I just uploaded 50 new photos of this tiny Minnesota Zoo into the gallery.
Hemker Park & Zoo Hemker Park & Zoo News
- Thread starter snowleopard
- Start date
Check out the thread "Snowleopard's 2014 road trip" as I visited and reviewed 65 zoos in 20 days. It makes for great late-night reading material.
This ever-growing zoo (yet only open for 6 months each year) is going to be adding rhinos in 2018. There is no word on which species will be displayed:
Bowling for the Conservation of Rhinos | Hemker Park & Zoo
Bowling for the Conservation of Rhinos | Hemker Park & Zoo
Getting prepared for its 39th season. Additions this year include flamingoes and a red panda. The Zoo also hopes to get meerkats and Indian rhino in the future too.
Hemker Park & Zoo balances conservation, entertainment
Hemker Park & Zoo balances conservation, entertainment
Long time since there has been any news about this zoo. Up thread it was announced in 2016 that they planned to bring in rhinos in 2018, so they are only 2 years late. They are getting 2 Indian Rhinos, but it doesn't say from where. Anyone have any ideas?
I also see they now have a red panda. I was under the impression that only AZA zoos housed Red Pandas in the US. Clearly, I'm wrong, but anyone know where did Hemker Park get one from? I know they are trying to become AZA accredited, so maybe they've been given the green light to house some of these animals?
Central Minnesota Zoo Preparing for Rhinos [GALLERY]
I also see they now have a red panda. I was under the impression that only AZA zoos housed Red Pandas in the US. Clearly, I'm wrong, but anyone know where did Hemker Park get one from? I know they are trying to become AZA accredited, so maybe they've been given the green light to house some of these animals?
Central Minnesota Zoo Preparing for Rhinos [GALLERY]
drill
Well-Known Member
they also claim to have puffins, which also no non-AZA zoo holds.
There are other non-AZA facilities with red pandas too. I'm fairly certain you don't have to be in the AZA to be part of a SSP.
No, you don't need to be part of the AZA to be part of SSP from what I know either. From my previous understanding, I just thought that there were certain species that the AZA kept to themselves to maintain some exclusiveness. Evidently, I was wrong, at least in the case of Red Pandas.
Green SSPs (the ones considered most sustainable long-term) are ostensibly AZA only, but in practice non-accredited facilities can apply to participate (especially if the program became Green while they were already participating). As a regular recipient of AZA surplus stock (ex. hoofstock from LA), I'm sure this is how Hemker acquired the panda(s). Most SSPs include some number of non-accredited facilities.
Edit: Here is a document explaining the concept of Sustainability Partners, which is the kind of thing I'm referring to here. Judging by its language, it is also possible for the panda to have been a one-way surplus transfer, in which case the individual animal is no longer part of the SSP at all. It is publicly accessible on their website: https://assets.speakcdn.com/assets/2332/guidelines_on_assessing_ssp_partners.pdf
They "claim" to have puffins because they *do* have puffins - and as a result, there is at least one non-AZA zoo that holds puffins. I suspect that fact has less to do with AZA exclusivity and more to do with the husbandry needs of those animals.
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I looked at their website, and while they have a picture of a puffin I see no reference to a puffin exhibit or one shown on their map. Do you think that they actually do have them? From photos it looks like they have a wretched penguin exhibit, a very basic pen for nenes, and a walkthrough chicken wire budgie aviary, and that is about the extent of their bird collection. Oh yeah, and emus and black swans in the "Africa safari" area.
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I haven't been there and don't have any concrete evidence to give. However, a quick Google search yields recent references to puffins and they are on the zoo's website. It is unusual that there isn't much evidence to go on besides that, but I think it would be equally weird for it to be a false claim.
Their map doesn't look particularly informative anyway. They show an "Aquatic Animals" building; it seems reasonable to assume they could be keeping the puffins there. This is backed up by recent reviews stating they were by the entrance.
The Red Panda Finder website notes they have a male red panda named Raz. He was born on 6/14/11 at Mill Mountain Zoo and then lived at Blank Park Zoo before moving to Hemker.
Red Panda Finder
As noted in the LA Zoo transactions, Hemker has received/is set to receive a pair of Buff-cheeked Gibbons and two pairs of Red-billed Blue Magpie.
It will be interesting to see if Hemker Park Zoo has built a new gibbon exhibit, or if the apes will be in something like this:
Or this:
Those were a couple of outdoor primate exhibits that I saw at the zoo in 2014.
Plus a few bits and bobs on the side as well.
The primate exhibits are a bit of a shocker. I do sincerely hope they have fixed up the accommodation or replaced them (even better).
A male Indian Rhino is now at the zoo. The linked article says it is the first zoo in Minnesota to have a rhino, which isn't true because Lake Superior Zoo kept Black Rhino up to the late 1970s, but it might be the first Indian Rhino.
https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-lifestyle/a-first-a-zoo-in-minnesota-is-now-home-to-a-rhino
https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-lifestyle/a-first-a-zoo-in-minnesota-is-now-home-to-a-rhino
The 2019 Greater One-Horned (Indian) Rhinoceros International Studbook accessible through the online Rhino Resource Center notes that Tio was born at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park on 7/9/18 to mother Tanaya and father Bhopu. I didn't check to see whether any other zoo in Minnesota has ever held that species in their collection.
It will be interesting to see if Hemker Park Zoo has built a new gibbon exhibit, or if the apes will be in something like this:
Or this:
Those were a couple of outdoor primate exhibits that I saw at the zoo in 2014.
These cages had been demolished already when I was there in August. They were there a few year's ago, but aren't anymore.
EDIT: the circular cage is still there. Not the row of cages behind chainlink though. I'll have to diff through my photos, I don't think spider monkeys are in the one anymore.
They had a newer exhibit with lemurs in it, I wonder if that is where they possibly plan to put the gibbons.