Looking back on 2021

Forgot about the bonus question.

4. Anything you are planning or looking forward to next year?

As I mentioned Saint Louis is on the docket, but there are two big things I anticipate for 2022. First, the release of any information in regards to Brookfield's master plan which will undoubtedly be the most exciting news release that I will have ever experienced up this point. Second, potentially returning to San Diego for the first time in five years and checking a certain aquatic monotreme off my lifers list. Honorable mention to possibility of polar bear cubs at Lincoln Park in the coming months.
 
1. Finally going to Saint Louis and seeing a goral for the very first time, along with seeing their new primate canopy trails
2. Brookfield putting their pangolins back on display again.
3. Finding out that Memphis got rid of most of their ungulates in their round barn which ties in to..
4. My trip to the Memphis Zoo going to happen this April.
 
1. While not exactly a single highlight, I've been to more zoos this year than any time since I was a child which I consider to be a big accomplishment. In the span of three months, I went to Louisville, Knoxville, Cinncinati, and Buffalo zoos, and Newport Aquarium.

2. The fact that zoos are still around two years into this pandemic, and are starting to resume planning and opening new developments makes me hopeful and optimistic.

3. Not being able to secure a full-time zoo position after having multiple internships throughout the year. I even flew out to a facility for an in-person work interview they had asked for on my own time and money and they said I wasn't considered, and that wasn't the final round.
 
DesertRhino150 said:
Now that we are approaching the end of the year, I figure a thread like this could be good. Three categories:

1. Your personal zoo visit highlight

2. Favourite piece of zoo news

3. Biggest disappointment

As an added bonus, is there anything you are planning or looking forward to next year?
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1. Didn’t visit much zoos this year due to Covid but the highlight had to have been my visit to Taronga Zoo in April. It was my first time going to such an iconic and world renowned zoo and it definitely lived up to expectations. Not only were a lot of the animals there a first for me, but the views of the Sydney Harbour and City were spectacular. Was definitely worth the visit.

2. The announcement of the pregnancies of three Asian Elephants at Melbourne Zoo (Dokkoon, Num Oi and Mali). They are all due in late 2022/early 2023.

3. I’d have to say not being able to visit a lot of zoos due to Covid. I’d have expected to visit a lot more this year but only managed to go to a handful.

Bonus- I haven’t made any plans yet but I’d like to visit as much more zoos as possible. Overseas in Europe would be a nice start.
 
1. Observing a bird-of-paradise, a colibri and a flock of manakins exhibited side-by-side inside the rhino house at Plzen, mixed with reptiles. I did cut on travel since 2020 so this was my consolation prize.

2. Coquerel's Sifakas at Berlin and a troop of doucs at Beauval.

3. Impeding loss of EAZA accreditation of Usti in a few months unless miracle happens. It´s like seeing a car crash in slow-motion.
 
DesertRhino150 said:
As an added bonus, is there anything you are planning or looking forward to next year?
Click to expand...

KevinB said:
1. Your personal zoo visit highlight

Seeing a newly born Eurasian red deer fawn at Forestia in June and seeing a whole rabbit feeding of Tasmanian devils at Planckendael just a couple of weeks ago.

2. Favorite piece of zoo news

The orangutan project and new antelope house project at Planckendael going ahead. Let's hope there won't be further delays. Also seeing the Inca terns return to the South American aviary at Planckendael.

3. Biggest disappointment

Covid continuing to be a massive issue and 2021 not really being much better or different than 2020 (and it looks like 2022 won't be any better either, if not even worse). Covid is still a Sword of Damocles above society in general and above the future of zoos, and to be honest, with the new omicron variant I have great difficulty being even a little bit hopeful.
Click to expand...

I would like to add to question one, highlights, seeing walrus calf Floki at Pairi Daiza.

I didn't see and forgot to answer the bonus question, so I will do that now.

With regards to plans or things I am looking forward to in 2022: I am not making any big plans or getting my hopes up too much, given how uncertain the situation is with the new Covid omicron variant. Big(ger) plans for a Walsrode and northern Germany road trip and some visits in northern France are definitely not going to be happening in 2022, but I am still holding out a tiny bit of hope for some zoo visits in the Netherlands being possible again.

I am also trying to remain at least a little bit hopeful and optimistic (perhaps somewhat desperately, given how bad omicron is likely to become?) that zoos will be able/allowed to be open as much as possible and that I will be able to at least be able to do some visits in Belgium and to my local zoos. I would also like to visit one or two facilities in Belgium that I have not yet visited or not visited for a long time. And perhaps again a two-day visit to Pairi Daiza. But I would already be happy if zoos won't again have to remain completely closed for many months, something that doesn't seem super likely right now with omicron, or at the very least will be able to be open in some form during spring, summer and early fall.

I am looking forward to seeing the new developments at Planckendael in their finished form, I'm curious what the new areas will look like.
 
vogelcommando said:
1) Personal zoo visit highlight : visiting Plzen Zoo in October. @Jana made this possible for me and once again : many, many thanks for this Jana ! A lot of new and / or rare species and surtainly worth a re-visit !
2) Favorite piece of zoo news : birth of an African elephant at Ouwehands - Rhenen - only the second birth of this species in the Netherlands.
3 ) Biggest disappointment : missing a number of my bucket-list species during my Czech zoo-trip:
- Borneo earless monitor at Prague Zoo ( Indonesian house closed because of renovation work )
- Tail-spot butterflyfish at Morsky svet - Prague ( species not longer kept at this aquarium )
- several lizard-species, small mammals and birds at Plzen Zoo ( zoo simply to big to find all animals in one day )
Click to expand...
Jana said:
1. Observing a bird-of-paradise, a colibri and a flock of manakins exhibited side-by-side inside the rhino house at Plzen, mixed with reptiles. I did cut on travel since 2020 so this was my consolation prize.

2. Coquerel's Sifakas at Berlin and a troop of doucs at Beauval.

3. Impeding loss of EAZA accreditation of Usti in a few months unless miracle happens. It´s like seeing a car crash in slow-motion.
Click to expand...

Some photos of our shared highlight ;) :
King bird of paradise - juvenile male

King bird of paradise - juvenile male

Oct. 16 2021
Golden-headed manakin - male

Golden-headed manakin - male

Oct. 16 2021
Golden-headed manakin - female

Golden-headed manakin - female

Oct. 16 2021
Amazilia hummingbird - Amazilia amazilia

Amazilia hummingbird - Amazilia amazilia

Oct. 16 2021
 
I figured I would look back on my own 2021.

1. I have only been to two zoos this year (Colchester a fair few times and Call of the Wild Zoo for a single open day last weekend), but just being able to go to any zoo for a few visits in the year has been a joy.

2. The arrival of Indian sloth bears at Johnsons of Old Hurst is pretty big news; the arrival of Coquerel's sifakas in Europe is also brilliant. Closer to home, the arrival of crested wood partridges at Colchester Zoo was very welcome - nowhere near as unusual as the former two arrivals, but Colchester has so few birds that any new species should be celebrated.

3. My biggest personal disappointment was simply not getting out enough - I didn't get to go to the zoo that much and birdwatching was pretty much off for most of the year. In the first part of the year, it was because I was writing my master's dissertation (got a distinction, which is the opposite of a disappointment) but after that it was just general laziness - hopefully next year I'll convince myself to go out more.

Added bonus: Obviously, visits to Colchester are definitely on the cards again next year and I will definitely try and revisit Call of the Wild Zoo when it fully opens. I'm also interested in visiting the BugzUKParc in Norfolk when it opens next year - it has already been said that there will be 230 different invertebrate displays on opening, which (I think) would blow all other invertebrate collections in the UK out of the water.
 
personal zoo highlight: :D

Having an enthusiastic conversation with A zoo staff member at Como in the primate house. Talking suggestions for exhibits, Laughing about zoo memories, and discussing favorite species and just animal stuff in general. It was such a fun and enlightening experience meeting some random staff member at the zoo and just having a good chat during the pandemic.

2nd! Yes I have 2, visiting the Lake superior zoo in the deep winter. It even snowed at one point, but going to a new zoo was not something I have done since before the pandemic, and I enjoyed taking photographs, and @Dhole dude is right in saying it's a charming and underrated facility. It's exhibits may not be the best in the world or it's collection might not be huge but the animals I saw included an active Pygmy slow loris, Manul, and a Bettong all in an afternoon!

piece of zoo news: :)

The Minnesota Zoo finally reopening it's walk-through bird area in Tropic Trails. I was waiting for forever (or at least what felt like forever) for this section of the zoo to open again and It felt refreshing to have a bunch of birds fly around you for once!

disappointment: :(

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(Covid)

Still being an absolute pain in the ass.
I live in the U.S. and I'm just disappointed in everything with the nation right now. I have been responsible as humanly possible to covid-19 for the past year but it feels like a long period of time of teenage years has just been delayed because of this darn country and how it's handling the virus.

Sorry if that was harsh, U.S. I still enjoy your bird life so you get points!
 
twilighter said:
1. Managed to see all the species (IUCN) of Ungulates in Europe, and especially the "last" 5 - the Ethiopian Klipspringer, Slender-horned Gazelle, Mountain Anoa, Brown Brocket Deer and Red Hartebeest.
Click to expand...

I really hope that the Hartebeest hangs on until I can revisit Wroclaw - I missed him on my September 2019 visit due to the fact he was taken offshow that very morning due to a hernia which needed emergency veterinary care :P and then, of course, the pandemic foiled my 2020 *and* 2021 plans to revisit.
 
TeaLovingDave said:
I really hope that the Hartebeest hangs on until I can revisit Wroclaw - I missed him on my September 2019 visit due to the fact he was taken offshow that very morning due to a hernia which needed emergency veterinary care :p and then, of course, the pandemic foiled my 2020 *and* 2021 plans to revisit.
Click to expand...

Oh, I'm sorry for your miss! Fingers crossed you'll make it there in 2022. I saw him in October and he looked in a good shape :)
 
1. Your personal zoo visit highlight
Visiting VA Safari again and finally getting to see Mona Lisa, the king cheetah (and having my film photos of her turn out nice!). Zoo camp. Finally going to Mystic again and seeing their belugas, a species I hadn't seen in 15 years. Getting to Bear Mountain in time to see the american ermine being let out. Every single nilgai <3 New species highlights: central american brocket, american ermine, african civet, remora, southern pudu.

2. Favourite piece of zoo news
Brandywine getting pudu, a species I'd been wanting to see.

3. Biggest disappointment
:mad: Not seeing the elephant seal at Pittsburgh, again. Not getting to do a bunch of potential trips due to finances/Kevin (my new dog).

4. Anything you are planning or looking forward to next year?
Hopefully getting to do multi-day trips again.
 
1. Your personal zoo visit highlight

Seeing a Greater flamingo chick hatching at Auckland Zoo. I don’t usually have a great interest in birds (compared to mammals), but it’s hard not to get excited about Auckland Zoo’s progress with their flock.

Due to import restrictions, they’re the only zoo in Australasia to hold this species and the first to breed them.

2. Favourite piece of zoo news

Great ape pregnancies and births:

Sally the chimpanzee at Wellington Zoo gave birth to her new infant the same month I welcomed my new son. It’s the zoo’s first chimpanzee infant since 2014.

Monarto Zoo have announced the long awaited pregnancy of Galatea the chimpanzee; while Auckland Zoo have announced the pregnancy of Melur the Bornean orangutan. Her infant will be the first of its species born in the region since 2005.

Yeah I know that’s technically three.

3. Biggest disappointment

Auckland Zoo’s announcement that their Asian elephant exhibit will be replaced by a Southern white rhinoceros exhibit (a species that’s been at the zoo since 1980). Many of us were hoping for something new.

As an added bonus, is there anything you are planning or looking forward to next year?

I’m really looking forward to Wellington Zoo’s Snow leopards arriving. Their exhibit has been a decade in the planning and these will be the first Snow leopards in the country since 1995.

Even more exciting is that they’ll be receiving two young females from Melbourne Zoo, who I’ve followed online since their birth.
 
1. Your personal zoo visit highlight

Visiting Reptilienzoo Scheidegg and Allgäu for the sake of networking and succeeding.

2. Favourite piece of zoo news

Several new species at WdG.

3. Biggest disappointment

Constantly sidelined when looking for a larger venue for WdG. Ongoing pandemic.

4. Added bonus, is there anything you are planning or looking forward to next year?

Visiting Japan.
 
Batto said:
1. Your personal zoo visit highlight

Visiting Reptilienzoo Scheidegg and Allgäu for the sake of networking and succeeding.

2. Favourite piece of zoo news

Several new species at WdG.

3. Biggest disappointment

Constantly sidelined when looking for a larger venue for WdG. Ongoing pandemic.

4. Added bonus, is there anything you are planning or looking forward to next year?

Visiting Japan.
Click to expand...
Good luck on Visiting Japan! Are you planning to visit any zoos/aquariums?
 
1. Your personal zoo visit highlight
Visiting Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo on an overcast, autumn day, and getting to experience them many fantastic exhibits that have opened since my last visit.

2. Favorite Piece of zoo news
Memphis Zoo receiving a Banded Palm Civet from Nashville, making them the only zoo in the North America to display this species.

3. Biggest Disappointment
Not seeing Togo Slippery Frogs at Omaha, as I would have been one of the very first to see this incredibly rare species, but they were unfortunately not visible when I was there :(.

4. Added bonus, is there anything you are planning or looking forward to next year?

I will hopefully be visiting South Africa sometime early next year (depending on what COVID-19 is like, and what the country’s political situation is in the coming months), which will certainly be a very fun time. Other than visiting my local zoos, that’s pretty much it.
 
1. I was very happy to make an end-of-year trip that included both Memphis Zoo and Dallas World aquarium. The Nocturnal House at Memphis is probably the biggest highlight, but all of DWA was spectacular.

2. The pangolin returning to display at Brookfield is probably my favorite news, and would have been the biggest disappointment had they not returned.

3. I suppose my biggest disappointment would be visiting the Dallas metroplex but only being able to visit DWA. I hope I can return sometime for both the Dallas and Fort Worth zoos.
 
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