Lincoln Park Zoo Lincoln Park Zoo News 2025

Just a few notes from my visit this week:
  • The zoo no longer seems to hold crowned lemur. The first exhibit in the primate house is now signed for swamp monkey.
  • The former blue-tounged skink exhibit is being renovated and was partially filled with water. A paper sign is now up for pig-nosed turtle. I'd imagine a younger individual would be placed in here given the size of the exhibit.
  • Alpaca are now signed in one of the former takin exhibits as well as the former camel exhibit. It seems like the zoo is rotating them around to make the area look occupied and trim back the overgrown plants.
  • The giraffes were indoors despite tempatures in the 70's which has been the case for much of the summer. It seems like they no longer mix with the plain's zebra and rotate through the outdoor habitat.
 
nczoofan said:
Just a few notes from my visit this week:
  • The zoo no longer seems to hold crowned lemur. The first exhibit in the primate house is now signed for swamp monkey.
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Reported last year, but still very crazy to think the zoo has no form of lemur now!

nczoofan said:
  • The former blue-tounged skink exhibit is being renovated and was partially filled with water. A paper sign is now up for pig-nosed turtle. I'd imagine a younger individual would be placed in here given the size of the exhibit.
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Very interesting news! Pig-nosed turtles are one of my favorite reptile species, it'll be interesting to see if the zoo displays a juvenile after all, but I am quite surprised as I know some people can be sensitive to seeing juveniles of larger species in sizes not appropriate for adults.

nczoofan said:
  • Alpaca are now signed in one of the former takin exhibits as well as the former camel exhibit. It seems like the zoo is rotating them around to make the area look occupied and trim back the overgrown plants.
  • The giraffes were indoors despite tempatures in the 70's which has been the case for much of the summer. It seems like they no longer mix with the plain's zebra and rotate through the outdoor habitat.
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Very interesting points as well. Adds to the perception here the alpaca are acting as a "filler" species in the meantime. I have been wondering about the giraffe and zebra sharing a space, real shame the Kovler African Savannah seems to have not worked out as a mixed-species exhibit at this point.
 
nczoofan said:
  • The giraffes were indoors despite tempatures in the 70's which has been the case for much of the summer. It seems like they no longer mix with the plain's zebra and rotate through the outdoor habitat.
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They still mix. I've seen them both on exhibit multiple times recently. I noticed they brought the giraffes inside a couple weeks ago despite the nice weather, and then they separated them, having the female go off-exhibit before closing the door. Perhaps there are animal health reasons why they were brought inside?
 
 
According to the zoo's facebook:
"Lincoln Park Zoo will soon say farewell to Siku. In the coming weeks, this 15-year-old bear will journey to Henry Vilas Zoo for a breeding recommendation.
This transfer is part of a nationwide polar bear conservation initiative to maintain a sustainable, genetically diverse population of this threatened species. Resident female polar bear Talini will stay here at Lincoln Park Zoo receiving specialized geriatric care throughout her sunset years.
Since his arrival in Chicago in 2016, Siku has charmed staff and visitors alike with his playful nature. Stop by to see him before he heads off on his next big adventure!"
 
blospz said:
According to the zoo's facebook:
"Lincoln Park Zoo will soon say farewell to Siku. In the coming weeks, this 15-year-old bear will journey to Henry Vilas Zoo for a breeding recommendation.
This transfer is part of a nationwide polar bear conservation initiative to maintain a sustainable, genetically diverse population of this threatened species. Resident female polar bear Talini will stay here at Lincoln Park Zoo receiving specialized geriatric care throughout her sunset years.
Since his arrival in Chicago in 2016, Siku has charmed staff and visitors alike with his playful nature. Stop by to see him before he heads off on his next big adventure!"
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The zoo clarified in a comment on the above announcement post asking if Talini will get any company that there "are no plans for additional polar bears to come to Lincoln Park Zoo at this time".
 
TurningOfTheWheel said:
Lincoln Park Zoo has announced the addition of two female brown bears, Ash and Lexi, to Arctic Tundra. This is the first time the zoo has housed brown bears in nearly a half-century. The bears have come from Henry Vilas Zoo in an apparent swap for polar bear Siku.

Lincoln Park Zoo Welcomes Two Brown Bears | Lincoln Park Zoo
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Louisville, Memphis, North Carolina and Saint Louis should swap to Brown Bear with their small exhibits. North Carolina, with the expansion is too warm for success, no?
 
PercideRolo said:
Louisville, Memphis, North Carolina and Saint Louis should swap to Brown Bear with their small exhibits. North Carolina, with the expansion is too warm for success, no?
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I'd argue the opposite - Louisville should devote the whole of Glacier Run to polar bears and move the grizzlies to Kentucky Trails, Memphis should focus on just polar and grizzly bears, North Carolina's a wonderful facility that prioritizes animal choice above all (Anana can go in her indoor den, her ice cave, out in the meadow or in her chilled saltwater pool), and Saint Louis is a good optimized space for bears. Henry Vilas made the decision to go all in on polar bears, which I ultimately support if it means more success with cubs.
 
Visited today and the Brown bear are on exhibit and very active. They are occupying the larger bear exhibit on the north side of Arctic Tundra. The zoos female polar bear has been moved to the smaller bear yard and has been adjusting to this space, as recently she had lived in the north yard pretty frequently.

The brown bears were pretty active today, swimming in the pool and rolling around in the streams. It does appear the grass will be on its way out though in a matter of weeks. The public really seemed to be enjoying this new species as they had major crowds and the zoo got a whole bunch of PR for it in the media.

On a side note I never liked Arctic Tundra as a breeding complex and was not ever a fan of the decision to shove a near bear complex into this space. It does seem that polar bear breeding will be left for larger exhibits in the future though. The brown bear seem to be a much better fit for this terrain filled exhibit, which needed zero modifications as far as I could see to hold this new species.
 
TurningOfTheWheel said:
Lincoln Park Zoo has announced the addition of two female brown bears, Ash and Lexi, to Arctic Tundra. This is the first time the zoo has housed brown bears in nearly a half-century. The bears have come from Henry Vilas Zoo in an apparent swap for polar bear Siku.

Lincoln Park Zoo Welcomes Two Brown Bears | Lincoln Park Zoo
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This is a shocking announcement of the best kind. I definitely didn't expect any new megafauna to join Lincoln Park's rather stable species collection but brown bears are a great choice, perfectly able to rotate in the existing space without much modification while still adding a new species to the zoo. Talini still gets to enjoy her familiar exhibit as more of a retirement home while Siku has a chance to add to the population in the meantime. I really look forward to seeing them and I hope this move can result in getting the ball rolling on some polar bear breeding. This should also all suggest Arctic Tundra should have regular activity rather than sometimes being a dead zone, considering it can be a bit inconvenient to reach.

Brookfield and Lincoln Park both hold three bear species, including brown and polar bears, but with sloth and black bears to differentiate the collections.
 
Is the smaller bear exhibit that polar bear Talini in now still adequate space for one bear? I remember when the Maryland Zoo got brown bears and they took one of the exhibits away (the bigger one) from the polar bear(s). Then I felt the space was way too small for one or more polar bears.
 
blospz said:
Is the smaller bear exhibit that polar bear Talini in now still adequate space for one bear? I remember when the Maryland Zoo got brown bears and they took one of the exhibits away (the bigger one) from the polar bear(s). Then I felt the space was way too small for one or more polar bears.
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I think so but not for the long term.
 
I'd hope they alternate the bears in each yard like Brookfield but don't know if the indoor space is set up to easily switch them
 
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blospz said:
Is the smaller bear exhibit that polar bear Talini in now still adequate space for one bear? I remember when the Maryland Zoo got brown bears and they took one of the exhibits away (the bigger one) from the polar bear(s). Then I felt the space was way too small for one or more polar bears.
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I do hope that Lincoln Park Zoo decides to transfer in accordance with the AZA Polar Bear program to another zoo and create perhaps even a second brown bear exclosure. Or is there realistically space for a black bear exclosure too?

From an educational point of view, it is always worthwhile to have exposure for local native fauna. Mind you, both species may be numerous in the USA, but by no means are they safe from mankind harm's way.
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
I do hope that Lincoln Park Zoo decides to transfer in accordance with the AZA Polar Bear program to another zoo and create perhaps even a second brown bear exclosure. Or is there realistically space for a black bear exclosure too?

From an educational point of view, it is always worthwhile to have exposure for local native fauna. Mind you, both species may be numerous in the USA, but by no means are they safe from mankind harm's way.
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They already have a black bear enclosure elsewhere.
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
I do hope that Lincoln Park Zoo decides to transfer in accordance with the AZA Polar Bear program to another zoo and create perhaps even a second brown bear exclosure. Or is there realistically space for a black bear exclosure too?

From an educational point of view, it is always worthwhile to have exposure for local native fauna. Mind you, both species may be numerous in the USA, but by no means are they safe from mankind harm's way.
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Talini is almost 21 years old and as the zoo said, will not be a part of any further breeding in the population.
 
If the zoo gets into another bear species, I would suggest Andean bear. LPZ has a long history with them and is a former studbook holder.

If they want to go smaller than bears, maybe wolverine?

I'm fine with us having a polar bear retirement space though.
 
Grant said:
Talini is almost 21 years old and as the zoo said, will not be a part of any further breeding in the population.
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Fair enough! The current female will live out the remainder of her life in quality care. I was just thinking longer term ..., where the current exhibit she is in ... is far from perfect for a polar bear (in the case of an elderly female accustomed to the LPZ environment .. it be fine though).


JVM said:
If the zoo gets into another bear species, I would suggest Andean bear. LPZ has a long history with them and is a former studbook holder.

If they want to go smaller than bears, maybe wolverine?

I'm fine with us having a polar bear retirement space though.
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Both the Andean bear and Wolverine sound long term as good alternatives!
 
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