Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo Henry Doorly Zoo News

Sorry to start such a debate if my comment spurred it
 
Sounds like some great changes will be made to keep this zoo in the top 3 and perhaps make it #1. A new elephant exhibit and new cat exhibits, if done well, would be tremendous for the zoo. If that's done, then there won't be many weaknesses at Omaha imo.
 
Expedition Madagscar grand opening:

Here is the only youtube video of the Expedition Madagscar I could find.:
 
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Southwest Iowa News > Around The Region > Surprise cubs bring new blood to zoo population
OMAHA - On Oct. 26, Henry Doorly Zoo keepers were somewhat surprised to find four newborns in the cheetah enclosure.

The mom, 5½-year-old Jambo, had been with the father, Tommy, for only one night, and she never really exhibited any signs of being pregnant, said Dan Cassidy, the zoo's general curator.

Cheetahs are difficult to breed in captivity, he said. These cubs, three females and a male, are the first to be born at the zoo. There are only about 250 cheetahs in North American zoos, and only three other litters were born this year.

What makes these four cubs significant is their genetic diversity for the captive cheetah pool because Tommy was imported from Africa and brings new blood (or sperm) to the captive population.

The Omaha zoo has had cheetahs off and on since 1965. Right now there are seven adults: four males and three females.

Cassidy said the cubs, which the zoo formally introduced Monday, were born outside and so far have been raised mostly outside, with little interference from humans. They have been separated from their mom only once: for receiving inoculations, weighing and determining their sex.

As the weather turned cooler, zoo staff became concerned because Jambo showed no signs of wanting to take her cubs into the warm barn. Cassidy said the keepers knew she didn't like being indoors, but they were growing fearful that they were going to have to intervene to keep the babies safe - something they really didn't want to do.

Waiting paid off. On a cold night when it began to rain, Jambo carried all four into the barn. Now if it's too cold or snowy, she herds them indoors.

"She's a good mother," Cassidy said.

Usually the zoo doesn't put baby animals on display right away, and had planned to wait until spring to put these on display. But zoo officials were excited about their birth, Cassidy said, and wanted visitors to see the small cubs as they are raised outdoors and play like big puppies. If the zoo waited until spring, the youngsters would be considerably bigger.

Be warned though: If you go to visit, take along binoculars or a camera zoom lens. The cubs' dark coloring makes them difficult to see as they play on dirt or by the trees and rocks in the enclosure. Their area in Cheetah Valley also is a fair distance from where visitors can stand to watch them.

The cubs don't have the cheetah's usual tan color with black spots yet, though some spots are visible. But the cubs are unusually dark, Cassidy said, and no one is sure what accounts for that.

Once the cubs are weaned, the zoo is hoping to breed Jambo again. She is on loan from a zoo in Oregon, which will receive two cubs from the current litter.

Cheetahs are the world's fastest animals, able to go from 0 to 60 mph in three seconds. They are listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species. They are found only in sub-Saharan Africa, although at one time they ranged as far north and east as Iran and India.
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Did I miss the arrival of the red-backed bearded saki's at Omaha, or have they been there for a while now? Didn't know this species was on show in the US...
 
indian rhinos

Shenga The Elephant To Join Pachyderm Buddies - Action 3 News - Omaha, Nebraska News, Weather, and Sports |

"Omaha, NE - Shenga, whose longtime elephant buddy Maliaka died last fall, will soon make some new pachyderm buddies.

She's moving to the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo this spring.

The general curator at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo said the Cleveland zoo has a state-of-the-art facility that gives elephants "the opportunity to interact with each other and exhibit natural behaviors such as swimming, mud bathing and digging." The exhibit spans five acres and has ponds for swimming and a heated outdoor range so the elephants can go outdoors at night.

Shenga will join Martika, who's about 30 years old, Moshi, about 35, and Jo, about 42 years old. A male, Willy, 32, will also join the herd after Shenga moves in

Maliaka died at the Omaha zoo in October, leaving Shenga alone.

The Henry Doorly Zoo is finalizing plans to bring in two Indian rhinos later this spring. They'll be on exhibit at Pachyderm Hill."
 
This just made my day :) Not only is that poor elephant being removed from that hell hole, but now they are getting Indian rhinos!
 
This zoo just keeps on gettting better. With plans to spend $174 million and have at least a decade of construction I wonder if San Diego is worrying about its status as the somewhat self-proclaimed #1 zoo in North America? Anyone who visited Omaha 20 years ago probably would barely recognize it anymore as Lied Jungle, Scott Aquarium, Kingdoms of the Night, Desert Dome, Butterfly & Insect Pavilion, Expedition Madagascar, Orangutan & Gorilla Areas, etc, have all been built at great expense since the early 1990's. The future of this zoo is perhaps brighter than just about any single zoo on the planet as the crowds keep pouring in and the dollars are in place for renovation and expansion.
 
snowleopard said:
This zoo just keeps on gettting better. With plans to spend $174 million and have at least a decade of construction I wonder if San Diego is worrying about its status as the somewhat self-proclaimed #1 zoo in North America? Anyone who visited Omaha 20 years ago probably would barely recognize it anymore as Lied Jungle, Scott Aquarium, Kingdoms of the Night, Desert Dome, Butterfly & Insect Pavilion, Expedition Madagascar, Orangutan & Gorilla Areas, etc, have all been built at great expense since the early 1990's. The future of this zoo is perhaps brighter than just about any single zoo on the planet as the crowds keep pouring in and the dollars are in place for renovation and expansion.
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I think there is a good chance Henry Doorly becomes the best zoo in N. America within the next 10-15 years; however, SD also is spending considerable money over the next 5 years and will likely continue to do so after that as they are easily one of the strongest zoos in terms of finances.

It will of course largely depend on execution.

I do think Henry Doorly is the favorite to be the best zoo 10-15 years from now and would place SD 2nd.
 
Omaha zoo has an interesting future as they now have a new director. The Lied Jungle, Desert Dome, and Kingdoms of the Night, the zoo's premier exhibits, were all built under him. The new director (his name escapes me) seems to focus, not as much on the huge immersion, or on collection, but on better exhibits for animals. The Expedition Madagascar exhibit is no where near the level of the "Big 3." Also, he removed the monkeys from their cages.

I cannot predict what will happen to this zoo in the future, but it may not be as bright as we all suspect.
 
KCZooFan said:
Omaha zoo has an interesting future as they now have a new director. The Lied Jungle, Desert Dome, and Kingdoms of the Night, the zoo's premier exhibits, were all built under him. The new director (his name escapes me) seems to focus, not as much on the huge immersion, or on collection, but on better exhibits for animals. The Expedition Madagascar exhibit is no where near the level of the "Big 3." Also, he removed the monkeys from their cages.

I cannot predict what will happen to this zoo in the future, but it may not be as bright as we all suspect.
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Omaha's new(ish) director is the former director of Jacksonville Zoo, who oversaw its growth in recent years.
 
Our former director did great things for our zoo. You might see more emphasizes on garden ;) . He oversaw the Range of the Jaguar, Giraffe Overlook, Play Park, and all of our major gardens.
 
KCZooFan said:
Omaha zoo has an interesting future as they now have a new director. The Lied Jungle, Desert Dome, and Kingdoms of the Night, the zoo's premier exhibits, were all built under him. The new director (his name escapes me) seems to focus, not as much on the huge immersion, or on collection, but on better exhibits for animals. The Expedition Madagascar exhibit is no where near the level of the "Big 3." Also, he removed the monkeys from their cages.

I cannot predict what will happen to this zoo in the future, but it may not be as bright as we all suspect.
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This is not correct. The new Director, Dennis Pate, started in 2009 and has not yet had a chance to oversee any major exhibits at Omaha. All those you list--including Madagascar--were conceived and built by his predecessor--Lee Simmons. Mr. Pate has a good track record, however, at his former zoos in Portland, Chicago and most recently Jacksonville. I think you are correct about his focus on animal well-being, but I would not discount the possibility of some really well-done major exhibits being built under his leadership and the zoo's new master plan (which he commissioned).
 
It didn't take the zoo long to find a replacement for the last of the elephants, as two young, male Indian rhinos have taken up residence in Omaha. A female will join them in the fall and both the Indian rhinos and the white rhinos (all of these animals are located on Pachyderm Hill) will eventually be trained to be touched by visitors. No doubt an extra fee will be applied for the privilege of petting a rhino!

Zoo’s rhinos make their debut - Omaha.com
 
A pachyderm species certainly lacking in Omaha.

I can more or less vouch for which female will be sourced ...
Also: I would think that it will almost certainly be Fitz who will go on to breed (as genetically more desirable and not quite overrepresented).
 
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