Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum News

Spent all morning there today and puma was a no show. After waiting well over an hour after the 7:30am opening we were finally told by staff that he did not have access yet. They had the upper window covered with paper and they were removing it and painting it temporarily. They said in about an hour once that was done they would let him out. They unlocked the access door around 10am and there were a lot of us there waiting. Keeper had put a dead chick outside cave to entice him, but no good. (Yesterday at the opening ceremony they had done this with dead mice and it actually worked). I waited until 10:40am and finally gave up. I walked back by at 11:10am before going to the aquarium and lunch, but the chick was still there. I will try again this coming Monday, which is a US holiday.

I did see the aquarium for the first time. It is fairly small, nothing major, but it does round out the entire facility quite nicely.

The prairie dogs also have some babies.

Also talked to staff about the looooonnng rumored jaguar exhibit. A couple has named a jaguar exhibit in their will for one million dollars. The husband has passed away but the wife is still living. Presumably when she passes they will start work. Two main options are put jaguar in current puma exhibit and build new puma exhibit by Life On The Rocks or leave puma as is and build new jaguar exhibit by cafe.
 
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Don't miss this unique new exhibit celebrating the Museum's 60th diamond jubilee. View this collection of rare-colored diamondbacked rattlesnakes paired with beautiful diamond gemstones! In June, enter for a chance to win a gift certificate from Sheffield's Diamonds - the Museum's diamond partner for this extraordinary exhibit.

The above statement was cut and paste from an email blast I just received from them. The accompanying photo shows a red diamond rattlesnake with four diamonds around it. I am really not sure what this is. Is it a collection of professional photos that were staged and are on display somewhere? Or did they really put diamonds in their exhibits in the reptile house? I guess I will find out.
 
I just checked the website and it says the mountain lion cub is temporarily off exhibit. No explanation why.

(I was going to go out tomorrow on my day off and try for more photos, but after seeing this I will skip it and go volunteer at Reid Park instead).
 
The notice on the website is gone, so I think the puma is back on exhibit. Someone with connections out there told me he would be back out yesterday or today. (I hope to go tomorrow night for the summer saturday night, so I will see if he makes an appearance).

Apparently the reason is there were some sonoran desert toads in the pool at the bottom of the exhibit that the puma discovered and the toxins in their skin caused him to have some bad side effects (now fully recovered). I learned of this phenomenon when I first moved here twenty years ago and they told me some teenagers would lick toads to get high. I could not believe it! Of course, just like any man-made drug, if you get too much you can overdose and die.
 
Elderly gray fox will go into retirement off exhibit and will be replaced with a one year old fox.

Last Saturday (August 31, 2013) was the last Saturday night opening of the summer and was their highest attended one yet. Their staff photographers were giving some free photo lectures in the auditorium and I was there with a co-worker in the lobby handing out coupons and prizes for the local photo lab I work at. When we left, the parking lot was full and there were cars parked along the curb of the main drive (where you are not supposed to park). I have never seen the lot that full!
 
New Years Day 2014. A few minor observations from my visit.

1. New young gray fox is on exhibit in Cat Canyon. He is very cute and very active. Exhibit no longer needs ugly blankets, etc so it looks much more natural.

2. Raptor free flight visitor area has new solid metal railings along both sides and along the middle for people to lean against. I utilized the one in the middle and it is a huge improvement. Also, raptors are being trained to fly much lower and buzz the visitors heads.

3. Now that they no longer sell water bottles, they have updated some of the drinking fountains with sensors and tall spickets so you can fill your own bottle. Simply brilliant.

4. The docents have produced a new guidebook (separate review to come). It is not sold in the gift shop, but is in a little flip-up holder just as you walk in. You just take one and put $5 in the bin (done on the honor system).

5. The spotted skunk in Life On The Rocks has been replaced with a pair of striped skunks. Reason (according to a docent) is the spotted one was getting too big to fit into the glass-fronted underground den.
 
The elderly coyotes have been put into the off-exhibit retirement area. Exhibit is temporarily empty.

Website has a new updated look.
 
Baby Bighorn Sheep

From their electronic newsletter:
The Desert Museum is excited to announce the birth of a Big Horn lamb on Saturday, May 10. The lamb was born to a ewe that recently arrived from the Los Angeles Zoo, and is the first born at the Museum since 2007. The lamb is inquisitive, agile, and has been busy exploring its new home. It can be seen in the habitat frolicking as newborns do. You'll likely to be surprised by how quickly lambs adapt to steep terrain!
 
According to Facebook, the black bear died on New Years Eve 2014. I assume the exhibit is temporarily empty.
 
A new black bear, just under one year old, is now on exhibit. It was rescued near Payson, Arizona with a broken leg.

A bighorn sheep was born on exhibit April 1. (Unfortunately I did not know about this on my visit earlier this week and I did not go to the bighorn exhibit).
 
Definitely not up to ASDM's usual quality. I hope this is not what they build at all.
 
Gulo gulo said:
GLMV Coast to Canyon

Coast to Canyon. Lobo, American Crocodile, Jaguar and more.
Click to expand...

Interesting find, I wonder how old this is? I actually had another ZooChatter tell me at least two years ago that they had seen these plans. I am virtually certain the aquatics building would no longer be included because they have since built an aquarium in the entrance building. A new Mexican wolf habitat would be welcome as the current one is a bit small. And I have been waiting for a jaguar exhibit ever since I moved to Tucson over two decades ago.
 
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Where in the Sonoran Desert would one find--or ever have found--an American crocodile??????

One can only hope this generic, cookie-cutter midwestern zoo design never sees the light of day in the generally brilliant ASDM.
 
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