ZooAmerica ZooAmerica news

So according to the website we’re down to 0.1 American marten, 1.0 coati, and 1.0 Canada lynx. The marten and coati are quite old, there used to be two of each, did the other one pass?

1.0 Canada Lynx(Woody) is 19 years old now. The rest of the lynx were all part of his family and I remember some of them moving to other zoos, did all the rest of Woody’s family move to other zoos or some passed? I doubt they will get another lynx at least until Woody passes due to his age. (Speculation)
 
I stopped by for a visit today and noticed a few changes. The baby tortoises have left and the desert box turtle has been replaced by an Arizona Mountain Kingsnake. The long-eared owl exhibit, which has been vacant for a while, now houses a screech owl.

I'm hoping the small tanks in the nocturnal hall get some attention now that the baby tortoises are gone. There used to be a nice variety of reptiles, invertebrates, and even a toad in that space.

@Kevin2342 I saw a lynx today with both eyes intact, so not Woody. I'm not sure but I would imagine its one that was born there.
 
MC Baron said:
I stopped by for a visit today and noticed a few changes. The baby tortoises have left and the desert box turtle has been replaced by an Arizona Mountain Kingsnake. The long-eared owl exhibit, which has been vacant for a while, now houses a screech owl.

I'm hoping the small tanks in the nocturnal hall get some attention now that the baby tortoises are gone. There used to be a nice variety of reptiles, invertebrates, and even a toad in that space.

@Kevin2342 I saw a lynx today with both eyes intact, so not Woody. I'm not sure but I would imagine its one that was born there.
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What happened to the desert box turtle? The website says it’s still there. It must not be too accurate.

As to other reptiles, according to the website the nocturnal wing also houses desert kingsnake, western diamondback, and sidewinder.
 
Kevin2342 said:
What happened to the desert box turtle? The website says it’s still there. It must not be too accurate.

As to other reptiles, according to the website the nocturnal wing also houses desert kingsnake, western diamondback, and sidewinder.
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I don't know what happened to the turtle. I remember it was originally cohabitating with the gila monsters and spiny lizard, and at the time desert iguana and chuckwalla as well. A zookeeper told me once before that sometimes they'll switch out animals just to have something different.

The other tank exhibits I was referring to were the small tanks just inside the door to the nocturnal hall across from the bats. They had a few different species in that area but when the tortoises were given a bigger space the remaining exhibits (Arizona Mountain Kingsnake and Western Banded Gecko) were removed.
 
ZooAmerica is temporarily relocating several of its bird species as a precaution against avian flu, after a recommendation to do so came from the state veterinarian and two state agencies.

It looks like the relocations are affecting most of the outdoor birds - bald eagles, red-tailed hawk, screech owl, peregrine falcon, snowy owl and wild turkeys. The thick-billed parrot and barn owl enclosures will remain unaffected as they have full roofs/tarps, and the indoor birds will also be unaffected.

MSN
 
Other Late 2024 News Not Mentioned:
On November 23rd, the zoo announced they acquired 2 domestic ferrets named Mocha and Latte from the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington D.C.

ZooAmerica

On September 20th, the zoo announced their (1.0) white-tailed deer named Johnny passed away at age 15 due to arthritis.

ZooAmerica

On December 3rd, the zoo announced their (1.0) ocelot named Ozzy passed away at age 24 due to a decline in health caused by age-related mobility problems, and was the oldest ocelot in the SSP at time of passing.

ZooAmerica

On December 18th, the zoo announced they moved their (0.1) red-tailed hawk Artemis on exhibit after being retired as an ambassador animal.

ZooAmerica

On December 27th, the zoo announced they moved their (1.0) eastern screech owl Rufus on display next to the black-tailed prairie dogs in late 2024 after transitioning from being an ambassador animal.

ZooAmerica

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On March 31st, it was mentioned by the zoo that they acquired a barn owl named Rodney, as well as a (0.1) barred owl named Sylvia which are both now on display in the Northlands Education Center and the Eastern Woodlands Education Center, respectively.

ZooAmerica
ZooAmerica
 
ThylacineAlive said:
A piece of news we all seem to have missed: last June the Wildlife Center of Virginia captured 9 Allegheny Woodrats for distribution to US zoos to establish a captive breeding program. ZooAmerica is one such zoo.

Allegheny Woodrats Helping Save Their Species

~Thylo
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That's the first I heard of this. Interestingly, the former white-throated woodrat exhibit is now vacant. Perhaps this species will go on exhibit?
 
ThylacineAlive said:
A piece of news we all seem to have missed: last June the Wildlife Center of Virginia captured 9 Allegheny Woodrats for distribution to US zoos to establish a captive breeding program. ZooAmerica is one such zoo.

Allegheny Woodrats Helping Save Their Species

~Thylo
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That is quite a worthy ex situ conservation breeding and in situ support project! It seems the plan is to eventually assist in their recovery across 3+ ... Federal States including Ohio, Penn, New Jersey and perhaps Indiana. What about the other zoos mentioned (Toledo Zoo, Maryland Zoo) already on board here?

I do hope this trial / pilot project gets more impetus with more captured wood rats from the only safe extant populations in Virginia... rather soon!!!
 
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Kifaru Bwana said:
That is quite a worthy ex situ conservation breeding and in situ support project! It seems the plan is to eventually assist in their recovery across 3+ ... Federal States including Ohio, Penn, New Jersey and perhaps Indiana. What about the other zoos mentioned (Toledo Zoo, Maryland Zoo) already on board here?

I do hope this trial / pilot project gets more impetus with more captured wood rats from the only safe extant populations in Virginia... rather soon!!!
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I believe Greensboro Science Center. I'm not aware of any others at this time and given how few individuals were captured, I doubt there are many, if any more.

It would be nice for a WCS zoo or the Beardsley Zoo to get on board with this project considering the species is extirpated from the northern Appalachian Mountains altogether.

~Thylo
 
I noticed yesterday that the Southern Swamps building has been rebranded with a new logo featuring a spoonbill instead of an alligator. The alligator has been off-exhibit for a while and the signage is blacked out, so I'm wondering if we might see something else take its place instead.
 
Some updates from my visit today.
The western diamondback rattlesnake and blue spiny lizard are no longer on exhibit. The rattlesnake passed away, but I’m not sure about the lizard. Does anyone know?
Yoshi, the alligator, moved to another facility as he was getting too big for the exhibit.
Mitzi, the zoos last American marten, passed away earlier this year. They said they want to get more, but they’re pretty hard to get. The lower portion now has a skunk, and the upper portion has been empty for a few years after their two male martens passed away. Steve died in 2020 followed by his brother dean in late 2023.
 
@Kevin2342 The blue spiny lizard hasn't been on exhibit in a few years. I'm not sure if they have them anymore. That exhibit used to also house a few other species as well. I'm not sure if they wanted to move away from cohabitating them seeing as the chuckwallas have their own exhibit now, but that's just my own speculation. Yoshi was moved to Catoctin from what I heard. I'm not sure if anything is in the works currently for that exhibit. The possibility of another alligator snapping turtle was mentioned to me but it didn't sound like anything was decided. Good to know they're at least looking to get more martens, though.

In other news: the red-tailed hawks and bald eagles have returned to their exhibits. I think the snowy owl and turkeys are the only birds still off display due to the bird flu outbreak. The former woodrat exhibit in the nocturnal hall is also now home to a gopher snake.
 
Some other updates-- The Western Diamondback Rattlesnake exhibit housed a desert kingsnake briefly before being replaced by another Western Diamondback Rattlesnake. All birds that were taken off-exhibit due to bird flu concerns are now back on exhibit. I was also told that the skunk in the former marten exhibit is only supposed to be there for the summer and the zoo is looking to procure more martens in the fall.
 
MC Baron said:
It appears the zoo no longer has American Marten. The lower portion of their exhibit is now home to a striped skunk. I'm hoping martens return to the zoo at some point-- it would be a shame to lose such a rare species.
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biggest_dreamer said:
Rough news, and especially disappointing to happen so soon after the nearby Lehigh Valley lost their fisher! I was planning on visiting both of these zoos in just a few weeks primarily for those two species… bleh.
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On August 22nd, the zoo announced they acquired a male (1.0) American marten named Rowan Finch from an unspecified wildlife rehab in Alaska, which is on display in the former marten exhibit.

ZooAmerica

On September 19th, the zoo announced they acquired a female (0.1) Cuvier's dwarf caiman named Ori from Ellen Trout Zoo in Texas, which is on display in Southern Swamps.

ZooAmerica

On October 18th, the zoo announced they acquired a female (0.1) striped skunk named Lilac in spring, which is now an ambassador animal.

58K views · 702 reactions | Say hello to Lilac! She joined the ZooAmerica team during the spring and has been living behind the scenes in our education department. Lilac came from a rehabilitation center and was very nervous around people. We have worked with her every day, and she has now made her debut as an ambassador animal! We are delighted to have her here and look forward to sharing her with all of you! FAQs Q: Do skunks make good pets? A: We do not recommend skunks as pets. They are not domesticated and have many natural behaviors that can be destructive. They also have sharp teeth and claws. Q: Why is Lilac at ZooAmerica? A: Lilac came to us from a rehabilitation center in Ohio. She was deemed non-releasable and has her forever home here with us. Q: Can she bite? A: Yes, she can bite and has sharp teeth. All of our educators are professionals and receive special training to work with our skunks. Q: Can she spray? A: Lilac is not able to spray. A veterinarian removed her scent glands before she came to ZooAmerica. Q: Where can I see Lilac? A: Lilac lives behind the scenes in our education department. She can be seen during certain events and programming! #animaltraining #skunk | ZooAmerica
 
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