Akron Zoo Akron Zoo News 2013

The main path between the new retention pond and the Asian Trail entrance to Tiger Valley is closed for two reasons. Today, they began to install the outer fencing for the aviary. They have also removed out some of the path at the Grizzly Ridge entrance to make a circular entrance plaza. More planting has occurring and additional fencing has gone up in the area. I saw were the small mammal area under the otter building porch has been built now. I will add new photos to the gallery.

The newly renovated snowy owl exhibit is still fenced off, but I did see the zoo’s new snowy owl in the exhibit though. The new resident liked to hide and you still cannot get a good view because of the fencing.

The zoo now has two new horseshoe crabs have joined the bamboo sharks on exhibit. These are new ones because they are larger than the ones in the touch tank.

The painting around the new sinks outside the Journey to the Reef exit has been redone.

There are no longer paper towels in Farmland. They have done some paving around the new hand driers that are cleverly hidden by a little barn.
 
Citizens For Our Zoo, the zoo’s tax levy campaign, has been posting videos with President & CEO Patricia Simmons on regions of the zoo on YouTube. Links for the videos added so far are below along with their main YouTube page.

Citizens For Our Zoo on YouTube
CitizensforOurZoo - YouTube

Lehner Family Zoo Gardens

Mike and Mary Stark Grizzly Ridge

Komodo Kingdom

Legends of the Wild
 
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The seventh exhibit of Mike & Mary Stark Grizzly Ridge is currently being built under the porch roof of the otter building. This exhibit will look like a porch and will feature education animals, likely in rotation. I asked the zoo if it is known what species will live in this exhibit, but they told me it still has not been determined yet. If I hear anything, I will pass it along.
 
According to a Cleveland Metroparks Zoo press release Jackson and Cheyenne the zoos new grizzly bears arrived in Akron today :)

Team Tapir223
 
Grizzly Bears From Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Arrive Safely at Akron Zoo

Jackson and Cheyenne are off on their next big adventure. The brother and sister grizzly bears have done a lot of traveling in their two short years, coming to Cleveland Metroparks Zoo in 2011 from Wyoming and now moving on to their long-term home, the new Mike and Mary Stark Grizzly Ridge exhibit, at the Akron Zoo.

“We’ve known all along that two of our four grizzly cubs would be heading to Akron at some point,” said Cleveland Metroparks Zoo’s Executive Director Dr. Chris Kuhar. “The Akron Zoo is a great institution and we were happy to help care for the bears while their new exhibit was under construction.”

Akron Zoo President & CEO, L. Patricia Simmons said the bears will be unavailable for photos or video as they spend the next several weeks getting acclimated to their new home, but will be ready to be on exhibit when Grizzly Ridge has its grand opening on July 20. “We are very excited to be welcoming Jackson and Cheyenne to the Akron Zoo and are extremely grateful to Cleveland for providing exceptional care for them over the past two years,” commented Simmons.

Jackson and Cheyenne joined Cleveland’s other two grizzly cubs, Cody and Cooper, in August 2011. All four cubs were about 7 months old at the time, and weighed less than 100 pounds. Now, at just over 2 years old, all four bears are in the 300 pound range and still growing.

“Grizzlies aren’t really considered full-grown until they are 4 or 5 years old,” said Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Curator of Animals Travis Vineyard. “And an adult male grizzly bear can weigh upwards of 900 pounds when fully grown.”

Cody and Cooper, the orphaned brother cubs from Montana, will remain on exhibit in Cleveland.

Grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis), a subspecies of brown bear, were once widespread throughout the U.S. and Canada. Their range has shrunk toward the northwest with most now occurring in Alaska and western Canada, although their numbers are on the rise in some areas of the contiguous U.S., especially in and around Yellowstone National Park.

Grizzlies in the wild have an average lifespan of 20-30 years, and typically live a few years longer in captivity. They are solitary animals in the wild, unless a mother is caring for cubs, in which case the cubs will stay with the mother for up to three years.

Northeast Ohio’s most-visited year-round attraction, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily with hours extended to 7 p.m. on weekends and holidays from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Admission is $12.25 per person, $8.25 for kids ages 2 to 11 and free for children younger than 2 and Zoo members. Parking is free. Located at 3900 Wildlife Way, the Zoo is easily accessible from Interstates 71, 90 and 480.

Cleveland Metroparks Zoo - News Room
 
More plants have been added to the new aviary and so have more netting panels. Since the trees are smaller in the aviary, a dead tree has been recycled by tying it to middle support to provide perching spaces for the birds.

There are two baby spotted sandpipers in the Center of Animal Care. They can be seen through the windows. They are likely for the new aviary.

The plaza by the bald eagle exhibit has been paved, but the main path remains closed while the new aviary gets netted.

The fence has been moved closer to Frost the snowy owl exhibit, but is still there until he gets used to the exhibit.

There is now a female gecko with the male gecko in the Madagascar Building.
 
TigerValley98 said:
More plants have been added to the new aviary and so have more netting panels. Since the trees are smaller in the aviary, a dead tree has been recycled by tying it to middle support to provide perching spaces for the birds.

There are two baby spotted sandpipers in the Center of Animal Care. They can be seen through the windows. They are likely for the new aviary.

The plaza by the bald eagle exhibit has been paved, but the main path remains closed while the new aviary gets netted.

The fence has been moved closer to Frost the snowy owl exhibit, but is still there until he gets used to the exhibit.

There is now a female gecko with the male gecko in the Madagascar Building.
Click to expand...

- Have all of the major animals arrived for the new exhibit?
 
uszoo said:
- Have all of the major animals arrived for the new exhibit?
Click to expand...

I know that a majority of the aviary's birds are either in the current aviary or being held somewhere on site. The five bald eagles have been on site since the early part of the year. Grizzly bears Jackson and Cheyenne arrived Thursday. Molly the otter arrived in March I do not know about the other two. I have not heard anything of the two red wolves or two coyotes. If they are on site, they are indoors. If I hear anything more, I will post it here.
 
Construction on the Mike and Mary Stark Grizzly Ridge continues as we are now less than a month away from opening. Grass seed and straw can be seen throughout parts of the new region including the eagle and coyote exhibits. Fencing continues to be installed to the grizzly bear exhibit. There also appears to be more work being done on the otter exhibit. The aviary netting is complete, but the lower viewing window needs to be installed. The main path by Grizzly Ridge is still closed and guests must use the Tiger Valley route as a bypass.

Several new signs have been installed in Wild Prairie. New species signs for the two owl species and a sign pointing towards the entrance of the current aviary. The aviary’s residents should be soon on the more to their new home soon. I think species have been slowly disappearing each week. I am trying to discover what will live in the aviary after the Grizzly Ridge birds move out. There is still fencing up to keep guests from getting to close to Frost the snowy owl because he is still getting used to his new home.

The zoo’s nenes have been missing for a while and I have wondered if they moved to another zoo, but I noticed that their sign has been moved from the gorge exhibit in Tiger Valley to the Chilean flamingo exhibit in Legends of the Wild. From something I heard earlier this year, I expect the zoo is getting new nenes.
 
The zoo has told me that they have begun the process of catching and moving the birds in the current aviary to the new aviary. As for what will reside in the current aviary after the Grizzly Ridge opening, the zoo told me this is still to be determined. I expect them to at least place something in here temporarily until new residents go on exhibit. After all, the current aviary’s entrance is in the Grizzly Ridge entrance plaza. There is a new sign pointing to the current aviary now up since the entrance is a bit hidden. I will let you know if I hear more.
 
The zoo mention on Facebook that there have been pot-bellied seahorse babies born. They are currently behind the scenes.

Work continues on Mike and Mary Stark Grizzly Ridge. Photos are in the gallery. The grizzly bear exhibit fence is almost complete and work continues on the otter exhibit, but you cannot see it that well. The main path by Grizzly Ridge is now back open.
 
Why wouldn't the zoo bring in the female bear and one of the other brothers instead of two related bears, so they could breed?
 
zoofan75 said:
Why wouldn't the zoo bring in the female bear and one of the other brothers instead of two related bears, so they could breed?
Click to expand...

- North American zoos do not breed black or brown bears due to them being native species that can always be replenished from the wild. Constantly cubs are orphaned and in need of new homes in zoos.
 
The zoos grizzlies, Jackson and Cheyenne, were removed from their mother's care because she was teaching them bad habits. If I say the name Yogi Bear, nothing more needs to be explained. If anyone brings a picnic basket to the zoo and it goes missing, check Grizzly Ridge.
 
Happy 4th of July! Here are some of my observations from the zoo today:

The digital signs have been updated in Journey to the Reef to include most of the new species.

The current aviary is now closed so animals can be transferred to the Grizzly Ridge aviary. When I find out what will be going in the current aviary, I will pass it along.

They are building a fence in front of new snowy owl exhibit in Wild Prairie.

Mike and Mary Stark Grizzly Ridge continues to approach toward its July 20th opening. Grass is growing. The big log is in place at the entrance to be carved into a bear. More plants have been added. More fencing has been added. Grizzly Ridge billboards are now located throughout the region. Look for more info on Grizzly Ridge below. As additional information is available, I will post it here on ZooChat.

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Mike and Mary Stark Grizzly Ridge Information
From Akron Zoo ZooTales Summer 2013, Plus Additional Sources

The zoo will go after LEED certification for Grizzly Ridge. Komodo Kingdom has a silver level certification. Grizzly Ridge will include LED lighting and will have a sustainable storm water management system featuring: rain barrels, 2,900 sq ft of pervious concrete, a bio-retention basin, and a green roof on the bear building.

Grizzly Bears
Two total; pair of siblings named Jackson (m) and Cheyenne (f) from Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.

Red Wolves
Two total; pair of siblings named Rue (f) and Katniss (f) from Miller Park Zoo; born April 2011; their two sister littermates were released into the wild; part of Red Wolf Recovery Program.

River Otters
Three total; Emme (f) from Detroit Zoo; Porthos (m) from Boonshoft Museum of Discovery (born at Columbus Zoo & Aquarium); Molly (f) from New York State Zoo.

Coyotes
Two total; pair of siblings born in April at the Millville Predator Research Facility at the National Wildlife Research Center; there will be a naming contest.

American Bald Eagles
Five total, two are juvenile, names are Petry, Wayne, Unity, Spirit and Lakota; two from American Eagle Center at Dollywood; one from Washington state rehab facility; two females from Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic.

Aviary
Some local species; some species from throughout the US; some have flight restrictions.
 
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