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On May 26th, it was reported that the (0.3) brown bears were from Bronx (as previously noted by @birdsandbats), and their names are Amber, Luna, and Treena.

Three grizzly bears make their debut at Central Park Zoo | amNewYork

Article on the new brown bears:

Say hello to the Central Park Zoo's three new bears

This article states the age of the bears - they were rescued as cubs in 2013.

The Central Park Zoo's previous set of grizzly bears, Betty and Veronica, passed away in 2021 and 2020, respectively, due to age. (They were rescued in 1995.)
 
Took a stroll by the CPZ today and they finally have two red panda on exhibit again. Was nice to see after a good while with only one.
 
I visited today and noted a couple changes:

1. The Grizzly Bear underwater viewing area has reopened! The viewing shelter has some nice screens on the walls with educational videos about Grizzly Bears.

2. The two window exhibits at the entrance and exit of Tropic Zone were closed for repairs. These exhibits normally house: Southern Coati, Blue and Gold Macaw, Red Crested Turaco, and Lilac Crowned Amazon.

3. The underwater viewing exhibit by the entrance of the children's zoo was temporarily closed.
 
I visited today and noted a couple changes:

1. The Grizzly Bear underwater viewing area has reopened! The viewing shelter has some nice screens on the walls with educational videos about Grizzly Bears.

2. The two window exhibits at the entrance and exit of Tropic Zone were closed for repairs. These exhibits normally house: Southern Coati, Blue and Gold Macaw, Red Crested Turaco, and Lilac Crowned Amazon.

3. The underwater viewing exhibit by the entrance of the children's zoo was temporarily closed.
Any indications on when these repairs'll finish up?
 
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I just received a WCS newsletter in the mail, and it mentioned that a new exhibit for Collared Lemurs will be added to the exit of Tropic Zone! This is in addition to the Black and White Ruffed Lemur exhibit, which already exists.
Is that where the coati exhibit is?
 
It didn’t specify, but that might be the case.
It does seem like an odd species to highlight - not that collared lemurs aren't cool, but with every passing "major" acquisition, Central Park is seeming more and more like a diet Bronx, with the only distinguishing factors being Japanese macaques, Antarctic penguins, banded mongoose, Seba's short-tailed bats and the general architecture/vibes. Unless Bronx is going out of collared lemurs... I'm still kinda trying to wrap my head around it. That said, they'd be a much more dynamic animal for the space than the coati.
 
It does seem like an odd species to highlight - not that collared lemurs aren't cool, but with every passing "major" acquisition, Central Park is seeming more and more like a diet Bronx, with the only distinguishing factors being Japanese macaques, Antarctic penguins, banded mongoose, Seba's short-tailed bats and the general architecture/vibes. Unless Bronx is going out of collared lemurs... I'm still kinda trying to wrap my head around it. That said, they'd be a much more dynamic animal for the space than the coati.

You have to remember though, most people don't go to both. That's why there's so many NYC zoos in the first place, people go to the one in their borough. Especially in Central Park, where it's people who go to the park for walks all the time, along with casual tourists who might take the time to stop in a small, pretty zoo as part of their visit but would never spend a whole day in the scary Bronx.
 
You have to remember though, most people don't go to both. That's why there's so many NYC zoos in the first place, people go to the one in their borough. Especially in Central Park, where it's people who go to the park for walks all the time, along with casual tourists who might take the time to stop in a small, pretty zoo as part of their visit but would never spend a whole day in the scary Bronx.
That is a fair point - that said, wouldn't it make more sense to invest in animals that would make Central Park more of a highlight/have it live up to the "idea" of Central Park Zoo? Obviously polar bears aren't feasible (a man can dream), but replacing the snow leopards with jaguars/an outdoor coati space, bringing in a couple more new world primates (maybe even spider monkeys), a crocodilian and maybe *a* hoofstock or macropod species, something. Maybe that's just me - I do enjoy myself at Central Park, and do find it to be a good place to kill a few hours before a Broadway show (in my case at least, Beetlejuice was AMAZING), going to the High Line or Ellis Island, etc.
 
It does seem like an odd species to highlight - not that collared lemurs aren't cool, but with every passing "major" acquisition, Central Park is seeming more and more like a diet Bronx, with the only distinguishing factors being Japanese macaques, Antarctic penguins, banded mongoose, Seba's short-tailed bats and the general architecture/vibes. Unless Bronx is going out of collared lemurs... I'm still kinda trying to wrap my head around it. That said, they'd be a much more dynamic animal for the space than the coati.

Of all the species for Central Park to overlap with other WCS zoos, this is one I am actually very happy about. Collared lemurs are not as common as some of the other lemur species found in American zoos, and it is nice to see them get new holders. I’ve also always had a hard time spotting the collared lemurs at the Bronx, so this new exhibit may provide a nice chance see the species more reliably.
 
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Of all the species for Central Park to overlap with other WCS zoos, this is one I am actually happy about. Collared lemurs are not as common as some of the other lemur species found in American zoos, and if is nice to see them get new holders. Also, I don’t know if many people have this issue, but I have always had a hard time spotting the collared lemurs in Madagascar and it will be nice to get another exhibit for the species where I may have a better chance to spot them.
Fair enough - I am excited to see how it turns out in the end. If you do visit again, lemme know when it opens, I'd love to check it out for myself!
 
That is a fair point - that said, wouldn't it make more sense to invest in animals that would make Central Park more of a highlight/have it live up to the "idea" of Central Park Zoo? Obviously polar bears aren't feasible (a man can dream), but replacing the snow leopards with jaguars/an outdoor coati space, bringing in a couple more new world primates (maybe even spider monkeys), a crocodilian and maybe *a* hoofstock or macropod species, something. Maybe that's just me - I do enjoy myself at Central Park, and do find it to be a good place to kill a few hours before a Broadway show (in my case at least, Beetlejuice was AMAZING), going to the High Line or Ellis Island, etc.

I have no idea what you're trying to say here.
 
I have no idea what you're trying to say here.
I'm talking about the casual tourists who go to Central Park and end up disappointed with it because it didn't live up to "their" ideal, as Central Park in popular culture is mentioned in the same breath as London Zoo - I remember hearing people asking "where's the lions" at Central Park on my second to last recent visit. Should've specified which point I was referring to.
 
I'm talking about the casual tourists who go to Central Park and end up disappointed with it because it didn't live up to "their" ideal, as Central Park in popular culture is mentioned in the same breath as London Zoo - I remember hearing people asking "where's the lions" at Central Park on my second to last recent visit. Should've specified which point I was referring to.

People do that stuff with every place, though; it's just more notable because it's a popular park. When I was at a natives-only zoo in Quebec, an employee was on the phone with a guy who was pissed they didn't have lions. There's always going to be people who are disappointed, because they hear "zoo" and expect all of the ABC species. You are never going to please those people. As long as they don't lose the sea lions, and have a few pop culture-popular species like sloths, capybara, penguins, etc, they're fine.
 
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