2018 News Summary
Every other year the zoo is relatively uneventful in terms of opening new major developments, events, and having star births. There may never be another 2017 at the Cincinnati Zoo again. While that may be true for those subjects, the zoo made the biggest announcement in its history with the unveiling of their master plan - creating an anticipation that will last until the projects are complete.
January: Baby Aardvark, Winsol, is born - Gorilla, Anju, mother of a two-year old passes away
February: A Colobus was born
April: Wings of the World reopens after an extensive renovation and upgrade - A fourth rescued Manatee, later named Daphne, is put on display
May: A fire started at one of the restaurants near Manatee Springs - all of them were later demolished - Monkey Island closes and a Galapagos tortoise exhibit takes half its space.
June: The zoo announced their master plan. A $150 million dollar project for a new walkthrough kangaroo/penguin exhibit replacing Wildlife Canyon; a parking garage; renovations to Rhino Reserve, Seal Falls, and Lords of the Arctic; and a new seven acre Elephant complex. - The zoo added an outdoor Tamandua exhibit in the Children’s Zoo - The last White Tiger, Popsy, passed away - The Free Flight Aviary reopens with terns, turacos, gulls, a Seriema, exotic pigeons and more. It’s home to Keas in the colder months - Two red panda cubs were born
July: Bald Eagles took the space of Monkey Island’s other half
August: Two Guam Trails hatched - A custody battle brews with the Gorilla Foundation in California for silverback, Ndume - a former resident to Cincinnati
September: It was announced that Isla, a southern tamandua, was pregnant - Two of the zoo’s lion cubs, Uma and Willa were transferred
November: Wildlife Canyon closes (1989) to make way for Roo Valley (2020). Camels, Przewalski’s Horse, takins, warty pigs, capybaras, southern screamers are permanently off display for the moment or have found new homes
December: After months of anticipation - it was announced that Anana was in fact, not pregnant - The zoo’s annual Festival of Lights was voted Best Zoo Lights in the US - A southern tamandua was born - A Little Penguin hatched