El Paso Zoo El Paso Zoo news

Nile Hippo Expert said:
The zoo's sole elephant, Savannah, has passed away from arthritis complications at the age of 71. She was also the oldest living captive Asian Elephant in the world.
El Paso Zoo and Botanical Gardens mourns death of beloved Asian elephant Savannah | KTSM 9 News
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According to an AZA accreditation report, the El Paso Zoo has officially announced that they have permanently closed their elephant exhibit 'due to a shortage of the exotic animal'.
https://cbs4local.com/news/local/el...ant-exhibit-according-to-accreditation-report
 
Smaggledagle said:
Piece of February 2024 News Not Mentioned:

On February 17th, it was announced that they acquired a (0.0.1) blood python named Credence and a (0.0.1) red-tailed boa named Yuki from The Loveland Living Planet Aquarium in Utah in March 2023 which are animal ambassadors.

https://livingplanetaquarium.org/wp-content/uploads/Annual-Report-2023.pdf

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On March 12th, it was reported that the El Paso City Council voted on February 26th that they would not be renewing their contract with the Zoological Society which ended on March 17th. Initially, the city did not provide a reason for why they ended the contract, though it was later stated that they did not complete projects on time, which the Zoological Society disagreed. Also mentioned was that the next project to be funded was a new exhibit for flamingos.

City ends longtime contract with Zoological Society
https://kfoxtv.com/news/local/el-pa...all-out-contract-eviction-ceo-board-president

On March 19th, it was reported that the city released a 39-page audit on the Zoological Society, of which the issues include:

- The zoo took longer than 30-60 days to bill the society for events and the society took longer than 30-60 days to pay said bills [The society claims they had to be invoiced by the city/zoo of which some invoices never came.]
- The society raised or lowered memberships without approval from the zoo's director [The society claims they did receive approval from the director, with email receipts]
- The society failed to turn in financial statements between the years of 2021 - 2023 [The society claims that the new zoo management (i.e. the director) prevented them as instead of handing over quarterly/annual reports to the zoo and the city, during the new management, they sent the reports only to the zoo]
- There was a lack of a fundraising plan, as the society's event manager and the zoo director planned events one at a time [The society claims the director is at fault, as they asked him to present the project and he declined]
- The society/director failed to show proof of insurance for "Employee Dishonestly"
- The director failed to turn in documents, provide a capital campaign, and created his own volunteer program

The zoo would go on to respond to the 6+ problems that were outlined in the audit, and explain that they thought the city was using the audit against them instead of negotiation.*

https://cbs4local.com/news/local/au...lations-by-el-paso-zoo-and-zoological-society
https://cbs4local.com/news/local/el...-agreement-partnership-director-joe-montisano

On March 21st, the zoo announced they installed new nest boxes for wild burrowing owls on facility grounds.

El Paso Zoo

*I am going to use [] and bold text for the zoo's response on each point.
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What has become of this peculiar and statement that is just hard to follow. It seems that bureacracy is more important than actually having a zoo that is serving the community. How did the zoo respond to all these audit items?


As to the pronghorn program at El Paso: It is a nice feat for this small zoo to have bred 5.3 fawns in 2022. It completely filled up their Chihuahuan Desert exhibit and the herd has expanded over the years to become the prime breeder of this critically endangered taxon! It is the biggest herd within the entire ex situ program (larger than both Los Angeles and Phoenix or even San Diego WAP)!!!!!

It will be interesting to see what the current breeding season will deliver!

PLEASE NOTE: This is old news from 2022, see the date of publication ...!
 
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2 Pieces of June 2024 News Worth Mentioning:

On June 12th, it was announced that the zoo transferred a (0.1) Prezwalski's wild horse to the Lee Richardson Zoo in Kansas on June 10th.

Lee Richardson Zoo

On June 18th, it was announced that the zoo transferred a (1.0) cotton-top tamarin to Moody Gardens in Texas.

Moody Gardens

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On September 13th, the zoo announced they acquired (1.1) infant spider monkeys (species not specified) after they were smuggled into the United States.

El Paso Zoo
 
Smaggledagle said:
On September 13th, the zoo announced they acquired (1.1) infant spider monkeys (species not specified) after they were smuggled into the United States.

El Paso Zoo
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These must be infant Mexican spider monkeys (1.1) Ateles geoffroyi vellerosus. The zoo should have 0.2 elderly of the same species already. Hopefully, these monkeys can be rehabilitated and perhaps form a new breeding group!
 
I have a Few questions, and a concern. First the Concern. one thing that the El Paso zoo needs to do is update their website, because under the animals tab they still have sun bears and elephants list, even though they no longer have or exhibit Asian elephants, not even mentioning that they have Indian rhino, and that there last sun bear died in early 2024

also do they have African wild dogs still, or are they gone and I have seen one image if them with a red panda, is that true or not
 
brown bear 555 said:
I have a Few questions, and a concern. First the Concern. one thing that the El Paso zoo needs to do is update their website, because under the animals tab they still have sun bears and elephants list, even though they no longer have or exhibit Asian elephants, not even mentioning that they have Indian rhino, and that there last sun bear died in early 2024

also do they have African wild dogs still, or are they gone and I have seen one image if them with a red panda, is that true or not
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They still have painted dogs.
 
(2:16-6:23)

Finally I can say something!

2 binturongs and 2 lar gibbons are at the zoo. The binturongs live in the old sun bear exhibit. The gibbons will live on the siamang island, although the gibbons are not actually on exhibit yet. I think the bearcats are still getting comfortable, so they may be hard to find if they even decide to come out. Both species appear on the zoo's map.

2 Magellanic penguins hatched in June (you can tell the month from the camera footage).

A Swainson's hawk lives in the old prairie dog exhibit.

Some koi have been doanted to the koi pond across from the Grasslands Cafe.

Taj the Indian rhino's 8th birthday will be celebrated the day after tomorrow.
 
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Beginning next month, El Paso Zoo is launching an animal encounter program that will allow visitors to pay for one of 4 different experiences. There will be an opportunity to go inside the exhibits with either Pronghorn, Magellanic Penguins or Galapagos Tortoises, or to touch and feed the zoo's Indian Rhino from outside the enclosure. I've never heard of a zoo encounter involving Pronghorn before.

This article has a little more information:

https://www.ktsm.com/news/el-paso-zoo-to-launch-up-close-animal-encounter-program-in-february/
 
the pronghorn experience is especially a unique one, being that a penguin encounter, tortoise encounter, and a rhino encounter are so common in so many zoos and aquariums. although a rhino encounter is less common as a penguin and tortoise encounter is more common. the one problem i could see with pronghorn animals is that pronghorn is an antelope species that is part of the ungulate family. and ungulates in zoos, such as gazelles and antelope get easily startled and frightened so I might think that this may not last long
 
brown bear 555 said:
the pronghorn experience is especially a unique one, being that a penguin encounter, tortoise encounter, and a rhino encounter are so common in so many zoos and aquariums. although a rhino encounter is less common as a penguin and tortoise encounter is more common. the one problem i could see with pronghorn animals is that pronghorn is an antelope species that is part of the ungulate family. and ungulates in zoos, such as gazelles and antelope get easily startled and frightened so I might think that this may not last long
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pronghorn despite occasionally being called an antelope are not actually closely related to antelope and are the only living members of their family, their closest living relatives are the giraffes and okapi. Not sure if that means they are any less flighty though.
 
0.1 California sea lion Dichali was transferred from Six Flags Great Adventure to the El Paso Zoo on March 12th, 2025. She was born at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (then called Marine World) on June 16th, 2006. The El Paso Zoo has also acquired ownership of Dichali.
 
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