Jackson Zoo Jackson Zoo news

Nile Hippo Expert said:
The zoo's collection has suffered such a huge downfall over the past few decades! Forty years ago, they had elephants, giraffes, Nile Hippos, orangutans, lions, cheetahs, red pandas, Amur Leopards, and many more classic A-Z species but now they have very few of them.
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Yeah, the downfall has been a slow process that has consistently eaten away at the zoo and only become more aggressive since the turn of the century.
 
RandomConservationist said:
I took my first trip to the Jackson Zoo in nearly a decade today, even though it's the closest institution to me, for obvious systemic reasons it's not a place to visit for the fun of going. I have decided to take a few trips over the next year to attempt to photograph an archive of what very well could be the end of the century-old institution. Recently the zoo has passed it's USDA inspection for September 2024 with no non-compliant items to report, and it has also been toured by city leadership who as is tradition now promised to work on improving the zoo as well as the west side as a whole.

Many have followed the steady decline of the facility over the past two decades and sadly there's not much positive to report, this year has brought about more deaths and more losses so that the zoo is now reporting between 150-200 animals under its care, continuing the steady decline of residents that has plagued the last decade of the capital city zoo. The infrastructure is also in continual decline, as of my visit today around half of the aquatic/semi-aquatic exhibits were either part or fully drained, the pathways and concrete structures including exhibit barriers are falling apart and in many cases unsafe, and in a desperate attempt to combat the cold weather coming in residential extension cords and water hoses are running in all directions.

On a personal note, I have always loved visiting smaller institutions, you often get a unique experience that you just don't get at larger facilities, this is in a way very true at Jackson, even eerily so. I spent around three hours on the grounds today, visiting each exhibit two or three times at least, I saw eight people excluding myself during my visit, five other guests and three staff members. The animals often seem surprised to see visitors, many responding to the best of their abilities if you talk to or imitate them, and the vocalizations ringing out over the cold winter day were amazing, from the time you exit your vehicle you hear the gibbons calling, all of the primates on the campus are extremely vocal alongside a very present accompaniment of birds and big cats.

A complete list of the displayed collection as of 12/7/2024- Note Cold Weather may play a part in some absences from the list. Collection listed in order of appearance.

1x Asiatic Black Bear
1x Sumatran Tiger
2x White Cockatoo
2x Black Headed Spider Monkey
1x Ball Python
1x Yellow Anaconda
2x Copperheads
1x Western Diamondback
1x Speckled Kingsnake
3x American Alligators
2x Cougar
2x Red Eared Slider
2x Diamondback Terrapin
2x Hawaiian Geese
1x North American River Otter
2x Pied Imperial Pigeons
1x Long Billed Corella
2x Laughing Kookaburra
1x Major Mitchells Cockatoo
1x Red Macaw
2x Yellow-Crowned Amazons
3x Red Ruffed Lemurs
2x Crested Screamers
1x White Rhino
3x Black Necked Swans
1x Grevy Zebra
1x Wattled Crane
6x Red River Hog
2x Ostrich
1x Sable Antelope
1x Pigmy Hippo
4x Chimpanzee
1x Colobus Monkey
1x Red-tailed Monkey
1x Fishing Cat
2x Lar Gibbon
1x American Black Bear

Species which I believe are still in the collection due to fresh feed and enrichment in their exhibits but I was not able to physically see:

Diana Monkey
Blue and Yellow Macaw
Prairie Dog

64 Animals representing 37 species on display to the best of my observations as of 12/7/24
I look forward to visiting again in the Spring to see how my observations change and to continue photographing. I sadly don't have high hopes for the zoo due to a considerable number of complex issues including geographic location, local government oversight, failing infrastructure, and loss of reputation. I wish that there was a way to help bring the zoo back to life, but it would require mountains to be moved, but nothing is impossible.
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Thanks for the updates! Where are the herps like the anaconda? The indoor houses were chained shut when I was there, so I suppose in one of those buildings?
Nile Hippo Expert said:
The zoo's collection has suffered such a huge downfall over the past few decades! Forty years ago, they had elephants, giraffes, Nile Hippos, orangutans, lions, cheetahs, red pandas, Amur Leopards, and many more classic A-Z species but now they have very few of them.
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True, but most of those species were in truly abysmal enclosures, it's better to not have most of those. Red panda are a good fit for the zoo, however.
 
SwampDonkey said:
Thanks for the updates! Where are the herps like the anaconda? The indoor houses were chained shut when I was there, so I suppose in one of those buildings?
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The snakes are all in backyard critters now, roughly 2/3rd of the exhibits are filled but most are poorly equipped and designed for the species housed within.

The turtles are all in the Aquatic House, they are housed in what remains of the functional large wall aquariums with mostly incorrect signage. There is a lot of dead space in the Aquatic House, none of their small terrariums or vivariums were in working order or housing residents from what I could tell.
 
RandomConservationist said:
The snakes are all in backyard critters now, roughly 2/3rd of the exhibits are filled but most are poorly equipped and designed for the species housed within.

The turtles are all in the Aquatic House, they are housed in what remains of the functional large wall aquariums with mostly incorrect signage. There is a lot of dead space in the Aquatic House, none of their small terrariums or vivariums were in working order or housing residents from what I could tell.
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Do you have photos of the aquatic indoor buildings from your visit that you might be able to upload?
 
Pictured:

The main entrance to the Aquatic House, tape residue still evident from where the closed sign had been in previous months. You can also see the empty beaver habitat in the left hand side of the photo.

One of three floor to ceiling aquarium/vivariums, this one drained and in disrepair formerly used to display native fish species. The other two are half filled and currently house the zoos remaining turtles.

Two very vocal Hawaiian Geese, housed in the indoor aviary, improperly labeled signage on this enclosure.

Lastly the zoos sole remaining NA river otter, in a massive enclosure, they readily followed me in and out of the indoor and outdoor viewing and getting in and out of one of two pools in the exhibit.
 

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RandomConservationist said:
Pictured:

The main entrance to the Aquatic House, tape residue still evident from where the closed sign had been in previous months. You can also see the empty beaver habitat in the left hand side of the photo.

One of three floor to ceiling aquarium/vivariums, this one drained and in disrepair formerly used to display native fish species. The other two are half filled and currently house the zoos remaining turtles.

Two very vocal Hawaiian Geese, housed in the indoor aviary, improperly labeled signage on this enclosure.

Lastly the zoos sole remaining NA river otter, in a massive enclosure, they readily followed me in and out of the indoor and outdoor viewing and getting in and out of one of two pools in the exhibit.
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So the aquatic house isn't fully enclosed? Or is it that the roof was damaged and they decided to not fully repair it and leave it open-air. Are the plants growing on the ceiling beams a part of the decoration or part of the disrepair?
 
SusScrofa said:
So the aquatic house isn't fully enclosed? Or is it that the roof was damaged and they decided to not fully repair it and leave it open-air. Are the plants growing on the ceiling beams a part of the decoration or part of the disrepair?
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It is fully enclosed, and the plants are fake decor.
 
The city has started a new program involving the zoo and local schools. Several schools are each symbolically adopting an animal at the zoo. The students are being offered opportunities to volunteer. The type of work that the student volunteers are engaging in is not clearly stated, but there are statements that could be interpreted as meaning they will be "zookeeping" to at least some extent.

JPS students adopt Jackson Zoo animals

Hopefully the extra help the students offer will aid in part of a turnaround for the zoo. That said, I imagine training these volunteers on whatever work it is they will be doing will be fairly time-consuming itself. And, of course, depending on the type of work the volunteers are doing, involving them in certain tasks could be very dangerous, and thus it is potentially a risky move.
 
Milwaukee Man said:
An amphitheater is coming soon. Construction is planned to start in July, with a potential completion in December.

City announces plans for an amphitheater at the Jackson Zoo

Might not be much, but at least it’s something to spark some revenue and visitor numbers. :)
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That's nice....two very concerning statements in the article:

Between January 1 and mid-July of last year, the park only brought in $40,000.
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So about an average of $220 a day? That's insanely low.

and
However, last October, credit card readers were installed at the zoo in an effort to attract more business and “capture every opportunity for revenue.”
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OMG, so they didn't even take credit cards? What decade are they living in? Granted entry on Tuesdays is only $2, but still. That is crazy.

Look, I love zoos as much as anyone here - but clearly this place needs to be shut down, it is a massive drain on an already failing city and is constantly battling citations from the USDA, and general neglect. It needs to be shut down and the state should either incorporate and build a new zoo or just end it overall.
 
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I happened to be passing by on I-20 today and had some extra time so I decided to do a follow-up visit to complement and audit my previous list posted on 12/7/2024.

I must sadly say, in the span of just six months, the continual decline is apparent. Most notably among the avian and reptile collection at the Jackson Zoo, the three main aviaries that were still occupied in December of last year now lay empty, and several of the reptile enclosures are missing residents that were present on my December visit.

Change in Species List from 12/7/2024 to 6/7/2025- Note, Hot Weather should be considered.

Change in # of Individuals Present:

-1x Copperhead
-1x Red Eared Slider
-1x Pied Imperial Pigeon
-4x American Alligator

Species Not Found on Display:

-Speckled Kingsnake
-NA River Otter
-Major Mitchells Cockatoo
-Red Macaw
-Yellow Crowned Amazon
-Fishing Cat

Other Notes:
-11x Flamingos were present in the central avian pool, alongside a new beige metal-sided building called the Flamingo Barn
-The remaining Imperial Pigeon and the Long-billed Corella are now found in the Fishing Cat enclosure
-Was able to confirm the presence of 1x Diana Monkey as of today
-1x Laughing Kookaburra was relocated from their aviary to an aviary opposite the cockatoo aviary on the other side of the facility
-Was unable to visually confirm the presence of any Pygmy Hippos, but due to signs of life in the enclosure, I do believe they are still present
-Several of the waterfowl and remaining avian residents appeared to me to be lethargic
 
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