Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens News 2024

And the more we give in to this type of thing then the worse it will get - the Biodome in Montreal has most labelling on an app (yawn)...only thing is - no-one bothers with such a thing, and they spend their time guessing what animals are.
 
 
King of Komodo Dragons said:
1.0 Eastern Mountain Bongo was born on April 20th

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The Bongo calf has received the name of CLIFFORD.
Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens on Instagram: "It’s official! Our adorable bongo calf has a name, and it’s Clifford! A huge thank you to everyone who participated in our naming contest and helped us commemorate #NationalNonprofitDay. Your support is vital in protecting endangered species like the Eastern Bongo. Clifford was one of four names chosen by the calf’s Care Specialists, meaning loyal, trustworthy, and dependable, received majority of the votes: 1) Clifford received 10 votes 2) Orion received 9 votes 3) Kiume received 8 votes 4) Julani received 5 votes Join us today as we celebrate our newest addition and learn more about our conservation efforts. Our Animal Care Specialists will host unique talks about Eastern bongos at the Zoo throughout the day, so don’t forget to stop by the Africa Loop at 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. and get a chance to see our bongo herd!"
 
After completing a recent shift. I, of course, wanted to see if anything new was going on; and boy, did a lot change since my last report.

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As you can see, one of the biggest changes being made right now is the major transformation of their warthog habitat. From what I saw, it appears the exhibit will also be expanded into the Wattled Crane yard; and for these reasons, both species are currently off-display. I am not certain if the warthogs will be replaced with something new or not? But until I gain more information. I will only mention them in my former species thread, for now.

Milwaukee Man said:
A greater kudu calf was born back in July and has been named Samara; she is the 31st of her species to be born at the Zoo.

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I did manage to see the new kudu calf, although, due to the presence of some keepers; she and the other females were being held in a holding yard. The large male kudu (1.0) Sam also passed away sometime ago, with the zoo maintaining his adolescent sons; who, for some reason, were both inside the habitat with the aforementioned keepers.

I was also able to see the newly-named bongo calf (1.0) Clifford, who was out with his mother (0.1) Sienna, and more keepers.

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In light with today being International Vulture Awareness Day, the Lappet-Faced Vultures are back on display! However, they are now displayed in the space where Steve the Cheetah once lived (see above); and not in their old yard, which remains empty.

If you know the zoo well, you might recall the water bodies of the African area having a lot of harmless duckweed. Well, it appears that the majority of this duckweed has been removed; with the water now looking completely different in appearance.

I also noticed the blue crane / former okapi yard was empty of animals. Whether they plan to bring back the latter, or if the former was simply off-display; I am not certain.

Another major milestone regarding new development comes in the form of the new main entrance / Manatee River, which has now reached vertical construction! Concrete wall panels and framing for the main structure have now been installed; and I’m excited to see how far along progress will be around my next shift.

The African Forest complex has been renamed to “Primate Forest”. Which I find to be more specific as to what it contains.

Another notable addition since my last shift, was the sudden appearance of this paved pathway (see below). For reference, its location leads from both the lions and demolished leopard exhibit. Based on this location, I suspect this will serve as the new entrance for the zoo’s Wild Florida area.

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An unseen chainlink fence currently divides this path from the rest of the zoo; but when the new expansion opens to the general public. I am certain that this pathway will open along with it.

Finally, now that (1.0) Banks the Jaguar is around the same size as his mother. He and his parents are now on rotation between the two public habitats and backstage area.


This concludes my reported observations. But it’s becoming abundantly clear that when the zoo gets something built, they will get it done as quickly as possible.
 

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I should also mention that while the main African Forest sign was updated to reflect the new name. There are still directional signs that label the old name; although, in the case of the latter. I suspect that this will be changed in a year’s time or so.
 
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