Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens Jacksonville Zoo News

How is the gorilla exhibit at JZ? I saw the video at the Jacksonville newspaper. Was that the quarantine area in the video?
 
Yes, that was either the quarantine area in the hospital or in the back of the Gorilla exhibit. Snowleopard went off on the exhibit in his review back last December, but it was in a state of flux then. Now it's seen a lot of new planting/growth to make it much better. It's nowhere near Congo or even Atlanta, but it is a decent exhibit that is very large.
 
Went to the zoo today. Two big developments

1. The Cape Buffalo were off exhibit and all signage referring to them was taken down. I assume this means a new animal will be taking their place. My two best guesses would be either Black Rhino or Okapi.

2. A bonobo was born yesterday! No word on sex or name.
 
FSBlue said:
1. The Cape Buffalo were off exhibit and all signage referring to them was taken down. I assume this means a new animal will be taking their place. My two best guesses would be either Black Rhino or Okapi.
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First off, Im sad to here the cape buffalo are leaving. They were my favorite animal at that zoo and rarity to see these days. What about Nile hippos? Supposedly they were going to acquire them for a new exhibit in between the rhinos and cheetah. Just throwing that out there.
 
FSBlue said:
1. The Cape Buffalo were off exhibit and all signage referring to them was taken down. I assume this means a new animal will be taking their place.

If that's true, then SHOOT! I literally say on the radio that this zoo is the USA's only zoo where you can go see the "Big Five". In fact, we even have that fact on our website. If the Cape buffalo are gone, then that changes this!
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Hippos would be interesting. In theory, all they would need to do is move the fence in the moat closer to the rhino side and deepen the moat.

Also, I'm sad as well that Jacksonville will no longer be able to claim it is the only zoo to exhibit all of the Big 5.
 
Also, I keep forgetting my camera but the main Gorilla exhibit is now looking good. All the new planting they've done has taken root and most of the hot wire guarding it has been taken down. Great to see the Colobus monkeys running up and down the trees and posts for them. Also it seems they put in some new trees as well, perhaps for when the female gorillas are introduced.
 
FSBlue said:
Hippos would be interesting. In theory, all they would need to do is move the fence in the moat closer to the rhino side and deepen the moat.

Also, I'm sad as well that Jacksonville will no longer be able to claim it is the only zoo to exhibit all of the Big 5.
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Thats actually why I suggested hippo. It wouldn't even have to extend that far. I also realized they loose Africa's "Big 5" but maybe it is a temporary move. I really hope so.
 
FSBlue said:
Went to the zoo today. Two big developments

1. The Cape Buffalo were off exhibit and all signage referring to them was taken down. I assume this means a new animal will be taking their place. My two best guesses would be either Black Rhino or Okapi.
Click to expand...

I found out today that the buffalo went to a facility in California and they will have okapi in the near future.
 
Okapis are ultra-cool (one of my very favorite animals), but Cape buffalo are rarer. Worse, this ruins Jacksonville's position as "the only zoo in the USA" which displays ALL of the famous BIG FIVE animals (elephant, rhino, lion, leopard, buffalo) that most African safari-goers look to see.

Question: Does anyone know of any non-USA zoos which have all of the "Big Five" on display? I'm guessing there are some. Off the top of my head, I think Lisbon might fit. I know they have at least 4 -- trying to remember (here at work) if they have leopards.
 
Ituri said:
Seems like okapi are almost compulsory if you are a zoo in Florida.
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We do have a lot of them (Lowry, White Oak, DAK, Miami and soon to be Jax) with close to 30 individuals.

I am still sad to see the buffalo leave. This now makes Busch Gardens the only accredited facility east of the Mississippi to have them. Does anybody know any private facilities in the US that currently have them?
 
I'm sad to see them go as well, but the herd has been thinning out.

When they moved into the Plains exhibit, there were six if I remember. Age and what not knocked their numbers to two, and where could they have gotten more replacements readily?
 
ANyhuis said:
Okapis are ultra-cool (one of my very favorite animals), but Cape buffalo are rarer. Worse, this ruins Jacksonville's position as "the only zoo in the USA" which displays ALL of the famous BIG FIVE animals (elephant, rhino, lion, leopard, buffalo) that most African safari-goers look to see.

Question: Does anyone know of any non-USA zoos which have all of the "Big Five" on display? I'm guessing there are some. Off the top of my head, I think Lisbon might fit. I know they have at least 4 -- trying to remember (here at work) if they have leopards.
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Yes, Lisbon has all the big five and also Tierpark Berlin (Friedrichsfelde) if the last White Rhino is still there (but they have also Indian One-horned Rhinos).
There are a few other Zoos with the big five but not all of them are African Species, so I guess you don't count them:)
 
ANyhuis said:
Okapis are ultra-cool (one of my very favorite animals), but Cape buffalo are rarer. Worse, this ruins Jacksonville's position as "the only zoo in the USA" which displays ALL of the famous BIG FIVE animals (elephant, rhino, lion, leopard, buffalo) that most African safari-goers look to see.

Question: Does anyone know of any non-USA zoos which have all of the "Big Five" on display? I'm guessing there are some. Off the top of my head, I think Lisbon might fit. I know they have at least 4 -- trying to remember (here at work) if they have leopards.
Click to expand...

Yes, Lisbon has the FIVE.

LZ has a quite big collection of Persian Leopards (at least 7), in a small enclosure on "Cat hill"

n
 
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