Awesome to have you part of the group, not sure if you seen the thread on Milwaukee Zoo’s master plan but I’d thought I’d pass the overall plan along.
Thank you!!!! And I haven’t read about it but worked at the zoo last summer and this summer and have some extra info on Adventure Africa and new babies/arrivals
Feel free to share, many of us try our best to find out what’s going on, what animals are coming or going, or what’s happening to animals around the zoo.
Alright. So I found out that one of the female giraffes will give birth any day now. Also a female camel gave birth a few weeks ago. Impala plains has been rotated between the ostrich and cranes but soon should have zebra and impala on exhibit as well. Primate building had a temporary closed sign today. Not sure if it was for orangutan bonding or construction... only could walk by bonobo and gorilla exhibits
Wow. That's really great
Not sure but it could be that we have a baby chick. This zoo has got a lot of exciting next few years to look forward to
Listen, I'm a little biased here, as the river hogs are my favorite animals in the zoo, BUT I'd be devastated if they left. Hopefully when they respond to you, its good news
That’s great. Yeah I haven’t seen any info either. The whooping cranes have a successful hatchling too
I assume we will have a gorilla family at some point in the futureI had the pleasure of going on a special behind the scenes tour today with a zookeeper that my mother knows, and I learned some things I thought I could share
- The ostriches (specifically the one with a bald patch on its back) have been over-pruning. They're still nervous in the new exhibit and are getting used to it. The zookeepers are trying to keep them occupied with enrichment, but everything is so new to the ostriches that they just keep pruning.
- The Adventure Africa zebras should be on exhibit sometime this week. I assume the impalas will go out as well, but I didn't ask about the impalas.
- Contrary to popular belief, the zoo is not getting a bull elephant and isn't actually required to have one. The AZA standards for elephants are to have the ability to house a bull elephant, but is not required to house one. The zoo and the SSP and the AZA are working to get at least another female elephant to Milwaukee. The Milwaukee Zoo will also not be a breeding facility for elephants, but rather a sort of "retirement home" or "over crowd net" for other zoo elephants. If a zoo runs out of space for its elephant population, we'll get some. If a zoo is breeding elephants successfully and doesn't need an older elephant, we'd get it. If an elephant fights or gets shunned from a herd, we would get the elephant.
- As for gorillas, the zoo is still waiting to hear whether we'll receive a new family troop to add with mom Shalia and Sulaiman, or if Shalia and Sulaiman will go to another zoo with a family troop. Obviously I've got my fingers crossed that we get a new family group rather than have them leave, but time will tell.
- New female orangutan Alex is very, very slowly adjusting to both the public and male orang Tommy. Apparently the male orangutan at her previous home was not nice to her, so she's a little cautious, but the zookeeper noticed that she approached Tommy during our visit, which was a first. The "Quiet Zone" signs are still up all over the area.
- The red river hogs are still alternating time on exhibit, so re-introduction attempts did not go well enough. Now the hogs get along "alright" but not enough where keepers feel confident putting them on exhibit together. Possible outcomes for the river hogs are to go out to other zoos that are better-equipped to trade exhibit time between individuals, and we would then possibly receive some new males, or perhaps hippo construction will drive the red river hogs out of the zoo, at least temporarily. Again, time will tell.
- No construction on the new hippo exhibit yet.
They move the piranhas over to the left tank area of the African Lake tank. Glad to see them moving around way more.
