USZOOfan42
Well-Known Member
The new wolf pup has been named Sierra!
Brookfield Zoo Brookfield Zoo News 2024
- Thread starter MeiLover
- Start date
USZOOfan42
Well-Known Member
Where are the coatis located?
Wild Encounters.
Some updates and notes from my visit yesterday:
Also kind of unrelated, but some cool anecdotes about wild animals seen on the zoo grounds today:
- Lots of small enclosures around the zoo are empty, leaving several areas to feel very empty. In particular, Reptiles and Birds, Clouded Leopard Rain Forest, and the Australia House feel impacted by this.
- In addition, a bunch of exhibits that used to be in The Swamp are just straight up gone, which is very disappointing to see.
- The standalone enclosure (former loris) in Tropic World Asia is just a too small and bad view of two species of birds seen elsewhere in the zoo, which is very disappointing.
- Many bird species around the zoo are nesting, which is very cool to see. The Amazonain Motmots in Reptiles and Birds were acting like they probably have chicks, which is super cool.
- Reptiles and Birds now has a Common Wall Lizard, which is a notably rare species that didn't even appear in the American Herping thread. I couldn't find it, but still cool. (And, I didn't mind not finding it since I've actually kept that species in the past.
) - There's no free-flying birds in Tropic World Asia anymore, so it feels pretty empty.
- The toucan/sereima mix in the Play Zoo is actually really cool. It really helps remind you that Toco Toucans are actually a savanna species.
- I feel obligated to mention I saw the Koalas, although I assume that is obvious. It's a shame they seem reluctant to go outside.
- The new turtle exhibits look cool, but why do they close early? I didn't know that and didn't get to see them up close.
- I visited the "Butterflies!" exhibit for the first time every today. I'd always skipped this due to the extra fee, and I had assumed it was the same mix of imported Central American species that most butterfly houses have. But actually I found something completely different and was blown away! It's all US native species, including some local species, but also some very rare and endangered species. I was shocked to see the ultra-rare Polydamas Swallowtail and the even rarer (and stunning) Atala Hairstreak. These are some of the coolest and rarest animals in the zoo and we've all been sleeping on this for years!
Also kind of unrelated, but some cool anecdotes about wild animals seen on the zoo grounds today:
- Despite the periodical cicada hatch being basically over, their burrows and shed exoskeletons still cover everything.
- I did hear one lone Pharaoh Cicada (a 17-year species) buzzing above the outdoor Red-flanked Duiker exhibit though. Poor guy.
- Also saw my first ever wild Chicago Garter Snake! How has it taken me this long? They're beautiful snakes.
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They don’t leave the turtles out during the night, so they go back behind the scenes during that time.
I honestly don't understand why they do this. These are local species that are adapted to the climate so unless there's inclement weather conditions it seems unnecessary to move them back and forth every night. Perhaps it has something to do with limitations of the exhibits formerly being planters?
Predators could be a reason.
I think it's been slept on because this hasn't been the case for years. At least, back in June of 2022 this was the species list:
Fairly standard although still a nice focus on native species
Witnessing the trailing end of the 17-year Cicada brood has been quite the existential crisis for me. I still regret not trying harder to find the 'little' 17-year cicada, Magicicada Septendecula. Also two 13-year species in my area I could've gone for. I guess I'll still have lifers nearby in my 30s.
The turtle exhibits are very nice for the box turtles and the spotted turtle but really not very adequate for the painted turtle, an aquatic species. It has no room to dive and can really barely swim at all. Even in the pet trade, there is a usually followed minimum of 55-75 gallons of water.
I was going to visit Lincoln Park today but at the last minute a family member offered to visit Brookfield, knowing that downtown would likely be congested for reasons, so we made it out and despite a major setback (error on my part) we had a lovely time!
Refresh
This is my first visit since the 'Brookfield Zoo Chicago' refresh and as tempting as it might be to consider it a cheap stunt, I was impressed with the roll out. It gave the zoo a fresh feeling, the signage is pretty consistent, and I do think merging 'CZS' into the brand makes it easier for guests to understand the zoo's role in conservation work. I actually found the lion logo much more compelling next to the text than when the 'O's were replaced.
I also noticed new uniforms for many of the employees. It looks like there are more keeper chats being added and publicized. I don't think I've ever spoken to so many kind employees in one day before! My dad was really impressed with the camel feeding, as were many guests.
Koalas!
I had my moment with the fuzzy marsupials today. I knew I would probably be looking at a gray blob in a tree, and certainly that met my expectations. I share the disappointment that Willum's exhibit is entirely behind Brumby's. It was explained San Diego prefers to keep the breeding females and lends out the males due to their territorial nature. It was also said that the Koalas eat at 10:30am and this is the best time to see them moving around although they only eat for a short time. Brumby has been outside briefly and both koalas apparently become very active at night, around 8pm, and go outside and come back inside around 2am, and are monitored during this time. Has anyone ever displayed koalas in a nocturnal house? I found all of this fascinating.
There is now a cart outside the exhibit selling mostly Koala merch but also toucans and such. We ended up getting the Koala and toucan plush at a different store later.
New Habitats
- The toucan/sereima aviary is great, breathed life into the Play Zoo and just looks much better than I anticipated. Some of you may remember I was disappointed about the initial announcement but the final result is superb for the space available. The toucans were active and flying about from branch to branch. My only criticism is the sereima is a little hard to see and the sign for it is further to the left, by the playground, where fewer guests will see it.
- I did see the new turtle exhibits, but me and multiple guests failed to find the animals. This was around 12-1PM or so and the area was open. I did love the sculptures to help tell and memorize the species apart. I'm glad to see people took an interest in the space.
- The new prairie aviary looks complete besides water features and of course, animals. I was able to get several photos, none gallery-worthy I think, but I think it's absolutely on track to open this month and I think it's going to breathe a lot of life into the space.
- There was a scarlet macaw stationed outside of the Swamp and it's nice to see the exhibit in some use as opposed to empty... but the animal seemed uncomfortable. Maybe they could use something like this for sloth or koala instead? The 'Macaw House' exhibit inside Sweetie Bird felt like an improvement as at least there is a LOT of climbing space. A blue-and-gold macaw was pretty close and loved tearing up a box.
- It was so lovely to see the flamingo out at the Formal Pool alongside the pelicans and waterfowl. Some of the flamingo were in deeper water than I've seen. I really wanted to stop and observe them longer. The number of species at the pool has really breathed life into the space. I almost miss the little tortoise exhibit nearby now. I also don't support pinioning birds but seeing the flamingo out in this manner definitely makes the best out of that circumstance.
- The dolphin refresh is fantastic. I liked the new lights in the space, I loved the rock work, and I really rushed this (my dad was leaving and I ran back through the rain to see Seven Seas) but it was fun to watch the dolphins casually choosing to play with a ball. Enrichment does so much to enhance the exhibit and I think it's actually really good to show guests that playing with toys is exactly what dolphins like doing in their spare time and is a sign of their intelligence, as opposed to something they are trained to do for shows.
- The Tropical Forests construction still looks to be going well and on the Pachyderm House side you can see some of the artificial trees rising over the fencing now. Speaking of which, this was the first time it hit me the west mall is no more. I was always an advocate of developing those spaces but I have to admit it did feel like an odd thought to not imagine glancing at Pachyderm House from across the mall again.
- A keeper was discussing with some guests that a few years ago the gibbons found out how to access the orangutan island at Tropic World and the orangutan responded calmly and at least one gibbon made regular visits for a while. It sounds that keepers were very surprised by this when it happened. Multiple guests loved this story.
Pointless Observations
- I didn't see any of the zoo's three brown bears today. My luck seems pretty terrible. I did see one of the polar bears, who was just sitting and scratching his nose, and a wolf in the distance. It's really one of Brookfield's better exhibits but anytime the bears aren't active (and the wolves rarely are) it feels like the oomph is lost.
- As usual, most guests were pretty intelligent and actually looked at signs, and some avoided referring to the sereima until they found a sign; but there was one major exception: probably a dozen people referred to the echidnas as porcupines.
- The entrance tunnel by the North Gate has seen better days. There's cracks and at one spot where they painted over the elephant I swear it's visible again. I hope they repaint/restore it as I love the stylized animal portraits there!
- I had some good luck at Tropic World though and for the first visit in years almost everything seemed out and active. Except the birds and cotton tops. A keeper confirmed the zoo no longer holds callimico or golden lion tamarins and the cotten tops are the only callitrichids left. I love watching the South American monkey mix. I got some of my better photos of the gibbons and orangs. This is also the first time in ages I've seen both African monkeys out, although it looked like only one red-tailed genoun and four Angolan colobus, so the exhibit still felt empty.
- Speaking of, the Swamp feels empty lately, too. @birdsandbats correctly pointed out some exhibits are gone, and I saw a few empty spaces. The first aviary looks mostly down to boat-billed herons. I think the exhibit is really lacking in 'star power' with the flamingos spending more time outside (which is better for them, imo) and the lack of crocodilians or large turtles. There's the otter, but it always seems to be a single lone otter and it's a small exhibit.
- My first time seeing the sand cat active, although he was mostly just cleaning himself. Such a cute feline!
- I was able to glance at the greenhouse area behind the Swamp. Crazy to imagine if those were once primate cages. I still kind of think it'd be cool one day to open that up into an outdoor exhibit for birds or otters but I doubt it's possible anymore.
- I counted four empty exhibits in Australia House's first room today.
- Pachyderm House is due for renovation obviously but it's in such a sad state with portions of it boarded up and down to only four actual pachyderms. Layla the Black Rhinoceros is the only rhinoceros left at the zoo and then we have Banana the pygmy hippo and one or two lowland tapir. The old pygmy hippo exhibit seems empty but Banana had a much bigger habitat. Layla is in the former elephant exhibit. The tapir was between them. Layla is doing well as long as her sinus problem is regularly dealt with.
- Habitat Africa! The Savannah feels a little weird to me every time I go inside, without the kilpspringer using their indoor habitat. I kind of want to visit on a winter day one day and see the giraffe inside just because I don't think I ever have.
- The giraffe feeding was fun to watch. Seeing four of the five giraffes lined up (the fifth was outside but eating hay further off) was fun.
- The underwater viewing for Sea Lion Cove is amazing when you can see seven sea lions at once. Overwhelming in the way that is super fun. Large groups are such an underrated way to make exhibits more exciting.
As a mildly rushed visit, I did not end up going inside Clouded Leopard Rainforest, Reptiles and Birds, Feathers and Scales, the Living Coast, Wild Encounters, or Habitat Africa - the Forest. I've prioritized the two rainforest exhibits a lot on recent visits so it felt like a good chance to take a break and prioritize other things, but I was hoping to still do the reptile-bird buildings. I also didn't pass the Big Cat Walkway until the end of the visit during rain, so I didn't see any of those species out besides the Amur leopard.
Refresh
This is my first visit since the 'Brookfield Zoo Chicago' refresh and as tempting as it might be to consider it a cheap stunt, I was impressed with the roll out. It gave the zoo a fresh feeling, the signage is pretty consistent, and I do think merging 'CZS' into the brand makes it easier for guests to understand the zoo's role in conservation work. I actually found the lion logo much more compelling next to the text than when the 'O's were replaced.
I also noticed new uniforms for many of the employees. It looks like there are more keeper chats being added and publicized. I don't think I've ever spoken to so many kind employees in one day before! My dad was really impressed with the camel feeding, as were many guests.
Koalas!
I had my moment with the fuzzy marsupials today. I knew I would probably be looking at a gray blob in a tree, and certainly that met my expectations. I share the disappointment that Willum's exhibit is entirely behind Brumby's. It was explained San Diego prefers to keep the breeding females and lends out the males due to their territorial nature. It was also said that the Koalas eat at 10:30am and this is the best time to see them moving around although they only eat for a short time. Brumby has been outside briefly and both koalas apparently become very active at night, around 8pm, and go outside and come back inside around 2am, and are monitored during this time. Has anyone ever displayed koalas in a nocturnal house? I found all of this fascinating.
There is now a cart outside the exhibit selling mostly Koala merch but also toucans and such. We ended up getting the Koala and toucan plush at a different store later.
New Habitats
- The toucan/sereima aviary is great, breathed life into the Play Zoo and just looks much better than I anticipated. Some of you may remember I was disappointed about the initial announcement but the final result is superb for the space available. The toucans were active and flying about from branch to branch. My only criticism is the sereima is a little hard to see and the sign for it is further to the left, by the playground, where fewer guests will see it.
- I did see the new turtle exhibits, but me and multiple guests failed to find the animals. This was around 12-1PM or so and the area was open. I did love the sculptures to help tell and memorize the species apart. I'm glad to see people took an interest in the space.
- The new prairie aviary looks complete besides water features and of course, animals. I was able to get several photos, none gallery-worthy I think, but I think it's absolutely on track to open this month and I think it's going to breathe a lot of life into the space.
- There was a scarlet macaw stationed outside of the Swamp and it's nice to see the exhibit in some use as opposed to empty... but the animal seemed uncomfortable. Maybe they could use something like this for sloth or koala instead? The 'Macaw House' exhibit inside Sweetie Bird felt like an improvement as at least there is a LOT of climbing space. A blue-and-gold macaw was pretty close and loved tearing up a box.
- It was so lovely to see the flamingo out at the Formal Pool alongside the pelicans and waterfowl. Some of the flamingo were in deeper water than I've seen. I really wanted to stop and observe them longer. The number of species at the pool has really breathed life into the space. I almost miss the little tortoise exhibit nearby now. I also don't support pinioning birds but seeing the flamingo out in this manner definitely makes the best out of that circumstance.
- The dolphin refresh is fantastic. I liked the new lights in the space, I loved the rock work, and I really rushed this (my dad was leaving and I ran back through the rain to see Seven Seas) but it was fun to watch the dolphins casually choosing to play with a ball. Enrichment does so much to enhance the exhibit and I think it's actually really good to show guests that playing with toys is exactly what dolphins like doing in their spare time and is a sign of their intelligence, as opposed to something they are trained to do for shows.
- The Tropical Forests construction still looks to be going well and on the Pachyderm House side you can see some of the artificial trees rising over the fencing now. Speaking of which, this was the first time it hit me the west mall is no more. I was always an advocate of developing those spaces but I have to admit it did feel like an odd thought to not imagine glancing at Pachyderm House from across the mall again.
- A keeper was discussing with some guests that a few years ago the gibbons found out how to access the orangutan island at Tropic World and the orangutan responded calmly and at least one gibbon made regular visits for a while. It sounds that keepers were very surprised by this when it happened. Multiple guests loved this story.
Pointless Observations
- I didn't see any of the zoo's three brown bears today. My luck seems pretty terrible. I did see one of the polar bears, who was just sitting and scratching his nose, and a wolf in the distance. It's really one of Brookfield's better exhibits but anytime the bears aren't active (and the wolves rarely are) it feels like the oomph is lost.
- As usual, most guests were pretty intelligent and actually looked at signs, and some avoided referring to the sereima until they found a sign; but there was one major exception: probably a dozen people referred to the echidnas as porcupines.
- The entrance tunnel by the North Gate has seen better days. There's cracks and at one spot where they painted over the elephant I swear it's visible again. I hope they repaint/restore it as I love the stylized animal portraits there!
- I had some good luck at Tropic World though and for the first visit in years almost everything seemed out and active. Except the birds and cotton tops. A keeper confirmed the zoo no longer holds callimico or golden lion tamarins and the cotten tops are the only callitrichids left. I love watching the South American monkey mix. I got some of my better photos of the gibbons and orangs. This is also the first time in ages I've seen both African monkeys out, although it looked like only one red-tailed genoun and four Angolan colobus, so the exhibit still felt empty.
- Speaking of, the Swamp feels empty lately, too. @birdsandbats correctly pointed out some exhibits are gone, and I saw a few empty spaces. The first aviary looks mostly down to boat-billed herons. I think the exhibit is really lacking in 'star power' with the flamingos spending more time outside (which is better for them, imo) and the lack of crocodilians or large turtles. There's the otter, but it always seems to be a single lone otter and it's a small exhibit.
- My first time seeing the sand cat active, although he was mostly just cleaning himself. Such a cute feline!
- I was able to glance at the greenhouse area behind the Swamp. Crazy to imagine if those were once primate cages. I still kind of think it'd be cool one day to open that up into an outdoor exhibit for birds or otters but I doubt it's possible anymore.
- I counted four empty exhibits in Australia House's first room today.
- Pachyderm House is due for renovation obviously but it's in such a sad state with portions of it boarded up and down to only four actual pachyderms. Layla the Black Rhinoceros is the only rhinoceros left at the zoo and then we have Banana the pygmy hippo and one or two lowland tapir. The old pygmy hippo exhibit seems empty but Banana had a much bigger habitat. Layla is in the former elephant exhibit. The tapir was between them. Layla is doing well as long as her sinus problem is regularly dealt with.
- Habitat Africa! The Savannah feels a little weird to me every time I go inside, without the kilpspringer using their indoor habitat. I kind of want to visit on a winter day one day and see the giraffe inside just because I don't think I ever have.
- The giraffe feeding was fun to watch. Seeing four of the five giraffes lined up (the fifth was outside but eating hay further off) was fun.
- The underwater viewing for Sea Lion Cove is amazing when you can see seven sea lions at once. Overwhelming in the way that is super fun. Large groups are such an underrated way to make exhibits more exciting.
As a mildly rushed visit, I did not end up going inside Clouded Leopard Rainforest, Reptiles and Birds, Feathers and Scales, the Living Coast, Wild Encounters, or Habitat Africa - the Forest. I've prioritized the two rainforest exhibits a lot on recent visits so it felt like a good chance to take a break and prioritize other things, but I was hoping to still do the reptile-bird buildings. I also didn't pass the Big Cat Walkway until the end of the visit during rain, so I didn't see any of those species out besides the Amur leopard.
I also made an impromptu visit to the zoo yesterday for a few hours. A few notes on your notes:
Relating to Australia, another thing I noticed yesterday is that there are two juvenile emus in one of the separation pens near the kangaroos. Seem to be recent arrivals.
They really need to increase the number of turtles displayed in both exhibits. I only saw a single spotted turtle on my last two visits and nothing else. They are great enclosures, but are held back by how few individuals are viewable and the somewhat limited opening hours.
Just adding on that the aviary indeed looks nearly complete minus some final touches to the visitor area. A number of large shrubs, evergreens and grasses have been planted and a few small hills were landscaped near the back of the area. Looks like it'll be ready for the birds to move in as early as next week.
Worth noting that the former Australian water dragon exhibit is being renovated for Papuan olive python, I assume one of the individuals in either The Swamp or Reptiles and Birds.
Relating to Australia, another thing I noticed yesterday is that there are two juvenile emus in one of the separation pens near the kangaroos. Seem to be recent arrivals.
I don't think the klipspringers use those exhibits anymore. In fact, I haven't actually seen them in a genuinely long time indoors or out. No idea what the deal is there.
USZOOfan42
Well-Known Member
The emus arrived on July 3rd, I saw keepers carry two crates from a van.
I was at the zoo yesterday as well. It was the first time I saw the flamingos using the pool rather than only standing near the edge in their fenced-off corner, later I saw the group following staff down the path and up the ramps into the Swamp building. They are very well behaved!
I was told before that the scarlet macaw that is always kept on the outside display on its own is a human-imprinted macaw which does not get along well with other macaws. It is usually kept on a tree by itself while the others will be put out in pairs.It always screams contact calls when the peafowl start calling. It appears restless and unhappy whenever it is out, regardless of whether it likes other parrots, it clearly doesn't like being outside alone either. I don't like the macaw exhibits at all, these birds shouldn't be wing clipped. A damper on the zoo for me.
I don't usually see every exhibit on every viewing. The clouded leopard was very active at the front of the exhibit and paying active attention to visitors. It was my first time seeing the porcupine awake in the desert house. The sand cat was sleeping in its hammock, as it has been every time I've seen it. There were no lions, tigers, amur leopard, or snow leopards out when I was there. One sloth bear made an appearance for about twenty seconds.
The pangolin was not visible in its exhibit and may have been behind the scenes. I have only seen it asleep before. The genet was not visible either, and I have never seen it. This was the only trip this year where I did not see the black and rufous sengis, either!
But it was the first time I have seen the wolves awake in all the years since the exhibit was opened! All three adults were visible, with the yearling watching the pups at the den while the breeding pair were active near the viewing glass. The mother was trotting back and forth between the glass, where the male was resting, and the tall grass in the ditch toward the right of the exhibit. At one point two chipmunks raced from a tree to the edge of the moat and were pursued by the female wolf; her three legged hobble didn't get her very close, and the chipmunks seemed unperturbed. The male's head was swarming with flies and there was a sign nearby that seemed to mention this, but I forgot to read it closely when the crowds moved away, so I am not sure what it said.
I saw one polar bear swimming and eating apples in its pool, and no brown bears. The brown bears are usually more visible on other viewings.
I skipped koalas due to the line. I enjoy the new aviary with the seriemas and the toucans. All of them are very active in the space.
I was told before that the scarlet macaw that is always kept on the outside display on its own is a human-imprinted macaw which does not get along well with other macaws. It is usually kept on a tree by itself while the others will be put out in pairs.It always screams contact calls when the peafowl start calling. It appears restless and unhappy whenever it is out, regardless of whether it likes other parrots, it clearly doesn't like being outside alone either. I don't like the macaw exhibits at all, these birds shouldn't be wing clipped. A damper on the zoo for me.
I don't usually see every exhibit on every viewing. The clouded leopard was very active at the front of the exhibit and paying active attention to visitors. It was my first time seeing the porcupine awake in the desert house. The sand cat was sleeping in its hammock, as it has been every time I've seen it. There were no lions, tigers, amur leopard, or snow leopards out when I was there. One sloth bear made an appearance for about twenty seconds.
The pangolin was not visible in its exhibit and may have been behind the scenes. I have only seen it asleep before. The genet was not visible either, and I have never seen it. This was the only trip this year where I did not see the black and rufous sengis, either!
But it was the first time I have seen the wolves awake in all the years since the exhibit was opened! All three adults were visible, with the yearling watching the pups at the den while the breeding pair were active near the viewing glass. The mother was trotting back and forth between the glass, where the male was resting, and the tall grass in the ditch toward the right of the exhibit. At one point two chipmunks raced from a tree to the edge of the moat and were pursued by the female wolf; her three legged hobble didn't get her very close, and the chipmunks seemed unperturbed. The male's head was swarming with flies and there was a sign nearby that seemed to mention this, but I forgot to read it closely when the crowds moved away, so I am not sure what it said.
I saw one polar bear swimming and eating apples in its pool, and no brown bears. The brown bears are usually more visible on other viewings.
I skipped koalas due to the line. I enjoy the new aviary with the seriemas and the toucans. All of them are very active in the space.
When I was at the zoo on Friday I went through the HATF building three times. Two of those times I did see the pangolin at all or any sign of it, on the third I saw it and it was very active. I think it's just very good at hiding.
I saw both the pangolin and the genet yesterday, definitely not behind-the-scenes. The pangolin likes to sleep in the hanging bucket while buried underneath bedding which makes it tricky to spot. Goes to show how luck differs for regular visitors, as I've only seen the sengis once since they've arrived.
USZOOfan42
Well-Known Member
Both the genets and pangolin were sleeping for me but the sengis were very active.
It is usually in the bucket, but wasn't this time. It has a door on the lower left side of the exhibit which I assume goes to an off-show area. The sengis have one too. I believe it was there when I was looking for it, as it didn't have anywhere else it could be.
I'm a little embarrassed to admit I don't remember the opening hours for the exhibit - and do they close the gates when it's closed? I agree more turtles would help a lot. It's certainly a letdown to go over and find none.
I go back to the sea lions a bit for comparison but I really do think having a large population of a species makes for a great display. With seven sea lions visible and three responding to guests, while four are further back in the tank, everyone has multiple opportunities to enjoy the animals and witness varying behaviors, rather than a crowd gathering to watch a single individual in one spot. This was also visible with the gorillas, where three were playing by hay and two were in hammocks. (I really wish the zoo could keep bigger monkey populations in Tropic World Africa for this reason.)
I'm really impressed how quickly they moved on the aviary! Can't wait to go back in a month or two and see it inhabited at last.
I was wondering if I was misremembering the water dragon being there. The olive python signage is already up. It's a good species and I'm glad they're moving the two exhibits for them further apart in the zoo layout at least. Less sense of repetition.
That's good. It feels like a while since I've seen an emu at Brookfield. They probably still have some and I've just not been around Australia's yards at the right time. But young individuals are still a help.
Yeah, I think it was posted before that they weren't using them -- which feels like an oversight of some kind, especially since they rarely appear outdoors either. (I'm not sure they're still signed there?) The indoor exhibits feel ill-fit for any other species and take up some significant space so it's always a disappointment to see them empty.
They might just be an exceptionally shy species - I've not always had great luck with Lincoln Park's klipspringer, either.
Oh, that's so cool! What time did they return to the building if you remember?
So funny that three of us were there at the same time! Brookfield would probably be a great target for a public zoochat meeting sometime.
I suppose it makes sense to keep it separated from the other macaws but I can't understand putting that animal outside. It seems so miserable and sometimes all it takes is one short video of an animal pacing or a bird stress-preening n this case to damage your reputation. I've not been happy about the wing clipping but this seems a particularly bad example for the zoo.
I'm holding out hope the upcoming master plan has a space where macaw may be able to fly and then the wing-clipping can end. Even something like London's macaw cage.
Glad it wasn't just me having bad luck by the big cats, although I missed the porcupine. (And genet.) Solis sand cat was in the hammock but awake and cleaning when I saw him. Very interesting about the clouded leopard! I've had good luck with them in the last year or so after years of being a no show, wonder if the current individuals are more showy.
I'm sorry that you didn't see the sengi but am slightly glad to have not missed them!
That's so cool! I've only seen wolves by the glass twice in my years of visiting and it's always a treat. By the time I visited GBR yesterday they were mostly resting on a hill in back, visible mostly only if they moved, which one did after a bit. We both had bad luck on brown bears!