Brookfield Zoo Brookfield Zoo News 2018

I will miss the warthogs and waterbuck. I remember seeing the two species playing together in that exhibit (chasing back and forth and grooming each other) a few times and it was quite endearing.
 
My assumption is that many hoofstock just aren't interesting to the general public than say cats, primates and/or bears. Here's a brief list of every hoofstock at the zoo currently.

Bactrian Camel
Mongolian Wild Horses
Grevy's Zebra
Addax
Okapi
Yellow-backed Duiker
Red-flanked Duiker
Royal Antelope
Reticulated Giraffe
Klipspringer
Gerenuk
Kirk's Dik-Dik
American Bison
Also the Nigerian Dwarf Goats and Reindeer
 
Not news, but a few days ago I got my hands on a copy if "Let the Lin Roar!" a Brookfield zoo history book from 1997. I looked through a copy of an old map that was packed with exhibit areas that I never knew existed. Here are some highlights!

North American Panorama (Bison, Elk, Foxes etc.) - Located on the sight of the current BZ Redhots

Additional Carnivore Grottos (Hyenas, foxes, wolves) - Located on now unused land behind the Discovery Center

Small Mammal Grottos (Otters, Prairie dog, Opossum, Mink, Fisher) - Located on the now Wild Encounters

Large Antelope Building - Located on now Unused land next to Carnivore Grottos

South American Yard - Located on sight of current butterfly house

Equestrian Stables (Zebra, Wild Ass, Horses) - On site of now Giraffe yard

Wild bird Sanctuary - Located on Current Wild Dog enclosure

Illinois Exhibit - Located on current pathway by Rhinos

There is probably a few more things I'm missing, but I saw these at thought that they would be cool to share.
 
I also forgot another discovery. I found the original exhibit plan for Habitat Africa! It was much more ambitious then the final product. Lions would have replaced where the painted dogs are, and the dogs and bongos would have an exhibit by the current bison holding area. There was also a completely new area that would have taken up space that is currently used by a small forest and some of the west hooftsock yards. New exhibits would have included patas monkeys, leopards, waterbuck, sitatungas, rhinos, hippos, a marsh habitat and a restaurant.

Sigh. Well maybe one day this will become a reality. A guy can dream.
 
I also forgot another discovery. I found the original exhibit plan for Habitat Africa! It was much more ambitious then the final product. Lions would have replaced where the painted dogs are, and the dogs and bongos would have an exhibit by the current bison holding area. There was also a completely new area that would have taken up space that is currently used by a small forest and some of the west hooftsock yards. New exhibits would have included patas monkeys, leopards, waterbuck, sitatungas, rhinos, hippos, a marsh habitat and a restaurant.

Sigh. Well maybe one day this will become a reality. A guy can dream.
Sounds amazing! Do you have a link?
 
@pachyderm pro I received this book a week ago, and it is the most wonderful and detailed book, I just love it, and way larger than I expected. It is everything I had wanted and more in regards to old photos and histories of the facility. What did you pay? I found mine for under $8 w/ free shipping.

One big change I see in the modern zoo versus in past decades is a smaller collection, especially of the birds and ungulates. I would have enjoyed seeing the zoo in its "heyday" of collecting.

While going through old papers from my great grandmother's estate today I also found a little booklet from 1941 about Brookfield Zoo. It is titled "Is it True" and is aimed at children. It has about 20 pages and shows polar bears, pig-tailed macaques, zebra, baboon, giraffe, giant anteater, gazelle, elephants, the last two pandas, and a dairy cow, the theme is very strange however, and shows just how animal husbandry has changed since: it mentions how every animal at the zoo eats milk every day because it is so good for them, and how you should too!
 
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Not news, but a few days ago I got my hands on a copy if "Let the Lin Roar!" a Brookfield zoo history book from 1997. I looked through a copy of an old map that was packed with exhibit areas that I never knew existed. Here are some highlights!

North American Panorama (Bison, Elk, Foxes etc.) - Located on the sight of the current BZ Redhots

Additional Carnivore Grottos (Hyenas, foxes, wolves) - Located on now unused land behind the Discovery Center

Small Mammal Grottos (Otters, Prairie dog, Opossum, Mink, Fisher) - Located on the now Wild Encounters

Large Antelope Building - Located on now Unused land next to Carnivore Grottos

South American Yard - Located on sight of current butterfly house

Equestrian Stables (Zebra, Wild Ass, Horses) - On site of now Giraffe yard

Wild bird Sanctuary - Located on Current Wild Dog enclosure

Illinois Exhibit - Located on current pathway by Rhinos

There is probably a few more things I'm missing, but I saw these at thought that they would be cool to share.
That is a great Book!
 
Don't think this has happen, but Thani and Cuong, young male white-cheeked gibbons born at Brookfield Zoo, moved to Wildlife Safari in Oregon at the end of November last year.
 
I studied in Chicago during the eighties and what a collection Brookfield zoo had back then. PP´s post brought back memories and i did find my old guidebook from then. Here are some bits and pieces.
North American panorama only held bison and the little train went by it. The small mammal grotto held artic foxes and later capibara. There was only one grotto. The small mammal house was amazing. I saw grison, leopard cats, cuscus and tarsiers among many others there. The reptile was house also very good. But the bird house was very outdated, only the free flight aviary was decent, The acuatic bird house had king penguins in a very small exhibit and once had kiwis. There were siberian ibex and dall sheep on their respective mountains. The pachyderm house had black and indian rhinos, common and pygmy hippos, african elephants, asian and brazilian tapirs. Tropic House replaced a brutally ugly primate house. Of course, there were the bottlenose dolphins and the queen of Brookfield zoo, Olga the walrus. I feel very fortunate to have seen Brookfield zoo back then.
 
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