Brookfield Zoo Brookfield Zoo news 2025

MidwestFan said:
Allie (bottlenose dolphin) should be giving birth this month. Any one visited lately and have any updates?
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From the zoos Facebook.
“Summer is almost here – and so is Allie’s dolphin calf! With the sunshine and energy of summer just around the corner, we’re thrilled to share that one of the season’s most exciting events is drawing near – the highly anticipated arrival of Allie dolphin’s calf!”

Brookfield Zoo Chicago
 
The 2024 Annual Report is now available. Other than recapping the events of the last fiscal year there's nothing especially notable. It's been reaffirmed that the new five-year strategic plan will be released later this year and that the zoo intends to unveil a new project every year, alternating between large exhibit complexes, individual enclosures, and temporary exhibitions.

Brookfield Zoo Chicago Annual_Report_2024
 
I went to the brookfield zoo the other day and the clouded leopard forest is closed because they have baby bearcats according to the sign in front of the exhibit and if is was already said sorry
 
Didn't know if is was already said but the wombats were off exhibit in the Australia house when I visited a couple of days ago
 
zoo fan55 said:
Didn't know if is was already said but the wombats were off exhibit in the Australia house when I visited a couple of days ago
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This has sadly been the case since April.
It was reported last month that the zoo's last wombat, Mia, had passed away.

The species will likely return in the upcoming Australia expansion, as Brookfield has a long history with wombats, but not sure we will see them in their current habitat again.
 
JVM said:
This has sadly been the case since April.
It was reported last month that the zoo's last wombat, Mia, had passed away.

The species will likely return in the upcoming Australia expansion, as Brookfield has a long history with wombats, but not sure we will see them in their current habitat again.
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That's very unfortunate but glad that they will get new wombats
 
JVM said:
This has sadly been the case since April.
It was reported last month that the zoo's last wombat, Mia, had passed away.

The species will likely return in the upcoming Australia expansion, as Brookfield has a long history with wombats, but not sure we will see them in their current habitat again.
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Saddened to hear this, but after seeing the exhibit completely dark when visiting a few weeks ago I feared for the worst. She was my personal favorite of the Australia house.
zoo fan55 said:
That's very unfortunate but glad that they will get new wombats
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That’s not necessarily a guarantee until the zoo makes an announcement. Considering the small size of the North American population, It'll probably require an import from Australia, which the zoo has done in recent memory. Very possible given the zoos long history with the species, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they hold off until after the Australia house renovation is completed.
 
zoo fan55 said:
That's very unfortunate but glad that they will get new wombats
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I'm only assuming based on the fact wombats are included in the master plan and the zoo's longstanding commitment to the species. Plans can always change though.

I thought I had confirmation about Mia but I'm a little confused reviewing the conversation. There may have been a confusing of Mia and Malena (the tiger) but I'm not sure.

I would say to consider it an open case until the zoo announces anything but... I'm not hopeful.
 
The zoo map has been updated to include Tropical Forests as well as other recent additions. The pachyderm house is no longer listed and is now labeled as being closed for renovations.

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JVM said:
Allie successfully gave birth to her dolphin calf overnight, and Seven Seas will be closed for a bit to allow them to bond.

Press Release
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Is the Seven Seas building home to only bottlenose dolphins, or are all the saltwater fish tanks in there, too? And if so, is the entire building closed?
 
JVM said:
Allie successfully gave birth to her dolphin calf overnight, and Seven Seas will be closed for a bit to allow them to bond.

Press Release
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Absolutely great news to hear that the birth process went seamlessly and we have a healthy calf on the ground. Fingers crossed it's a little girl.

Also very nice to see other experienced mother, Tapeko, was able to assist with the birth, which is natural and something that would occur in the wild.

Footage of the calf's birth can be seen here;
Brookfield Zoo Chicago on Instagram: "We’re thrilled to announce that Allie the bottlenose dolphin gave birth to a beautiful calf in the early hours of June 7 — the first dolphin calf born here in over a decade! Shortly after birth, Allie, with the help of experienced mom Tapeko, guided the newborn up to the surface for its very first breath. Our expert veterinarians estimate the calf weighs between 33-37 pounds and measures about 45-47 inches long. While these are still very early days, our dedicated animal care and veterinary teams are closely monitoring both Allie and her calf minute-by-minute to track important developmental milestones. So far, both mom and baby appear healthy and thriving! Stay tuned for more updates as we watch this little one grow!"
 
Today's visit

The Swamp

-Not much to report here, but I did have a funny encounter with the flamingos, when a group of them got spooked by a little hornbill who was just minding his own business.

Clouded Leopard Rainforest

-About a year ago, I remember a reply from the zoo to a comment on one of their posts saying they had only two clouded leopards and they were both male. It would seem now that they now have a female in their collection due to a sign I saw.

-The Bintlet (binturong baby) was adorable, they were following mom, while I'm assuming dad was keeping watch.

Deserts Edge

-Something must have happened with the bat eared foxes, because they now have a sign that says sensitive animal area. I wonder if there is a secret birth or if something happened to them

-I actually saw the Genet being active for once, it looked surprised to see me as I was it.

Miscellaneous

-I'm a little bit embarassed to admit, but I went down a path I usually don't take and am now just learning that the zoo has an exhibit for storks

-At the living coast it looked like some penguins were recovering from some sort of injury as they have feathers missing (not molting as you could see their skin

-The Wombat situation is still up in the air as Mia was still MIA. I could not find a keeper, so I couldn't get a clear answer, but it was dark and it appeared the exhibit had been cleaned out
 
GibbonGuy95 said:
-I'm a little bit embarassed to admit, but I went down a path I usually don't take and am now just learning that the zoo has an exhibit for storks
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Don't sweat it. I'd been down that path a couple times as a kid and still had a 'wait, there's a stork exhibit?' moment a few years ago after not using the path for a decade. I also knew there was an additional okapi exhibit in that general area but hadn't realized you could view it from the path... and on one of my recent visits the Okapi was feeding by that fence, which was great. I really wish I hadn't been rushing to the pangolin at the time!

-The Wombat situation is still up in the air as Mia was still MIA. I could not find a keeper, so I couldn't get a clear answer, but it was dark and it appeared the exhibit had been cleaned out
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Thank you for trying to check. At the time of my April visit it was also very dark there, which seemed odd. I've seen the 'This animal is off-display' sign without the exhibit being darkened before this year.
 
GibbonGuy95 said:
About a year ago, I remember a reply from the zoo to a comment on one of their posts saying they had only two clouded leopards and they were both male. It would seem now that they now have a female in their collection due to a sign I saw.
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The zoo has had a female clouded leopard for at least 3 years. She rotates with the zoo’s male.

GibbonGuy95 said:
At the living coast it looked like some penguins were recovering from some sort of injury as they have feathers missing (not molting as you could see their skin
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They are molting. It’s not uncommon to see them missing feathers during the process.
 
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