Akron Zoo Akron Zoo News 2015

A Letter from our President & CEO

From an email I received today from the Akron Zoo:

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A Letter from our President & CEO

Hi Everyone!

A new year has begun and with it brings changes at your Akron Zoo. I officially took over as President & CEO on Jan. 1 and as I arrived at the zoo that day, I couldn't help but notice the bright blue skies and the bright sunshine -- especially after what has felt like weeks of gray skies and inclement weather.

I could not think of a better way to communicate how I see the future of the Akron Zoo and our mission than this picture of the zoo on New Year's Day 2015!

2015 kicks off a year of new beginnings with a new strategic plan in place.

Together our staff and volunteers will be working hard to further our mission by providing inspiring experiences for you, our guests, exceptional care for the animals we are so passionate about and demonstrating conservation leadership both locally and globally. This is how we intend to build value for wildlife and wild places.

I feel a strong sense of pride in both the staff and this community when I look at how the Akron Zoo has grown since I arrived in 1998. This zoo exists because of this community, and this community will be engaged to help plan our future.

We will be focusing on YOU! We are drafting plans to expand parking lots and creating new temporary animal exhibits, as well as developing new permanent exhibits to make your visit to the Akron Zoo even richer and more inspiring than it is today.

Our ultimate goal is to be a treasure for everyone, a sanctuary that allows you to engage with wildlife and wild places without going far from home.

I am honored and humbled to have been chosen as the new President & CEO, and thank you for all the support you have given your zoo.

I look forward to seeing you at your Akron Zoo!

Doug Piekarz
President & CEO


http://campaign.r20.constantcontact...547e4&ch=95afc3a0-5350-11e3-99dd-d4ae527547e4
 
2014: 2nd Highest Attendance Ever

AKRON ZOO SEES 2ND LARGEST ATTENDANCE IN HISTORY IN 2014

The Akron Zoo not only had their second largest annual attendance in 2014, but also set records for single day attendance and Boo at the Zoo. In 2014, 367,305 people visited the Akron Zoo, which is the second largest annual attendance in the zoo’s 61-year history. The most attended year at the zoo was in 2013, when 389,508 people visited.

The zoo broke its all-time single day attendance record with 6,658 visitors on Saturday, October 25, 2014. The previous record was 6,304 set in 2013 on July 24, right after the opening of the new exhibit, Mike & Mary Stark Grizzly Ridge. The zoo also set a new record for its Boo at the Zoo event in 2014 with 25,544 visitors during the six days of the event.

The zoo saw their largest crowds in July, August and May, when 74,632, 56,795 and 54,271 people visited respectively. In addition to many visitors enjoying newer exhibits like Grizzly Ridge, the zoo had two endangered snow leopard cubs born for only the second time in history. The cubs first made their appearance on exhibit Friday, July 4, 2014, and the zoo continued to see large crowds for several months following their debut. This was a significant birth, not only for the zoo, but for the species in general. Snow leopards are an endangered species and are part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP). There are less than 150 snow leopards in the SSP in the U.S. and there are believed to be as few as 4,000 left in the wild.

“We really appreciate our community coming out and supporting their zoo,” commented Doug Piekarz, president & CEO. “We were thrilled to be able to provide an engaging and educational experience for so many in our community and our guests really enjoyed watching the snow leopard cubs grow up in front of their eyes. Our cubs are very important to the Snow Leopard SSP and a great conservation achievement.”

https://www.akronzoo.org/News.aspx?P=1
 
It appears that the tennis courts next the zoo (at the northwest corner of Edgewood Ave and Euclid Ave) will become new parking because the city has budgeted money for a new tennis facility at the Ed Davis Community Center that is adjacent to the zoo in Perkins Park.
 
TigerValley98 said:
It appears that the tennis courts next the zoo (at the northwest corner of Edgewood Ave and Euclid Ave) will become new parking because the city has budgeted money for a new tennis facility at the Ed Davis Community Center that is adjacent to the zoo in Perkins Park.
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Good! In my head Ive always said that area should go to the zoo. Its so run down and the playground isn't much better. Plus you never see anyone ever using it either. Its great the zoos gonna be able to use such a wasted space.:)
 
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The zoo has told me the old aviary will likely stay closed for 2015. They are still developing plans for the barking deer exhibit since the last barking deer died of old age last year.
 
Did a short visit today and everything seemed great as usual at the zoo. It was pretty empty, to be expected, the only other guest I saw was a mother and child. Heres the things I notice that are worth updating on;

Malaya and Makalu, the snow leopard cubs, are in the jaguar exhibit and seem to enjoy sitting on top of the waterfall area.

Snow leopards, Roscoe and Shanti, are back on exhibit together. I witnessed a few mating attempts from Roscoe but Shanti wasn't having any of it. She seemed stressed out,I would attribute it to Shanti being a good and protective mom and was worried about her cubs who she could hear playing close by.

Hyacinth Macaws, Tupi and Yama, are off exhibit for winter and replaced with doves for the season.

I did not see the stray cat who's been living around the Stork and red panda exhibits, who's been there since summer and who I've seen everytime I've visited since then. Hope they caught her and found a home for her.

The seahorse tank was VERY full, around twenty I would say.

The octopus was off exhibit and the signage was also gone. I hope its for maintenance purposes and they haven't lost a second one.
 
SamMetz said:
Did a short visit today and everything seemed great as usual at the zoo. It was pretty empty, to be expected, the only other guest I saw was a mother and child. Heres the things I notice that are worth updating on;

Malaya and Makalu, the snow leopard cubs, are in the jaguar exhibit and seem to enjoy sitting on top of the waterfall area.

Snow leopards, Roscoe and Shanti, are back on exhibit together. I witnessed a few mating attempts from Roscoe but Shanti wasn't having any of it. She seemed stressed out,I would attribute it to Shanti being a good and protective mom and was worried about her cubs who she could hear playing close by.

Hyacinth Macaws, Tupi and Yama, are off exhibit for winter and replaced with doves for the season.

I did not see the stray cat who's been living around the Stork and red panda exhibits, who's been there since summer and who I've seen everytime I've visited since then. Hope they caught her and found a home for her.

The seahorse tank was VERY full, around twenty I would say.

The octopus was off exhibit and the signage was also gone. I hope its for maintenance purposes and they haven't lost a second one.
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The octopus has returned to her exhibit. She appeared to have been stitched up, so she was probably off for medical reasons. Journey to the Reef is likely to be re-themed for May 2016 or May 2017.

Tupi and Yama are off in their annual torture of animals in one of the zoo’s back areas. There winter home rotates each year because they like to talk a lot.

They have modified the lemur exhibits by adding doors for the lemur to their back areas and a door for the lemurs between the two exhibits.
 
TigerValley98 said:
The octopus has returned to her exhibit. She appeared to have been stitched up, so she was probably off for medical reasons. Journey to the Reef is likely to be re-themed for May 2016 or May 2017.

Tupi and Yama are off in their annual torture of animals in one of the zoo’s back areas. There winter home rotates each year because they like to talk a lot.

They have modified the lemur exhibits by adding doors for the lemur to their back areas and a door for the lemurs between the two exhibits.
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"Torture of animals" Yikes! :)
Are they going to acquire more barking deer?
 
cloudedleopard said:
"Torture of animals" Yikes! :)
Are they going to acquire more barking deer?
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It is more likely the keepers being tortured than the animals. Tupi and Yama like to talk. They also like a lot of attention. They are divas! They tend not to spend the winter in the same place at the zoo because by the end of the winter the squawking and ‘hellos’ can get to be too much.

I asked the zoo last week about the status of the barking deer exhibit. They told me that they are in the process of acquiring an animal for the exhibit. They had before indicated that a new species could go in that exhibit. I have no idea what will live there, but most of the tall trees have been removed making the exhibit more open than before. The second fence that was around the last year or so in the exhibit is gone as well. Look for the exhibit to be filled by late spring because they are up for AZA re-accreditation.
 
The zoo has told me that the barking deer exhibit is being looked at in their master plan for a couple of years down the road. In the meantime, there are no plans for the exhibit.
 
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