-crowned cranes are always a nice species to see. It's a little interesting how now all three AZA zoos in Southeastern New England keep the red-crowned crane, yet neither of the Zoo New England facilities do (despite their specialty in cranes)"

Definitely a shame to lose the pudu, but it is nice to see that Zoo New England has less common species on cranes and not the same species again, which is a common theme for zoos in New England.
 
Buttonwood Park Zoo visit in late January

It was a nice visit to the zoo. The weather cleared up as the day went on and animals were active (except for the primates!).

Addressing Collection Trends

A zookeeper was at the Bolivia enclosure explaining how the rainforest exhibit works, and she was happy to answer my questions about some of the birds. The crested quail-dove moved to another facility. The only other birds from the building that have left for other zoos are the African pygmy geese and the Indian pygmy goose. The Peruvian pigeons and the bare-eyed pigeon, which haven't been on display in a few years, are moving to the Bronx Zoo, and the plan is for them to be on-exhibit there. The southern lapwings and the Montezuma quail passed away. The bird collection from Rainforests, Rivers, and Reefs hasn't declined in the way I’ve been concerned about. The loss of the waterfowl is disappointing, but at the same time, not a big loss. I can’t complain about the crested quail-dove departing, because breeding wasn’t possible in New Bedford with only one individual, and there might be a chance now. Both southern lapwings and the Montezuma quail dying is very sad because of how few left in captivity there are now. The upcoming departure of the pigeons is a huge blow, but they won't be behind-the-scenes now, so I'm not as disappointed.

Animal Updates

One of the golden lion tamarins died in an accident.

Renovations to the Buttonwood Farm barn haven’t commenced.

The female Cabot’s tragopan passed away. They are looking at getting a new girl for the male to be with.

I’m sad to report the big-headed turtle passed away. I’m definitely going to miss the little guy.

More than a year ago now, another Bolivian gray titi was born. The family now consists of nine individuals.

The sora rail has returned to the Bolivia enclosure.

Unfortunately, green aracari Rico is off-exhibit as he broke one of his legs. While he has recovered, they are unsure how it happened, so out of an abundance of caution, he will not be back in the Bolivia enclosure for a little while.

The current plan for the barn renovations is that they will start within the next year.

Highlights

The black bear cubs were out when I passed the exhibit for the second time and are absolutely adorable. They were running around the entire time, foraging. Moose and Oona both tried to climb a small bare tree vertically, and were unsuccessful. Moose later tried climbing up a fallen branch leaning against it and slid off because he couldn't balance.

The guira cuckoos were also very active, which was a treat to see.
 
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