Brookfield Zoo Brookfield Zoo news 2025

Went today and did some things I usually don't do while skipping some usual stops. Here's my report.

Habitat Africa: Plated lizards were off exhibit. Painted dogs were sleeping at the window which was great. Some really good views of the nyala today. Saw the dik-dik very briefly, one of a few elusive animals I was lucky to catch today.

Pachyderms: No active work but there is a truck behind one of the fences. Agree with the sentiment that they'll start working on it sooner than later. They were working on Tropical Forests through the winter and I can see them doing the same here. Very exciting.

Tropic Forests: First time checking this out and I liked it. Spider monkeys were the star of the show. Loved watching them climb the netting and hanging in the trees. Orangutans were in Tropic World (which I forgot to check). The family group of gorillas were inside today, the rest were outside. Generally agree with the criticism of the overuse of concrete but its certainly an improvement from what they had. Nothing shocking to say there. I still have a soft spot for that odd water exhibit on that side.

Great Bear Wilderness: Wolves were very active today. Had some great views of them. Brown and polar bears were also out and about. The third bear enclosure was empty.

Feathers and Scales: Puerto Rican boa and sheltopusik were off display. A few others were empty but without signage. There's a good amount of empty space in there currently. I will say the Australian section in the back right corner is becoming one of my favorites to watch.

Macaws: Never went in there until today. I was in and out. The few visitors that were there seemed to do the same. I really don't get the point of it. Not educational and not entertaining. I would love to see them do something with the space. Three macaws on sticks just isn't it.

The Swamp: Seemed a bit more populated than my last visit. Always loved how immersive and educational it is. The open aviary remains a fantastic addition and it was quite active in there today. In my last report I said that the building could use a star like the alligator was but I could see that aviary being it, at least for me. The sawmill section had a lot of no-shows but there was a display of desert cockroaches. I didn't remember this from my past visits so that was interesting. Otter showed up as soon as everyone left so I was able to get some alright photos.

Hamill Family Play Zoo: I have not been in there in years but felt like I needed to see the koalas before they left. Only saw one but I'm glad I went in. Very cute "going away" card from visitors next to the window. Rest of the building is just as I remember it but the beehives were a nice addition.

Sea Lion Cove: The large seal habitat next to the California Sea Lions was drained. Everything else was as usual.

Clouded Leopard Rain Forest/Desert's Edge: Rain Forest was usual but I did see the keepers feed the Prevost's squirrel meal worms in the tube on the ceiling. At Desert's Edge I finally got to see the cape porcupines up close. They were being fed around 2:50 and were exploring the enclosure. I've come here since I was a kid and I only saw them once (and even then it was far back). Genet was right near the glass too.
 
moldaramacollector said:
Pachyderms: No active work but there is a truck behind one of the fences. Agree with the sentiment that they'll start working on it sooner than later. They were working on Tropical Forests through the winter and I can see them doing the same here. Very exciting.
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Very interesting about the truck! Hope an announcement on this is coming soon, it seems like preparations must be close!

moldaramacollector said:
Tropic Forests: First time checking this out and I liked it. Spider monkeys were the star of the show. Loved watching them climb the netting and hanging in the trees. Orangutans were in Tropic World (which I forgot to check). The family group of gorillas were inside today, the rest were outside. Generally agree with the criticism of the overuse of concrete but its certainly an improvement from what they had. Nothing shocking to say there. I still have a soft spot for that odd water exhibit on that side.
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Interesting about the gorilla groups being separated indoors and outdoors. Was one of the gorilla exhibits outside empty then? If you missed the orangutan outside they may not have been visible inside either, I've not had luck with them this year.

moldaramacollector said:
Feathers and Scales: Puerto Rican boa and sheltopusik were off display. A few others were empty but without signage. There's a good amount of empty space in there currently. I will say the Australian section in the back right corner is becoming one of my favorites to watch.
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I'm very curious what the Puerto Rican Boa situation is as it seems to have been off-exhibit for much of this year.

moldaramacollector said:
Macaws: Never went in there until today. I was in and out. The few visitors that were there seemed to do the same. I really don't get the point of it. Not educational and not entertaining. I would love to see them do something with the space. Three macaws on sticks just isn't it.
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I've seen people go inside to view the macaws and it's a little bit better than the outdoor sticks, but it's... still parrots on sticks, so I get it. I'll be very curious if this remains an animal habitat long term or if once the macaws are moved they might turn it into a guest area only again. I personally think it might not be a bad spot for an indoor tortoise enclosure after they leave the Pachyderm building.
 
JVM said:
Was one of the gorilla exhibits outside empty then?
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Yes. The second one used for the family group was empty.

JVM said:
I'll be very curious if this remains an animal habitat long term or if once the macaws are moved they might turn it into a guest area only again. I personally think it might not be a bad spot for an indoor tortoise enclosure after they leave the Pachyderm building.
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I could see it going either way, though I would rather have another exhibit there than a food vendor. The great prairie chicken exhibit is hidden and not a massive pull to that stretch, and there's food and two stores on that same path. Had the same thought about adding some species of tortoise in there though I also wonder if some sort of seasonal aquatic touch tank could work in there.
 
moldaramacollector said:
Yes. The second one used for the family group was empty.
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Very interesting. I wonder if the zoo in situations like this in the future may allow the African monkeys sometimes displayed in the GCC into the yards?

moldaramacollector said:
I could see it going either way, though I would rather have another exhibit there than a food vendor. The great prairie chicken exhibit is hidden and not a massive pull to that stretch, and there's food and two stores on that same path. Had the same thought about adding some species of tortoise in there though I also wonder if some sort of seasonal aquatic touch tank could work in there.
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I definitely would prefer an animal exhibit, too. I agree that the North American aviary is more of a pleasant surprise than a draw and that the southern side of the zoo is a bit saturated with food/store options already. The whole outdoor southern area of the zoo feels a lot emptier than it actually is as the better outdoor enclosures are well-hidden (the turtles and aviary) and there are closed buildings and empty enclosures (Reptile House, Bear Grottos to the east side) and the whole walk doesn't involve many real 'star' species to the non-zoo nerd. In some ways the area has still not recovered from the losses of Baboon Island and the old Bear Grottos.

I personally hope when they reach the next phase of the master plan (after Gateway to Africa, Australia, etc.) they fast track either the outdoor River Otter enclosure or the Bear Grottos re-development, either of which will add a major touch of new animal activity to the zoo's southern area.

The idea of an aquatic touch tank is a pretty good concept for the space, although I wonder if there is room for water filters and life support systems and how costly it might be, whereas I think you could kind of plop a tortoise into the current setup... but I would rather see a touch tank there than over the East Mall again, and it would separate it conclusively from the East Mall version.
 
wilson said:
A new sign has been posted on the construction fencing around the Pachyderm House, announcing that the building is getting a new roof.
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I'm glad the zoo is starting to fully close down the building for renovations and is formalizing the news, as it's been in a weird limbo the last couple of years. It's such an odd and interesting poster though - clear allusions to the Next Century Plan, of course, but also saying only "getting a new roof" as if that's all this is. The roof maintenance is sorely, desperately needed, as the roof has by some accounts been a maintenance issue for two decades, so it's accurate, but it's unlikely the building will revert to status quo. This is almost certainly the first step to the Gateway to Africa renovations, which were soft mentioned in the previously reported fundraising letter as well. I imagine they are withholding the information in hopes to continue fundraising a while longer (which may determine the logistics of the project, I expect) and/or that they may be continuing to tweak the design or details for the Gateway to Africa concepts and are waiting on a final design to make some more formal announcement. For example, I've been wondering if the renovated pachyderm building will include any kind of indoor components or viewing otherwise for the hippo/crocodile exhibits.

If they use the Pachyderm House as basecamp and get started soon, I think we could see the first two phases of Gateway to Africa done fairly quickly. It's already clear the redevelopment of the north of the building as a Savannah area is a priority right now but there's little reason while working in the same building to not start the hippopotamus/crocodile renovation work at the same time, since the building will be the backdrop and probably at least provide their indoor housing. Milwaukee's Hippo Haven cost $13.5 million including the expensive filtering and was built mostly within a year, so enough funding seems available for the filtering.
 
Visited the zoo today. There are golden orb weaver spiders now on display in The Living Coast. With the golden orb weaver spiders now on display in the former vampire bat exhibit, which is a whole space that was previously closed off to the public, there is some space for another small exhibit that has an “animals coming soon” sign placed. Another nearby exhibit is empty and had the sign placed in front of the glass. I’m curious to see what species moves in there, but since the exhibits are fairly tiny, I’m expecting more arachnids.
 
MeiLover said:
Visited the zoo today. There are golden orb weaver spiders now on display in The Living Coast. With the golden orb weaver spiders now on display in the former vampire bat exhibit, which is a whole space that was previously closed off to the public, there is some space for another small exhibit that has an “animals coming soon” sign placed. Another nearby exhibit is empty and had the sign placed in front of the glass. I’m curious to see what species moves in there, but since the exhibits are fairly tiny, I’m expecting more arachnids.
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Reopening this space after 10 years is very exciting. The continued effort to fill empty spaces both big and small has gone a long way in recent years.
 
MeiLover said:
Visited the zoo today. There are golden orb weaver spiders now on display in The Living Coast. With the golden orb weaver spiders now on display in the former vampire bat exhibit, which is a whole space that was previously closed off to the public, there is some space for another small exhibit that has an “animals coming soon” sign placed. Another nearby exhibit is empty and had the sign placed in front of the glass. I’m curious to see what species moves in there, but since the exhibits are fairly tiny, I’m expecting more arachnids.
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Welcome news! I had wondered for years if the exhibits were dismantled while the area was closed off. I'm also glad there is indeed another small exhibit there was I had always felt I remembered more in that space. I know as a child they had domestic Chinchilla in one of the small Living Coast spaces, too. I'd love for the orb weavers to stay but this also makes me hope the zoo may bring vampire bats back at some stage - imo they added a lot to the overall diversity of the Living Coast and they're arguably the most famous and popular species of bat so it adds a little more punch across from the penguins, and adds to the room feeling like both a 'grand finale' and played into the themes of how all life on the coast is connected, sometimes in unexpected ways. As it's been, the 'caves' don't feel very connected to the theming.

Sometimes it does surprise me to reflect that in my childhood, Brookfield kept bats in three separate exhibits.

pachyderm pro said:
Reopening this space after 10 years is very exciting. The continued effort to fill empty spaces both big and small has gone a long way in recent years.
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This, 100%. Even though most of the new additions have been smaller species (by no means a bad thing!) the fact we have added so many of these species in just a few short years and filled so many spaces (and filled some major missing niches in the bird collection) has reversed the sense of stagnation and made the zoo feel so much more alive and buzzing with activity, and adds to my optimism the master plan projects will include some smaller species and surprises we've not heard about yet.
 
A few updates from my visit today-

The Swamp- Puerto Rican crested toads are now on exhibit in the former newt exhibit.

Hamill Family Play Zoo- the kolas have left the zoo. The seriema/toucan exhibit has under gone a refresh. Most notable is their indoor/outdoor exhibits have been connected allowing the birds to stay in the building year round.
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General observation- the zoo seems to be changing out a lot of the reptile/amphibian exhibits currently. Between Reptiles and Birds & Feathers and Scales I counted 10 empty exhibits. And there are several other exhibits around the zoo that are empty.
 

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As Miami Seaquarium closes down, animal transfers (physical and/or ownership) are taking place. A proposal for ownership of Noelani (0.1 bottlenose dolphin) to Brookfield Zoo for $10,000 has been filed. Noelani is already at the Brookfield Zoo. Of note, and not sure it has been reported here, the document states that Noelani has been diagnosed with cancer and requires certain medical care to address Noelani’s medical condition.

https://veritaglobal.net/dolphinco/...Ol5_ZYbdzGpiQ4hudQ_aem_TtTkS58vOXMC42UGimupiQ
 
MidwestFan said:
As Miami Seaquarium closes down, animal transfers (physical and/or ownership) are taking place. A proposal for ownership of Noelani (0.1 bottlenose dolphin) to Brookfield Zoo for $10,000 has been filed. Noelani is already at the Brookfield Zoo. Of note, and not sure it has been reported here, the document states that Noelani has been diagnosed with cancer and requires certain medical care to address Noelani’s medical condition.

https://veritaglobal.net/dolphinco/...Ol5_ZYbdzGpiQ4hudQ_aem_TtTkS58vOXMC42UGimupiQ
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I don’t understand it either because isn’t Noelani Tapeko’s daughter? Wouldn’t that mean Brookfield zoo already had full ownership? Unless the father was from this zoo and it was more a 50/50 ownership? @MeiLover might know more.
 
MidwestFan said:
As Miami Seaquarium closes down, animal transfers (physical and/or ownership) are taking place. A proposal for ownership of Noelani (0.1 bottlenose dolphin) to Brookfield Zoo for $10,000 has been filed. Noelani is already at the Brookfield Zoo. Of note, and not sure it has been reported here, the document states that Noelani has been diagnosed with cancer and requires certain medical care to address Noelani’s medical condition.

https://veritaglobal.net/dolphinco/...Ol5_ZYbdzGpiQ4hudQ_aem_TtTkS58vOXMC42UGimupiQ
Click to expand...

Kind of a side note but Noelani’s father, Lucky, also has cancer. It seems like there is likely a heritable component at play there.
 
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