Brookfield Zoo Brookfield Zoo News 2014

A female bison calf was born to first-time mother Lucy a week after the male calf was born to mother Leotie. The zoo hasn't posted any news about her birth yet.
 
The zoo also finally started construction on their Wild Encounters exhibit set to open in 2015. It's going to contain a wallaby walk-thru, a bird walk-thru with the option of feeding them, a goat yard for petting. Also new exhibits for the reindeer, alpacas, and red panda. The big red barn is also being completely redone. Nothing ground breaking.

Also asked a keeper about the bear grottos and he said the zoo has no plans for taking them down. He also said don't count on seeing the new baboon exhibit for at least a couple years.
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I had to go back and track down your PDF - hope they keep to the plan, especially the wallabies and red pandas, which would be fabulous additions to the zoo. I remember when the Hamill Family Play Zoo opened and they brought out some very small animals and offered people to pet them. The species list looks pretty encouraging but I'm surprised they haven't seemed to issue a press statement even mentioning the new Wild Encounters exhibit on their website. It seems like a worthwhile successor to the old children's zoo and the only thing I might miss is the Raccoon.

The old bear grottos will take millions of dollars to tear down and the fifteen-year plan didn't seem to even know what to put there instead. Hopefully they figure something out. I know their last plan had Africa in the northwest and Asia in the norheast, with Americas of course in the southwest... maybe something Asian-themed? I'm spitballing here.

I'd love to see what replaces Baboon Island, I know Japanese macaques were mentioned by a zookeeper once, but Milwaukee County Zoo did the same thing in 2002 and Lincoln Park is constructing a similar exhibit so I might hope they pick a new monkey species. I know more Hamadryas Baboons is considered very unlikely.

However, after my visit in 2008 and after once again studying the map this evening I feel compelled to point out that while there are quite a few solid exhibits there is perhaps only one truly great complex.
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Tropic World is supposed to be that complex, though it is far from it's best days now. I think Great Bear Wilderness was supposed to be somewhat that, but it did end up feeling a little short.

I was also told that the zoo was flirting with the idea of making a mixed species african savannah exhibit, but they decided they wouldn't have the funding for it. The person said it would of combined the zoo's giraffes, zebras, waterbuck, warthog, gerenuk, and ostrich. A Giraffe feeding platform would have also been included.
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That sounds great, especially with the zoo's zebras finally leaving the Hoofed Animals area behind and joining their African brethren. It's a shame the money isn't there but maybe it's in the cards for the future still.

I wonder if major donators (Regenstein and Hamill) have stopped donating as much as they used to or if all the zoo's old building are just really expensive to upkeep.
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Regenstein continues donating to Lincoln Park Zoo frequently, not sure they've been involved with Brookfield besides Wolf Woods, don't know Hamill's story. A lot of the most-needed renovations at the zoo today are for the larger exhibits, so the big price tags might be putting off potential investors.
 
A few new animal species were on exhibit during my last visit. Eyelash Viper in The Swamp, and Prehensile-Tailed Porcupine in Hamill Family Play Zoo.
 
^ Thanks for the head-sup! The new Gateways members magazine mentioned the porcupines.

Same magazine also confirmed the parakeet aviary for Wild Encounters mentioned previously here. First time to my knowledge the new exhibit's been mentioned besides by name-drop.
 
A female yellow-backed duiker was born on May 29th. Also, a white-cheeked gibbon was born in early June.
 
Two rock hyraxes were born recently: One on September 10th and one on September 14th.
 
Two dolphins celebrate their first birthday this month with an amazing story. Merlin was raised by his mother Tapeko while Magic was hand-raised from day one of his life by the staff of Seven Seas as his mother was not displaying maternal behavior. Magic has since become integrated with Tapeko and Merlin and the three are finally able to be seen by the public!

Link to the story:
Chicago Zoological Society - Dolphin Calves Celebrate First Birthdays at Brookfield Zoo

Link with Pictures:
https://www.facebook.com/Brookfield...34417359170/10152834415094170/?type=1&theater
 
I wondered how Magic was doing. What a great job staff did to get him though that first critical year under such extraordinary circumstances. He is such a lucky little guy.
 
Everest, the zoo's adolescent male snow leopard, recently left the zoo and is now living at the Lincoln Children's Zoo in Nebraska. Also, all of the female wolves have been moved to Dickerson Park Zoo in Missouri. Currently, all that is left of the wolf pack at the zoo are the three males. A zoo docent that I am friends with told me that there are plans to bring in a breeding pair.
 
Brookfield's remaining African Painted Dogs recently moved to the Henson Robinson Zoo. Brookfield is getting a new painted dog pack: Two males and one female.
 
Three dolphins to give birth this fall/winter at Brookfield.

Must be AI as I don't think a male has been there recently enough. I wonder who they collaborated with for AI? Would be great to get some genes outside the consortium (or what's left of it).
 
Nope, not AI.

Chinook their breeding male was transferred around the middle of the year this year, and the three females are all due within the next couple of months. Having a year long pregnancy, they got pregnant long before the male was transferred.
 
Some tidbits from my visit yesterday.

Australia House
-Several Wallaby joeys have started leaving the pouch.
-Australian Water Dragons are now on exhibit. They've replaced the Prehensile Skinks.

Feathers and Scales has several new species.
-Spiny-Tailed Monitor
-Golden Mantella, Black-Eared Mantella, Blue-Legged Mantella

The Reptiles and Birds exhibit (previously the perching bird house) is now temporarily closed and all the animals have been removed. Most of the exhibit space has been empty the last few years, so hopefully the zoo is finally make a push to fill all the exhibits.

Habitat Africa has a baby Klipspringer
 
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