Minnesota Zoo Minnesota Zoo News 2025

Dhole dude

Well-Known Member
5+ year member
Happy new year everyone! Since I visited in the last week, I'll start this year off with a few updates from Monday's visit

1. The Tomato Frogs have been phased out :(.

2. Roseate Spoonbills, Scarlet Ibises, and Andean Cock-of-the-Rocks have all been phased out. This leaves the South American Aviary with just a couple of American Avocets, a pair of Amazonian Motmots, one or two Venezuelan Troupials, a couple of Sunbitterns, a Green Aracari, and a single Bahama Teal :(. I hope the zoo can find more species for this exhibit, as it has lost nearly half of what was previously exhibited here.

3. The Baer's Pochard pair have been removed from the old Small-Clawed Otter exhibit, leaving the enclosure once again empty. It'll be interesting to see what species will occupy the "Pit of Shame" next, as it seems the zoo can't find a permanent resident for this enclosure.

4. The Tree Kangaroo Exhibit has been slightly altered, mainly to lower the climbing structures closer to the ground.

5. Despite the remaining surplus Wild Horses moving to Utah, the zoo's sole Stallion has been moved up to the old Musk Oxen habitat.

6. The Prairie Dog Exhibit appears to be complete, although I did not see any evidence they had been reintroduced to the exhibit.

7. The Bald Eagle exhibit is once again empty, as the Eagle that was on exhibit didn't take too well to it. I wonder if they'll try to get a new Bald Eagle or decide to put a new species in that habitat

8. There is now a Red-Tailed Hawk on exhibit. It is held in the Ambassador cages by the Treetop Trail.

Overall an okay visit. The departure of the Scarlet Ibis and Roseate Spoonbill from the South American Aviary was quite disappointing, although I hope this is in order to add more species later this year. It was incredibly foggy out, which made for a very interesting visit. I was also able to Catch a glimpse of Ola (The zoo's last Hawaiian Monk Seal) for the first time in 6 months, which I was quite happy about. If you want to see her, come to the zoo sometime in the morning, and go to the top of the amphitheater. There you can view the backstage Pinniped Holding, where Ola is held, and you can likely get a brief glance at her sleeping.
 
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"Eight paws. Thirty-six claws. And a very worthy cause."

The Minnesota Zoo has acquired two (2.0.0) puma cubs (Puma concolor, AKA cougars AKA mountain lions), named Blizzard and Snow. The pair were found orphaned by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife in November of 2024 at approx. 6mo old. A third cub found alongside them is living at "another AZA-accredited zoo with a puma of a similar age".

The pair were preceded by another pair of rescue pumas, Landslide and Sequim (2.0.0) who were brought to Minnesota in 2017. Both unfortunately passed away in 2024 due to "ongoing health issues".

Blizzard and Snow made their debuts on the Medtronic Minnesota Trail on December 30th, 2024 after a few weeks behind the scenes. I haven't visited in the last checks watch 2 days, but I assume they're residing in the same habitat historically used for pumas. Not sure where else on the MN trail would really be suited for them unfortunately.
 
(I hope posting twice in a row is okay. Thank you mods for merging threads around!)

2. Roseate Spoonbills, Scarlet Ibises, and Andean Cock-of-the-Rocks have all been phased out. This leaves the South American Aviary with just a couple of American Avocets, a pair of Amazonian Motmots, one or two Venezuelan Troupials, a couple of Sunbitterns, a Green Aracari, and a single Bahama Teal :(. I hope the zoo can find more species for this exhibit, as it has lost nearly half of what was previously exhibited here.

Honestly I expect this exhibit to close in relatively short order. I don't think permanently, but with how H5N1 is progressing (especially in Minnesota) I don't expect the aviary to be open for tooooo much longer, and anticipate it being closed for a while, especially if things pick up. IIRC they did this a while ago during another big HPAI season. But it's definitely in a sorry state- feels like a major let-down. You can hardly see any birds.

6. The Prairie Dog Exhibit appears to be complete, although I did not see any evidence they had been reintroduced to the exhibit.

Idk if it was undergoing work between when I was there and now, but I absolutely saw them in the enclosure on November 23rd. I recall one being very fat and silly- hard to forget!

Glad you were able to spot Ola. Wonder how much longer she'll hang around for. A beautiful animal but a reminder of what was IMO a bit of a letdown in terms of the zoo's image.
 
The Baer's Pochard pair have been removed from the old Small-Clawed Otter exhibit, leaving the enclosure once again empty. It'll be interesting to see what species will occupy the "Pit of Shame" next, as it seems the zoo can't find a permanent resident for this enclosure.

Why don't they put otters in it? Is it an outdated exhibit? "Pit of Shame" sounds like maybe it is?
 
Here are a couple updates from my visit on Saturday:

- Grey-Headed Swamphens and Green-Naped Pheasant Pigeons have been added to the walk-through aviary.

- The American Marten is off exhibit temporarily due to icy conditions in his enclosure.

- A second fox has been added to the former aviary on the Minnesota Trail.

- Construction on what used to be the Dhole exhibit has begun. it looked like climbing structures were added near the old Dhole shelter, and the old Dhole holding was being worked on.

Overall a pretty good visit. It was bitterly cold outside, but it's definitely worth braving the cold to see the gorgeous scenery and exhibits in the wintertime. I'm glad to see construction has begun on the former Dhole exhibit, and it'll be exciting to see what will replace them. Still disappointed to see many exhibits empty, although hopefully these will be filled shortly.
 
Here are a couple updates from my visit on Saturday:

- Grey-Headed Swamphens and Green-Naped Pheasant Pigeons have been added to the walk-through aviary.

- The American Marten is off exhibit temporarily due to icy conditions in his enclosure.

- A second fox has been added to the former aviary on the Minnesota Trail.

- Construction on what used to be the Dhole exhibit has begun. it looked like climbing structures were added near the old Dhole shelter, and the old Dhole holding was being worked on.

Overall a pretty good visit. It was bitterly cold outside, but it's definitely worth braving the cold to see the gorgeous scenery and exhibits in the wintertime. I'm glad to see construction has begun on the former Dhole exhibit, and it'll be exciting to see what will replace them. Still disappointed to see many exhibits empty, although hopefully these will be filled shortly.
Kind of funny the marten would be off-exhibit from icy conditions, given how cold tolerant they are.
 
- Construction on what used to be the Dhole exhibit has begun. it looked like climbing structures were added near the old Dhole shelter, and the old Dhole holding was being worked on.

Are there any announcements or informed speculation about what animals are replacing the dholes in that exhibit?
 
(forgive typos, am sleepy)

It appears the zoo, along with the Lake Superior Zoo in Duluth, is partnering with the AZA to rehome the species within the old SeaQuest Roseville. apparently, the zoo will also be acquiring a number of species from the now-closed facility.
https://kstp.com/kstp-news/top-news...l-take-in-animals-from-seaquest-in-roseville/
https://kstp.com/kstp-news/top-news...nimals-still-inside-closed-seaquest-aquarium/
From this article, the Lake Superior zoo has taken in 172 budgies, a golden conure, a reticulated python, two macaws, two eclectus parrots, and a capybara.

I never went to Seaquest so this is cobbled together from reviews and the wayback machine. Roseville had Asian small clawed otters, sugar gliders, a two-toed sloth, stingrays, wallabies, an African crested porcupine, at least one tegu, some sort of small cat, a boatload of koi and quite a few other fish, some tropical and some less so, at least 3 pigs (signed "american mini pigs"), silkie chickens, iguanas and snakes and other reptiles, a duck, an octopus, a water monitor, various birds... at this point I got tired of browsing.

I could see MN Zoo taking in the pigs and silkies, since the Family Farm is due to reopen relatively soon. The Asian small clawed otters feel feasible too. Not the Koi (I imagine Como might be a place to look? though they don't keep many...) but perhaps some of the fish. I'd be quite pleased to see the octopus, actually, but not holding my breath. The porcupine would be a delight. Maybe some of the birds (I'm seeing a cute keel-billed toucan and a kookabura). Maybe some of the rays?

Will be interesting to keep an eye out for any new additions spotted in the coming months, and to see how things shake out in terms of who takes what.
 
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I never went to Seaquest so this is cobbled together from reviews and the wayback machine. Roseville had Asian small clawed otters, sugar gliders, a two-toed sloth, stingrays, wallabies, an African crested porcupine, at least one tegu, some sort of small cat, a boatload of koi and quite a few other fish, some tropical and some less so, at least 3 pigs (signed "american mini pigs"), silkie chickens, iguanas and snakes and other reptiles, a duck, an octopus, a water monitor, various birds... at this point I got tired of browsing.
Should be noted that the Wildcat Sanctuary in Minnesota already took in SeaQuest's (2.0) "Bengal" cats (domestic cat x leopard cat hybrid) named Ferguson and Flynn.

https://kstp.com/kstp-news/local-ne...bengal-cats-from-shuttered-seaquest-location/
 
(forgive typos, am sleepy)


From this article, the Lake Superior zoo has taken in 172 budgies, a golden conure, a reticulated python, two macaws, two eclectus parrots, and a capybara.

I never went to Seaquest so this is cobbled together from reviews and the wayback machine. Roseville had Asian small clawed otters, sugar gliders, a two-toed sloth, stingrays, wallabies, an African crested porcupine, at least one tegu, some sort of small cat, a boatload of koi and quite a few other fish, some tropical and some less so, at least 3 pigs (signed "american mini pigs"), silkie chickens, iguanas and snakes and other reptiles, a duck, an octopus, a water monitor, various birds... at this point I got tired of browsing.

I could see MN Zoo taking in the pigs and silkies, since the Family Farm is due to reopen relatively soon. The Asian small clawed otters feel feasible too. Not the Koi (I imagine Como might be a place to look? though they don't keep many...) but perhaps some of the fish. I'd be quite pleased to see the octopus, actually, but not holding my breath. The porcupine would be a delight. Maybe some of the birds (I'm seeing a cute keel-billed toucan and a kookabura). Maybe some of the rays?

Will be interesting to keep an eye out for any new additions spotted in the coming months, and to see how things shake out in terms of who takes what.
Considering the “African Crested” Porcupine is almost certainly a misidentified Cape Porcupine (a species already displayed by the zoo), I would expect them to be rehomed by Minnesota. I would also like to see the zoo bring back Keel-billed Toucans, as they would fit nicely in the near-empty South American Aviary, and would also make the Toucan Lot less of a misnomer :p.
 
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