Franklin Park Zoo Franklin Park Zoo news 2025

 
From observations during my recent visit, the aviary at the Children's Zoo now has two Hooded Cranes again. Previously one had died, and the other was the only specimen for many months. Also, the barn owl in the loft of the barn is now gone, and the sign has been removed. Upon inquiring, I was told the barn owl moved to another facility, and the loft will no longer be used for animal exhibits.

It was opening weekend of the orchid exhibit in the tropical forest building. The exhibit was very nice. It has been expanded from last year's inaugural exhibit with small animal topiaries made of moss and bark, some orchids made of Legos, and generally more orchids on display. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys horticulture. It runs until early March.
 

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NNM. said:
The Tropical Forest itself needed some life and variety, too. I almost wish the whole building had more free-flight birds.
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I totally agree with the birds. The birds really make yo fell like yo hare actually in the rainforest and make it a cool sensory experience. They did atleast add some black and white ibis a while back.
 
Visited today and noticed a few things:
  • Construction on the penguin exhibit and new savannah are in full swing. A huge construction area is closed off with fences, probably encompassing around 3 acres on that side of the zoo. Inside the fences are giant piles of dirt, and tons of pipes and tubes and vehicles and mechanisms are sprawled all over. The rock garden by the TF exit is also really starting to take shape.
  • The clouded leopard exhibit has opened, as has been reported. I got to the zoo around opening time hoping the leopard would be active, but it lay in the back the whole time I was there and signs indicated that it was still getting adjusted to the exhibit. I like that the exhibit includes more plants than most exhibits in that building have.
  • The signage across from the Ring-Tailed Lemur exhibit has been completely replaced. It used to be about the layers of the forest floor, but now provides information about Madagascar. Since the clouded leopard exhibit is right next to the lemurs, I started to wonder if Fossa would've been a better small carnivore to put there and fit with the Madagascan theme.
  • There are barriers at the lion exhibit to keep people from getting too close to the glass windows in order to give Dinari more space. I wondered why they implemented this now and have not in the past. Maybe Dinari has gotten more sensitive/stressed now that he is alone after the passing of the other lion, Kamaia? I saw him pacing today, but had never seen that behavior from him in the past.
 
ZooElephantMan said:
Visited today and noticed a few things:
  • Construction on the penguin exhibit and new savannah are in full swing. A huge construction area is closed off with fences, probably encompassing around 3 acres on that side of the zoo. Inside the fences are giant piles of dirt, and tons of pipes and tubes and vehicles and mechanisms are sprawled all over. The rock garden by the TF exit is also really starting to take shape.
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Does anyone know if the final design has been posted for African Experience? There are a few floating around. Number seems really high for costs for a small penguin exhibit and expanded savanna. Believe they will also add the new entry/gift shop area. Wonder if anything will be scaled back thanks to fedral cuts.
 
ZooElephantMan said:
  • The signage across from the Ring-Tailed Lemur exhibit has been completely replaced. It used to be about the layers of the forest floor, but now provides information about Madagascar. Since the clouded leopard exhibit is right next to the lemurs, I started to wonder if Fossa would've been a better small carnivore to put there and fit with the Madagascan theme.
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The signage here was in desperate need of updating. Madagascar was selected as the theme due to the zoo's partnership with OneHealth in Madagascar and it's research initiative at the Center for Zoonomics: One Health in Madagascar - Center for Zoonomics Based at Zoo New England

Unsure why they chose clouded leopard over fossa. However, if it were me I wouldn't want to put an animal that mainly preys on lemurs directly next to a lemur exhibit as it could cause stress to both species.

ZooElephantMan said:
  • There are barriers at the lion exhibit to keep people from getting too close to the glass windows in order to give Dinari more space. I wondered why they implemented this now and have not in the past. Maybe Dinari has gotten more sensitive/stressed now that he is alone after the passing of the other lion, Kamaia? I saw him pacing today, but had never seen that behavior from him in the past.
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There have been issues with visitors hitting the windows to get the lions' attention/try to interact with them in the past. Sometimes Dinari would come over and paw at the window, further exacerbating this behavior from visitors as they were getting a reaction. Since Kamaia's death, Dinari has shown more signs of reactivity, so stanchions were placed near these windows to help prevent visitors from trying to interact with him in this way. This is a negative and likely stressful experience for him that the zoo is trying to diminish.
 
Yes I have noticed Dinari pawing on the window multiple times. It seems to happen when someone is wearing red so maybe it has some connection to meat?
I also really hope the Africa construction includes a new gift shop because the current one is not very good.
 
I have a couple of questions regarding the bird collection based on my last visit:
  • Where are the red siskins kept?
  • Is this the complete, accurate species list of room 1 in the Bird House (Is anything missing? I haven’t seen the barbet):
    • Australian Wood Duck Chenonetta jubata
    • Blue-bellied Roller Coracias cyanogaster
    • Boat-billed Heron Cochlearius cochlearius
    • Blanding's Turtle Emydoidea blandingii
    • Marbled Duck Marmaronetta angustirostris [Signed as Marbled Teal]
    • Northern Hadada Ibis Bostrychia hagedash brevirostris [Signed as Hadada Ibis]
    • Red and Yellow Barbet Trachyphonus erythocephalus
    • Ringed Teal Callonetta leucophrys
    • Sunbittern Eurypyga helias
  • What about for Room 4? (Is anything missing? I have never seen the violet turacos)
    • Bali Myna Leucopsar rothschildi
    • Brown Bullhead Ameiurus nebulosus [Signed as Catfish]
    • Coastal Plain Cooter Pseudemys florida [Signed as Common Cooter]
    • Hooded Merganser Lophodytes cucullatus
    • Marbled Duck Marmaronetta angustirostris [Signed as Marbled Teal]
    • Pumpkinseed Lepomis gibbosus
    • Sunbittern Eurypyga helias
    • Violet Turaco Tauraco violaeus
  • Finally, is this a complete list of free-roaming species in the Tropical Forest, information sourced from the monitors and signage (other than the sacred ibis) :
    • Bearded Barbet Pogonornis dubius [Never Seen]
    • Black-naped Fruit Dove Ptilinopus melanospilus [Never Seen]
    • Blue-bellied Roller Coracias cyanogaster
    • Eastern Crested Guineafowl Guttera pucherani [Never Seen] [Signed as Kenyan Crested Guineafowl]
    • Golden-breasted Starling Lamprotornis regius
    • Hadada Ibis Bostrychia hagedash
    • Hamerkop Scopus umbretta
    • Hartlaub's Duck Pteronetta hartlaubii [Never Seen]
    • Malagasy Sacred Ibis Threskiornis bernieri
    • Red-crested Turaco Tauraco erythrolophus
    • Scarlet Ibis Eudocimus ruber
    • Straw-coloured Fruit Bat Eidolon helvum [Never Seen] [Signed as African Straw-colored Fruit Bat]
    • Yellow-billed Stork Mycteria ibis
    • Yellow-rumped Cacique Cacicus cela
 
MOG2012 said:
I have a couple of questions regarding the bird collection based on my last visit:
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  • The red siskins are not out on exhibit yet, they are BTS. There is a plan for where they're going but another animal move has to happen before they can be put out. I don't want to say where in case the plan changes.
  • Bird's World Room 1 (Swamp) is correct except for the turtle isn't currently on exhibit. There also used to be a Black crake, but I don't know if it's still there.
  • Bird's World Room 4 (Riverbank) also has Beautiful fruit dove and Red-crested finch.
  • For Tropical Forest
    • There are no Bearded Barbets, Guineafowl or Hartlaub's ducks (those species haven't been there since at least 2020)
    • The Scarlet Ibis were moved to Stone Zoo a few years ago and the Red-crested Turaco were moved to Bird's World (Rainforest/Room 2)
    • The bats can usually be seen hanging on the ceiling above the Hippo exhibits, but they are currently BTS while work is being done on the roof area
    • I don't think there are any more Yellow-rumped Cacique, but they may be bringing more in
    • There were plans to bring in a Red-and-yellow barbet, but unsure if this has happened yet
 
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