Akron Zoo Akron Zoo News 2011

team tapir

team tapir

Well-Known Member
We thought that since this zoo had no news thread and we make regular visits here that we would start one.There are many things going at Akron right now.Starting with the ground breaking of Grizzly Ridge October 1.We got our first look at the blueprints which look incredible and much larger than we thought.We attached a file of these plans on here and hope it works.The plans call for spacious yards for both Grizzly and Black Bears both with pools,one including underwater viewing.There are also going to be Red Wolves,Bald Eagles,Coyotes,Raccoons and River Otters.There is a boarwalk going through the area which looks like its going to be really nice.If Akron is going to be able to stick to these plans its going to be a awesome addition to the zoo,by far the largestproject the zoo has embarked on to date.We would love to hear what some of you think of the plans.

In other news the zoo is now exhibiting Red Ruffed Lemurs and very endangered Mantella Frogs.

Bella one of the zoo's two year old female jaguar cubs is going to be moving to Dallas after a new exhibit there is completed (Jnbsn99 Do you or any other Metroplex area zoo chatter have any info on a possible South American exhibit being built in Dallas)

A female Snowleopard Shattered a huge pane of glass while lunging for a bird.Zoo staff were pleased the glass did its job,however the incident is still under investigation and one would wonder if the glass needs to upgraded to a more reinforced glass.

Team Tapir
 

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No one mentioned this yet, but the Akron Zoo announced in late June that Jellies: Rhythm in the Blue will close on October 31st. It will be replaced in 2012 by an exhibit featuring animals that live on or near the coral reef. The zoo has not released more details yet, but a couple of species of jellyfish will stay to complement other aquatic species being added. The press release from June is at the link below.

Jellies Closure Press Release
News Room


The zoo's new Farmland that opened Memorial Day weekend now has all the species on exhibit. Boer goats, Oberhasli goats, and Nubian goats now live with the Karakul sheep and pygmy goats. A new Guinea hog resides in the pen next to the goats and sheep. The new chicken yard is in the middle of the new train loop. The barn owls have been relocated the the Gardener's Shed next to where the rabbits used to live. The rabbits have been retired from exhibit due to advanced age. See the press release about the new exhibit below.

Farmland Opening Press Release
News Room

The zoo's aviary did not reopen this year because it is going to be renovated at some point. This is actually considered to be part of the Grizzly Ridge exhibit.

Perkins Park Drive, the road that runs behind the zoo up on the hill, closed forever on August 30th as part of the Grizzly Ridge exhibit expansion. The new bear exhibits actually will partially sit on where the road was located.

I also do not know if its was mentioned earlier this year, but two white storks from the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo moved into the white-naped crane exhibit in Tiger Valley because the zoo's remaining crane moved to a zoo in one of the Dakotas.
 
Very exciting about the Jaguar, I'm in the Dallas area. I'm assuming an exhibit in Dallas will be announced very soon if they already have a Jaguar picked out :)
 
@Tigervalley98 Thanks for adding some things on here with so much going on at the zoo today we failed to mention a couple things (The jellies and Perkins Road).We also forgot to mention that that Thick Billed Parrots are no longer being exhibited in Frontier Town and have been replaced by Wild Turkeys.Again its great to see so much going on at a small but nice zoo like Akron.

Team Tapir
 
gerenuk said:
If its the Dallas Zoo, wouldn't Jaguar be in the "Cats of Texas" exhibit?
Click to expand...
Suppose they could be exhibited in the Cats of Texas exhibit given that Jaguars once roamed throughout parts of Texas.However our source stated that she would be moved after a new or possibly revamped enclosure was completed.Are there any improvements currently going on in that section of the zoo.We simply assumed that given the fact that we have heard that a South American or Asian zone could be in the work ever since our trip to Dallas in 2010.Could go either way really,if it were up to us a South American zone in the old hill area of the zoo would be our pick for a new project.

Team Tapir
 
Are we sure its the Dallas Zoo, and not the Dallas World Aquarium, who is building a new larger jaguar exhibit right now?
 
Ituri said:
Are we sure its the Dallas Zoo, and not the Dallas World Aquarium, who is building a new larger jaguar exhibit right now?
Click to expand...

Actually that is quite possible considering the staff memeber we spoke with had mentioned the move would take place after a new enclosure was completed, if it were the Dallas Zoo building a new area it would be a considerably long time before work is completed even if its done in phases.Suppose Cats of Texas at the Dallas Zoo is a longshot but I think Ituri is right,the smart money is on Bella moving to DWA.Ituri good call on this one!

Team Tapir
 
In the zoo's latest newsletter, ZooTales Fall 2011, they have given some more information of the coral reef exhibit that will replace Jellies: Rhythm in the Blue. It is still in the planning phase and does not yet have an official name, but it will open in May 2012. Two species of jellies will remain. The live coral reef will feature eels, sea horses, and octopus. The touch tank will remain, but it sounds like a stingray touch tank will be added or will replace the current one. Not all species have been finalized yet and more details will come soon, most likely in the Winter 2012 issue of ZooTales in January and a public announcement sometime after the first of the year.
 
Below is a press release from the Akron Zoo on the closure of Jellies: Rhythm in the Blue. It also discusses the reef exhibit opening in May 2012. I saw this and thought I would share this with everyone.

___________________________________________________________

Jellyfish exhibit to close on Oct. 31, 2011!

by Akron Zoo on Thursday, October 13, 2011 at 9:04am

The last day for the Akron Zoo’s popular jellyfish exhibit will be October 31, 2011, to make way for a new aquatic exhibit in 2012. The jellyfish exhibit debuted on June 7, 2008 and has been visited by over 1.1 million visitors since its opening.

The exhibit space where the jellies reside in Komodo Kingdom was built as a temporary exhibit space, meant to change every few years. The exhibit includes eight different species of jellyfish in 10 different aquariums, a climbing wall and touch tank. With a new aquatic exhibit in 2012, the zoo will keep a couple of species of jellyfish to complement other aquatic animals. The touch tank will remain, but with new animals. The new area will also include several new interactives.

In the spring of 2012, the zoo will open an exhibit featuring animals that live on or near the reef. As people journey through the aquarium space they will meet several different marine animals, ending up at a reef exhibit with live coral and many different species of fish that call the reef home. Octopus, clown fish, eels and lion fish are just a few of the animals that will be coming to the Akron Zoo as part of this new exhibit. The reef exhibit will be included in the price of admission to the zoo.

Jellyfish exhibit to close on Oct. 31, 2011! | Facebook
 
Jellyfish exhibit to close on Oct. 31, 2011!

Below is a press release from the Akron Zoo on the closure of Jellies: Rhythm in the Blue. It also discusses the reef exhibit opening in May 2012. I saw this and thought I would share this with everyone.

___________________________________________________________

Jellyfish exhibit to close on Oct. 31, 2011!

by Akron Zoo on Thursday, October 13, 2011 at 9:04am

The last day for the Akron Zoo’s popular jellyfish exhibit will be October 31, 2011, to make way for a new aquatic exhibit in 2012. The jellyfish exhibit debuted on June 7, 2008 and has been visited by over 1.1 million visitors since its opening.

The exhibit space where the jellies reside in Komodo Kingdom was built as a temporary exhibit space, meant to change every few years. The exhibit includes eight different species of jellyfish in 10 different aquariums, a climbing wall and touch tank. With a new aquatic exhibit in 2012, the zoo will keep a couple of species of jellyfish to complement other aquatic animals. The touch tank will remain, but with new animals. The new area will also include several new interactives.

In the spring of 2012, the zoo will open an exhibit featuring animals that live on or near the reef. As people journey through the aquarium space they will meet several different marine animals, ending up at a reef exhibit with live coral and many different species of fish that call the reef home. Octopus, clown fish, eels and lion fish are just a few of the animals that will be coming to the Akron Zoo as part of this new exhibit. The reef exhibit will be included in the price of admission to the zoo.

Jellyfish exhibit to close on Oct. 31, 2011! | Facebook
 
Jellies out, reef animals to roll in with Akron Zoo tide

Here is an article on the jellyfish leaving the Akron Zoo from the Akron Beacon Journal. There are also details on the new exhibit including confirmation that the moon jellies and the Pacific sea nettles will remain at the zoo.

__________________________________________________________

Jellies out, reef animals to roll in with Akron Zoo tide

By Kathy Antoniotti
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published: October 19, 2011 - 12:39 AM

The jellyfish exhibit at the Akron Zoo, one of the most popular exhibits in the zoo’s history, soon will be floating away.

It was the first large-scale saltwater aquarium at the zoo when it opened four years ago and is still the largest collection of jellyfish in Ohio.

An exhibit of saltwater creatures that live in and around coral reefs will replace the Jellies: Rhythm in the Blue exhibit in 2012, said David Barnhardt, director of marketing and guest services for the zoo.

“It was a difficult decision because it was such a popular attraction. We had the largest crowd ever, 328,000 visitors in 2008, the year the exhibit opened,” Barnhardt said.

The exhibit, featuring eight species of jellyfish in the zoo’s Komodo Kingdom, is slated to close Oct. 31. It originally was scheduled to run three years but remained on display an extra year due to its popularity.

Barnhardt said 1.1 million people have viewed the exhibit to date.

The display area also includes a window to the zoo’s jellyfish lab so visitors can view a jellyfish incubator necessary for zoo aquarists to keep the exhibits populated. A jellyfish lives only about six months, Barnhardt said.

College of Wooster political science teachers Angie Bos and Bas VanDoorn of Wooster took a day from their fall break from classes Tuesday to bring their 18-month old son, Liam VanDoorn, for a visit to the zoo. As the jellies floated through the water in the aquariums, their tranquil movement appeared to mesmerize the toddler.

“They are different from all the other sea life,” Bos remarked.

A Cleveland hospital filmed two hours of footage of the jellies, frequently called “art in motion,” to show cancer patients while they were undergoing treatment, Barnhardt said.

“Just looking at them now, there is nothing like them in the world. They are captivating. Now I understand why people go into marine biology,” he said.

The exhibit has helped teach legions of children and adults there is more to a jellyfish than a stinger.

“It has been a great opportunity, when you average 315,000 a year moving through our zoo, to educate people. It’s really important to us and why we exist, ” Barnhardt said.

Roger Ray of Canton and his daughter, Delia, 6, said Tuesday they were taking a rare day off to see her favorite animals, the snow leopard and cheetah. They took a quick peek at the jellies during their visit.

“They are pretty,” Delia agreed.

The jellies’ exhibit area will undergo a major overhaul when a giant Pacific octopus, starfish, horseshoe crabs and eels move into redesigned exhibit space that features creatures from coral reefs.

Local artist Amy Roos is designing the new exhibit.

But zoo officials listened when visitors said they wanted the jellies to remain at the zoo, Barnhardt said. Two species, the moon jellyfish and Pacific sea nettle, will be permanent residents at a new display.

Jellies out, reef animals to roll in with Akron Zoo tide - Local - Ohio
 
The Akron Zoo now has a new website. See it at the link below.

Akron Zoo

The Akron Zoo's 2012 Calendars are out and it confirms a May 26th opening for the zoo's new reef exhibit.

Grizzly Ridge construction has begun and a majority of the land has been cleared. You cannot believe how different that part of the zoo looks already. Most of the previous exhibits in the area have been demolished.
 
Journey to the Reef + more news

The new aquatic exhibit will be called 'Journey to the Reef'. It will open May 26, 2012. It will have a stingray touch tank.

The exhibits in the location of the new 'Grizzly Ridge' exhibit have pretty much been removed.

The zoo has a new website:
Akron Zoo

The Construction Updates page has a new address:
Construction updates

The zoo also has finally updated their current species on its animal page:
Our Exhibts

I also found by accident while searching online that the zoo will have a mobile website. It has not officially announced, but it can be viewed at the link below:
Welcome!
 
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