Minnesota Zoo Minnesota Zoo News 2021

Has anyone been to the Minnesota Zoo recently? What exactly is open at this time due to Covid?
 
Micah Satvedi said:
Has anyone been to the Minnesota Zoo recently? What exactly is open at this time due to Covid?
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I went only a month ago (think it was my 68th visit) and plan on going sometime on the next few weeks. Everything (barring the dhole viewing cabin) is open. The former llama & musk ox exhibits are also unoccupied, but not because of covid.
 
Dhole dude said:
I went only a month ago (think it was my 68th visit) and plan on going sometime on the next few weeks. Everything (barring the dhole viewing cabin) is open.
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Is there another area you can view the dholes from? What of the tiger viewing deck?
 
Opening Updates (As of 5/30/21):

Russia's Grizzly Coast:
To clarify the leopards are viewable from inside the cabin although technically you can still view them from a good distance behind temporary barriers where all 3 exhibits meet. As for concerns from videographers or photographers any camera with some sort of short range should be able to film the animals from this location and they where quite active in the morning.

The tank in the "Lava Tube Viewing" (The underwater grizzly viewing section) remains empty.

Northern Trail:
The Tiger "base camp" is open. (elevated viewing deck for the first tiger exhibit)

The dhole indoor viewing shelter is now fully open.

"Family Farm":
You can view into the barns from outside, any interaction areas must be closed .

Minnesota Trail:
All sections are open.

Tropics Trail:
Everything is open, although some sort of plastic or plexiglass blocks off many of the enclosure most likely for the animal's safety. Of course you can still view them though.
 
I visited the zoo yesterday evening (part of their Minnesota Zoo After Hours program), and I noticed the following changes since my last visit in May:

  1. The Asian Small-Clawed Otter exhibit seems to have be transitioning to another species. The wooden platforms were removed from the exhibit, the water was turned off, and a sign was placed in the exhibit explaining the situation.
  2. The Visayan Warty Pig exhibit also seem to be changing residents (similar sign was placed and stated a similar message as far as I could remember).
I didn't snap a photo of the signs, but was anyone else there yesterday (or recently) who could corroborate? If not, that may be something to check for any Zoo-Chatters planning on visiting soon.
 
Here are some updates from my visit today

.the former jellyfish tank is once again empty
.the old opossum exhibit now contains a striped skunk
.half of the prezwalski’s horses have been temporarily moved into former musk ox exhibit
 
Sadly, The zoos only red panda, Min, has passed away. This raises the question about if the zoo will try to get another red panda to replace Min, since a new exhibit was proposed for the red panda. or maybe they’ll just go out of the species for the time being.
 
Dhole dude said:
Sadly, The zoos only red panda, Min, has passed away. This raises the question about if the zoo will try to get another red panda to replace Min, since a new exhibit was proposed for the red panda. or maybe they’ll just go out of the species for the time being.
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Any idea what will replace them in the tropics trail? I always had a feeling a smaller exhibit for Red Pandas could be fit in along the Northern Trail.
 
ZooNerd1234 said:
Any idea what will replace them in the tropics trail? I always had a feeling a smaller exhibit for Red Pandas could be fit in along the Northern Trail.
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I would assume the two Urails that lived with the panda will stay solo in the exhibit for the time being, but a new exhibit for the was proposed, so they could be moving out of the tropics trail quite soon. Seeing as the warty pigs moved out a week or two ago, and the nocturnal trail being closed for over a decade now, I would like if they would re-purpose this area into something similar to the South American exhibit with spider monkeys, capybaras, coatis & various reptiles like in the 2012 master plan, but there is a very slim chance of that happening, due to the zoos recently financial problems.
 
It seems as though bison from the Minnesota Bison Conservation Herd Partnership, which the zoo is a member of, will be housing Bison in a fenced portion of Spring Lake Park Preserve in Fall 2022. (Press release here.) This project had a 2020-2021 budget of $940,000.

Seems like the success of the partnership is growing.
 
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