Fresno Chaffee Zoo Fresno Chaffee Zoo 2013-2015

DavidBrown said:
Dina, do you know if they have moved all of the giraffes over to the new exhibit area yet?
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The last time I was there was a couple of weeks ago. From what I hear, they plan on moving most of the African animals to the new exhibit as soon as possible. They wanted to give the animals at least a month, to adapt to their new exhibit before the opening. Since this new baby giraffe was born in the new exhibit, I'm pretty sure the giraffe's were already moved.
 
African Adventure's Savanna mixed-species exhibit will have Giraffe, White Rhino, Eland, Impala, Springbok and Wildebeest. There's also a bunch of birds, but I couldn't care less and did not ask about them. Birds. I wonder what will happen with their Oryx, Addax and most of all, Zebra. One would think the Ref's would be a staple in the Savanna, no?

It seems not long after this opens next month, the next project will be an addition to AA called African River Adventure. So much for that drought, huh?
 
I'm surprised there hasn't been much PR on the zoo or the new exhibit seeing as how it opens in 5 days. I haven't really looked to see if they had a members preview or not or if it's coming up soon as well but has anyone really seen any photos of the exhibit that haven't been construction photos?

Also is anyone aware of the space allotted just for the elephants? And will this be a rotational exhibit?
 
Anyone get a chance to check out the members preview of African Adventure? I'd love if someone could provide a review of the exhibit, i'm especially curious to know the specs of the elephant portion of the exhibit, its hard to judge the size given to the elephants.

Also has anyone heard what the zoo plans on doing with the 2 asian elephant females? I though i remembered reading they would transfer them to another zoo so they could socialize and interact with other elephants and i could see the zoo sending them to LA .
 
ctfctf7 said:
Anyone get a chance to check out the members preview of African Adventure? I'd love if someone could provide a review of the exhibit, i'm especially curious to know the specs of the elephant portion of the exhibit, its hard to judge the size given to the elephants.

Also has anyone heard what the zoo plans on doing with the 2 asian elephant females? I though i remembered reading they would transfer them to another zoo so they could socialize and interact with other elephants and i could see the zoo sending them to LA .
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I obviously haven't been to African Adventure, but here's some articles about the opening.
Africa comes to Fresno Chaffee Zoo, opening day - One News Page VIDEO
Your guide to Fresno Chaffee Zoo?s new African Adventure | Fresno Bee
Fresno's Asian Elephant cows should be going to San Diego Zoo's Elephant Odyssey.
 
I saw this on the zoos facebook and I thought it was interesting.

Screenshot by Lightshot

For the two responses that you need to click to see more this is what they say.

Kathryn.

if the zoo isn't ready? That's my biggest frustration. What's nice about sharing it on Facebook, is that you can answer it for those who have the same question(s). It will save you some time. How long did you keep the cheetahs in small cages when they were shipped to you too early? It was over a few months, I understand. I'd like to know. I'd like some of my old questions (from my email to Scott Barton) to be answered. Here is my original email, sent on 9/25/14:
Hello,

I recently visited the Fresno Chaffee Zoo and had a few questions regarding the animals & the space.

I feel strongly that the elephant exhibit is too small. Elephants have a basic necessity of family and socialization. How long have you had these two elephants? Do you have plans to keep both? When, from who, and how (transportation) did you acquire each elephant?

The effects of inadequate exercise can be deadly for elephants, their weight & lack of movement (they walk up to 40 miles a day in the wild) can cause painful arthritis, foot abscesses and chronic joint problems. The space you provide is much too small for them. Do you have plans to expand?

I also see that you have three new tiger cubs. One morning, I watched the mom pant, grunt, & pace as she waited for her cubs to join her (the cubs were not making an appearance until 10am). Why did you separate her from her cubs? Instinctively, as a mother, I know it can be excruciating to be away from your children for any length of time.

The space for the tiger was also insufficient. Their nature behaviors include swimming, climbing, stalking, and predation. Your space does not provide that environment for those tigers.
Which begs the question: what do you plan to do with those cubs once they get too big for your enclosure? I would like an answer on what Fresno Chaffee Zoo plans to do with the cubs once they mature.

I also saw a sign for the bears, mentioning that the "pacing" was a sign of one bear, adjusting to her/his new home, in hopes that they would "breed." Stereotypic behaviors, like pacing, are believed to be an indicator of stress. How do you handle the stressors of introducing animals to each other? And once these bears mate, do you have plans to relocate one of them?

What are your plans for the new, undeveloped space? I hope it's not meant to bring in more animals, while keeping current enclosures as small as they are. I would like to learn more about your developments & your efforts to ensure a healthy & happy home for your animals.

And last but not least, I want to suggest a few educational pieces that I think would be more beneficial to helping the public understand the plight of these animals in the wild. For example, the Orangutan is currently threatened by the devastation of their natural habitats, with the rapid expansion of palm oil plantations. Palm oil, is found in nearly every snack food on our supermarket shelves today. From skin care products, to snack bars & candy, it's almost unavoidable.

If Fresno Chaffee Zoo wants the public to get a real education, why not consider explaining HOW the orangutans are threatened by us. It's not a problem "over there," it's a problem that we contribute to on a daily basis. Perhaps you could explain the palm oil plantations, and include some pictures of every day food that contains palm oil, and suggest that we look for "sustainable" palm oil sources. Thoughts?

Thank you for your time. I would love to support the Fresno Chaffee Zoo. I have a 17 month old who could benefit from a real education and experience, and I hope you consider my recommendations & questions thoughtfully.

Warmly,
Kathryn Saari
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The zoo.

For example, our next project is the expansion of the Malayan tiger exhibit. We are also in the process of finding a more suitable home for our Asian elephants since the current footprint of the Zoo doesn't allow us to expand their current exhibit. In addition, this year, we will promoting and educating guests on why they should pick palm-oil free candy at our annual event, ZooBoo.

Again, as i'm sure you can see, this can be a very long and beneficial conversion. We'd love to go over the answers with you. Please feel free to give us a call when you can.
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I just read through the second article and accompanying slide show and I must say this is really nice. I think (based on what I have seen) this is one of the best zoo exhibits in the country. I just hope the grass holds up over time.
 
Now the question is who will be the first ZooChatter to post photos of the new exhibit in the gallery? (I just checked - nothing there yet).
 
Brand-new website:

https://www.fresnochaffeezoo.org/plan-your-visit/

New zoo map (radically different):

https://www.fresnochaffeezoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Map.pdf

For a medium-sized zoo, Fresno Chaffee has a number of dead-ends where visitors will walk down a pathway only to have to turn around and come back the way that they just came. There are many zoos that have loops so that visitors do not have to repeat their steps but at Fresno Chaffee that is clearly not the case. It was a mediocre facility when I visited in 2011 but Sea Lion Cove and African Adventure have combined to turn the zoo into a memorable one and I'm hoping to visit next summer!
 
Is anyone aware of the zoo's plans regarding the 2 female Asian elephants? If I recall correctly, I though the zoo was sending them to San Diego and I also read a document that said SD would be recieving 2 females. I ask because today there was a job posting on AZA for a "Asian elephant keeper". Nowhere in the job description did it mention African elephant duties strictly Asian elephant care, training, and husbandry. Could the document be referring to the 2 Asian elephants in Santa Barbra?
 
Chisulo a lion from the National zoo will be moved to Fresno to breed with the zoos two females.

California here he comes! The Fresno Chaffee Zoo will soon have a new African lion in town. Our very own Chisulo has a Species Survival Plan recommendation to breed with the Zoo’s two females, Kiki and Zamaya. Size-wise, he's the largest of the juveniles and seems to enjoy pouncing on enrichment items (and his siblings). Despite this aspect of his personality, he is laid back during training sessions and has mastered presenting body parts on cue and even sitting still for injections. This is the last weekend he’ll be on exhibit before the big move, so come by and wish him farewell!
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