Metro Richmond Zoo Metro Richmond Zoo news

PossumRoach said:
I might have to counter the statement regarding the sifakas since four breeding pairs were sent from Duke Lemur Center to EAZA zoos a few years ago.
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I don't think that counters it, as Europe has way more zoos than the USA. AZA still only focuses on Coquerel's. I don't think EAZA is making a move to really gain the species, though I don't know much about it on that end.
 
On December 21st, it was mentioned that the zoo transferred a (0.0.1+?) white-fronted lemur(s) to the Austin Zoo in Texas*.

On December 26th, the zoo announced they acquired a (0.1) Eurasian eagle owl named Isabela in November which is now on exhibit in between the Steller's sea eagles and the wolves.

Metro Richmond Zoo

On December 28th, the zoo announced that another (1.0) gemsbok was born on November 12th.

Metro Richmond Zoo

*Information given by @SwampDonkey in the Austin Zoo trip report - December 20 2023 thread.
 
On April 5th, the zoo opened the new Lemur Loop expansion to the public. The new area contains 7 new exhibits for 3 lemur species (ring-tailed, black-and-white ruffed, red-ruffed), as well as new viewing areas for the zoo's ostriches, Biard's tapirs, Diana monkeys, DeBrazza's monkeys, and spot-nosed guenons, with 3 more exhibits for future residents.

Metro Richmond Zoo
New Lemur Loop Expansion Opens - Metro Richmond Zoo

On April 6th, the zoo announced that (0.0.2) ring-tailed lemurs were born on March 19th which are on exhibit.

Metro Richmond Zoo
 
TeaLovingDave said:
Just because certain members keep posting outdated news links, it doesn't mean you need to outdo them by posting news from literally two years ago :rolleyes::D
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Very, very sorry if that displeased anyone— I found it to be interesting that this particular zoo was exporting this particular species. Again, I'm very sorry if my posting of that information frustrated anyone.
 
Piece of May 2024 News Worth Mentioning:

On May 20th, the zoo announced that (0.2) eastern bongos were born which are on exhibit.

Metro Richmond Zoo

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On June 6th, it was mentioned that the zoo reacquired (0.2) cheetahs named Nyah and Zuri from the Southwick's Zoo in Massachusetts. It was also mentioned that the zoo transferred (2.0) cheetahs Max and Sam to the Southwick's Zoo*.

TZFan said:
A fire broke out just before 10pm on June 4th in the zoo's workshop area and spread to the hospital, feed storage and keeper areas. Staff and firefighters were able to rescue 9 animals but a meerkat died. No staff or firefighters were injured. Several structures were destroyed and there was damage to the kangaroo exhibits fencing.

A meerkat died and 9 animals were rescued in a fire at the zoo in Richmond, Virginia | CNN
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On June 27th, the zoo announced that all facilities destroyed in the fire were rebuilt and are now operational.

Metro Richmond Zoo
New Animal Hospital Reopens and Zoo Honors Chesterfield Firefighters One Year After the Fire - Metro Richmond Zoo

* Information provided by @animallover2011 in the North American Cheetah Population thread (Page 5 Post #92).
 
On July 23rd, the zoo announced that (0.3) cheetahs named Kigali, Rajani, and Zarina were born on April 10th to female Rey which are on exhibit.

Also on July 23rd, the zoo announced that 2 pygmy marmosets were born on June 28th which are on exhibit.

Metro Richmond Zoo
Metro Richmond Zoo

On August 1st, the zoo announced that a coppery titi monkey was born on February 21st which is on exhibit.

Metro Richmond Zoo
 
I'll probably be visiting this zoo this weekend and was hoping someone might be able to confirm whether certain species are still present, and if so how I might have the best odds of seeing them. I know the zoo has lost a lot of rarities over the past few years, and the last USDA report is nearly a year old at this point and shows a single individual of several species so I'm a bit apprehensive... Specifically, my priorities are:

markhor
African clawless otter
hill wallaroo
Sulawesi crested macaque
white-headed lemur
coppery titi
lesser spot-nosed guenon
red-rumped agouti
Grant's gazelle
klipspringer
northern red muntjac
urial
Himalayan tahr
Steller's sea eagle

For some of the hoofstock and most of the primates, they seem to exist in multiple enclosures and in good numbers so I'm a bit less apprehensive about them - really, the big ones are the markhor (which I believe is kept with the blackbuck and Tahr?) and the African clawless otter (looks to be between the serval and cheetah/dog). That's assuming either of those individuals are still around, of course. And I'm pretty sure I've read that the Grant's gazelles are already gone, but I'm listing them here in case that's not the case or I'm misremembering.

Also, does anyone have any idea what reptiles the zoo currently keeps? If I wind up pressed for time, the reptile house is going to be the first thing to get skipped, but perhaps a particularly neat lizard or turtle (or crocodilian?) could convince me otherwise.
 
Left the zoo a while ago, so I figured I’d answer my own question in case anyone is wandering through wondering something similar in the future. Most of the species I was after were unmissable, or at least their exhibits were. I believe the last markhor probably either passed away or is BTS as of sometime within the last year - I saw where its sign would have been, now stripped bare. Grant's gazelle probably is gone. I think the muntjac is supposed to be visible from the train ride, maybe, but I didn’t ride the train so I can only speculate. White-headed lemur is totally unaccounted for, no idea where it may have been (not with the ring-tailed or either ruffed lemur I saw for sure) if it was even on exhibit or present at all. Klipspringer was a tricky one, I passed by a sign in front of no exhibit, then shortly after that another sign in front of a reasonably appropriate but empty exhibit, and then later briefly caught them sharing a small enclosure with a pair of king vultures of all things. The “urials” were signed as Armenian mouflon, but honestly I couldn’t get a good feel for what they actually were - I’ll upload a picture shortly. But everything else was plainly visible and exactly as advertised.

The biggest surprise was a pair of white-lipped tamarins, a species I can’t find any evidence for being kept elsewhere in the US. I didn’t realize they were such a rarity or else I would’ve tried to get better pictures - I only grabbed some quick ones to ID once I’d left the zoo. They'll also be uploaded momentarily.

There was also an unsigned reddish owl that I'm fairly certain was a Bubo species, but I didn’t take pictures as I had assumed it would be easy enough to look up once I’d left the zoo. Big mistake, because I’m really not sure what it was now, and it seems like another recent acquisition since there’s no documentation anywhere. The only owl here I can find evidence for online is the spectacled owl, which it obviously was not (and I saw elsewhere in the zoo anyway). Looking over pictures of the Bubo species, I’d say the closest looking one is maybe the pharaoh eagle owl? I realize that’s another major rarity within the US so I’m not going to make any positive claims on that one, and I’m not as good with birds as with mammals so maybe it just was a reddish Eurasian eagle owl or something. I’ve messaged the zoo about it though because I’m really curious now, and I’ll provide any updates I hopefully get.
 
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White-lipped Tamarins are an extreme rarity and I've only ever seen them 7 times, in 7 different nations (which is really odd). The only time I've ever remembered coming across this species in a North American zoo was at John Ball Zoo in 2012, so I'm curious as to where Metro Richmond picked them up from.
 
Did you pass the new exhibits on the Lemur Loop that was signalled to now hold 3 species cohabiting? And: Did you see the newly refutbed areas for the zoo's ostriches, Baird's tapirs, Diana monkeys, DeBrazza's monkeys, and spot-nosed guenons that @Smaggledagle mentioned in April past? There should be 3 more for future residents (not yet named....)!???
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
Did you pass the new exhibits on the Lemur Loop that was signalled to now hold 3 species cohabiting? And: Did you see the newly refutbed areas for the zoo's ostriches, Baird's tapirs, Diana monkeys, DeBrazza's monkeys, and spot-nosed guenons that @Smaggledagle mentioned in April past? There should be 3 more for future residents (not yet named....)!???
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The lemur area featured two pairs of side-by-side enclosures. One was for black-and-white ruffed next to an empty exhibit (these were definitely new), with ring-tailed and red-ruffed across from them - the ring-taileds were in an older wood-and-wire exhibit (which was admittedly large compared to many of the zoo's), with the red-ruffed maybe being a newer one? I actually don't recall that one specifically. Ostriches and Baird's tapirs both seemed to be in older exhibits, the tapirs painfully so, but there were signs indicating construction and clear construction ongoing around the tapirs at least. Those monkeys are all all over the place, with probably 2-5 enclosures for each of them around the zoo, but I assume that's in reference to the exhibits in this same general area. No progress there, they're in the same poor cages as most of the other monkeys.
 
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