Detroit Zoo Detroit Zoo News 2021

Brad the male eland is gone. Only Clover is left. I don't think they were phased out. I'm pretty sure the eland are (were) both up there in years. Brad also looked thin for some time now, so I'm assuming he was geriatric and passed of old age. I think they'll likely bring in new eland which shouldn't be too difficult to find, or they'll move the wildebeest over there. Perhaps the wildebeest were planned as replacements for the eland. I certainly hope they bring in new eland, they are a spectacular looking species.
 
MIZOOenthusiast070128 said:
I thought somebody said they don't have macaroni or rockhopper penguins anymore, but apparently, the Detroit Zoo is exhibit chinstrap penguins, which I think are fairly rare in captivity (I could be wrong). I saw this one their penguin cam today.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I think chinstraps are pretty rare. Just by doing a quick Google search I only found them at the Central Park Zoo and the Newport Aquarium. Also regarding the macaroni and rockhoppers, I just watched a little bit of the stream and I think I saw a macaroni penguin behind the huge group of king penguins in front of the camera.
 
Azamat Shackleford said:
I haven't seen Siamese crocodiles my last visit, which has me fearing that they too, where phased out.

As far as I know, the grey seals were transferred to other zoos. I forget how many seals they had left at my visit, assuming some passed on.
Click to expand...

The keeper who gave a talk in the reptile house said that they really didn't have room in that center display for crocodiles the size of the Siamese. They were sent elsewhere. There is now a Chinese alligator and the keeper said they were planning on getting a friend for him but I haven't seen one so far.
 
MIZOOenthusiast070128 said:
I thought somebody said they don't have macaroni or rockhopper penguins anymore, but apparently, the Detroit Zoo is exhibit chinstrap penguins, which I think are fairly rare in captivity (I could be wrong). I saw this one their penguin cam today.
Click to expand...
Hell yeah! I actually a dream about seeing chinstrap penguins at Detroit like four years ago, awesome how it’s become a reality!
 
Went to the zoo today. Unfortunately all of the buildings are closed, but I saw lots of animals outside. Saw the new lion cub playing with her mother, as well as the baby macaque. Another highlight was seeing the wolverine active for the first time, it was actually hard to get a good photo because it kept running around in circles!
 
evilmonkey239 said:
Went to the zoo today. Unfortunately all of the buildings are closed, but I saw lots of animals outside. Saw the new lion cub playing with her mother, as well as the baby macaque. Another highlight was seeing the wolverine active for the first time, it was actually hard to get a good photo because it kept running around in circles!
Click to expand...

I noticed the wolverine was moving around a lot in circles too. I saw it rubbing its genitals on a lot of the log in the exhibit. Is this stress behavior or breeding behavior maybe?
 
Azamat Shackleford said:
Yeah, I know other people who prefer making the extra drive down to Toledo even rather than visit Detroit. I'm going to remain cautiously optimistic for the new zoo director; I'd hate to see Detroit fully lose the nostalgic charm it once had. I'm not going to bring up the fact that Kagan himself has possible ties with animal rights organizations...

HSUS and Other Radicals Conspire Behind Closed Doors at Detroit Zoo - HumaneWatch

(insert "can't have s**t in Detroit" meme here)
Click to expand...
That's quite the list of Animal-Rights Activists.
 
Last edited:
LowlandGorilla4 said:
That's quite the list of Animal-Rights Activists.
Click to expand...

Yeesh, call me out if its a bad theory or I'm thinking too optimistic about the new director, but I think the previous director was phasing out animals on purpose due to his seeming hatred for zoos, and the new guy can't really fix that yet due to covid and budget issues.

I hope this place ends up great again like I remember as a kid. Some place like an aquarium, an insectarium, heck, I wouldn't even mind something as simple as another carnivore habitat. I hope these guys can rebound in the future, the lion and polar bear cubs seem to be a start.
 
AlmightyKingPrawn said:
Yeesh, call me out if its a bad theory or I'm thinking too optimistic about the new director, but I think the previous director was phasing out animals on purpose due to his seeming hatred for zoos, and the new guy can't really fix that yet due to covid and budget issues.

I hope this place ends up great again like I remember as a kid. Some place like an aquarium, an insectarium, heck, I wouldn't even mind something as simple as another carnivore habitat. I hope these guys can rebound in the future, the lion and polar bear cubs seem to be a start.
Click to expand...
I don't think he hated zoos per say but he was definitely operating on an agenda. Possibly shrink the zoo down and leave when it gets bad (i.e. COVID)?
 
LowlandGorilla4 said:
That's quite the list of Animal-Rights Activists.
Click to expand...
AlmightyKingPrawn said:
Yeesh, call me out if its a bad theory or I'm thinking too optimistic about the new director, but I think the previous director was phasing out animals on purpose due to his seeming hatred for zoos, and the new guy can't really fix that yet due to covid and budget issues.

I hope this place ends up great again like I remember as a kid. Some place like an aquarium, an insectarium, heck, I wouldn't even mind something as simple as another carnivore habitat. I hope these guys can rebound in the future, the lion and polar bear cubs seem to be a start.
Click to expand...
I just saw the original post linking the article, and it’s really disturbing. I still think some of the phase-outs were justified (elephants, hippos, American black and Syrian brown bears so the grizzly habitat could be expanded) but I agree so many species have disappeared it feels like overkill. Kagan secretly being anti-zoo unfortunately feels consistent with so many animals being phased out especially in the past decade.
 
evilmonkey239 said:
I just saw the original post linking the article, and it’s really disturbing. I still think some of the phase-outs were justified (elephants, hippos, American black and Syrian brown bears so the grizzly habitat could be expanded) but I agree so many species have disappeared it feels like overkill. Kagan secretly being anti-zoo unfortunately feels consistent with so many animals being phased out especially in the past decade.
Click to expand...
In all fairness when the elephant exhibit was built it well exceeded current guidelines. As we learned more about elephant care and management we realized it wasn't nearly as adequate. I agree with his decision to move the elephants but I think some species could have stayed. Hippos and maybe one of the bear species could have been kept with some renovations. As @Bisonblake said the zoo is over 100 acres. The Smithsonian Zoo keeps far more species on roughly the same amount of land, plus they need to factor in the hills. Detroit Zoo (as far as I remember) is fairly flat with plenty of open space and picnic areas that I remember hardly seeing anyone use.
 
evilmonkey239 said:
I just saw the original post linking the article, and it’s really disturbing. I still think some of the phase-outs were justified (elephants, hippos, American black and Syrian brown bears so the grizzly habitat could be expanded) but I agree so many species have disappeared it feels like overkill. Kagan secretly being anti-zoo unfortunately feels consistent with so many animals being phased out especially in the past decade.
Click to expand...
The hippo actually passed away, so I don't know if I would consider it to be phased out. It was definitely a bummer when it wasn't replaced. I do remember there were a couple of animals that were brought in to replace it. There were the pink-backed pelicans and a species of crocodile, which I believe were dwarf crocodiles (I know it was a small species and maybe African also). Unfortunately, there are only a couple pelicans left, and who knows where the crocodiles are now.
 
Alex Bensky said:
The keeper who gave a talk in the reptile house said that they really didn't have room in that center display for crocodiles the size of the Siamese. They were sent elsewhere. There is now a Chinese alligator and the keeper said they were planning on getting a friend for him but I haven't seen one so far.
Click to expand...

Sounds like a sensible decision to me, the Chinese alligator is as critically endangered as the croc and with far less spatial requirements in captivity.
 
LowlandGorilla4 said:
In all fairness when the elephant exhibit was built it well exceeded current guidelines. As we learned more about elephant care and management we realized it wasn't nearly as adequate. I agree with his decision to move the elephants but I think some species could have stayed. Hippos and maybe one of the bear species could have been kept with some renovations. As @Bisonblake said the zoo is over 100 acres. The Smithsonian Zoo keeps far more species on roughly the same amount of land, plus they need to factor in the hills. Detroit Zoo (as far as I remember) is fairly flat with plenty of open space and picnic areas that I remember hardly seeing anyone use.
Click to expand...
I have only eaten at the picnic tables once near the rhinos and zebra/wildebeest exhibit, and I might be the only person that has ever used them. There are about 10 (give or take a few) areas in the zoo that could be great for new exhibits. Some of the bigger ones are:
  • Main picnic grove and otter picnic site, both located in the conservation campus in between the otters and the WIG (Wildlife Interpretive Gallery). Can easily house two or three exhibits.
  • Red panda picnic site, located next to the red panda exhibit. About the size of the red panda exhibit, and could probably hold one or two small mammals depending on their size, or an aviary. Or a new Japanese macaque exhibit, because that exhibit is really old.
  • Rackham fountain pavilion and the dinosaur trail, both in the Asian Forest across from the fountain. Can easily hold multiple exhibits (3, 4, maybe 5, or 6).
  • The area near the Australian Outback adventure and the small grotto habitat. Would be great to see that area of the zoo get some attention.
  • Wolverine picnic site and Pierson Lake picnic site, both in American Grasslands near the wolverines. Both areas are decently sized and could each hold a nice-sized exhibit for a small mammal, a bird of prey, or multiple bird areas.
I do a bit too much speculation about this place. Sometimes my dreams are a lot bigger than what's actually possible.
 
Bisonblake said:
I have only eaten at the picnic tables once near the rhinos and zebra/wildebeest exhibit, and I might be the only person that has ever used them. There are about 10 (give or take a few) areas in the zoo that could be great for new exhibits. Some of the bigger ones are:
  • Main picnic grove and otter picnic site, both located in the conservation campus in between the otters and the WIG (Wildlife Interpretive Gallery). Can easily house two or three exhibits.
  • Red panda picnic site, located next to the red panda exhibit. About the size of the red panda exhibit, and could probably hold one or two small mammals depending on their size, or an aviary. Or a new Japanese macaque exhibit, because that exhibit is really old.
  • Rackham fountain pavilion and the dinosaur trail, both in the Asian Forest across from the fountain. Can easily hold multiple exhibits (3, 4, maybe 5, or 6).
  • The area near the Australian Outback adventure and the small grotto habitat. Would be great to see that area of the zoo get some attention.
  • Wolverine picnic site and Pierson Lake picnic site, both in American Grasslands near the wolverines. Both areas are decently sized and could each hold a nice-sized exhibit for a small mammal, a bird of prey, or multiple bird areas.
I do a bit too much speculation about this place. Sometimes my dreams are a lot bigger than what's actually possible.
Click to expand...
I once did a redesign but I lost the key so I can't remember what exhibit is for what animal. I do remember having Cheetahs, moose and possibly snow leopards. If anyone is interested I can post a picture of the map.
 
LowlandGorilla4 said:
I once did a redesign but I lost the key so I can't remember what exhibit is for what animal. I do remember having Cheetahs, moose and possibly snow leopards. If anyone is interested I can post a picture of the map.
Click to expand...

The Detroit Zoo has room for pretty much all, if not most, of the more iconic animals that the Toledo Zoo has; except the elephants and probably the hippos. The AZA currently wants hippos housed in groups of 4-8, and for zoos to breed them. There is room for snow leopards and orangutans in the zoo’s Asian Forest area, along with room for other small animals. There’s room for jaguars, tapirs, capybaras, and a Latin monkey species in that South American area they converted into another field for the domestic horses. There’s certainly room for at least one species of crocodile somewhere in the zoo; I’d like to see them add a saltwater crocodile, or maybe gharial or Siamese crocodiles. There’s room for cheetahs depending on how you move things around, and the current guanaco yard could definitely hold two or three moose; moose would likely do very well at the Detroit Zoo considering the amount of space and the local climate. I think getting new pelicans and harbor seals shouldn’t be that difficult, and maybe add some white-lipped deer back into the camel yard; a group of four to six white-lipped deer would probably have enough space. If not there’s room to expand that yard. It’s so damn disappointing to see the reduction in species; the Detroit Zoo is starting to feel like a small town zoo like the Binder Park Zoo (nothing against them).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top