Reid Park Zoo current species list

Arizona Docent

Arizona Docent

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
A New Mexico neighbor on another ZooChat thread asked me for a complete species list. I am going basically from memory, but the zoo is small enough that I think I can do it. I will list it by the regions the zoo is divided into, listing the animals more or less in the order you would come across them.

SOUTH AMERICA
spectacled bear
giant anteater
yellow gold macaw and military macaw
green basilisk
dwarf caiman and pacu and yellow spotted turtle
walk in aviary (boat bill heron, rosette spoonbill, scarlet ibis, red capped cardinal, rosybill pochard, king vulture, a couple others I forget)
llama
common rhea and galapagos tortoise
red footed and yellow footed tortoise
crested screamer and capybara
bairds tapir
black jaguar
 
ASIA
malayan tiger
sun bear (never comes out of night house though)
visayan warty pig
sarus crane
white handed gibbon
 
AFRICA
grevys zebra and crowned crane and ostrich and guineafowl
radiated tortoise and leopard tortoise
white rhino and spekes gazelle and kori bustard and marabou stork
reticulated giraffe
african lion
mandrill
aldabra tortoise
african bush elephant
 
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WORLD OF ADAPTATION and CONSERVATION LEARNING CENTER
(former polar bear, temporary marabou stork, future brown bear)
chilean flamingo
walk in aviary (tragopan pheasant, great hornbill, trumpeter hornbill, blue bellied roller, bleeding heart dove, nicobar pigeon, crowned pigeon, bearded barbet, emerald starling, a few others)
sulphur crested cockatoo
bearded dragon
green tree python
lion tailed macaque
 
EDUCATION ANIMALS (only out when someone is handling)
domestic chicken
domestic guinea pig
domestic rabbit
blue tongued skink (2 species)
trans pecos ratsnake
cornsnake
ball python
hairy armadillo
north african hedgehog
southern tamandua
domestic ferret
marbled polecat
young tortoises (red footed or yellow footed or leopard)
hissing cockroach
fennec fox
(plus a couple others I am likely forgetting)
 
Arizona Docent said:
WORLD OF ADAPTATION and CONSERVATION LEARNING CENTER
(former polar bear, temporary marabou stork, future brown bear)
chilean flamingo
walk in aviary (tragopan pheasant, great hornbill, trumpeter hornbill, blue bellied roller, bleeding heart dove, nicobar pigeon, crowned pigeon, bearded barbet, emerald starling, a few others)
sulphur crested cockatoo
bearded dragon
green tree python
lion tailed macaque
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Future Brown Bear? Really? Any idea when? That's great
 
I was told this morning by a staff person that renovation on the exhibit will begin hopefully in the next couple months. Since they already have signs for the public stating future brown bear, I would imagine it is not that far off. I was also told this morning they have started the application process with US Fish and Wildlife to find bears. Ideally it would be two orphaned grizzly cubs, but of course there is no way to guarantee that.

The renovations will consist of installing a more gradual entry to the pool (because apparently brown bears don't like to dive in like polar bears do) and connecting the pool yard and grassy yard so the bears do not have to go through the night house to switch sides.
 
Arizona Docent said:
I was told this morning by a staff person that renovation on the exhibit will begin hopefully in the next couple months. Since they already have signs for the public stating future brown bear, I would imagine it is not that far off. I was also told this morning they have started the application process with US Fish and Wildlife to find bears. Ideally it would be two orphaned grizzly cubs, but of course there is no way to guarantee that.

The renovations will consist of installing a more gradual entry to the pool (because apparently brown bears don't like to dive in like polar bears do) and connecting the pool yard and grassy yard so the bears do not have to go through the night house to switch sides.
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How exciting! I can't wait to see what is brought in. Of course, there is sadness that the cubs will be orphans, but glad that they'll have a better chance at life than if left in the wild. Keep us updated if you can.
 
azcheetah2 said:
How exciting! I can't wait to see what is brought in. Of course, there is sadness that the cubs will be orphans, but glad that they'll have a better chance at life than if left in the wild. Keep us updated if you can.
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It should happen fairly quickly. I had a chance to briefly ask a senior staff about it today on grounds and was told the contractor for renovation was chosen and work will begin in the next 2-3 weeks. Renovations should be done by this summer.
 
Wow, that's great. They seem to be really motivated about getting it done. I was telling my mom about it last night and she has concerns about Grizzlies in Arizona since they're more cold weather species, but I told her they'd probably adapt a lot better than the Polar Bears did.
 
azcheetah2: I do also wonder how they will adapt depending on their location they are brought from, but I do not think they will have much of a problem because Grizzlies were native to New Mexico and Arizona until the 1900's.
 
WLV30SAS said:
azcheetah2: I do also wonder how they will adapt depending on their location they are brought from, but I do not think they will have much of a problem because Grizzlies were native to New Mexico and Arizona until the 1900's.
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Really? I didn't know that. Thank you. I'm pretty sure they will adapt fairly well, too. It's too bad the cubs can't come from a zoological setting so they're not being taken out of the wild, but I don't know that any zoos in the US even breed Grizzlies. The zoos that house them, they seem to be all sibling pairs. San Diego and Woodland Park both have brothers so that wouldn't work. hahaha. I understand the cubs will be orphans, but still...
 
azcheetah2 said:
Really? I didn't know that. Thank you. I'm pretty sure they will adapt fairly well, too. It's too bad the cubs can't come from a zoological setting so they're not being taken out of the wild, but I don't know that any zoos in the US even breed Grizzlies. The zoos that house them, they seem to be all sibling pairs. San Diego and Woodland Park both have brothers so that wouldn't work. hahaha. I understand the cubs will be orphans, but still...
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The reason zoos do not breed them is there is a constant supply of orphaned cubs and problem adult bears that need homes. If that was not the case, then perhaps American zoos would be breeding.

Yes, grizzlies were native to the high mountains not only of Arizona but also down into the Sierra Madre of Mexico. I have a book on the history of Bronx Zoo and it has a picture of them doing a veterinary procedure on what is described as a mexican grizzly bear.
 
Oh no. I totally understand the reasoning behind it. Why breed grizzlies when there's plenty of problem bears and orphans that could use a different home rather than the alternative of destruction. I'm just saying, I wish there was another way. I wish there weren't any orphan cubs or problem bears that need to be taken care of. But there are so putting them in a zoological setting is the best alternative.
 
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