Detroit Zoo Detroit Zoo News 2023

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On June 20th, the zoo announced that (0.0.4) Great Lakes piping plovers hatched earlier in June and were released into the wild.

Pipping Plover Conservation | One night can make all the difference. Purchase a ticket to Sunset at the Zoo to see how you can support endangered species like the Great Lakes piping... | By Detroit Zoo | Facebook

On July 31st, the zoo announced that (0.0.227) larval striped newts that were bred at the facility were transferred to the Coastal Plains Institute in Florida.

Detroit Zoo - When it comes to conservation, every little...

A male chimpanzee was born May 26:

From socials:

We are thrilled to announce that Tanya, a 31-year-old chimpanzee who was born at the Detroit Zoo, gave birth to her first baby on Friday, May 26, 2023!

Both mother and son are doing well and enjoying some much-needed rest and bonding time.

On June 20th, the zoo announced its name, Tai.

Detroit Zoo - Say hello to Tai! Inspired by his West...

On August 9th, the zoo announced that a (1.0) Bactrian camel named Humphrey passed away the week prior due to mobility issues.

Detroit Zoo - We are incredibly heartbroken to share with...
 
@Azamat Shackleford and I took a trip to the Detroit Zoo today. We noticed several changes and highlights from today. There were a lot of no-shows, possibly due to the weather, but it was a great visit otherwise.

1. The Partula snail display in the Wildlife Interpretive Gallery is gone.
2. There are no more blue-bellied rollers in the aviary.
3. There are now emerald starlings, a sunbittern, and blue-crowned laughingthrushes in the aviary. The sunbittern and laughingthrush were not listed on the sign, so they surprised both of us.
4. There are a few new species to the NACC including, stout salamanders, spotted toads, and Cuban toads. There might've been more but I forgot to record any of them.
5. The sunfish were moved to the former lungfish tank. The sunfish tank is now empty.
6. Some maintenance was being done on the Cotton Family Wetlands boardwalk, but it's still partially open.
7. Somewhat of a new exhibit, part of the camel exhibit has been fenced off for sandhill cranes and white storks.
8. The new gorilla troop is already on exhibit! Wasn't expecting that after the bachelor troop was sent out.
9. The Arctic Ring of Life doesn't seem to be well-maintained. Areas along the path were overgrown with weeds. There was nothing on exhibit either, mainly turkey vultures and feral pigeons flying around.

There are exactly 30 species in the free-flight aviary! Back in 2020, there were only 20. It's great to see this exhibit get filled with more birds. I'm slightly upset the sunbittern and blue-crowned laughingthrush weren't listed on the sign. I'm curious if there might be other species hiding in the aviary that aren't listed on the sign.
 
News from September I missed until now and learned about from an Instagram meme of all things: the iconic water tower is completely peeled. It's all white. The hope is that a new design will debut in spring. Detroit Zoo water tower to stay white until spring

As a thumb resident, same energy as the Gibralter Trade Center man getting painted over. End of an era.

As a logo nerd (if almost entirely the film and television kind; I'm an AVID editor), this smells like a rebrand and I am wondering whether this exactly is a good idea. That artwork of the people walking with the animals, the Vitamin Z thing, even just the font they use - it's all iconic.
 
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The zoo is still pretty quiet on their construction. However, I found this article about the Kidzone from March. It doesn't say much of anything in regards to animals, but it does give a much better idea of what the area will actually look like. Royal Oak backs federal funding for zoo KidZone, city community center – Daily Tribune

* Will start at the Ford Education Center, so even bigger than I thought.
* Climbing structures and slides.
* "Viewing tunnels".
* Trilingual in English, Spanish, and Arabic and accessible to the blind and wheelchair users.
* A trail 16 feet in the air that leads to a treehouse.
* Water play features.
* The one clear animal thing stated here ("viewing tunnels" have to also be for animals, maybe prairie dogs): a domestic animal petting farm. It isn't a zoo farm without goats to pet in my eyes, and as such Detroit's has all my life given me vibes of desperately needing fixing.

You know, while a lot of this maybe isn't for us Zoochatters, it is going to be invaluable to the community. A place where a bunch of kids are having fun playing in nature beats a "pampas" that has been an utter shadow of its former self for years any day.

Because they will look wimpy by comparison and will probably get no use, I think the current playgrounds will make for excellent exhibit space.

I may be back in the coming months. If I am, I'll try to get construction pics.
 
They've added an extensive schedule to their website of the times of day each week that specific animals are fed or get enrichment.
 
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