Minnesota Zoo Minnesota Zoo News 2024

Hi, sorry this isn't news or current, but does anyone have an information on Amur Leopard Diesel? Born 2002 in Germany, spent time at Twycross Zoo, UK and then moved to Sedgwick County Zoo in 2012. I saw an article of him moving to Minnesota Zoo in 2018 but can't find any other information on him.

Am I right in thinking he has passed away?
 
hjkr said:
Hi, sorry this isn't news or current, but does anyone have an information on Amur Leopard Diesel? Born 2002 in Germany, spent time at Twycross Zoo, UK and then moved to Sedgwick County Zoo in 2012. I saw an article of him moving to Minnesota Zoo in 2018 but can't find any other information on him.

Am I right in thinking he has passed away?
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Yes, unfortunately he passed away in June 2020. His son, Charlie (born 5/27/17), moved to the San Diego Zoo at 4 months old and remains there. He has a breeding recommendation with Maryanne, a female who was born on 4/5/18 in San Diego (her parents came from Europe).
 
Elena said:
Yes, unfortunately he passed away in June 2020. His son, Charlie (born 5/27/17), moved to the San Diego Zoo at 4 months old and remains there. He has a breeding recommendation with Maryanne, a female who was born on 4/5/18 in San Diego (her parents came from Europe).
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Thank you for the information, I figured he wouldn't still be around. He lived at my local zoo and his son Davidoff is still here so I was wondering what had become of him. Do you know if he had any other cubs after moving or was Charlie the only one?
 
Elena said:
Yes, unfortunately he passed away in June 2020. His son, Charlie (born 5/27/17), moved to the San Diego Zoo at 4 months old and remains there. He has a breeding recommendation with Maryanne, a female who was born on 4/5/18 in San Diego (her parents came from Europe).
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Out of curiosity, where did you get this information?
 
Two African penguins hatched last year and are on-exhibit now! I can't wait to see them!

this information is from the Facebook announcement:
"Born in late fall of 2023, these two chicks have been behind-the-scenes learning all about being a penguin from a small group of adults. The entire waddle was reunited in the habitat late last week, including the two newest additions."
 
Here are some updates from my last visit two weeks ago.

- The upper level of the Hawaiian Monk Seal exhibit was closed on my visit.

- A Blue Tang has been added to the Coral Reef display in Discovery Bay.

- A Royal Gramma has been added to the Seahorse tank in Discovery Bay.

- Pink-Headed Fruit Doves have been added to the Asian Walk-Through Aviary.

- The Sloth Exhibit was empty and the signs were removed, but last time I visited the Sloth was in there even though the signs were removed, so this probably is just a temporary measure. It’s also worth noting that all but one of the illuminated signs were off when I visited, so that is the more likely reason.

- The Tree Kangaroo Exhibit was empty again and all signs were removed, with a sign saying “exhibit currently being renovated” put up instead.

- Crested Oropendola have been phased out.

- The species I identified as a Rose-Crowned Fruit Dove is actually a Beautiful Fruit Dove. Oops :oops:!

- The Three-Banded Armadillos have been moved off display.

- The female Fisher appears to have passed away.

- A new shelter has been put up along the Treetop Trail called the “Reflection Overlook”.

- The art gallery in the Hanifl Family Nature Center has been removed.

Overall, a fairly disappointing visit all things considered. I don’t know what’s going on with the Tree Kangaroo exhibit, but I would be really disappointed if the Tree Kangaroo was phased out just six months after acquiring it. It’s possible there was a small malfunction with the exhibit that needed fixing and the Tree Kangaroo will go back on exhibit soon, but knowing Minnesota, I somewhat doubt that.
The Hanifl Family Nature Center is a major waste of space right now, as there is literally nothing other that a simulated root hanging from the ceiling now that the art gallery is gone. I hope they add more interpretive displays or maybe a small terrarium or two to give the building some life, but as it stands, it is painfully dull and boring.
Pink-Headed Fruit Doves are a nice addition, but they come at the cost of loosing the Oropendolas, so overall a pretty disappointing trade off.
 
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Piece of February 2024 News Not Mentioned:

On February 2nd, it was mentioned that the zoo transferred (2.0) Przewalski's wild horses to the Hogle Zoo in Utah in late 2023*.

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On February 27th, the zoo announced that a (1.0) brown bear named Kenai passed away at age 17 due to being in the latter stages of liver cancer.

Minnesota Zoo

*Information given by @zoocentral in the Hogle Zoo News thread (Page 18 Post #360).
 
Smaggledagle said:
On February 27th, the zoo announced that a (1.0) brown bear named Kenai passed away at age 17 due to being in the latter stages of liver cancer.
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This is tragic, horrible news. I grew up watching the three bears and will miss him very very much. They have always been incredible individuals, and I was always amazed, even when they were snoozing. I will miss him very much, but I imagine my feelings of sadness pale in comparison to the caretakers' who knew him personally. From what I saw, he had a great relationship with Haines and Sadie, and while they are both phenomenal animals, the exhibit will definitely not be the same now that one of them is gone.
 
Smaggledagle said:
On February 27th, the zoo announced that a (1.0) brown bear named Kenai passed away at age 17 due to being in the latter stages of liver cancer.
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I'm just going to say it again. This is devastating news. I'm going to miss watching him interact with his siblings at the pool. It's very, very sad.
 
The zoo announced yesterday that 0.0.8 goats, 0.0.2 cows, 0.0.1 llama, and multiple chickens have been born at the zoo so far this year. Also, multiple sheep are expecting, with the first lamb of the season being due on April 30th, with additional babies expected in the weeks ahead. Farm babies at the Minnesota Zoo | kare11.com
wild boar said:
Two African penguins hatched last year and are on-exhibit now! I can't wait to see them!

this information is from the Facebook announcement:
"Born in late fall of 2023, these two chicks have been behind-the-scenes learning all about being a penguin from a small group of adults. The entire waddle was reunited in the habitat late last week, including the two newest additions."
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The chicks have been gendered 2.0 and have been named "Ithemba" and "Inkwasi".
Keeper Chat: Penguin Chicks Update! | Since today is World Penguin Day, we thought it'd be the perfect time to share an update on the two penguin chicks that joined the waddle earlier this... | By Minnesota ZooFacebook
 
Only now finding this thread-- if anyone's got their paws on that 2012 master plan render (or frankly anything else interesting from the MN zoo) please do send me a message!! Extremely interested in giving it a more in-depth read.

Visited last week and saw the pine marten- absolutely adorable guy. I regret not taking photos!
 
wild boar said:
According to an email by the zoo, the first bison calf of the season was born at the zoo a few days ago. No other information is given.
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Further confirmation of this from the AZA in a brief article published today. No substantial details (it's mostly about the history of plains bison and work by the Minnesota Bison Conservation Herd) but does have a photo.
 
The zoo recently got a new female Sichuan takin called Tao. She is three years old. Around the same time, MuShe and Bao, the zoo's other takin, were transferred to the Sunset Zoo.

information from an email announcement:
"Tao, a 3-year-old female takin who arrived this spring from the San Diego Zoo in California. Her move here was recommended by the Species Survival Plan (SSP) for takin."
With Tao's arrival, takins MuShe and Bao moved to [the] Sunset Zoo in Kansas, also a recommendation of SSP advisors to sustain healthy takin populations."

At present, Tao is the only takin at the zoo. I am unsure what happened to the male from Los Angeles that was supposed to be transferred to Minnesota. I suppose he might be one of the individuals transferred to Kansas.
 
wild boar said:
The zoo recently got a new female Sichuan takin called Tao. She is three years old. Around the same time, MuShe and Bao, the zoo's other takin, were transferred to the Sunset Zoo.

information from an email announcement:
"Tao, a 3-year-old female takin who arrived this spring from the San Diego Zoo in California. Her move here was recommended by the Species Survival Plan (SSP) for takin."
With Tao's arrival, takins MuShe and Bao moved to [the] Sunset Zoo in Kansas, also a recommendation of SSP advisors to sustain healthy takin populations."

At present, Tao is the only takin at the zoo. I am unsure what happened to the male from Los Angeles that was supposed to be transferred to Minnesota. I suppose he might be one of the individuals transferred to Kansas.
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A better link to the official announcement:
https://mnzoo.org/blog/thats-not-a-gnu-new-takin-on-the-northern-trail/
 
wild boar said:
At present, Tao is the only takin at the zoo. I am unsure what happened to the male from Los Angeles that was supposed to be transferred to Minnesota. I suppose he might be one of the individuals transferred to Kansas.
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I believe he's still in Los Angeles unless he left in the past week or two. His name is Sonam.
 
According to an email from the zoo, two female Mangalica pigs recently went on-exhibit in Russia's Grizzly Coast. While they're at least a heritage breed, and one that was historically hybridized with wild boars, it is a bit of a let-down that they're replacing the wild boars. There never were many animals with a connection to the Russian Far East that the enclosure was capable of holding to begin with, so I suppose picking this domestic breed isn't a horrible outcome, although the invasive wild pigs spreading like wildfire in North America would be a better replacement.

I am looking forward to seeing the pigs, however, and I am happy there are animals occupying the enclosure again.
 
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