North Carolina Zoo North Carolina Zoo News 2024

OkapiFan said:
I got official confirmation that the zoo no longer houses Sitatunga. Haven't seen that mentioned anywhere so far, but they weren't signed last time I was there, so I thought I'd ask :p
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I actually mentioned this in an update I made in my NC Zoo species list thread following my June 2023 visit. They have been gone for a while; I last saw them during my Sept 2022 visits. During my June 2023 visit, a Zoofari guide advised me that they had since been sent away to another facility.
 
There is an Indigenous Land and Peoples Acknowledgement plaque on the steps at the second Prairie overlook. An image of a branch with dogwood blooms sits next to the plaque's text, which is as follows:

Indigenous Land and Peoples Acknowledgement

The state of North Carolina is situated on the ancestral homelands of many American Indian tribes who have lived in this place, cared for these lands, and traveled throughout the region for thousands of years. Tribes spoke different variants of Algonquian, Iroquoian, and Siouan languages. We honor them as the first stewards of this place and acknowledge, with sorrow and remorse, the violent history of their dispossession and forced removal.

We respectfully acknowledge the Coharie, Eastern Band of Cherokee, Hallwa-Saponi, Lumbee, Meherrin, Occaneechi Band of the Saponi, Sappony, and Waccamaw Siouan and honor the enduring presence, vibrance, and diversity of contemporary Indigenous communities.
 
Updates on new species at the zoo:

-There are a pair of bog turtles in Streamside where the spotted turtles previously were
-Desert now has free-flight superb starlings
-The terrarium by the desert pupfish that previously held Western banded gecko now has
Bynoe’s gecko.
 
EsserWarrior said:
Curious to hear everyone's thoughts on this. It is definitely interesting.
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I am all for it! With the expansions the zoo is building and have planned, it's going to be impossible to see the whole zoo in one day! It's already difficult enough to do so! I would love it if wildlife and conservation could play some role in the hotel (something somewhat similar to hotels at Australia Zoo, Pairi Daiza, etc), but even if it's just a plain hotel, I think it's a great way for people to get to enjoy the zoo for multiple days!
 
USZOOfan42 said:
I plan on visiting the zoo in late July or early August, is there any way to see everything with a 1 1/2- 2 1/2 hour time frame?
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Like @Moebelle said, yes you could, but you would be near running from exhibit to exhibit (not an exaggeration) to see it all, and July/August is going to be HOT and humid. With that time I would personally limit it to one side or the other.


*Edit*
Edit to add, your car will also be marooned at one side or the other as both NA and Africa have their own very separated parking areas. There is a parking lot tram that will take you back to either lot, but it can take 15-30 minutes of wait time if you don't arrive right when the tram is about to leave. If you intend on making a giant loop and walking back to your car....that is a LONG walk and would probably take 30-40 minutes for just the return walk to your car.

It is hard to really gauge how huge this zoo is.
 
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SwampDonkey said:
With that time I would personally limit it to one side or the other.
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Strongly agree with this. I think the zoo has a stronger North American collection than African, so personally I'd enter in the NA side and turn around either just before or immediately after you hit the desert dome, depending on how you're doing for time. Of course, if you prefer their African collection (and there's certainly good reason reason to - it has tons of incredible exhibits even if the species are generally a bit less exciting to me), you can do the opposite since there's entrances on both sides. I also think the NA section takes a bit longer than Africa. Either way, trying to cram the entire zoo into that timeframe won't end well for you and you're probably get a similar experience from running on a treadmill for the same amount of time.
 
Found this article from about a month ago which has a ton of information that we didn't know about!!
What’s New at the Zoo | New animals, Asia, and more!

- The zoo has 0.1 Ostrich BTS ready for introductions to the Forest Edge
- The Gibbons for the Asia expansion have arrived at the zoo
- And the biggest piece of info is that PENGUINS are coming in the near future!! Apparently the seal habitat will be heavily renovated and that's where the penguins will go. While it fits the theme of the Rocky Coast, it DOES NOT however fit the region of North America. I'm kind of confused as to why THIS is how Penguins are introduced to the zoo.
 
OkapiFan said:
Found this article from about a month ago which has a ton of information that we didn't know about!!
What’s New at the Zoo | New animals, Asia, and more!

- The zoo has 0.1 Ostrich BTS ready for introductions to the Forest Edge
- The Gibbons for the Asia expansion have arrived at the zoo
- And the biggest piece of info is that PENGUINS are coming in the near future!! Apparently the seal habitat will be heavily renovated and that's where the penguins will go. While it fits the theme of the Rocky Coast, it DOES NOT however fit the region of North America. I'm kind of confused as to why THIS is how Penguins are introduced to the zoo.
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What species of penguin will it be?
 
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