Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo Henry Doorly Zoo News

snowleopard said:
It didn't take the zoo long to find a replacement for the last of the elephants, as two young, male Indian rhinos have taken up residence in Omaha. A female will join them in the fall and both the Indian rhinos and the white rhinos (all of these animals are located on Pachyderm Hill) will eventually be trained to be touched by visitors. No doubt an extra fee will be applied for the privilege of petting a rhino!

Zoo’s rhinos make their debut - Omaha.com
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What's going to happen to the Indian rhinos once the African Grasslands takes over Pachyderm Hill? Will they be added to the Asian Highlands exhibit?
 
According to the zoo's Facebook page, the Scott Aquarium is scheduled to re-open April 5th and will contain 10 new exhibits.
Team Tapir
 
If anyones going to the grand opening of the new scott aquarium please take alot of pics and if you can tell us what new species are in there. thks matt
 
Stadium

I was just in omaha last week. They have town down the Rosenblatt stadium to make room for parking. They are keeping the infield as a landmark
 
snowleopard said:
"Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium" is the official new name of the establishment. Here is a link with a lot of new information about the transformartion of the outstanding aquarium:

Zoo aquarium debut draws crowds - Omaha.com
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I just got done watching the videos at the link of the new aquarium and it looks like a really nice remodeling of what was already a really good aquarium. I wonder why they can't do the same thing to fix the defects in the Lied Jungle (e.g., tapir) and Desert Dome (e.g., small aviaries, hyrax hell, etc.)?
 
Does anybody know what is going on with Omaha's master plan? It has been out for several years now and no new exhibits or major projects have been announced.

Have they been completely focused on infrastructure needs like demolishing the old stadium in the parking lot and renovating the aquarium?
 
DavidBrown said:
Does anybody know what is going on with Omaha's master plan? It has been out for several years now and no new exhibits or major projects have been announced.

Have they been completely focused on infrastructure needs like demolishing the old stadium in the parking lot and renovating the aquarium?
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The first major project is a total overhaul of the entry area, which extends to the parking lot/stadium replacement you reference. I think it is a huge undertaking ($18 million if I recall correctly), and is intended to set up the zoo for future growth. I have heard the next priority will be African elephants...
 
Does anyone know if the zoo's sister park has made the attempt to introduce the three new wolves they obtained from Oregon into their existing pack? Or what their plan is overall with them.

(Did not see a listing for the conservation park itself)
 
DavidBrown said:
Does anybody know what is going on with Omaha's master plan? It has been out for several years now and no new exhibits or major projects have been announced.

Have they been completely focused on infrastructure needs like demolishing the old stadium in the parking lot and renovating the aquarium?
Click to expand...

The zoo's ambitious master plan was released in 2010 and much of the past couple of years has seen a focus on visitor amenities. On the link below there is a long list of items that are part of the Gateway to the Wild campaign that will end up costing $33 million. The aquarium revamp is done and simply superb, but the rest of the projects will all be finished by summer 2013. They might not be too exciting for zoo enthusiasts, but they include a new entrance, walkways, gift shop, cafe, ticketing booths, a fountain plaza, etc. The zoo needed to spend $33 million creating more options for the vast hordes of folks that now tour the grounds, and then once the larger visitor areas are complete there can be a focus on new animal exhibits. The only truly outdated areas are the 1970's Cat Complex and the 1989 Bear Grottoes, but from press releases it does seem that possibly an African Grasslands zone might be the next complex. A few years ago there was plenty of talk about an Arctic zone but I don't know if a timeline has been completed for any animal-related projects. The past two years has been mainly spent on infrastructure, but that is a smart move as many zoos have terrible parking lots, congested pathways and not enough amenities like cafes, toilets, etc. Omaha has taken the initiative to prepare for the future, as they will be up there with San Diego, Bronx, Saint Louis and Columbus as America's best all-around zoo.
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo

The zoo had a record-breaking 2012 with over 1.7 million visitors, and it is now the #1 rated zoo on TripAdvisor:

News/About | Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo | News & History of Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo
 
New Male Pygmy Hippo Calf Makes Splash in Lied Jungle

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=4695396225859&l=2651864909890899373

Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium® Welcomes Pygmy Hippo Calf
Omaha, NE (April 17, 2013) – A male pygmy hippopotamus calf, born on February 22, is now on display at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium’s Lied Jungle®.
The calf is currently on display with the dam, Chomel, a 13-year-old hippo from Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, Illinois. The sire is Scooby, a 22-year-old from Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas, who has been at Omaha’s Zoo and Aquarium since 1992. Pygmy hippos can weigh between eight to 12 pounds at birth. Full grown, males can weigh up to 700 pounds and females up to 500 pounds. The pygmy hippo calf currently weighs 50 pounds.
Pygmy hippos are native to rainforests and swamplands in western Africa, primarily Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Ivory Coast. They are considered solitary animals and spend about six hours a day foraging for food. Their preferred diet consists of ferns and broad-leaved plants, but are known to uproot other swamp plants and graze on forest weeds.
Pygmy hippos are listed as Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List. There are currently 27 individuals at 13 Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) institutions.
 
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