Belo Horizonte Zoo Belo Horizonte zoo news

Here are some updates from the zoo, from my last visit this wednesday:

  • The new large aviarium at the zoo's main bird plaza, previously mentioned by David, is now complete. It is a huge walktrough aviary with many species of birds, such as Black-necked Swans, Chattering Lorys, Golden Conures and Illiger's Macaws, to name a few. But the walktrough part of it is still on a testing phase, so it is not happening regularly.

  • The national animals square has also been upgraded, with renovations on both the outside and inside of the exhibits, mainly on their overall structure and decoration, but also on the identification of the animals.
  • The constructions of the new giraffe paddock have already started, with the confirmed arrival from their female now housed in Itatiba. It is being constructed in the same place of the former exhibit, but it will also cover the space of the previous zebra paddock, with a gate built between the two areas in order to manage the animals, and most probably to separate bulls from the cows.
 
Velas said:
Here are some updates from the zoo, from my last visit this wednesday:

  • The new large aviarium at the zoo's main bird plaza, previously mentioned by David, is now complete. It is a huge walktrough aviary with many species of birds, such as Black-necked Swans, Chattering Lorys, Golden Conures and Illiger's Macaws, to name a few. But the walktrough part of it is still on a testing phase, so it is not happening regularly.

  • The national animals square has also been upgraded, with renovations on both the outside and inside of the exhibits, mainly on their overall structure and decoration, but also on the identification of the animals.
  • The constructions of the new giraffe paddock have already started, with the confirmed arrival from their female now housed in Itatiba. It is being constructed in the same place of the former exhibit, but it will also cover the space of the previous zebra paddock, with a gate built between the two areas in order to manage the animals, and most probably to separate bulls from the cows.
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it's good to know that the zoo will have giraffes again.
 
Velas said:
Here are some updates from the zoo, from my last visit this wednesday:

  • The new large aviarium at the zoo's main bird plaza, previously mentioned by David, is now complete. It is a huge walktrough aviary with many species of birds, such as Black-necked Swans, Chattering Lorys, Golden Conures and Illiger's Macaws, to name a few. But the walktrough part of it is still on a testing phase, so it is not happening regularly.

  • The national animals square has also been upgraded, with renovations on both the outside and inside of the exhibits, mainly on their overall structure and decoration, but also on the identification of the animals.
  • The constructions of the new giraffe paddock have already started, with the confirmed arrival from their female now housed in Itatiba. It is being constructed in the same place of the former exhibit, but it will also cover the space of the previous zebra paddock, with a gate built between the two areas in order to manage the animals, and most probably to separate bulls from the cows.
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Some small, but needed corrections:

The walkthrough aviary is opening regularly for visitors since it's inauguration in july. It happens that the birds' sector is so worried about the animals' welfare that the visits are happening only once a week (wednesdays) and on the last weekend of every month. It's a very wise decision in my opinion, once this is the first walkthrough experience BH has ever had.

About the giraffes, as I have previously said, both paddocks have always been theirs de jure, even though in the last years the zebra and waterbuck occupied it more often. As an addition, an iron structure is being built to make routine training/conditioning activities easier and better conducted.
 
Velas said:
For sure, they will be a very welcome addition back to the zoo's roster when everything gets done and Anaya arrives. Hopefully, if all goes well, maybe the institution will achieve reproduction in the future.
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i hope so
 
Velas said:
Exciting news! Bu-bu is already on its exhibit, after spending some time in quarantine on the zoo's off-show area. Hopefully, with the addition of this new male, the group (1.3.0) will get us a new lineage of gorillas in Brazil :)
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let's hope that with this more brazilian zoos can hold gorillas in the future.
 
BetoYoung said:
let's hope that with this more brazilian zoos can hold gorillas in the future.
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With a single exception, I don't think we'll have any new gorilla holders anytime soon.

- Neither Rio, São Paulo nor Sorocaba have any space left.

The extra space recently gained by BioParque do Rio might not be enough to hold gorillas. São Paulo might be more interested in giving larger homes to their current residents. Sorocaba is generally more oriented towards native species.

- I don't know anything Curitiba, but them holding gorillas seems unlikely.
- Pomerode has no plans for gorillas. The zoo is also too small at the moment for any new larger species.
- Sapucaia do Sul is penniless. So are most of the Northeastern zoos and Goiânia.
- Brasília did express interest in holding gorillas many years ago, but they never arrived. The zoo is also in the red, from what I have been told.

Most other zoos are either too small, do not have enough money or just generally don't have interest in holding gorillas (or any other exotics) for now.

The main exception would be Itatiba. When I was there in late 2023, a keeper told me they did have plans for gorillas at the time, but they might focusing on their new reptile house at the moment. They do have a supplier, though, so acquiring them wouldn't be very difficult.
 
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Enzo said:
With a single exception, I don't think we'll have any new gorilla holders anytime soon.

- Neither Rio, São Paulo nor Sorocaba have any space left.

The extra space recently gained by BioParque do Rio might not be enough to hold gorillas. São Paulo might be more interested in giving larger homes to their current residents. Sorocaba is generally more oriented towards native species.

- I don't know anything Curitiba, but them holding gorillas seems unlikely.
- Pomerode has no plans for gorillas. The zoo is also too small at the moment for any new larger species.
- Sapucaia do Sul is penniless. So are most of the Northeastern zoos and Goiânia.
- Brasília did express interest in holding gorillas many years ago, but they never arrived. The zoo is also in the red, from what I have been told.

Most other zoos are either too small, do not have enough money or just generally don't have interest in holding gorillas (or any other exotics) for now.

The main exception would be Itatiba. When I was there in late 2023, a keeper told me they did have plans for gorillas at the time, but they might focusing on their new reptile house at the moment. They do have a supplier, though, so acquiring them wouldn't be very difficult.
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well, you have very fair points. but i'd like to ask you something, what means a zoo be in the red?
 
BetoYoung said:
well, you have very fair points. but i'd like to ask you something, what means a zoo be in the red?
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Being in the red means being in debt (from the Portuguese expression "estar no vermelho") or having an overall lack of resources.

I am not sure if Brasília is in crippling debt or if it just suffers from a general shortage of money, though.
 
Enzo said:
Being in the red means being in debt (from the Portuguese expression "estar no vermelho") or having an overall lack of resources.

I am not sure if Brasília is in crippling debt or if it just suffers from a general shortage of money, though.
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oh thank you.
 
Enzo said:
Being in the red means being in debt (from the Portuguese expression "estar no vermelho") or having an overall lack of resources.

I am not sure if Brasília is in crippling debt or if it just suffers from a general shortage of money, though.
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i just remembered of that incident that the jaguar tried to escape and i saw a newspaper saying that the zoo lacks contingency plans in order to prevent any animal to escape and have serious infrastructure failures and suffers from a shortage of professionals, i guess it's something related to shortage of money, but i don't know if i'm right.
 
I visited the zoo today, here's some updates:

  • The new giraffe paddock is still being built, but all of the fencing, gates, training/conditioning structures are complete, with only the "barn" in process of construction. Judging by how well things happened since I went there on december, the process of bringing Ayana from Itatiba shouldn't take very long.

  • The Reptile House is undergoing some renovations. The path for the outside exhibits received new fencing and decorations, as well as the inside area. I know that the terrariums will also receive some new species and renovations, but for now, they are still a mistery to me.

  • A new male Black lion tamarin has arrived on the small primates corridor in order to make a pair with the female, since she was alone on her exhibit due to the unfortunate passing of her partner and children. I'm really hoping for the zoo to get these little guys to reproduce again.
  • Some Grey brocket deer were recently born on the mixed Cerrado exhibit, as told to me by the Zoo's crew, although they were a no-show for me this time.
  • Last but not least, Lolek now has access to two exhibits: The Lion exhibit, which was always been theirs de jure, as well as the former Siberian tiger exhibit, which was empty since the passing of Hannah the lioness (from what I can remember, she and Lolek didn't get along well, so they both lived separately). I actually saw this on my last visit, but didn't include it on my news since I wasn't sure what was going on there.

    (An extra note: Today I visited the new walkthrough aviary! It is a lovely and really well planed space by the Zoo's bird team, with lots of greenery, natural aspects and diferent enrichment items for its residents. Definetely one of the best upgrades the institution had in recent years, so be sure to pay it a visit if you plan on going to Belo Horizonte's Zoo ;)!)
 
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Great news! A female Jaguar named "Maya" arrived at the zoo today! She came from Animália Park, where she was born last year.

Rádio Itatiaia on Instagram: " NOVA INTEGRANTE | A onça-pintada Maya, de dez meses, é a nova moradora do Zoológico de Belo Horizonte. Ela nasceu em junho de 2024 no Animália Park em Cotia, na Grande São Paulo. Sandra Cunha, diretora da Fundação de Parques Municipais e Zoobotânica (FPMZB), conta que a filhote tem temperamento tranquilo e interativo. “Maya é uma filhote tranquila, apresenta o comportamento esperado para a espécie, se alimenta bem, interage com o que é ofertado e gosta muito de brincar”, afirma. A onça-pintada pesa cerca de 35 quilos e chegou saudável na capital mineira. No entanto, ela precisa passar por um período de quarentena em um local reservado para se integrar ao novo ambiente. Antes de Maya, o Zoológico de Belo Horizonte teve a onça-pintada Janis, que faleceu em 2023 aos 19 anos. Leia mais em itatiaia.com.br Divulgação | FPMZB #BH #zoológico #animal #onça"

More detailed info about her on this link:
Zoológico de BH tem nova moradora
 
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Velas said:
Great news! A female Jaguar named "Maya" arrived at the zoo today! She came from Animália Park, where she was born last year.

Rádio Itatiaia on Instagram: " NOVA INTEGRANTE | A onça-pintada Maya, de dez meses, é a nova moradora do Zoológico de Belo Horizonte. Ela nasceu em junho de 2024 no Animália Park em Cotia, na Grande São Paulo. Sandra Cunha, diretora da Fundação de Parques Municipais e Zoobotânica (FPMZB), conta que a filhote tem temperamento tranquilo e interativo. “Maya é uma filhote tranquila, apresenta o comportamento esperado para a espécie, se alimenta bem, interage com o que é ofertado e gosta muito de brincar”, afirma. A onça-pintada pesa cerca de 35 quilos e chegou saudável na capital mineira. No entanto, ela precisa passar por um período de quarentena em um local reservado para se integrar ao novo ambiente. Antes de Maya, o Zoológico de Belo Horizonte teve a onça-pintada Janis, que faleceu em 2023 aos 19 anos. Leia mais em itatiaia.com.br Divulgação | FPMZB #BH #zoológico #animal #onça"

More detailed info about her on this link:
Zoológico de BH tem nova moradora
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Maya's quarantine has ended and she was moved into her exhibit today, just as she became one year old!

Prefeitura de Belo Horizonte on Instagram: "Acho que vi uma oncinha Está sabendo da novidade? O Zoo de BH tem uma nova moradora, a onça pintada Maya. Após passar por todos os exames necessários com êxito e estar bem adaptada ao novo ambiente, essa lindeza já está no recinto de visitação. A nova moradora foi recebida tão bem que ganhou até um bolo de carne para comemorar seu aniversário de 1 ano. Maya nasceu em 03 de junho, no Animália Park, em Cotia. Ela pertence ao Programa de Conservação ex situ de Onça-Pintada do Instituto Chico Mendes para Conservação da Biodiversidade (ICMBio) que possibilitou sua vinda para o Zoológico de BH. E aí, bora visitar a Maya? Acesse: pbh.gov.br/ parquesezoobotanica"
 
I never thought this day would come, and it hurts me a lot to make this announcement, but with a really heavy heart, this thursday afternoon, Jamba, our African elephant bull at the Belo Horizonte zoo, unfortunately passed away at 29 years old, during a cirurgical procediment after some health complications.

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Jamba came to the zoo in 1998 at two years old alongside a female elephant called Dandara, both rescued from a poaching operation in Etosha's National Park, in Namibia. Since then, he happily lived the rest of his life in the zoo alongside our other elephants, although over the last years he also lost some of his companionships on the elephant exhibit.

He was a beloved animal to me, all the zoo's crew and anyone that got the chance to know him and the story of the FZBH, and how much he will be missed can only be compared to his own grandiosity, which has always impressed me throuought my whole childhood and teenage years. I am glad that I managed to see him for all these years and will cherish all the good, bad and funny memories that happened to me when I got to the elephant exhibit and saw him with all his grandeur. The institution still remains with Axé, our cow and the first elephant to be ever born in Brazil, but he was, at least to me, the definition of "our elephant" at the zoo. Rest in peace my giant friend, you will be very missed.

Elefante Jamba morre aos 29 anos no Zoológico de Belo Horizonte | O TEMPO

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Our dearest Jamba... Thank you for writing this nice announcement, @Velas . Me and the crew were devastated yesterday...
I share here some happy moments (previously posted here) of one of the last times I offered him environmental enrichment. Great memories of this giant will be with us forever!

Jamba - Belo Horizonte zoo

Jamba - Belo Horizonte zoo

Reaching the enrichment - Belo Horizonte zoo

Reaching the enrichment - Belo Horizonte zoo

Jamba - Belo Horizonte zoo

Jamba - Belo Horizonte zoo

 
With Jamba's passing, what does this mean for the Zoo's elephant program? Will they keep Axé as a solitary elephant, acquire a new elephant (or two) as a companion for Axé, or relocate Axé to another facility to be with other elephants?
 
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