BREC's Baton Rouge Zoo BREC's Baton Rouge Zoo News

Cum in this context means "included with". I've heard it a lot in British/Indian English lexicons.
@Smagledagle, For all intense purposes: It is Latin.
(A little education never hurt anyone)

Now can we get back to having the question answered: the giraffe area and entry complex design plans? And: When the grand opening of both will be (rumours have it this year ...)?
 
On August 20th, the zoo announced that 3 roseate spoonbills hatched which are on exhibit.

BREC's Baton Rouge Zoo

Now that Baton Rouge is back in the AZA, plans are being made to expand the animal collection; lions, zebras, and gorillas are being considered. Also, a new entrance is opening next month.

New animal exhibits opening soon at BREC’s Baton Rouge Zoo

On September 18th, the zoo announced that the grand opening for the new entrance will be on October 5th, which will also include 7 new exhibits, 11 renovated exhibits, and 11 new buildings, among other changes*.

BREC's Baton Rouge Zoo

* As of September 25th, the zoo posted on Facebook that the new entrance as well as many of the exhibits are open now, so I guess the grand opening is symbolic?
 
On August 20th, the zoo announced that 3 roseate spoonbills hatched which are on exhibit.

BREC's Baton Rouge Zoo



On September 18th, the zoo announced that the grand opening for the new entrance will be on October 5th, which will also include 7 new exhibits, 11 renovated exhibits, and 11 new buildings, among other changes*.

BREC's Baton Rouge Zoo

* As of September 25th, the zoo posted on Facebook that the new entrance as well as many of the exhibits are open now, so I guess the grand opening is symbolic?
Really looking forward to this opening and the 7 new exhibits around the entry complex. It must be something of a rebirth for the Louisiana zoo community around Baton Rouge!
 
In their most recent USDA report (7/1/2024) it lists the zoo as having 3 Centra American spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi). Does anyone know what subspecies these 3 are (geoffroyi or vellerosus)? From photos in the gallery it looks like they are Ateles geoffroyi geoffroyi, however, the most recent photos are from 2011. The zoo also does not list spider monkeys on their website. Can anyone confirm they are AGG, or if the zoo still has them?
 
A female Jaguar cub has been born!
Baton Rouge Zoo welcomes first jaguar cub in three decades
Here are the three naming options, the winner of which will be announced on January 1st.
- Seti – “Bright” (Egyptian origin)
- Taiyari – “Our Heart” (Huichol Indigenous people of Mexico)
- Soona – “Moon” (Otomi Indigenous people of Mexico)
The cub will not make her public debut until the spring.
 
BREC Baton Rouge Zoo 12/14/2024

I had the time to visit Baton Rouge this Saturday so I decided to go on a little road trip and make it happen. Alot has changed in the past few years since I last visited.

The zoo now enters from the northwest corner of the grounds through Greenwood City Park, a change that brought about a much more agreeable drive-in and parking experience, though the parking lot is still small. The new entry/main building for the zoo is a very cool sight to see surrounded by alot of very nice landscaping, it also from a functional standpoint works very well and leaves alot of room for the zoo to grow in the coming years through its reinvention project.

The new giraffe yard/night house is the first stop once you enter the grounds, it's a very modern, though still small giraffe exhibit, it's centerpiece residents are still getting used to the new location and so spend most of their time inside, however the thomson's gazelles that share the grassy display area were on full display today.

There's definitely a healthy mix of new and old still existing at Baton Rouge, a ton of exhibits still need to redesigned and rebuilt from the ground up in order for them to truly be up to standard in the 2020s, the cassowary enclosures are the worst of the aging infrastructure left at the zoo, basically two chainlink dog runs with no proper shelters. However overall the zoo is in much better shape than my last trip down, tons of moderization projects both front facing and behind the scenes are currently underway. I also feel like in the coming years BREC may need to reconsider some of the resident species long term futures in the collection, both Indian and Black rhino exhibits are undersized for the occupants, several primate namely the macaques, and the jaguars all need space upgrades to bring the zoo up to level with similar institutions.

One thing I did really enjoy seeing was the creative and wide use of mix species exhibits at the zoo these days, though some don't exactly make sense. Sapo Springs, one of the new areas at the zoo is comprised of a massive mixed mostly waterfowl aviary alongside the pigmy hippo and colobus monkey exhibit, Sapo Springs was definitely a win for me, I really enjoyed the aviary especially, came back multiple times to see the birds interacting. Throughout the zoo multiple exhibits kept catching my eye with the mix choices, mostly aviaries, I'm happy to see the zoo is really honing in on birds, they have added a bird breeding/conservation center since I was last there, and also plan in the near future to add an african aviary.

If anyone wants pictures of anything specific posted let me know.


In their most recent USDA report (7/1/2024) it lists the zoo as having 3 Centra American spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi). Does anyone know what subspecies these 3 are (geoffroyi or vellerosus)? From photos in the gallery it looks like they are Ateles geoffroyi geoffroyi, however, the most recent photos are from 2011. The zoo also does not list spider monkeys on their website. Can anyone confirm they are AGG, or if the zoo still has them?

In regards to this, the Central American Spider monkeys are still on display, they reside on a rather old primate island in the South American section, it was hard to photograph them over the water, roughly 80-100ft of distance, but I did my best and will post the pictures for you in the media section. The signage is older, but would indicate that they are geoffroyi, I also wasn't able to track down and relevant staff to query.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_5063.jpg
    IMG_5063.jpg
    122.9 KB · Views: 8
  • IMG_5063.jpg
    IMG_5063.jpg
    122.9 KB · Views: 7
A female Jaguar cub has been born!
Baton Rouge Zoo welcomes first jaguar cub in three decades
Here are the three naming options, the winner of which will be announced on January 1st.
- Seti – “Bright” (Egyptian origin)
- Taiyari – “Our Heart” (Huichol Indigenous people of Mexico)
- Soona – “Moon” (Otomi Indigenous people of Mexico)
The cub will not make her public debut until the spring.
The cub was named Lacumba III.
BREC’s Baton Rouge Zoo names Jaguar cub ‘Lacumba III’ after beloved Southern University mascot
 
Piece of April 2025 News Not Mentioned:

On April 3rd, it was announced that the zoo transferred a (1.0) red fox to Audubon Zoo in Louisiana.

Audubon Zoo

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On May 9th, it was reported that the zoo acquired 2+? dama gazelles and 2+? scimitar-horned oryxes which are on display in the Africa area, as well as 2+ red river hogs which will be on display in the future. It was also reported that the zoo would acquire a (1.0) plains zebra, a black rhino, and a Nubian ibex in mid-May, and 2 Andean bears in the upcoming week.

Baton Rouge Zoo celebrates new additions with bears, rhino, tiger, zebra on the way

On May 28th, the zoo announced they acquired 2+? American bison which are now on exhibit.

BREC's Baton Rouge Zoo

On June 15th, it was reported (along with the aforementioned animal moves) they installed new playground equipment, as well as installed the globe at the main entrance.

New animals arrive at BREC’s Baton Rouge Zoo; other changes announced
 
Hello, does anyone know the name of their 5 Plain zebras? They are 1 male and 4 females. I have tried emailing the zoo but they didn't reply.

Thank you.
 
Prairie dogs were on exhibit in the children’s zoo section near the bat house.

Capybaras as well as black neck swans were signed for in the tapir exhibit, however I only saw two Baird’s Tapirs out on exhibit.
Hello, how many Baird tapir do the zoo have normally? The pair and their offspring from 2019? And do you know their names by any chance?
Thank you.
 
Other Summer 2025 News Not Mentioned:
On August 20th, the zoo announced that 2 domestic goats (breed not specified) named File and Gumbo were born in 2024, which are on exhibit.

BREC's Baton Rouge Zoo
On May 9th, it was reported that the zoo acquired 2+? dama gazelles and 2+? scimitar-horned oryxes which are on display in the Africa area, as well as 2+ red river hogs which will be on display in the future. It was also reported that the zoo would acquire 2 Andean bears in the upcoming week.

Baton Rouge Zoo celebrates new additions with bears, rhino, tiger, zebra on the way

On July 27th, the zoo officially announced they acquired (2m.0) Andean bears named Apu and Katcha from Queens Zoo in New York.

4.4K views · 79 reactions | Meet Katcha and Pooh — our two new Andean bears at Baton Rouge Zoo! ‍❄️ These playful newcomers are full of personality and already winning hearts behind the scenes. Just ask Brooke — caring for these two is the highlight of her day! Animal care isn’t just a job — it’s a calling. And during National Zookeeper Week, we’re celebrating the incredible keepers who pour their passion, energy, and expertise into every moment. Stay tuned to see when Patcha and Pooh make their official debut! #BRZoo #NationalZookeeperWeek #AndeanBears #ZooNewcomers #KeeperSpotlight | BREC's Baton Rouge Zoo

It was also reported that the zoo would acquire a black rhino in mid-May.

Baton Rouge Zoo celebrates new additions with bears, rhino, tiger, zebra on the way

On September 10th, the zoo officially announced they acquired a (0.1f) eastern black rhino named Tumani from Blank Park Zoo in Iowa, which is on exhibit.

4.6K views · 80 reactions | You all know Tatu, and now Tatu has a new friend! We have a new female Black Rhino at the Baton Rouge Zoo! Our Keeper Dakota tells us all the details about Tumani's sassy personality and how you can tell the two of them apart the next time you visit the Baton Rouge Zoo! #BRZoo #BlackRhino #AZA #BREC #immerseyourselfinthewild | BREC's Baton Rouge Zoo

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On November 7th, it was announced that the zoo acquired a (0.1f) generic giraffe from Oklahoma City Zoo in Oklahoma.

Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden
 
Last edited:
Back
Top