Ochsner Park Zoo Ochsner Park Zoo News

The zoo will be doing renovations of the deer yard within the next week or so. The eagle and sandhill cranes will be on exhibit in the indoor/outdoor former monkey exhibit, the swan will be on exhibit with the beavers, and the deer and geese will be held off-exhibit.

Trimming trees, re-grading some low areas, replacing fencing, and renovating the pond are all on the to-do list. They are able to do this due to a $30,000 donation.
 
5/4/2024 Updates
  • The bird-of-prey exhibits have been reperched with new branches. They look fantastic!
  • I saw the new fencing on the deer paddock and it looks great.
  • The old monkey exhibit is still empty. If the plans are the same as when I was there, they are waiting for the building to be removed.
If anyone is up in that area, I recommend checking this facility out. It is a great small, free zoo. The animals there are always very lively - especially the otters and bears - and there are other animal facilities in the area you can check out as well!
 
Despite only living about an hour away I only made my first visit to Ochsner Park yesterday. Due to outside circumstances, I only had about a half hour to spend. I was there in the hottest part of the afternoon so many animals were hunkered down and out of sight but is not the Zoo's fault. I noted no major differences from other posts but may post a couple photos.

Overall, I was very impressed with what they have done with the space. The only habitat I found disappointing was the beaver, specifically the pool. I did not see them but only had about 2 minutes at the exhibit so that may be on me. The pool was smaller and shallower than I would have expected as well as rather dirty. The other issue relates to exhibit quality rather than habitat quality however and that is the placement of it. The pool should really be closer to the viewing area so these highly aquatic animals can be seen at their best without having to strain oneself.

I don't why but Otters and Prairie Dogs always manage become the stars of every facility that keeps them and Ochsner Park was no exception. While modest, both exhibits both clearly provide everything need to keep their inhabitants happy and engaged; as well a good viewing experience. They would probably do well to put some better barriers around the Prairie Dogs though. I chewed out a guy who was throwing leaves and sticks in and would be really easy for someone to do something worse.

While not large enough to be worth a dedicated visit if you are far away it is nice enough to be a must see if you are already nearby. There are also a number of other attractions nearby; including, the International Crane Foundation a stunningly well landscaped sanctuary, that is probably the AZA accredited facility with the shortest species list.
 
ConcernedThirdParty said:
Despite only living about an hour away I only made my first visit to Ochsner Park yesterday. Due to outside circumstances, I only had about a half hour to spend. I was there in the hottest part of the afternoon so many animals were hunkered down and out of sight but is not the Zoo's fault. I noted no major differences from other posts but may post a couple photos.

Overall, I was very impressed with what they have done with the space. The only habitat I found disappointing was the beaver, specifically the pool. I did not see them but only had about 2 minutes at the exhibit so that may be on me. The pool was smaller and shallower than I would have expected as well as rather dirty. The other issue relates to exhibit quality rather than habitat quality however and that is the placement of it. The pool should really be closer to the viewing area so these highly aquatic animals can be seen at their best without having to strain oneself.

I don't why but Otters and Prairie Dogs always manage become the stars of every facility that keeps them and Ochsner Park was no exception. While modest, both exhibits both clearly provide everything need to keep their inhabitants happy and engaged; as well a good viewing experience. They would probably do well to put some better barriers around the Prairie Dogs though. I chewed out a guy who was throwing leaves and sticks in and would be really easy for someone to do something worse.

While not large enough to be worth a dedicated visit if you are far away it is nice enough to be a must see if you are already nearby. There are also a number of other attractions nearby; including, the International Crane Foundation a stunningly well landscaped sanctuary, that is probably the AZA accredited facility with the shortest species list.
Click to expand...
Ochsner Park isn't AZA accredited, although they are working towards becoming so.

Overall, I honestly love Ochsner Park. It's small but sweet, it's incredible what a nice zoo they have made on such a small space and how efficiently all of the space is used.
 
birdsandbats said:
Ochsner Park isn't AZA accredited, although they are working towards becoming so.

Overall, I honestly love Ochsner Park. It's small but sweet, it's incredible what a nice zoo they have made on such a small space and how efficiently all of the space is used.
Click to expand...

I know it isn't, I was talking about the ICF but I guess that was unclear.

That said, being allowed to participate in the Mexican Gray Wolf SSP, which is heavily regulated, is a major testament to their animal husbandry quality however. I would guess that like many small, high-quality facilities, finances and staffing are what is holding them back from full accreditation however.

Specifically, by my read of the Ochsner Park's webpage, they only have three full time staff. While they clearly do an amazing job, if even one were to leave the facility or even take a leave of absence, the zoo would be in a really tight spot. The AZA loves redundancy after all.
 
birdsandbats said:
Ochsner Park isn't AZA accredited, although they are working towards becoming so.
Click to expand...

They are not trying anyone due to the expense, sadly.

ConcernedThirdParty said:
Specifically, by my read of the Ochsner Park's webpage, they only have three full time staff.
Click to expand...

They have two full-time staff and one part-time staff, plus volunteers/interns. There are some days where one member of staff does the entire zoo themself! It wasn’t too challenging, though. They do great with what resources they have, for sure.

ConcernedThirdParty said:
The only habitat I found disappointing was the beaver, specifically the pool. I did not see them but only had about 2 minutes at the exhibit so that may be on me.
Click to expand...

They are easiest to see when they get fed at 2/3pm.
 
Lucy and Ethel, two Virginia Opossums, were humanely euthanized a few weeks apart. Both individuals were 3.5 years old.

Poppy and Petunia, two new individuals, have joined the collection from a nearby Humane Society. They are currently off-exhibit until they are large enough to not escape through the mesh of their outdoor exhibit.
 
On September 4th, the zoo announced they moved their sandhill cranes from the mixed-species exhibit to an exhibit inside the entrance in August.

Ochsner Park Zoo

On November 13th, the zoo announced that (0.1) American black bear named Miska passed away on October 31st due to having a reaction while being sedated.

Also on November 13th, it was announced that the zoo will acquire a (0.1) Arctic fox from the Oregon Zoo in Oregon after it was found in southwest Portland in October.

Ochsner Park Zoo
36K views · 3.3K reactions | Rescued Arctic Fox Plays And Explores | A fantastic little visitor arrived at the zoo this week. A young arctic fox, who was found wandering in southwest Portland last month, has temporarily... | By Oregon Zoo | Facebook
 
On April 5th, 2025, the zoo announced their (1.0) llama named Sinbad passed away at age 21 due to a rapid decline in health.

Ochsner Park Zoo

On April 29th, the zoo announced they acquired a (1.0) domestic donkey (breed not specified) named George which is now on exhibit.

17K views · 490 reactions | Goliath is all excited to share some news. Can you guess what it is? Today we will be acquiring a new donkey friend for Goliath named George. George... | By Ochsner Park Zoo | Facebook
Ochsner Park Zoo

On May 23rd, the zoo announced they transferred a (1.0) North American river otter named Murphy to another unspecified facility due to a failed introduction with the facility's other otters.

Ochsner Park Zoo

On May 30th, the zoo announced their (1.0) snowy owl named Sven passed away due to an ongoing respiratory condition.

Ochsner Park Zoo
 
On July 20th, the zoo announced they revamped a corner of the facility into a new rock garden.

Ochsner Park Zoo

On September 8th, the zoo announced they purchased a new temporary exhibit for their cockatiel/ring-necked parakeet/Russian tortoises. The zoo also announced they started construction on a permanent exhibit for the species.

Ochsner Park Zoo

On September 17th, the zoo announced their (1m.0) mallard duck named Norbert passed away due to natural causes.

Ochsner Park Zoo
 
On November 19th, the zoo announced they acquired 2+ American giant millipedes from J&R Aquatic Animal Rescue in Wisconsin, which are now ambassador animals.

Ochsner Park Zoo

On November 25th, the zoo announced they acquired a (0.1f) snowy owl named Anori from another unspecified facility*, which is now on exhibit.

Ochsner Park Zoo

* The owl most likely came from Akron Zoo in Ohio, though that is not confirmed.
 
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