Lee Richardson Zoo Lee Richardson Zoo News

Birth of a Critically endangered Addax on 20th July 2023.
Lee Richardson Zoo on Instagram: "A family had a rare experience as they visited Lee Richardson Zoo on July 20, 2023. They were the first to observe signs of the birth of a critically endangered addax. The healthy seventeen-pound baby is the second offspring born to Penelope and Dobby. The recommended birth was part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Addax Species Survival Plan (SSP). The baby was born outdoors but due to incoming severe weather and the calf’s lack of mobility so soon after birth, zoo staff brought the newborn into the barn. The calf was given colostrum replacer due to what staff hoped would be a brief separation from mom. While Penelope and Dobby didn’t reunite with the baby at their first opportunity, they reunited with their young after the storms passed. “The calf was born in one of the lowest parts of the addax habitat and with the risk of flooding, we knew we needed to get the calf to a safe place,” said Animal Care Curator Carrie Thurman. “Since the storm, Penelope has been doing a great job of taking care of the calf and Dobby has been sticking close by. Our staff are very excited that we now have 4 new babies at the Zoo to watch grow and thrive”. The addax is a large antelope, native to the Sahara Desert and well adapted to the harsh desert climate. They survive on the sparse vegetation that appears after meager rains and go for weeks to months without drinking water. Their body temperature can increase several degrees during the heat of the day and cool at night to delay sweating and reduce water loss. Broad hooves support their stocky body while walking on soft sand. The species has long been threatened by poaching, severe droughts, and the hazards of living in a perpetual war zone. The addax is the most threatened hooved mammal in the Sahara. : Carrie T. Animal Care Curator #zoobirth #addax #endangeredspecies #speciessurvivalplan #leerichardsonzoo"
 
Other 2023 News:

On May 20th, the zoo announced they reopened the Marie Osterbuhr Aviary to the public.

The birds that were temporarily moved behind the scenes this past winter to a more suitable climate-controlled habitat have returned to the Marie... | By Lee Richardson Zoo | Facebook

On June 9th, the zoo announced that a (0.0.1) trumpeter swan hatched on June 7th.

The Lee Richardson Zoo is happy to... - Lee Richardson Zoo

On June 16th, the zoo announced they began renovating the Amur leopard exhibit.

The Lee Richardson Zoo’s Amur leopard... - Lee Richardson Zoo

Zoofan15 said:
A Siamang was born May 23:

Endangered siamang ape born at Garden City’s zoo

The infant was born on May 23 and is the first for parents Violet and Zoli. The zoo reports that the new family appears to be doing fine. they reside in the Wild Asia area at the zoo, with access to their indoor quarters and outdoor habitat.
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On July 2nd, the zoo announced the gender of the siamang, (0.1). On July 16th, the zoo announced its name, Raya.

It's a Girl!! The Zoo’s new baby... - Lee Richardson Zoo
Dad siamang Zoli has selected a name for his daughter born on May 23rd! Watch this video to discover which name we will now call the baby girl! Thank... | By Lee Richardson Zoo | Facebook

On July 14th, the zoo announced they transferred a (0.1) African lion named Lulu to the San Fransisco Zoo in California.

“Lulu”, an eight-year-old female... - Lee Richardson Zoo

On July 19th, the zoo announced that a (0.0.1) red panda was born on July 5th.

While fireworks are not allowed to be... - Lee Richardson Zoo

On July 31st, the zoo announced that a (0.1) Rocky Mountain elk named Navajo passed away on July 28th at age 19.

Zoo staff are sad to share the news... - Lee Richardson Zoo
 
Haliaeetus said:
Birth of a Critically endangered Addax on 20th July 2023.
Lee Richardson Zoo on Instagram: "A family had a rare experience as they visited Lee Richardson Zoo on July 20, 2023. They were the first to observe signs of the birth of a critically endangered addax. The healthy seventeen-pound baby is the second offspring born to Penelope and Dobby. The recommended birth was part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Addax Species Survival Plan (SSP). The baby was born outdoors but due to incoming severe weather and the calf’s lack of mobility so soon after birth, zoo staff brought the newborn into the barn. The calf was given colostrum replacer due to what staff hoped would be a brief separation from mom. While Penelope and Dobby didn’t reunite with the baby at their first opportunity, they reunited with their young after the storms passed. “The calf was born in one of the lowest parts of the addax habitat and with the risk of flooding, we knew we needed to get the calf to a safe place,” said Animal Care Curator Carrie Thurman. “Since the storm, Penelope has been doing a great job of taking care of the calf and Dobby has been sticking close by. Our staff are very excited that we now have 4 new babies at the Zoo to watch grow and thrive”. The addax is a large antelope, native to the Sahara Desert and well adapted to the harsh desert climate. They survive on the sparse vegetation that appears after meager rains and go for weeks to months without drinking water. Their body temperature can increase several degrees during the heat of the day and cool at night to delay sweating and reduce water loss. Broad hooves support their stocky body while walking on soft sand. The species has long been threatened by poaching, severe droughts, and the hazards of living in a perpetual war zone. The addax is the most threatened hooved mammal in the Sahara. : Carrie T. Animal Care Curator #zoobirth #addax #endangeredspecies #speciessurvivalplan #leerichardsonzoo"
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The baby Addax has been called KAMALU, after an African deity of thunder and storms.
Lee Richardson Zoo on Instagram: "The storm that came through Garden City, Kansas on July 20th was an eventful night for many. At the Lee Richardson Zoo, the events of the evening were amplified by zoo staff getting a call that our female addax was giving birth. In between finding shelter during the tornado warnings, Zoo staff had to take action to get the newborn calf out of the lowest part of the yard and into the safety of his barn before the flash flood hit. Zoo employees were not the only ones working extensive hours that night due to the storm. The flooding around town affected many of our City departments. As a thank you to all City employees for the work they did to serve our community on the night of the storm and the days after, the Zoo invited fellow City employees to choose the name for the male addax calf. All Zoo staff had the opportunity to submit name ideas. The original submissions were narrowed down to five choices which City employees then voted on. The options were: “Thunder” – due to the storm and the sound of a ‘thundering herd’ of hoofstock moving through their habitat. “Bolt” – related to the storm he was born in. “Tufani” – (two-fun-ee) Swahili for storm. “Asifa” – (as-i-feh) Arabic for storm/gale gust. Arabic is spoken in the Sahara Desert, the traditional territory of addax. “Kamalu” – African deity of thunder and lightning. “Kamalu” received the most votes and is now officially the calf’s name. "Kamalu" can be visited in the African Plains portion of Lee Richardson Zoo with mother “Penelope” and father “Dobby”. Addax are a “nesting or hider species” so if the calf isn’t visible, he may be inside the barn or lying down in the taller grass. This is the second calf for the pair. The addax is a large antelope whose species has long been threatened by poaching, severe droughts, and the hazards of living in a perpetual war zone. The addax is the most threatened hooved mammal in the Sahara. The recommended birth was part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Addax Species Survival Plan (SSP)."
 
On October 23rd, the zoo announced that a (0.1) bobcat named Cactus passed away at age 21 in October. The zoo also announced that a (1.0) black-footed ferret named Captain Barnacles and a (1.0) red kangaroo named Melvin passed away at ages 6 and 12 respectively in October as well.

The Circle of Life An article written... - Lee Richardson Zoo

Smaggledagle said:
On June 9th, the zoo announced that a (0.0.1) trumpeter swan hatched on June 7th.

The Lee Richardson Zoo is happy to... - Lee Richardson Zoo
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On October 27th, the zoo announced that the swan would be transferred to Zoo Idaho in Idaho, though was cancelled due to avian influenza. On November 12th, the zoo announced that the swan was sexed as (0.1).

The Lee Richardson Zoo’s Trumpeter... - Lee Richardson Zoo
We recently shared our plans for the trumpeter swan cygnet that hatched at the zoo on June 7th, 2023, to join a wild breeding population in Oregon’s... | By Lee Richardson Zoo | Facebook

On October 29th, the zoo announced that they started construction on a new exhibit for their bald eagle which will be located in the Cat Canyon area.

If you’ve visited the zoo recently,... - Lee Richardson Zoo

On November 7th, the zoo announced some other animal passings which includes:

- A (0.1) bearded dragon named Willow passed away on January 25th at age 7.
- A (1.0) green basilisk named Tom passed away on January 25th at age 7.
- A (0.1) Goeldi's monkey named Lili/Liliana passed away on May 6th at age 10.
- A (1.0) East African crowned crane named Bob passed away on August 21st at age 24.
- A (0.1) Chilean rose-haired tarantula named Rosy passed away on September 6th at age 18.
- A (1.0) greater rhea named Dwight passed away on October 27th at age 15.

On November 2nd, Dia de los Muertos, we shared that we had prepared a memorial table in the lobby of the Finnup Center for Conservation Education for... | By Lee Richardson Zoo | Facebook
 
Smaggledagle said:
On October 29th, the zoo announced that they started construction on a new exhibit for their bald eagle which will be located in the Cat Canyon area.

If you’ve visited the zoo recently,... - Lee Richardson Zoo
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On February 16th, the zoo announced that they finished construction and the exhibit is now open to the public.

Lee Richardson Zoo

On February 21st, the zoo announced that their (1.0) sloth bear named Namba passed away on February 20th at age 20 possibly due to cancer.

Lee Richardson Zoo
 
On April 11th, the zoo announced they acquired (0.0.3) red-billed blue magpies which are now on display in the aviary in Wild Asia.

Also on April 11th, the zoo announced they acquired a (0.0.1) black-footed ferret named Flashback which is now on display in the Finnup Center for Conservation Education building.

Lee Richardson Zoo

Kevin Miller said:
Wonder if they will acquire a new sloth bear?
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On April 30th, it was announced the zoo will acquire (2.0) sloth bears named Harper and Kelce from the Philadelphia Zoo in Pennsylvania in late spring/late summer.

TRADE ALERT: KELCE & HARPER HEADED TO... We have some bittersweet news to share: our one-and-a-half-year-old sloth bear cubs Kelce and Harper will be... | By Philadelphia ZooFacebook
 
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Visited this zoo for the first time yesterday and I will be posting a species list, updated photos, and probably a review for this place over the next couple of days.

Of the news to share though, it looks like work continues on the future Big Horn Sheep exhibit (noted for that species on the map). Appears as if they are bringing in a lot of boulders of various types of rock to place around the dirt mounds in the exhibit. Should look pretty neat when done. All those rocks are sitting on wooden pallets, so it looks kind of funny at the moment.

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At the back of this exhibit, it appears as if the zoo is building a larger barn at the back which looks attached to the current Elk/Bison barn.

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My wife and I enjoyed our time here, until we went back to the Maned Wolf exhibit later in the day hoping to catch an active individual only to find an adult throwing pinecones over the fence to try and get the maned wolf to get up from lying down. We yelled at the guy to stop, to which he did and then him and his family walked away from us as we got closer to the exhibit. Hopefully the person was embarrassed getting called out by someone in front of his family that he won't do it again in the future.
 

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On May 8th, the zoo announced that a (0.0.1) addax was born on May 7th which is now on exhibit.

Lee Richardson Zoo

On May 15th, it was announced that the zoo acquired a (1.0) red panda named Ravi from the Sedgwick County Zoo in Kansas which is now on display in Wild Asia. It was also announced that the zoo transferred a (1.0) red panda named CJ to the Sedgewick County Zoo.

Lee Richardson Zoo
 
On May 31st, the zoo announced that a trumpeter swan hatched on May 30th which is on exhibit.

Lee Richardson Zoo

On June 12th, the zoo announced they acquired a (0.1) Prezwalski's wild horse named Nina from the El Paso Zoo in Texas on June 10th which is on exhibit.

Lee Richardson Zoo

On June 24th, the zoo announced they acquired 2+? red and yellow barbets and 2+? Amazon milk frogs which are now on display in the Goeldi's monkey/Bali mynah exhibit and the Finnup Center for Conservation Education building respectively.

Lee Richardson Zoo

On July 2nd, the zoo announced they acquired a (1.0) central Chinese goral named Tyrone which is on display in Wild Asia.

Lee Richardson Zoo

Smaggledagle said:
On April 30th, it was announced the zoo will acquire (2.0) sloth bears named Harper and Kelce from the Philadelphia Zoo in Pennsylvania in late spring/late summer.

TRADE ALERT: KELCE & HARPER HEADED TO... We have some bittersweet news to share: our one-and-a-half-year-old sloth bear cubs Kelce and Harper will be... | By Philadelphia ZooFacebook
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On July 29th, the zoo announced that the sloth bears arrived and are now on exhibit.

Lee Richardson Zoo
 
On October 21st, the zoo announced that a (0.1) addax named Penelope passed away at age 9 on October 8th.

Also on October 21st, the zoo announced their (1.0) giant anteater named Sniffy passed away at age 17 on October 19th.

Lee Richardson Zoo
 
Arrival of 5.0 young Desert Bighorns from LA Zoo.
Lee Richardson Zoo on Instagram: "On Tuesday, October 22nd, five young male desert bighorn sheep arrived at the Lee Richardson Zoo. Three of the sheep arrived from the Los Angeles Zoo while the other two came from the San Diego Safari Park. Forming a new herd, all five now reside in their newly renovated habitat located the “North American Plains” portion of the zoo, neighboring the bison and elk habitat. Previously, this habitat was home to pronghorn, but has been reconstructed to suit the needs of the bighorn sheep. Funds for this reconstruction were generously donated by Diane Baker and Family. The Baker family also recently funded the newly constructed bald eagle habitat in honor of Bryce Baker. The desert subspecies of bighorn sheep are native to the North American Southwest, including the Grand Canyon, and the Mojave and Sonoran deserts. They are slightly smaller than the Rocky Mountain subspecies and are lighter in color, but the rams (males) share the characteristic curved horn which they use for headbutting in sparring matches. The horns can reach up to 33 inches in length and weigh between 30 and 40 pounds. Horns don’t reach “full-curl” until 8 years of age so our juvenile new arrivals, ranging in age from five to seven months old, have some growing to do yet. Desert bighorn sheep are a conservation success story. Due to over-hunting, fewer than 8,500 individuals existed in 1960. Recovery efforts have increased this number to 19,000 by the 1990’s. Peninsular populations of desert bighorn sheep however are still federally listed as an endangered species. Illegal poaching for trophy rams or their horns is still a threat to now fragmented populations. Always check local and federal regulations before hunting. Stop by to see the sheep in their new habitat soon to learn more about this species or give us a call at 620-276-1250."
 
Haliaeetus said:
Arrival of 5.0 young Desert Bighorns from LA Zoo.
Lee Richardson Zoo on Instagram: "On Tuesday, October 22nd, five young male desert bighorn sheep arrived at the Lee Richardson Zoo. Three of the sheep arrived from the Los Angeles Zoo while the other two came from the San Diego Safari Park. Forming a new herd, all five now reside in their newly renovated habitat located the “North American Plains” portion of the zoo, neighboring the bison and elk habitat. Previously, this habitat was home to pronghorn, but has been reconstructed to suit the needs of the bighorn sheep. Funds for this reconstruction were generously donated by Diane Baker and Family. The Baker family also recently funded the newly constructed bald eagle habitat in honor of Bryce Baker. The desert subspecies of bighorn sheep are native to the North American Southwest, including the Grand Canyon, and the Mojave and Sonoran deserts. They are slightly smaller than the Rocky Mountain subspecies and are lighter in color, but the rams (males) share the characteristic curved horn which they use for headbutting in sparring matches. The horns can reach up to 33 inches in length and weigh between 30 and 40 pounds. Horns don’t reach “full-curl” until 8 years of age so our juvenile new arrivals, ranging in age from five to seven months old, have some growing to do yet. Desert bighorn sheep are a conservation success story. Due to over-hunting, fewer than 8,500 individuals existed in 1960. Recovery efforts have increased this number to 19,000 by the 1990’s. Peninsular populations of desert bighorn sheep however are still federally listed as an endangered species. Illegal poaching for trophy rams or their horns is still a threat to now fragmented populations. Always check local and federal regulations before hunting. Stop by to see the sheep in their new habitat soon to learn more about this species or give us a call at 620-276-1250."
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Correction, 3.0 were from Los Angeles, the other 2 were from San Diego Zoo Safari Park in California.
 
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