Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens Los Angeles Zoo News 2023

[Nile Hippo Expert]

The zoo announced yesterday that the bird show is back at the Angela Collier World of Birds for the first time since the COVID-19 Pandemic!
The Bird Show Has Officially Returned! | The wait is finally over! We are thrilled to announce the official return of the Bird Show at the Angela Collier World of Birds Theater. The Bird... | By Los Angeles Zoo | Facebook

 

[DavidBrown]

The zoo does not have any birds-of-paradise on exhibit, and as far as I can tell it never has in recent years.

I have been a member of the zoo since 1997, and I have never seen a bird of paradise on exhibit (possibly I have missed it, but that would be a species that I would make a point of seeing if I knew it was there).

 

[Thomas]

So the Walk-through Aviaries are opened, in the second one I saw one of the Blue Peacocks slowly growing its Train of Long Tail feathers, and in the first one, there is now a Von der Decken's Hornbill. (It could be the male of the breeding pair moved due to the Cape vulture Exhibit which will open around February 2024, or one of the offspring born and moved here.)

The Los Angeles Zoo is now setting up for ZooLights: Animals A-Glow.

 

[Elena]

The roundhouse with the Coquerel's sifakas and blue-eyed lemurs is currently closed for exhibit renovations.

 

[Nile Hippo Expert]

The Winnick Family Children's Zoo aka Muriel's Ranch has officially reopened for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Welcome baaack: The Winnick Family Children's Zoo has officially reopened! Guests are encouraged to come meet and brush the friendly Nigerian dwarf goats and Shetland sheep that call the L.A. Zoo home. Muriel’s Ranch was on hiatus following safety protocols implemented during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. As safety protocols have changed, so did the operations of the Zoo. Guests now have the opportunity to visit Muriel’s Ranch daily (except for Wednesdays) from 10 A.M. to 2:30 P.M.

 

[Zoofan15]

Masai giraffe calf birth announcement:

L.A. Zoo Debuts Baby Giraffe - MyNewsLA.com

Calf previously spotted by @Elena. Media announcement with an update the calf is a male:

The unnamed calf weighed in at 174 pounds and stands 6-foot-4, the zoo said. Mom is 12-year-old Zainabu and dad is 11-year-old Philip.

 

[African Grey]

November animal transactions: https://lazoo.org/wp-content/upload...n-Animal-Transaction-Report-November-2023.pdf

October meeting minutes: https://lazoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Zoo-Commission-Minutes-10.17.2023.pdf

 

[Julio C Castro]

November animal transactions: https://lazoo.org/wp-content/upload...n-Animal-Transaction-Report-November-2023.pdf

October meeting minutes: https://lazoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Zoo-Commission-Minutes-10.17.2023.pdf

It’s so sad to see the passing of Bajo the Giant Otter… They’re all so dynamic and always engaging. It does seem like the zoo will be left with a sole female otter for the meanwhile

 

[Cat-Man]

That’s a damn shame. Hopefully the situation can be rectified soon

 

[Smaggledagle]

November animal transactions: https://lazoo.org/wp-content/upload...n-Animal-Transaction-Report-November-2023.pdf

October meeting minutes: https://lazoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Zoo-Commission-Minutes-10.17.2023.pdf

I'm quite interested to know how many southern gerenuks the facility still has. (1.1) passed away while another (1.0) is coming from the Denver Zoo.

 

[Elena]

I'm quite interested to know how many southern gerenuks the facility still has. (1.1) passed away while another (1.0) went to the Denver Zoo.

The Minutes from the 10/17/23 meeting noted that 2 more gerenuks were born. Those births would've occurred during September. The Commission failed to post the Agenda or Animal Transactions for the October meeting (which would've included any births and deaths in September), or the Minutes from the 9/19/23 meeting. It's possible the 2 that passed away were the newborns. The gerenuk exhibit remains inaccessible to visitors due to construction of the cape vulture aviary.

The male is coming from Denver, not moving there, per the Animal Transactions.

 

[Julio C Castro]

An article by KTLA announced the LA Zoo has had a male ocelot kitten to mother Maya. Was born in September 12th. They anticipate it to be out on exhibit in the coming days, according the the article. Link is to the article on KTLA website

https://ktla.com/news/local-news/los-angeles-zoo-announced-birth-of-ocelot-kitten/

 

[Elena]

An article by KTLA announced the LA Zoo has had a male ocelot kitten to mother Maya. Was born in September 12th. They anticipate it to be out on exhibit in the coming days, according the the article. Link is to the article on KTLA website

https://ktla.com/news/local-news/los-angeles-zoo-announced-birth-of-ocelot-kitten/

Just in case the local news story isn't accessible to those outside the US, here is a link to the zoo's press release:

THE LOS ANGELES ZOO WELCOMES OCELOT KITTEN - Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens

They didn't mention in the press release that the kitten's father, Oliver, passed away in July, so this is his final offspring.

 

[Elena]

It appears the Rüppell's sand foxes have been taken off exhibit, as I noticed the return of the cape rock hyrax to that exhibit earlier this month. Also of note in that roundhouse near the zebras, the former fossa exhibit appeared to be getting ready for a new resident and the 3rd space (most recently occupied by a yellow-footed rock wallaby and before that a bat-eared fox) is currently empty.

 

[African Grey]

It appears the Rüppell's sand foxes have been taken off exhibit, as I noticed the return of the cape rock hyrax to that exhibit earlier this month. Also of note in that roundhouse near the zebras, the former fossa exhibit appeared to be getting ready for a new resident and the 3rd space (most recently occupied by a yellow-footed rock wallaby and before that a bat-eared fox) is currently empty.

Also it looks like the roundhouse by the African wild dogs is being renovated and might finally have inhabitants in it.

 

[African Grey]

December animal transactions: https://lazoo.org/wp-content/upload...3-Animal-Transaction-Report-December-2023.pdf

November meeting minutes: https://lazoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Zoo-Commission-2-MINUTES-11.21.2023.pdf

 

[Coelacanth18]

Also it looks like the roundhouse by the African wild dogs is being renovated and might finally have inhabitants in it.

Is that the one that had the nesting Gray Crowned Cranes a few years ago? I've wondered off and on what happened with that roundhouse.

It appears the Rüppell's sand foxes have been taken off exhibit

Well it was fun while it lasted checking for it reminded me of the days when the zoo had Panay Cloudrunners. Nothing like periodically going to LA Zoo to look for a rare animal you won't see

The roundhouse with the Coquerel's sifakas and blue-eyed lemurs is currently closed for exhibit renovations.

Anyone know if these have been completed?

 

[Elena]

Anyone know if these have been completed?

The sifaka and blue-eyed lemur roundhouse is still closed off for renovations.

 

[African Grey]

Is that the one that had the nesting Gray Crowned Cranes a few years ago? I've wondered off and on what happened with that roundhouse.

Yes it is. It's been closed for at least five years. So it's really nice to see that it's getting renovated.

 

[Cat-Man]

Im glad, too. Although I’d like to see some serious progress with the master plan (what’s the next big project?) the roundhouses are charming and perfectly serviceable animal exhibits if the species are chosen correctly. Not a fan of the mandrills and gibbons there but small mammals, primates and birds are perfectly acceptable.