Dallas Zoo Dallas Zoo News 2022

Kifaru Bwana said:
Any chance that the Zoo will enter a more stable phase and management in it for the long haul?
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We can only hope so! They are still in the process of filling some of those upper positions, so only time will tell. Unfortunately, a lot of major zoos in the United States have had a hard time maintaining successful and sound management as of late.
 
StoppableSan said:
Please be a boardwalk, please be a boardwalk, please be a boardwalk...
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I think that some form of walking trail will be the most likely replacement for the monorail. Boardwalks would seem to be the logical choice, given the layout of the habitats and their respective barns and holding areas as well as just the immense cost and disruption to the animals and staff in those areas that would come with the demolition of the monorail track. One idea I have heard tossed around is for two separate boardwalk loops, as having one giant boardwalk would not be compliant with regulations for number of restrooms and refreshment opportunities and would present a safety and access concern during any potential emergencies. This would still leave some of the outlying habitats out of view, but only the few that were already starting to show their age.
 
Kudu21 said:
I think that some form of walking trail will be the most likely replacement for the monorail. Boardwalks would seem to be the logical choice, given the layout of the habitats and their respective barns and holding areas as well as just the immense cost and disruption to the animals and staff in those areas that would come with the demolition of the monorail track. One idea I have heard tossed around is for two separate boardwalk loops, as having one giant boardwalk would not be compliant with regulations for number of restrooms and refreshment opportunities and would present a safety and access concern during any potential emergencies. This would still leave some of the outlying habitats out of view, but only the few that were already starting to show their age.
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So logically this would mean stuff like the river habitat and desert habitat being in view boardwalkwise?
 
StoppableSan said:
So logically this would mean stuff like the river habitat and desert habitat being in view boardwalkwise?
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If a two loop plan is implemented, logistically, the only habitats to be cut would likely be the Mountain and Predator/Prey habitats, so the Woodland, River, Arid, Semi-Arid, Scrub, and Bush habitats would all be visible again.
 
A black-and-white colobus infant was born on January 28th to first-time mother "Pili" and father "Kuruka".
 
I popped into the zoo for a few hours today and have a few updates-- there is construction underway in the former cheetah run yard in ZooNorth, multiple exhibits in the Herpetarium are being renovated, and the Kopje Aviary in the Wilds of Africa is closed for renovation as well. The meerkat exhibit is closed, and the Forest Aviary in Wilds of Africa has been emptied of everything but waterfowl and hooded vultures for the winter. The Hartmann's mountain zebras were on exhibit alone in the north habitat in the Giants of the Savanna, as they are still working on trying to reintegrate them with the other species.
 
Elena said:
The zoo announced today that 5 asymptomatic Western lowland gorillas (Shana, B’Wenzi, Marcus, Asha, and Shanta) tested positive for COVID-19.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CZu-UD0IyWJ/
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The National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL) has confirmed that the 5 gorillas have been tested positive for COVID-19, more precisely the Omicron variant. It this moment the gorillas are still symptom free.

Source:
Instagram of Dallas Zoo (15/02/2022) https://www.instagram.com/p/CaA5CwbsqUm/
 
The zoo announced today that their nearly nine-year-old capybara, “Fred”, was euthanized on Sunday due to on-going, age-related deterioration of health.
 
Updates as of March 28th, 2022:
  • I noticed that the elephants, giraffes, and other birds/hoofstock were not mixed at all during the entire day. I asked a nearby keeper and she explained that they were working on introductions with some of the hoofstock and therefore it could be weeks to months until they starting exhibiting them all together. Though I am not entirely sure I speculate that this might possibly have something to do with the zebras who were off exhibit on the day of my visit (which could also be because of the calf).
  • The male lion cub Izwi is being exhibited with his father and another older female (not his mother) as his sisters have reached sexual maturity. The lions can still be observed and heard roaring at each other on certain occasions.
  • The first exhibit in the Wilds of Africa Kopje section is boarded off and apparently under some form of minor construction/renovations. Correct me if I’m wrong but I believe that used to be the “Kopje Aviary” and I think some of the birds have been moved to the nearby “Forest Aviary”.
  • The tiger cubs were not on exhibit on this day.
  • The bachelor gorilla troop including the individuals who had COVID 19 are back on public display.
 
The zoo has received a 10-month-old North American porcupine named “Sylvie” from the Pueblo Zoo in Colorado. “Sylvie” is the newest addition to the zoo’s animal ambassador program.
 
The zoo has announced bird flu closures:

ZOO UPDATE — AVIAN FLU: Cases of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) have been confirmed in Texas, within 100 miles of the Zoo, and we are taking every precaution to keep our birds safe and healthy. For that reason, many of our birds will remain behind the scenes, away from their public-facing habitats until the threat has passed, including African penguins, flamingos, and more. In addition, the Forest Aviary and Birds Landing will be closed to the public.

As an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), the Zoo is following recommendations from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help prevent the spread of this deadly virus among birds. Human infection with avian influenza viruses are very rare, and no cases of human infection with the current strain in the United States have been reported. Our expert team of veterinarians and zoologists will be monitoring HPAI very closely and will follow protocols accordingly.
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