They are still in Minnesota and can be viewed.
Minnesota Zoo Minnesota Zoo News 2023
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Other 2023 News:
On July 10th, it was announced that the zoo acquired a (0.0.1) orange-spotted grouper named Macgrouper from the Great Lakes Aquarium in Minnesota.
We would like to announce the... - Great Lakes Aquarium
On October 26th, it was announced that the zoo transferred a (1.0) Bactrian camel named Qurq to the Bramble Park Zoo in South Dakota.
There is a new kid on the block!... - Bramble Park Zoo
On December 27th, the zoo announced they installed new interpretative nature stations and a bird blind on the Treetop Trail.
Minnesota Zoo - The Treetop Trail has had some recent new...
On June 28th, the zoo announced that hundreds of zoo-bred Dakota Skipper butterflies were released into Glacial Lakes State Park, where they hadn't been seen since 2005.
Minnesota Zoo - This coming week, hundreds of Dakota...
https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/dakota-skipper-reintroduction.html
On August 12th, the zoo announced they raised and released (0.0.2+) wood turtles into the wild.
Turtle_release.mp4 | Aaand they’re off!! (rather slowly) This July, Zoo biologists once again released yearling wood turtles back into the flowing waters and wooded... | By Minnesota Zoo | Facebook
Minnesota Zoo - This coming week, hundreds of Dakota...
https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/dakota-skipper-reintroduction.html
On August 12th, the zoo announced they raised and released (0.0.2+) wood turtles into the wild.
Turtle_release.mp4 | Aaand they’re off!! (rather slowly) This July, Zoo biologists once again released yearling wood turtles back into the flowing waters and wooded... | By Minnesota Zoo | Facebook
On July 10th, it was announced that the zoo acquired a (0.0.1) orange-spotted grouper named Macgrouper from the Great Lakes Aquarium in Minnesota.
We would like to announce the... - Great Lakes Aquarium
On October 26th, it was announced that the zoo transferred a (1.0) Bactrian camel named Qurq to the Bramble Park Zoo in South Dakota.
There is a new kid on the block!... - Bramble Park Zoo
On December 27th, the zoo announced they installed new interpretative nature stations and a bird blind on the Treetop Trail.
Minnesota Zoo - The Treetop Trail has had some recent new...
Went to the zoo today. I did not spend time to look for changes to species of birds or fish on exhibit, but did note a few new species on exhibit:
-an American Marten is now rotating with the Fisher on the Minnesota Trail. It was an orphaned animal found in northern Minnesota earlier this year.
-the Madagascar terrarium on the Tropics Trail now has a Panther Chameleon, which seems to have replaced the Leaf-tailed Geckos.
-the South America terrarium on the Tropics Trail now houses Golden Poison Frog, which seems to have replaced the Amazon Milk Frog.
Enclosure-wise, the Wild Boar exhibit is still empty and the Bald Eagle, Coyote, and Prairie Dog exhibits are under maintenance. The Japanese Macaques are still on exhibit but work on the Lakeside Plaza (which will include a Macaque exhibit remodel) is supposed to begin early next year (see https://mn.gov/admin/assets/SR48_22 - Accessible_tcm36-600905.pdf).
-an American Marten is now rotating with the Fisher on the Minnesota Trail. It was an orphaned animal found in northern Minnesota earlier this year.
-the Madagascar terrarium on the Tropics Trail now has a Panther Chameleon, which seems to have replaced the Leaf-tailed Geckos.
-the South America terrarium on the Tropics Trail now houses Golden Poison Frog, which seems to have replaced the Amazon Milk Frog.
Enclosure-wise, the Wild Boar exhibit is still empty and the Bald Eagle, Coyote, and Prairie Dog exhibits are under maintenance. The Japanese Macaques are still on exhibit but work on the Lakeside Plaza (which will include a Macaque exhibit remodel) is supposed to begin early next year (see https://mn.gov/admin/assets/SR48_22 - Accessible_tcm36-600905.pdf).
American Marten, Golden Poison Frog, and Panther Chameleon are excellent additions! And great to hear the plaza/Macaque remodel is going ahead on schedule! Things have seemingly been on the up at the zoo these pst few months, and it’s great to see them finally filling some empty enclosures and adding new species.
I am really interested to see what could be done about the old Wild Boars exhibit. I can’t really think of a good replacement, and it seems like a waste of money to tear it down, It’ll be interesting to see what will be done.
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I'm behind the times on the wild boar situation. Did they fail to reproduce and die out, or is there some other reason that they were removed from the exhibit?
Persephone
Well-Known Member
They died out. Even if they had reproduced it would've just been prolonging the inevitable with so few founders. I am curious if they could display wild boar caught in the United States as at least a temporary stopgap. They aren't pure and have no conservation value, but it could at least highlight an invasive species and fill the space for a time.
I will be visiting over MLK weekend to finally see it in the winter. Probably no snow, but at least it won't be too cold. Should at least be the highlight of the trip (not that it has much competition - just the Mall of America and Bramble Park Zoo).
Anything is better than nothing in my view. If not actual wild boar or feral hybrids, I guess the enclosure could be used for something like cranes or foxes without modification. Too bad Siberian Musk Deer are dying out in the US as well or else they would be a well-suited replacement.
Say, I was doing ZTL for Minnesota Zoo as ZTL now has international zoos...
do we know for sure that Minnesota's caribou enclosure now just has domestic reindeer? I wasn't sure which to put
do we know for sure that Minnesota's caribou enclosure now just has domestic reindeer? I wasn't sure which to put
Yes.
Could someone provide more information about the herd as it has most recently existed? I would find it interesting.
The zoo’s herd used to be about 4-5 individuals pre-pandemic, but unfortunately a virus (unrelated to COVID) swept through the herd and killed all but a single straggler around ~2021, who lived on for a couple more years until the individual died out this past summer.
Good info.
And any such on the current reindeer herd?
I believe there are 6-7 individuals. Four that cohabitated with the Woodland Caribou herd for many years and 2-3 recently transferred from the nearby Como Zoo this past summer.
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