Bronx Zoo Bronx Zoo News 2024

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-Malayan Tapirs were not out and didn't see either gibbon.
-Where you have the view into the Jungle World rainforest near the Tree Shrew there is now a modest sized area for a pair of Chevrotains. The barriers are fairly well camouflaged but still obvious to the experienced eye. (There is also at least one Chevrotain in with the Red Bird of Paradise in WOB.)
-None of the lemur species was on display except the sifakas.
-Saw no Kagu, neither the sign nor the bird.

-Tapirs are there and are doing well!
-Chevrotains have been there for a bit now, but they introduced some new ones! I believe there are 3 in there now.
-All the lemurs are still there, just unfortunate you didn’t get to see most of them.
-Kagu is also still there, saw him last week. He is unsigned for some reason.
 
Lots to report from a visit today!

-Père David's deer habitat has been essentially cut in half by a temporary fence down the middle. No clear sign of what exactly is happening in there
-The old leopard exhibit in Jungle World has had its glass removed and replaced with netting
-Stairs that lead up from the dhole habitat to the bears are closed with caution tape across
-The lesser adjutant stork habitat at the exit of the Aquatic bird house did not appear to be housing that species, but rather the coscoroba swans that were previously in the penguin pool. There was also some sort of heron type species way in the back, but I could not get a good look
-There is a baby crested wood partridge in the nursery on the second floor of World of Birds that hatched on 9/12
-It appears the male and female okapi are separate again after being together this summer. Hopefully there will be a little one in the future!
-There are some new birds in the habitat next to the Wolf's guenon in Congo. A new long tailed hornbill keeps flying at the glass, so soap has been applied to the window (keepers put a sign to explain all of this to the average visitor, which I appreciated)
-Babatunde the gorilla has left on a breeding recommendation, and his ID plaque in Congo has been removed. Best wishes, Babatunde!
-Linus the red panda is back in the monorail exhibit, and the Himalaya red panda habitat is once again closed with a sign noting its closure. Not sure where the female and two cubs are at now.
 
@Mary covered most of the updates I saw yesterday during my visit. I only have a couple things to add:
  • The bird exhibit next to Wolf's guenon has signs for a blue bellied roller and a green wood hoopoe. Unfortunately, I have had no luck recently seeing any birds in this exhibit.
  • The sita deer/multi deer yard has construction across from it behind the monorail. The monorail has to slow down in that section because of it. It looked like new holding areas being built for the animals.
  • The construction by Gelada Reserve has been completed and the stairs to dhole to bears has reopened.
 
Happy spotted

wish they would say what the deal really is/was, but its virtually not possible it was just
Happy didn't want to go outside
Oh my god, how does this even make the news? Breaking: zoo full of experts surprisingly knew all along how to take care of their elephant even though we didn't see her for a little bit. Who would have thought?!

I can't even deal with these animal rights lunatics. Imagine spending that much time to constantly have eyes on an animal that you don't even work with and report even the smallest changes to the media like there's some conspiracy happening...
 
Oh my god, how does this even make the news? Breaking: zoo full of experts surprisingly knew all along how to take care of their elephant even though we didn't see her for a little bit. Who would have thought?!

I trust they are taking the best care possible for Happy. I do not trust the story they are telling about it however.
 
I trust they are taking the best care possible for Happy. I do not trust the story they are telling about it however.
With all due respect, does it matter specifically what she may or may not be dealing with? If we have full faith in the zoo to do what is right for her and take care of her respectfully and humanely, then have faith that whatever may or may not be going on, it's being taken care of. Perhaps she was under the weather for a bit. So what? She's clearly fine now, and that's because of the expert care she recieves every day. Animals get sick. Often. It's not breaking news when it happens, and no one would at all care if this was any animal other than Happy.
 
With all due respect, does it matter specifically what she may or may not be dealing with?

Yes it matters, Quite a lot actually. The Bronx zoo receives public money as part of its operation.
They are also in the crosshairs of the animal rights freaks. Both instances DEMAND that they
tell the truth (or at least not comment at all). The story that Happy simply did not want to go outside frankly has no credibility . I am a retired veterinarian and former zookeeper before that.
I don't see any benefit to not being 100% honest. And I see a major downside if they get caught not doing so.
 
Yes it matters, Quite a lot actually. The Bronx zoo receives public money as part of its operation.
They are also in the crosshairs of the animal rights freaks. Both instances DEMAND that they
tell the truth (or at least not comment at all). The story that Happy simply did not want to go outside frankly has no credibility . I am a retired veterinarian and former zookeeper before that.
I don't see any benefit to not being 100% honest. And I see a major downside if they get caught not doing so.
None of that is incorrect. But I will say this: none of what has happened here should have ever come to this. This is a non-event being made into one by fanatics. If something were actually seriously wrong, I have faith in WCS to actually report on it. Clearly this is a molehill made into a mountain by animal rights extremists.
 
I think what's very interesting is the animal rights activists seemed to come at this from the standpoint that an animal not being on public display was a sign that something was wrong -- but we know surely they would find it unethical for an animal to be forced on to public display, which would play into a lot of anti-zoo narratives itself. Like a lot of negative activists / extremists, they put the zoo into a position where either response would continue to play into their desired narrative - either the animal being off was a sign something was wrong, or the animal being forced out could be framed as abuse. So I just find it interesting that public visibility was the start of this issue.

It is ALWAYS best for zoos to be honest and transparent, even when it may be exploited, as it is good to prove they have nothing to hide, and imo this transparency also discourages any narrative they are profit-motivated, personally I think a lot of guests respond positively to finding out more about how zoos work behind the scenes. The Bronx Zoo's The Zoo is a great program for this reason.
 
I think what's very interesting is the animal rights activists seemed to come at this from the standpoint that an animal not being on public display was a sign that something was wrong -- but we know surely they would find it unethical for an animal to be forced on to public display, which would play into a lot of anti-zoo narratives itself. Like a lot of negative activists / extremists, they put the zoo into a position where either response would continue to play into their desired narrative - either the animal being off was a sign something was wrong, or the animal being forced out could be framed as abuse. So I just find it interesting that public visibility was the start of this issue.

It is ALWAYS best for zoos to be honest and transparent, even when it may be exploited, as it is good to prove they have nothing to hide, and imo this transparency also discourages any narrative they are profit-motivated, personally I think a lot of guests respond positively to finding out more about how zoos work behind the scenes. The Bronx Zoo's The Zoo is a great program for this reason.

Honestly, you’re absolutely right about this. I’m honestly hoping the Zoo keeps doing it’s best to take care of both Happy and Patty who are in their 50s as much as the Zoo gets a bad rap thanks to the activists.
 
1. I do think it's quite sad that many of these ARA groups are putting so much pressure over the elephants. I'd argue it's come to the point of wanton slander.

2. If anyone here is riding the monorail, could someone get a picture of the construction where the second large deer yard is?
 
So, a very fun and cool update from today!

I was in the Mouse House and noticed a very tiny giant elephant shrew in the farther half of the left side of enclosures. I saw a keeper walk by and asked how new the baby was.

The keeper said, “what baby?” He came over to investigate and said, “Uh, he’s very new. He wasn’t here this morning and we had no idea until you pointed him out!”

The parents had made a nest and they were confident there would be a baby, it was just a matter of time before it would emerge. Well, today was the day! The keeper called over a few of his colleagues and all of them were delighted at the new arrival. It was very special to share in that moment with them and welcome the new little one!

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So, a very fun and cool update from today!

I was in the Mouse House and noticed a very tiny giant elephant shrew in the farther half of the left side of enclosures. I saw a keeper walk by and asked how new the baby was.

The keeper said, “what baby?” He came over to investigate and said, “Uh, he’s very new. He wasn’t here this morning and we had no idea until you pointed him out!”

The parents had made a nest and they were confident there would be a baby, it was just a matter of time before it would emerge. Well, today was the day! The keeper called over a few of his colleagues and all of them were delighted at the new arrival. It was very special to share in that moment with them and welcome the new little one!

View attachment 737452

Very wholesome photo of the elephant shrews!
 
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