Buffalo Zoo Buffalo Zoo 2011

blospz

blospz

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
When I went to watch the giraffes yesterday, I noticed odd behavior from the two year old giraffe, AJ. She was running around in her stall, sometimes kicking her back legs up in the air. I was wondering what caused this behavior and I've never seen her so rambunctious. I have some theories and I'm curiously which one most people agree with:
1.) It was right around feeding time and her keepers were visible to her. She was excited to see them and/or impatient to be fed.
2.) She was put in the center stall after being in the smaller stall next door for a couple months. Perhaps this added room inspired her to move around and stretch out her legs.
3.) Maybe with the new baby around, she feels left out and is trying to be rebellious. Although she shows no aggression to the baby in the next stall. If anything she wants to be in the same stall he's in and is always trying to give him a kiss.

Any thoughts?
 
It was one of those wonderful days at the zoo where you're in complete awe of what you see. I remember telling someone recently the first time I went into Rainforest Falls, I was blown away when I saw Giant Anteaters for the first time. I grew up with small zoos that didn't have exotic animals like that. So it was such an experience to see these unique creatures. Well, a similar situation happened today in Rainforest Falls. I was looking in the Giant Anteater exhibit when all of a sudden I see a sloth hanging from one of the limbs! Now granted I have seen sloths before, but never in this location. I was curious if the zoo took their sloths from the Ecostation section and gave them a nicer, new home. Well I checked and those sloths were still there. So this sloth in the Rainforest exhibit was another one. Later on, I was looking into the White Faced Saki Monkeys/Tamandua exhibit when I noticed a small animal carrier on the ground. What? Another new animal? It was another sloth! The Saki Monkeys were going crazy peeking their heads in, trying to touch the sloth, and then running away. I returned to the Anteater exhibit, as I also saw today for the first time BOTH sunbitterns. Anyway, they were in this exhibit with the male up high displaying his wings, trying to court the female I assume. Some leaves fell from the trees above and it woke up the sloth. Now at the Buffalo Zoo, the old sloths are always sleeping in a back corner hardly moving. So to see an active sloth was great. I was so giddy and getting really good photos and just so happy for such a new change. I was in love with this creature, even if it was a slow moving sloth. I later went back to the other sloth who then slowly emerged from its carrier. Another magical moment seeing it explore its exhibit for the first time and adjusting to the Saki Monkeys.

I actually talked to someone afterward that told me the zoo has had these sloths as well for 2 years. Apparently they were off exhibit and it was always their intent to have all of the sloths go into the Saki/Tamandua exhibit. So I'm not sure if the sloths will be reunited or kept in different exhibit areas, but it's so wonderful to see them in this Rainforest building. They also updated the fallen log section that used to have Poison Blue Dart Frogs in it. Now one section belongs to carnivorous plants and the other section is for a red legged tarantula.

Just when I was thinking the Buffalo Zoo never does small updates in between big projects, they went and surprised me. It seems to me small changes happen in zoos in the winter when things are slow and animals can peacefully adjust to their new settings. I know this isn't always the case, but at local zoos near me, the changes have been happening this time of year.
 
As some may not have access to Buffalo Zoo's Facebook Page, here is the Note:

Buffalo, NY– Ketu and Makalu, the Buffalo Zoo’s two male snow leopard cubs, will find a new home at the Chahinkapa Zoo in Wahpeton, North Dakota.

The cubs will leave the Buffalo Zoo early Thursday morning and travel by truck to North Dakota. The Chahinkapa Zoo’s curator, Tom Schmaltz, will accompany the cubs and monitor them throughout the trip to ensure they arrive safely.

The transfer was recommended by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP), which is designed to help secure the future of threatened and endangered species. Breeding recommendations are made after the SSP management committee evaluates the ages and relatedness of all the individual animals of a species in captivity to ensure the population remains genetically diverse and demographically stable. Additionally, zoos and aquariums participating in SSP programs collaborate to move animals to other AZA-accredited facilities where space is available for exhibition and breeding.

The Chahinkapa Zoo will serve as a holding institution for the snow leopards for at least five years until they are able to enter breeding recommendations. The cubs will be exhibited together, and Chahinkapa Zoo visitors will be able to view them beginning on April 30, 2011 when the Zoo reopens for the season.

“We are very excited to welcome Ketu and Makalu to our zoo,” said Chahinkapa Zoo Director, Kathy Diekman. “We’re certainly pleased to collaborate with the Buffalo Zoo and participate in this very important program.”

“It’s always sad when our animals, especially young ones, move on to other facilities,” said Buffalo Zoo President/CEO, Dr. Donna Fernandes. “However, we have to keep in mind that this benefits the species as a whole, and in that regard, we are happy that our cubs are growing into healthy adults that will hopefully help contribute to their species’ future.”

Buffalo Zoo visitors will still be able to view the cubs’ mother, Annapurna, and their father, Dwaine. To ensure genetic diversity within the captive population of snow leopards, another breeding recommendation for the pair is not expected for another few years. (Please note that before the cubs leave on Thursday, Buffalo Zoo visitors will have another chance to see the cubs. They will be on exhibit this Wednesday from approximately 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.)


I'm really disappointed about the last minute announcement of their departure. I would have been able to see them today if the zoo was not closed on Mondays & Tuesdays this month. But I guess it's better than nothing. Nothing is ever said for other baby departures like the reindeer, geese, peafowl, capybaras, etc. Something tells me when I see the rhinos this spring, I won't be seeing 3 year old Clover with her mother anymore. Back to the snowleopards, I will admit it will be nice to see Annapurina and Dwaine put back on exhibit together. Perhaps there will be some late Valentine's Day love being reunited, haha.
 
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team tapir said:
Thanks for your info I am looking at some maps trying to figure out where some of this might go.The map of the full masterplan is so small its hard to read I hate that.

Team Tapir
Click to expand...

I saw a blown up version of this map today. So now I can go into detail about each section and the animals included. For people to refer to the main image, here's the link: present. I could also upload photos I took of each section if people were really interested,

At the bottom, the semicircular section is the New Entry Plaza, which looks like it features small bodies of water representing the Great Lakes. The pool above that is where the current Sea Lion and River Otter exhibits are located. Right above their exhibits is Arctic Edge. The left and right big paddocks belong to the Polar Bears. The upper left corner is for Reindeer and on the right is Arctic Wolves. In the center is the Snowy Owl.

If you go back to the entrance, above it off to the right is Asian Rivers and Highland (currently where the bear grottoes and entrance is located). The bottom section belongs to the Elephants (and what a nice improvement it would make for them!) The three small paddocks to the left are for Markhors, Red Pandas, and Snow Leopards. The building on the right with the boardwalk around it is a restaurant (looks like the current building that is the seasonal second gift shop). The Japanese Macaque exhibit is right above this. And above that is the Indian Rhino/Axis Deer paddock (looks like the second paddock is being removed for expansion of African Watering Hole.

The main paddock in African Watering Hole consist of these animals: Zebra, Roan Antelope, Gemsbok, Thompsons Gazelle, Cape Tent (?), Egyptian Goose, and Crowned Crane. The small paddocks below this belong to Hyena, a type of Vulture, Meerkat, and TBA animals. The Giraffe paddock is in the same location of its current one, but it looks like their house is being transported into an indoor aviary, with the Vet. Hospital next door. And it looks like the Rock Hyraxes are being moved outdoors in front of the Aviary.

To the upper left of the zoo, is the horseshoe shaped building. It looks like it consist of exhibits currently there: Education Center, EcoCenter, Tiger, Lion paddocks on the outside in the center of the building, Gorillas, and the Vanishing Animals exhibit on the outside of it. However the new additions are an outdoor paddock for Gorillas, and a Bird of Prey area next to what I assume would still be the Reptile House.

Unfortunately I don't think the zoo is going to stick to this plan. With Heritage Farm taking up half the proposed land for Arctic Edge, I have a feeling Arctic Edge will just replace the old bear grottoes and entrance (where Asian Highlands was supposed to go -- since it's no longer mentioned in the upcoming exhibits). I used to think if the zoo had a Polar Bear cub born it bring more people in and they'd give more money to help build the new exhibit. But judging from everyone's comments today who saw the Polar Bears, they already think we have a cub. Our petite 10 year old female polar bear, Anana, and our older adult male, Nanuq is obviously her mother. I was really hoping Nanuq would have started mating with Anana so parents could see the were definitely mistaken.
 
Some things I learned from Cool Cats Day:

* Eventually the juvenile male tiger, Warner (Pavel), will be moved to the Erie Zoo due to a SSP recommendation. I'm not sure when this will happen as the female just had a cub and I assumed the adult male tiger was still there as well.

* The zoo will be acquiring new lions next year. Figuring the lion and two lionesses are littermates, one or two of them must be moving for a SSP recommendation.

* The female ocelot, Annowre, will be heading to the San Diego Zoo in a couple weeks due to a SSP recommendation. I believe both the ocelots are different subspecies or come from different regions so it was never their intention to mate the two. I was informed that when the Rainforest exhibit opened, they asked for an ocelot and ended up getting two instead. I will miss her, she's a beautiful cat!

* Annapurna, the female snow leopard is currently in here. However, since the SSP hasn't given another recommendation for her to mate with the male, Dwaine, the two are separated. And calling to each other all the time. On a side note, I always thought the female snow leopard's name was Annapurina. Being named after the Pet Food, Purina. But no, there's no "i" in her name. All the snow leopards at the Buffalo Zoo are named after mountains. Dwaine's real name is Zascar. So apparently when I heard the two meowing like crazy the day after the cubs left, it wasn't a parental call. More like desire for one another!
 
I know, I was there Saturday and he was still there and his sign was up. But I think it might have been very recent that this happened -- within the past couple of days.
 
No. Their bulls are not really old enough to breed. Syracuse or National would be a better option. Maybe Cincinnati.
 
Both females: Jothi and Surapa are past breedings age at 28-29 each. Syracuse is going to have 7 elephants by the end of the year. So Washington D.C., Denver, Los Angeles, Oklahoma City, and Columbus are all good choices. I said Columbus because the elephants had been there before, and they need more females for their herd.
 
Will the two females still be allowed to breed considering they are around 28 years of age and have not bred yet?

EDIT: Nevermind, dallaspachyderm beat me to it.
 
I would agree with Columbus if they mixed with the herd. I wouldn't want them in the yard they were in before -- I wasn't that impressed with the size of it when I saw the Cleveland Elephants in there last summer. It be interesting to see the change in dynamics of the herd. I think Jothi is the more mischievous of the two elephants and I feel like she challenge a female at the Columbus Zoo for the matriarch position. Removing the elephants would also give more room for the Polar Bears future exhibit. But honestly, I don't see it happening.
 
On a side note, if they elephants were moved into the Indian Rhino paddocks, they'd have a lot more room (but they'd need to construct a barn there). I think someone here has already noted it's interesting the rhinos have a lot more space than the elephants do.
 
Well you know the saying when you assume things and it has happened to me. Toby the Kodiak Bear is NOT dead. They just took down his sign for some other reasons. I just assumed because Fred died a year ago and being so close in age, I thought it was all a matter of time.
 
Buffalo Zoo Mourns Loss of "Becky" the Gorilla | wgrz.com

I wonder how this will change the dynamic of the group. Currently the troupe was separated into two groups; Father and Mother with the new baby, and Becky with her adult daughter, Lily. Lily was trying to steal the baby from Sydney, the mother so they had to separate them. But with Becky gone now, I don't think they'd keep Lily alone. I'll have to check the next time I visit.
 
I noticed the two elephants had chained anklets (braclets) on their front and hind right legs when I went to the zoo today. I found it a bit odd and didn't want to jump to conclusions. I'm curious what others here think if they saw that (the purpose of it).
 
No I didn't. I didn't see the elephants when I went back the next day and I'd feel weird asking the keepers about it. I tried looking into their barn the day I saw it, but saw no evidence of chains on the floor. I think they may be chained up over night or maybe the two elephants have been acting up and this is their restraint since the keepers have open contact. But I don't want to assume the worst. Hopefully when I see them next the anklets will be gone. It just looks so barbaric and dated to me. :-(
 
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