Brookfield Zoo Brookfield Zoo News 2021

Mr.Ivory said:
When I visited back in October the Penguins were swimming in the main pool with the Kelp Forest and Moray eels
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I kid you not - November 2019, December 2018, August 2018, July 2018, December 2017… All the way back to I think 2010, I have not seen those penguins in that pool! I guess a good portion of those are nesting season, but curious as to why I haven’t seen them in there during the summer.
 
Mr.Ivory said:
When I visited back in October the Penguins were swimming in the main pool with the Kelp Forest and Moray eels
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After attending one of the zoo's paid penguin encounters, I was told by one of the keepers that penguins occupying the Kelp Forest tank are often there because of conflicts or mixed relations with the rest of the flock (older, younger, more anti-social birds, etc.) There's also apparently a behind-the-scenes land area for the birds to access when in that exhibit, and they can be rotated as needed.
 
Joseph G said:
Aw man! Wish I would've known. My wife and I are in town for our yearly Brookfield visit and picked the coldest day of the 10 days we're here.
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Not the first time I've unknowingly crossed paths with another zoochatter. We probably walked past each other without even realizing it!
Joseph G said:
How new is that little dude?! We couldn't get enough!
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Went on exhibit at the end of October. Definitely a really nice smaller addition.
Joseph G said:
Really incredible after coming from the new hippo exhibit at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo a month ago, to coming back inside the Pachyderm House and looking at what used to be indoor hippo holding with a series of primitive shift doors and cement pools to hold such large animals. Same goes for the elephants too. I love this building with all my heart and it holds some really fond memories. Whenever it goes, I'll pay big bucks for a piece of it!

Back to hippos though, it's interesting to look at newer exhibits like Cincinnati and Toledo and compare them to the outdoor portion of what used to hippos at Brookfield. Both pools are enormous! It was fun to wait for them to surface and then see how big they were coming out of the water. Truly ahead of its time compared to some other hippo exhibits I've seen around the country. I really think of Cheyenne's as a modernization of Brookfield's and I'll always be happy they didn't do what feels cliche now at Cincinnati and Toledo.
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I've said this before, but I always thought that Brookfield's old hippo exhibit was actually really good. The indoor stalls were lacking of course, but the outdoor exhibit has more land space then a ton of newer hippo exhibits like Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Dallas, etc. Those exhibits pritoztise underwater viewing and as a result the only space the hippos get is a tiny riverbank style "beach" and rarely get a proper grazing area. I find that depressing that these exhibits that are all less than five years old are arguably worse for the animals then an empty exhibit built in the 30s, but I also can't help but be impressed with how well the old hippo exhibit has aged.
Joseph G said:
Had a memory come back to me in the Living Coast, did they used to have penguins swimming in the large aquarium immediately before the wave machine? I distinctly remember them swimming up to the indented glass next to the seahorse tank, but I'm wondering if I made it up in my head. Pretty progressive to go for such an array of mixed species back then if I'm not misremembering. Any recollection from this crowd?
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Others have answered this already, but I just want to concur that I have not seen the penguins use the Kelp Forest tank in years. I was beginning to think they weren't allowed in there anymore. It's actually very nice to hear that is not the case because it really adds an interesting dynamic to the tank.
 
pachyderm pro said:
...a new master plan is in full development. Now I don't want to drum up false hope, but I will do my best to get as much information on that last part as possible over the next year.
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Let's just say I work fast ;). I did some asking around and just received an update from my source in regards to the upcoming Tropic World renovation. Here is the exact message I received.

"The next animal related construction project will be a Tropic World refresh, which the primary large goal of it will be to bring our orangutans and gorillas outdoors during the warmer weather months. And I would anticipate construction will begin on that in 2023 or 2024. Nothing has been announced regarding anything beyond great apes outside. But there will be some internal renovations as part of it."

The big takeaways here are the fact that we now know a relative timeframe of when we will begin to see some progress. This is also the first time I have seen proper confirmation that there will be renovations to the buildings interior. Unfortunately, I do not have any more information beyond that but considering all of the anticipation in regards to the zoos master plan it's something I thought was worth sharing.

The goal is for the master plan to include projects that will be completed up until the zoos centennial in 2034. Within the next 13 years we may be looking at a completely different zoo. I would certainly hope so given the lack of development over the last 13 years.
 
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Moebelle said:
Unless I'm missing something, I wouldn't exactly call 35 years old 'newer'
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Sorry, that should have read, “Newer exhibits, like Cheyenne Mountain, and Toledo.”

pachyderm pro said:
"The next animal related construction project will be a Tropic World refresh, which the primary large goal of it will be to bring our orangutans and gorillas outdoors during the warmer weather months. And I would anticipate construction will begin on that in 2023 or 2024. Nothing has been announced regarding anything beyond great apes outside. But there will be some internal renovations as part of it."
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We’re definitely going to need a master plan thread ;) This alone is so much to discuss and imagine, but it’s great to hear that the interior will be refreshed as well. In a perfect world with an unlimited budget, it would blow Indy’s orangutan exhibit out of the water. No matter what, it’ll be great to see them continue to use such an incredible building and keep it going for years to come.
 
Joseph G said:
We’re definitely going to need a master plan thread ;) This alone is so much to discuss and imagine, but it’s great to hear that the interior will be refreshed as well. In a perfect world with an unlimited budget, it would blow Indy’s orangutan exhibit out of the water. No matter what, it’ll be great to see them continue to use such an incredible building and keep it going for years to come.
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Ask and ye shall receive.

Master Plan Discussion and Speculation [Brookfield Zoo]
 
Had a memory come back to me in the Living Coast, did they used to have penguins swimming in the large aquarium immediately before the wave machine? I distinctly remember them swimming up to the indented glass next to the seahorse tank, but I'm wondering if I made it up in my head. Pretty progressive to go for such an array of mixed species back then if I'm not misremembering. Any recollection from this crowd?

I believe that on occasion there are a few geriatric penguins that they let swim in the exhibit with the kelp forest.
 
Amphibiman said:
Had a memory come back to me in the Living Coast, did they used to have penguins swimming in the large aquarium immediately before the wave machine? I distinctly remember them swimming up to the indented glass next to the seahorse tank, but I'm wondering if I made it up in my head. Pretty progressive to go for such an array of mixed species back then if I'm not misremembering. Any recollection from this crowd?

I believe that on occasion there are a few geriatric penguins that they let swim in the exhibit with the kelp forest.
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I suggest you go back and read posts #339 through #342 of this thread. ;):p
 
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