Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens Jacksonville Zoo News

Interesting early zoo history

The collection began with one red deer, but monkeys were already part of our animal inventory by December 1914. Still, most of the animal inventory was composed of domestic and/or local species such as: Mammals – opossums, rabbits, guinea pig, white rats, ferret, squirrels, foxes, wolves, raccoons, wild cats, and deer; Birds – chickens, pigeons, canaries, a crow, a parrot, chicken hawks, and owls; and Reptiles – alligators.

By the end of 1916 more species had been added including: Mammals – skunks, a Shetland pony, goats, a baboon, black bears, bison, llamas, and zebus; Birds – ducks and peafowl; and Reptiles – rattlesnakes. There may have been a lion cub donated as early as March 1915, although is not found on the December 31, 1915 animal inventory.
 
I went to the zoo yesterday and saw the Speke's Gazelle in the old Giraffe holding and there is a Livingstone's turaco in Lorikeets.
 
Visited the zoo today,

Waddled Cranes are now in the Nile Crocodile exhibit. It is clear some kind of crocodilians were in the size area in quarantine, not sure what species. I believe it is the slender snouted crocs.
 
Enjoyed my visit to The Jacksonville Zoo. The zoo presented its Elephant appreciation day. A above average crowd of people came to the zoo where info on both species and fun and games for the youth.
 
There is a new baby kudu at the zoo!
New baby at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens | jacksonville.com
There's a new kudu at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens.

The healthy male Greater kudu calf was born about 4 p.m. Tuesday to a female kudu named Dana, herself born at the zoo on August 20, 2004. The calf was standing on his four legs an hour after birth and began nursing shortly afterwards. The happy father is Kenya, who came to the zoo two years ago and was born July 15, 2002.

The new kudu calf weighed 51 pounds at birth, and will soon make his public appearance in the zoo's Plains of East Africa. The Jacksonville zoo has five greater kudu, including an adult male, three females and the male calf. The baby kudu could grow to be a 600- to 700-pound spirally-horned antelope with fawn coloring and thin, white, sparse vertical stripes. In the wild, kudu can be found throughout Southern and Eastern Africa as far north as Ethiopia. They are one of the largest antelope species and produce one of the loudest sounds, a gruff bark.

Read more at Jacksonville.com: New baby at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens | jacksonville.com
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Director Tony Vecchio did a quick for a local weekly publication. Two things of note, a butterfly exhibit will be opening in Spring and it seems Monsoon Asia has now been pushed back to 2014 (even the Tiger exhibit).
 
Oh, also I finally got around to checking out the zoo's new butterfly exhibit. More than anything I'm glad the zoo is finally taking advantage of its riverfront.

The exhibit itself is about the size of your average walk through aviary with lots of Florida native butterflies. My major dislike is that there are alot of very tacky "fairy tale" decorations in the exhibit that are just eye sores.

Overall it should be a nice money maker for the zoo, probably not something I'd do in a regular visit, just when family is in town
 
New Amur Leopard Cubs

Here is the article base on what FSBlue said:
Two rare Amur Leopard cubs born at Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens | firstcoastnews.com
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Zookeepers are keeping a close eye on their latest additions after Makari, a rare Amur Leopard, gave birth to two cubs on May 31. A third cub did not survive.

"We are keeping our fingers crossed that the leopard mom can raise these babies," said Tony Vecchio, executive director of Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens in a news release. "It's rare that any conservation effort has immediate, strong and measurable results. However, with an animal as endangered as the Amur Leopard, where a single birth is equivalent to two percent of the wild population, the birth of these cubs is an occasion for optimism and celebration."

Zoo keepers are using a remote video camera to monitor the cubs. They appear healthy, active and have been nursing regularly, according to the zoo.

On Thursday, they got their first health checkup. They'll get a more thorough review when they reach six weeks old, which will include their first routine vaccinations.

This is the second litter for Makari, 11, and father, Nikoai, 12. The couple arrived at the zoo in December 2006.

Makari came from Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo, and Nikolai came from the Saint Louis Zoo. The pair also parented another male leopard, named Tuffy, born at the Jacksonville Zoo on August 27, 2010.

Amur leopards are managed under a Species Survival Plan (SSP) through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), according to the zoo. Through a breeding recommendation from the SSP, Tuffy was transferred to Audubon Zoo in New Orleans, Louisiana, in January 2012, to be paired with their female leopard to further the conservation of this highly endangered species.
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Plus the Jacksonville Zoo had a female Mandrill born on March 20th and received:
1.0 Red Wolf
0.2 Rock Hyrax
1.1 Wreathed Hornbill
1.1 Wrinkled Hornbill
1.0 Hyacinth Macaw(Probably for education)
1.1 Atlantic Guitarfish
Plus there is a new "Happy Feet" 4-D ride.
 
At the AZA conference there was a presentation about the planned tiger exhibit. I must say they are considering some interesting ideas. Think "Philadelphia Zoo Treetop Trail" for tigers, but different
 
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