Indianapolis Zoo Indianapolis Zoo News 2024

Nile Hippo Expert said:
Does the zoo still have Pygmy Hippos?
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Indianapolis hasn’t had them in at least 25 years, if they ever did. I’m not sure where they even would have been.

EDIT to contribute to the broader convo:

I think Indy could probably see a 20%+ increase if they could fill in a lot of the parking lot. But that is a big if. As others have said they already have p much all the charismatic megafauna they could want, aside from gorillas, hippos, and bringing back polar bears. Wouldn’t be surprised if they tried for those three, but if they can’t use the parking lot I have no idea where they would go.
 
Persephone said:
Indianapolis hasn’t had them in at least 25 years, if they ever did. I’m not sure where they even would have been.
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Which species have they not had in twenty-five years?

EDIT: oops. Thought this was a response to my post and missed Nile Hippo expert's since it was a new page.
 
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Stuff from yesterday's visit:
  • 4 baby macaques were out in the enclosure, including a rather young one. They were very active.
  • A baby kangaroo that is being hand-reared by keepers is in the process of being introduced to the main group.
  • The bald eagles are off exhibit.
  • The red spitting cobra is no longer present in the snake exhibit. There is currently a zebra spitting cobra there. There is also a banded rock rattlesnake on exhibit.
  • The lorikeets are on exhibit, but the other aviaries are empty. The cockatiels and galahs who live with the kangaroos also have not come out yet.
  • The gibbons (including the baby) were all out and about.
 
PercideRolo said:
Woof—the correctional facility esthetic really lends itself to prison arkitekture. why does Indyanapolis design horrible great ape exhibits? No chinpanzee ferris wheel?
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According to the director, it's "Functional Naturalism". :rolleyes: North Carolina, Dallas and Kansas City's already excellent chimp exhibits by comparison feel like the friggin WILD.
 
PercideRolo said:
Woof—the correctional facility esthetic really lends itself to prison arkitekture. why does Indyanapolis design horrible great ape exhibits? No chinpanzee ferris wheel?
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While Indianapolis' exhibit is obviously no Kansas City, "horrible" is a massive exaggeration. I'm sure the chimpanzees at Hovatter's wished their exhibit looked like the new exhibit at Indianapolis!

Just compare the photos below.
Indianapolis:
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Photo By: @Grizzly Hound
Hovatter's:
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Photo By: @TinoPup

I don't know about you, but I know which of these pictures I'd argue it of a horrible exhibit.
 
I don't know why people are complaining. This looks like one of the best exhibits for chimpanzees in the country, even if it is smaller than some of the others. But then again, most people here do nothing but complain about the single greatest orangutan enclosure in the country, so I shouldn't be surprised...
 
The pros - It will be cool to see the chimps directly above you and with a max of 30 chimps and you could see a great dynamic in a big troop.
The Cons - I would have rather seen the 25 million dollars on loads of different things and a natural chimp exhibit could have been one of them. I also feel as if the zoo using all available expansion space being used for one species for a low number of species zoo is not the best move moving forward.
 
wild boar said:
I don't know why people are complaining. This looks like one of the best exhibits for chimpanzees in the country, even if it is smaller than some of the others. But then again, most people here do nothing but complain about the single greatest orangutan enclosure in the country, so I shouldn't be surprised...
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I think a lot of Zoo Chatters simply want zoo exhibits both ways, which is impossible. I've seen numerous posts complaining about "overdone" exhibits in response to temple theming, African savannas, etc., but also just as many posts criticizing zoo exhibits that are completely original ideas, because the finished product ended up being imperfect in some way. I applaud Indianapolis for taking a risk with their ape exhibits, and while I think there are tangible ways to criticize both, not a single zoo exhibit is flawless, and I love to see zoos take risks and try to create things that nobody has ever seen before, even if they don't always work out. After all, who knows what the next version of Woodland Park's gorilla exhibit, which completely redefined the way we kept that species, will be?
 
I'm going to be honest, I don't think a natural chimpanzee exhibit is money Indianapolis would have spent. This is not a facility that has ever been known for choosing naturalism, and chimpanzees are not a species known for a lot of deep investment in recent years. I wouldn't be surprised if they gradually disappeared from US zoos.
 
It’s not the decor that bothers me so much as having a lot of chimpanzees in a fairly small footprint, and I’m worried the linear paths could lead to some issues with aggression. Maybe I’ll be proven wrong and Indy cracked the code on how to raise chimps on a fairly small footprint! Hoping I am. It’s cool they’re getting more primates at least. The baboon population is on its last legs so it was plausibly going to be out of African primates entirely soon.
 
Spike said:
with a max of 30 chimps and you could see a great dynamic in a big troop.
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From the looks of it the exhibit does not even look suitable for half of that!
Persephone said:
and I’m worried the linear paths could lead to some issues with aggression.
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I agree on this, and it'll be intriguing to see how this is managed. Especially if they attempt to hold a larger group of chimps this will certainly begin to become a problem with the chances of chimps effectively being trapped in the pathways.
 
There are now 5 Epaulette Shark and 2 Chain Catfish in the touch tank. In the large fake coral tank near the entrance, they plan on adding 2 Spotted Morray Eels. And finally, the Atlantic Spadefish are in the Shark/Ray tank. The walrus habitat construction is almost finished, you can now see in the habitat
 
Zoofan15 said:
Southern white rhinoceros birth:

Baby rhino born at the Indianapolis Zoo on Super Bowl Sunday

The Indianapolis Zoo welcomed a white rhinoceros calf at 9:13 a.m. Super Bowl Sunday. This marks the first live-birth rhinoceros calf for the zoo and the mother’s seventh calf.

Both the mom, Zenzele, and the newborn are doing well, according to the Indianapolis Zoo.
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Nile Hippo Expert said:
Zenzele's calf is a girl! And good news, she is nursing well with her mom and there are plans to introduce her to the zoo's other rhinos in the spring.
IT'S A GIRL! We are happy to announce our animal care team confirmed Zenzele's calf is a female and is nursing well with mom. We even got footage of her doing her first zoomies! Look at her go! ❤️ Both Zenzele and her calf will spend time together indoors and will begin introductions with the other members of the herd later this spring. by Senior Plains Keeper Amber Zoo Babies proudly presented by Primrose Schools | Indianapolis Zoo | Indianapolis Zoo · Original audio
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The baby's name will be revealed on April 9th. Here are the three name choices:
- Kimara
- Xola
- Zora
CONTEST: HELP US NAME THE RHINO CALF!
 
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