John Ball Zoo John Ball Zoo (Grand Rapids, MI)

Regarding the Pygmy Hippo exhibit I’m happy they’re building it but I’m slightly disappointed that the zoo isn’t no longer planning on getting Black Bears. I know that isn’t the most exciting nor rarest animal in zoos in the United States, bear human conflicts in the wild are on the rise and I personally liked the idea of a bridge the bears would have to walk on. And instead of the bear being euthanized if it does get into trouble it could’ve had a home potentially at John Ball Zoo to live out its life. Probably an unpopular opinion but living in Montana there has been a noticeable rise in bear human conflicts here at least
 
visited JBZ for the first time since childhood in july and it's so exciting to see the improvements. JBZ inspired me to become a volunteer at my current home zoo. (i say as a zoo volunteer on the east coast) even with a guest in the 90s/early 2000s and decades of improvement, it's an amazing facility
 
John Marchwick said:
Regarding the Pygmy Hippo exhibit I’m happy they’re building it but I’m slightly disappointed that the zoo isn’t no longer planning on getting Black Bears. I know that isn’t the most exciting nor rarest animal in zoos in the United States, bear human conflicts in the wild are on the rise and I personally liked the idea of a bridge the bears would have to walk on. And instead of the bear being euthanized if it does get into trouble it could’ve had a home potentially at John Ball Zoo to live out its life. Probably an unpopular opinion but living in Montana there has been a noticeable rise in bear human conflicts here at least
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Effectively, most carnivores in the US do not have safe nor sustainable populations
 
Such a shame the old gal left but I hope she is doing better, @TZFan Do you know if they will get another female for the male Mylo since he comes from a valuable mother?
 
This might be a hot take but as much as I love the idea of an aquarium in GR (and as someone who grew up there and had to go to Shedd to get to an aquarium i would've died of happiness), i kind of wish the zoo would make improvements to existing exhibits first. Visiting for the first time in 15-ish years this summer the small mammal/reptile house was just like i remembered. I kind of wish they'd start from scratch on that and make it more modern - bring in some natural light for the animals, etc.

It wasn't as dilapidated as I remembered, but each exhibit did feel more like a box than a habitat. But I'm also not a huge fan of primates and cats in "small mammal" enclosures. Even if they are in line with AZA standards I think it could be improved
 
John Ball Zoo recently announced that one of their Magellanic penguins, a male named “Herbie”, had unfortunately been euthanized due to a sudden decline in his health following his birthday a few weeks prior. With the following sentences being a slightly edited news description from a local article that recently covered this topic, as you will see below:

“John Ball Zoo has announced the passing of one of their Magellanic penguins. Herbie, a longtime resident of the penguin habitat, was known for his rare white plumage. Herbie celebrated his 37th birthday just weeks ago. He was a member of the Zoo’s penguin colony for almost 20 years. Herbie came to the John Ball Zoo from SeaWorld San Diego back in 2002, where he was a father to two chicks. Once he arrived at Grand Rapids, he fathered four more and became a grandparent. One of his sons, Friend, is staying in a separate institution, helping the species at their breeding colony and carrying on Herbie’s lineage. JBZ said.”

~ @Austin the Sengi
 
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