Minnesota Zoo Minnesota Zoo News 2024

filovirus said:
I visited today and took note of all the "heads up" style signs I saw. Some of this info might've been already posted on here, but for the sake of being comprehensive...
  1. Not all the signage for Hawaiian monk seals has been removed; some of it is still up (and caused some confusion among my group as I tried to explain Ola's situation).
  2. The female zebra shark pup, born Aug 17 2024, is on display in the oval tank in Discovery Bay's smaller aquarium area to the right of the sea lion tank. She's being housed with a small variety of small saltwater fish... I unfortunately couldn't really name any in particular. IIRC this used to house jellyfish most recently?
  3. The sea dragon habitat is closed for maintenance. Not sure when the sign was posted but it says "in a few weeks" their sea dragon collection will be back on display. The rockwork is still in there but it's totally drained of water.
  4. The Mangalitsa pigs are still on display (we saw a duo) but now with what looks like a more permanent sign in the style of the rest of MN Zoo's signs. "Mangalitsa pigs are temporarily "hamming it up" at the zoo while we work to bring wild boar back", the sign says, with a snippet about breed revival efforts and a snippet about their name.
  5. Dhole habitat still has a "Changes ahead!" sign.
  6. A panther chameleon (a young male) of the "Sapphire" variation is being introduced to the Tropics Trail. I believe near the lemurs.
  7. There's a Hog Island Boa of unknown sex named Harley on display in the former Burmese python exhibit. We couldn't see them.
  8. Another addition to the Tropic's trail (still has the new species signage, anyway) is a single golden poison frog. Near the end of the trail by the red-rumped agoutis.
  9. Minnesota Trail animal stampers have been "temporarily removed for repairs". They've been in quite a state of disrepair for a long time so I'm glad to see them being fixed, but not holding my breath for their return either...
  10. The river otter habitat on the MN trail is "closed temporarily" with no elaboration.
  11. This is something I in particular check for every time, but the Wolf Quest poster is still up on the Minnesota Trail, which always makes me giggle. That sign has been up there since I was a kid- well over a decade now.
  12. The puma was off-habitat with a sign saying "All animals are currently off habitat. Please come back soon to see if there are new additions!"... not sure if they're replacing the puma?
  13. It's breeding season for the African penguin colony, so a lot of them are off-exhibit in nest boxes prepping to lay eggs.
  14. The food court area by the Tropics Trail got a major facelift sometime between summer and now. It seems like there's less food options (the restaurant portion now has you order via a kiosk, not with a human) but it looks a whole lot less dated.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the update!
The Boa has been at the zoo for a long time as an ambassador, but only went on exhibits a few months ago after the last Burmese python passed away.
Poison Dart Frogs having been here for almost a year now, but it’s interesting theres only one. I guess it’s not that big of an exhibit, but it’s still odd to me they only have a single frog.
Glad to hear there’s still signage for Ola! I hope to see her next time I visit, as its been a long time since I last spotted her.
Yeah, the zoo’s last Cougar passed away about a month ago, and the exhibit has been empty ever since. I personally hope they replace the Cougar with something different, as that exhibit was way too small for them imo. I think Bobcat is the most obvious replacement, but I guess anything could happen. I just hope they don't leave it empty forever!
I believe the zoo is down to just a single River Otter at the moment, so I don’t know what the plan is for that exhibit. I can’t really think of a good replacement for them, so I wouldn’t be surprised of the renovations are to accommodate the zoo’s single elderly Otter.
I’m a little disappointed the animal stampers are gone, but they were getting pretty finicky, which caused a lot of frustration from parents and kids alike.
 
Thank you for all of the details Dhole dude! Had no idea about the cougar death.

Dhole dude said:
Poison Dart Frogs having been here for almost a year now, but it’s interesting theres only one. I guess it’s not that big of an exhibit, but it’s still odd to me they only have a single frog.
Click to expand...

It's possible that I missed a second (I'm never very good at spotting herps or reptiles quite frankly lol) but the exact wording on the sign is as follows:

New Species!
Golden Poison Frog
Native to Colombia, the bright orange golden poison frog is one of the most poisonous animals on Earth. It's the largest species of poison dart frog, but this individual still has some growing to do. It currently only weighs 4 grams.​

So I'm drawing my conclusion about its solitude from that "individual" line.

Dhole dude said:
I’m a little disappointed the animal stampers are gone, but they were getting pretty finicky, which caused a lot of frustration from parents and kids alike.
Click to expand...

I'm sad they're gone but hopeful for their return. I think it was a nice little interactive touch to a trail that for children might otherwise be dull... I as an adult have an appreciation for Minnesota wildlife, but as a child I was mostly there for the exotic critters.
 
Dhole dude said:
I believe the zoo is down to just a single River Otter at the moment, so I don’t know what the plan is for that exhibit. I can’t really think of a good replacement for them, so I wouldn’t be surprised of the renovations are to accommodate the zoo’s single elderly Otter.
Click to expand...

The Minnesota Zoo has just received Cedar, a 10-month-old river otter, from the Henson Robinson Zoo, so it looks like they will continue to have river otters.

Minnesota Zoo on Instagram: "Look. At that. Face. We're excited to welcome Cedar, a 10-month-old river otter who recently joined us from the @hensonrobinsonzoo. Visit her on the Minnesota Trail this weekend! . . (Bonus behind-the-scenes pic of Cedar from Vet Tech Courtney! The nose. The fluff. The face. 10/10 ✨)"
 
Do we know for sure yet what’s going on with the dhole habitat? Are they just renovating it?
 
wild boar said:
I didn't realize the renovation had started yet. Last I heard the space was going to be transitioned into a home for red pandas, cranes, and tufted deer.
Click to expand...
Where did you hear this? Overall pretty worthy addition imo. The zoo definitely could use more visitors in that back section.
 
I know early concept images for the treetop trail showed a red panda exhibit that allowed visitors to get eye level viewing of the red pandas in the trees via the treetop trail. I was bummed this never came through. If the former dhole exhibit actually is converted into a red panda habitat I would love if they did something similar using the treetop trail or at least a taller platform. Prob won’t happen knowing the MN zoo tho…..
 
filovirus said:
Already prepared lol! The Tropics Trail red panda habitat was pretty good for viewing but I feel like I could only very rarely see them even then. Red pandas are just shy like that.
Click to expand...
I’m so glad my local zoos, the Cincinnati Zoo, red pandas are almost always out and active :p. Throughout the zoos I’ve been to it’s like a 25% chance or lower you’ll see red pandas if a zoo has them.
 
wild boar said:
I didn't realize the renovation had started yet. Last I heard the space was going to be transitioned into a home for red pandas, cranes, and tufted deer.
Click to expand...
I heard the same thing from a volunteer a couple of months ago, but wasn’t sure if I should share it until it’s official announced. I’m personally very excited about this exhibit (if it is indeed coming to pass) and Its great to see the zoo quickly repurpose an old exhibit. I always thought Tufted Deer would be a great species for the zoo, and I hope they go ahead with the plan to acquire them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top