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As far as I can remember this is the first time Black Bears have been on exhibit.

Sun Bears were featured in on the Tropics Trail up until a couple years ago.
 
Yes, she really was impressed by it. She said it was quite spacious and the exhibit has trees that the bears will be able to climb. The only downside is that there is a mesh covering in the front of the exhibit, which makes it hard to take pictures.
 
Minnesota Zoos Dolphin Cove Redesign

DavidBrown said:
After seeing that the Minnesota Zoo dolphin exhibit is primarily a show arena (http://www.zoochat.com/584/discovery-bay-bottlenose-dolphin-show-amphitheater-151923/), I'm thinking that manatees probably aren't a great fit for this facility.

The potential future:

Show presenter: "Welcome everyone to the Minnesota Zoo Manatee Spectacular!"

Show crowd: "YEAH! Clap clap clap!"

Show presenter: "Today we'll watch spectacular feats of manatee behavior that will excite and astound you! Here is our first behavior..."

Manatees: "Bob around in water. Munch lettuce. Bob around some more. Munch more lettuce. Bob bob bobbin' along."

Show crowd: "ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ"
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They wouldn't leave the exhibit how it is. They are completely redoing the tank to be more of an immersion exhibit like the rest of the zoo. As for what is going in the tank, from what I've seen on their press releases they may not have determined yet. All I know is that dolphins will not be returning to the zoo anytime in the near future.
 
Preview of the new exhibit.


Rainy and cool weather notwithstanding, Minnesota Zoo members turned out for an after-hours event last night to welcome three new black bears and gain a sneak preview of the new exhibit. This Saturday, beginning at 9 a.m., Zoo Director and CEO Lee Ehmke will participate in a ceremonial ribbon cutting with students from Andover Elementary School, who brought an initiative to the state legislature wishing to get the black bear named the state mammal.

The new exhibit, located along the Medtronic Minnesota Trail, features three young bears who were orphaned near Leech Lake when they were cubs. Tiva and Syke, the males, and Kuruk are now approximately two-and-a-half years old. The new habitat is partly due to support from the Legacy Amendment Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the Minnesota Zoo Foundation, and it looks great. Much like the Russia’s Grizzly Coast exhibit, the enclosure’s design includes features that make it more like natural habitat than what one might associate with a zoo: a pool for bathing, trees to climb, a cave for napping (which also include a large window for an up-close view), and even hot rocks for bears to lounge upon during cold weather.

During my visit, I even learned a few facts about bears, including that black bear populations in America are fairly healthy. According to zoo information, there are twice as many black bears as all other bear species combined. Of course, black bears in Minnesota are normally associated with northern areas, including the Boundary Waters. I also learned that black bears will roam great distances in the fall to gather food to increase fat reserves for the winter. These bears were definitely on the move, making it hard to get a sharp photo. Dozens of visitors, each with camera in hand, gathered near the window to capture an image as one of the young bears passed back and forth just behind the glass. I overheard one zoo official in charge of caring for the bears tell a patron that the bear liked interacting with people, and the pacing was just a sign that he was excited. The bears make a great addition to the zoo, which continues to grow and change nearly every year. If you haven't been in some time, I'd encourage you to visit soon.
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article and picture from http://www.minnesotamonthly.com/med...tember-2012/Black-Bears-at-the-Minnesota-Zoo/
 
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That may be one of the best looking Black Bear exhibits I've seen. Quite on-par with the zoo's past success.
 
The Dillahunt family loves bears. They spend hours driving to famous bear-watching sites in the North Woods. Bryce, age 2, wears a hat with bear ears.

But they've never had the feeling they got this week at a members-only preview of a newly installed exhibit at the Minnesota Zoo.

"To see them this close!" Tom Dillahunt murmured as two of the orphaned cubs passed inches away from the riveted eyes of both his kids. "Never as close as this."

Thirty-eight years after the zoo first opened, decades after the question arose of whether to display one of the great icons of the Minnesota forest, black bears have finally made it to Apple Valley.

Three two-year-old cubs are racing around their new home, mesmerizing kids who watch from behind the glass -- and occasionally get spooked as the great shaggy beasts, dripping with pond water, loom over them suddenly.

The arrival this late in the game of a species so central to Minnesota's pine-forest identity is a story of a dramatic change in approach, a shift away from the austere scientific purity of the zoo's early years and toward a cheerful populism that has led to record attendance, record membership and record donations.

Zoo director Lee Ehmke said Thursday that he knew within the first year of his arrival from New York's Bronx Zoo in 2000 that he wanted to bring lots of bears to the zoo.

"I committed right away to a focus on Minnesota wildlife," he said. "We'd always had a 'Minnesota Trail,' but it was in shambles when I arrived. People couldn't even find it, much less be interested enough to go in. The renovation of that trail was my first big change. I would love to have added black bears back then, but we had a limited budget.

"We did ensure that we had every major Minnesota species but the black bear, which is arguably the most iconic of all. We brought in wolves, coyotes and eagles."

The new bear exhibit, all by itself -- counting viewing and behind-the-scenes holding areas -- covers roughly 15,000 square feet and cost $1.75 million. It brings to the zoo a species with a special connection to humans.

Many parents who brought kids to the zoo this week for pre-opening showings talked about the bears the kids have at home.

"His favorite is one he calls 'Mister Bear,'" said Tara Helfritz of Rosemount, referring to 2-year-old Ethan, watching rapt from a stroller. "So it's pretty exciting to see these guys for real."

The exhibit stresses the prevalence of the bear in pop culture: Pooh Bear. Smokey Bear. The Care Bears. Yogi Bear. Coca-Cola's soulful polar bears. Perhaps no other animal has this kind of presence in pop culture, zoo officials say.

What's the source of their appeal?

"They have features that are undeniably expressive but also infant-like," Ehmke said. "The big eyes, the ears, the cuddliness. And they're all about seeking things out. They're very curious, they investigate their world with nose, claws and teeth, looking for food primarily, but like dogs, curious and interested in what's novel, what's happening on the other side of the glass. It's one reason we like them."

The big muddy paw prints on the glass when the first visitors arrived this week were proof of that.

"We worried this wouldn't work this well because black bears tend to be timid," said the zoo's Tom Ness, who oversees the Minnesota Trail. "But the two boys, in particular, are very bold and coming right up front."

The three bears were all orphaned in 2010 in the Leech Lake area of northern Minnesota, and have been at the zoo, behind the scenes, since that year.

It's unusual for a big new exhibit to open after the peak summer months, and the fact that the bear exhibit opens just days after disappearance from public view of the zoo's dolphins, raises the question of whether they are meant to counter the downer that an empty Discovery Bay represents.

Not really, Ehmke said. "The timing on the bears has been known for a long time; on the dolphins, it's much more recent."

Visitors this week did seem hip to the fact that Ehmke has orchestrated a series of tweaks and additions -- some major, some minor -- over many years designed to maintain a certain buzz.

Among the results:

• Total visits last fiscal year reached nearly 1.37 million, best in the zoo's history.

• Membership is at an all-time high: about 46,000 households, representing about 175,000 individuals.

• Three of the past four years have seen records for donations.

• Thanks in part to generous state assistance in building exhibits, state operational funding has dropped to 24 percent of the budget today, compared with about 60 percent in the '80s.

Next up: a new master plan that is likely to contemplate the addition of African animals that are the features of so many zoos, including St. Paul's Como. In fact, as Ehmke spoke by cellphone late Thursday, wild shrieking could be heard behind him as he inspected apes at the zoo in Phoenix.

Bears of a different sort first arrived at the Minnesota Zoo a few years ago, when Ehmke's marquee offering, Russia's Grizzly Coast, brought brown bears from Alaska. But these new guys are locals, from lake country.

Tom Dillahunt, for one, finds that satisfying.

"Finally the Minnesota Trail -- the Minnesota Zoo -- has black bears. You think of Minnesota, you think turkeys, wolves, eagles, bears. The zoo is starting to feel more complete."

David Peterson • 952-746-3285
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Unofficial Zoo Blog - Minn. Zoo bearing up well, indeed
 
Nothing has been announced yet regarding those exhibits yet. I will be going to the zoo in a couple weeks, hopefully they will have news on those future projects.


Some news on the new Bison project

Two cows and two heifer calves from Blue Mounds State Park’s bison herd left Rock County Wednesday morning for their new home at the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley. They will be part of an existing bison and pronghorn antelope exhibit at the zoo following a 60-day mandatory quarantine.

Craig Beckman, Blue Mounds State Park manager, said the transfer of the four bison is the result of a recent agreement between the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Minnesota Zoo to work on managing a pure genetic line of bison.

It was a year ago that Blue Mounds conducted genetic testing on 26 of the bison in its herd. Through blood and hair sample collections, which were studied by researchers at Texas A&M University, it was learned just one of the bison cows tested from Blue Mounds had a trace of cattle genetics in her.

Cattle genetics are found in many of the bison herds remaining in the U.S. today, said Beckman. An ongoing bison project is working to map the bison genome.

Though staff at the Blue Mounds didn’t have high expectations when they conducted the first genetic testing in the herd last year, Beckman said they were all “shocked” when the testing results came back.

At one time, North America was home to 30 to 60 million bison, but as settlers moved west and hunting took its toll, the estimated number of bison had dwindled to less than 1,000 by the late 1880s.

“To recover, they were bred with cattle,” Beckman said. “Many (herds) in the U.S. today have cattle genetics mixed with them.”

Blue Mounds is one of a few state parks across the country to still have what are considered mostly pure bloodlines in its bison herd.

The genetic discovery is what spurred the partnership with the Minnesota Zoo. It is also what has led to a shift in focus at the Blue Mounds in how the herd is groomed for the future.

Bison auction

The park will conduct its annual bison auction at 10 a.m. Friday, selling 25 animals from its herd.

“The animals at auction are fine,” Beckman said. “We’ve always made educated decisions … based on age structure. Now, it’s really based more on the genetic makeup of the animal. Every animal we’re selling this year is for a specific management reason to better the genetic makeup and diversity of our herd.”

The auction typically draws 20 to 25 bidders, although Beckman said only about a handful of bidders end up purchasing the majority of the bison. Some will be processed for meat, while others will be added to private herds.

On the auction block are five yearling heifers, 10 yearling bulls, two adult cows (age 5 and older), five 2- to 3-year-old bulls and an 11-year-old bull that recently lost his rank as the herd bull. That particular animal weighs more than a ton.

Beckman said there are a number of bulls on the auction this year because Blue Mounds will be introducing two bulls from Oklahoma’s Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. Those bulls are also part of a “very pure line” of bison with lineage that isn’t well represented in this area.

“When the new Oklahoma bulls come in, we want as limited competition for those bulls as we can get,” he added.

Further testing

On Tuesday, Beckman was joined by three staffers from the Minnesota Zoo and a veterinarian from the Rock County Veterinary Clinic as another 40 bison were moved through the state park’s corral. Hair and blood samples were taken from each animal for further genetic testing.

“We should have around 65 animals — after this year — that have been tested,” Beckman said. “Statistically we will have a very accurate idea of the genetic makeup of our herd.”

To know that the bison at Blue Mounds State Park have a genetic link to the 30 to 60 million bison that once roamed the prairies centuries ago is rather amazing.

“To recover the way it has today just speaks volumes of the strength of that species,” Beckman said.

At Blue Mounds, the bison are part of the overall management program of the state park’s native prairie. The park has a carrying capacity of approximately 70 grassfed bison.

Beckman said the goal is to keep the herd at a level so that the prairie doesn’t look like a cattle pasture, where grasses are just inches high, but to maintain the appearance of the tall-grass prairie.

Life at the zoo

The four bison taken to the Minnesota Zoo will join two other bison already in the exhibit, along with a bull acquired from Badlands National Park. That bull also stems from a very pure line of bison.

Tony Fisher, collections manager at the Minnesota Zoo, said the bison exhibit has been in existence since the zoo opened.

“Our herd was getting old, we were down to just a couple of animals left,” he said Wednesday afternoon. “It was time to start a new herd.”

Offspring from the new animals will be distributed back to the Minnesota DNR, and may end up returning to Blue Mounds State Park.

“We’re pretty excited to participate with the DNR in this conservation work at home,” Fisher said. “We do so much with conservation (efforts) around the world, to be a part of conservation right here in Minnesota, it’s really rewarding for us, and it’s a nice partnership with the DNR.”

Eventually, the bison on display at the Minnesota Zoo will include a graphic display highlighting their origination from Blue Mounds State Park.
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Thanks for sharing the info on the bison project. Hope it moves forward fine and onto greater things.

In Europe we have had a somewhat similar issue with captive-breeding and European bison or wisent. Formerly, there existed 2 seperate genetic lineages of Indo-European and Caucasian European bison. The latter have gone extinct, but a strain has survived within the Indo-European stock and is now part of the breeding programme (although the strain with bloodline from part Caucasian stock is marked separately).
 
Information about MN Dolphins new homes have been released

October 4, 2012 – The Minnesota Zoo is excited to announce that its two bottlenose dolphins, “Semo” and “Allie,” have relocated to great new homes! Currently the oldest male bottlenose dolphin in human care, “Semo,” 48, now resides at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in California; “Allie,” 25, is now at Brookfield Zoo in Illinois.

The Minnesota Zoo had to relocate its dolphins in order to allow for major, necessary repairs to its 15-year-old Discovery Bay building after years of salt water damage.

“We will miss Allie and Semo, but are excited to see them begin their new journeys,” said Minnesota Zoo Marine Mammal Supervisor Diane Fusco. “They are being provided with opportunities to develop new social relationships with other dolphins, and we know they’ll be kept busy. The staff members at both locations are fantastic, and we know Allie and Semo will be well taken care of.”

Semo
Marine mammal staff at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom has expertise in caring for senior marine mammals. Terry, a 51-year-old female bottlenose dolphin was one of the oldest female dolphins in human care before she passed away in 2011. Veterinary and animal staff gained a great deal of knowledge about the needs of older marine mammals from caring for her. As a viable male, Semo may still, in fact, contribute to the genetic diversity of bottlenose dolphins in North America since he is not represented among the park’s 14 dolphins. He was accompanied by marine mammal trainers and a veterinarian during his trip to California. He will be monitored over the next 24-48 hours, during which time he will be introduced to four other female dolphins.

Allie
The Chicago Zoological Society is a leader in dolphin care and research, which includes its support of the longest-running wild dolphin study in the world (more than 40 years). Society staff has trained dozens of Ph.D.s and field conservationists as well as have sponsored the passage of dolphin legislation to improve the lives of dolphins in the wild.

Allie, who is owned by the Chicago Zoological Society, has been on a breeding loan at Minnesota Zoo since 2008. While at Brookfield Zoo from 1995 to 2000, she established a bond with Tapeko, Brookfield Zoo’s 30-year-old female dolphin.
Allie will be closely monitored in the coming days. Currently, she is off exhibit with Tapeko and Tapeko’s daughter, Allison, 6, until she gets reacclimated to her home and trainers. Allie will then join Brookfield Zoo’s current dolphin group—Spree, 10; Noelani, 8; Chinook, 29; and Tatem, 8—and be part of the dolphin presentations. Allie was accompanied by members of the Chicago Zoological Society marine mammal staff and a Minnesota Zoo veterinarian while en route to Illinois.
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The Two Amur Tiger cubs are now on display

AMUR TIGER CUB UPDATE: Our two female Amur tiger cubs are ready to meet you in person! They will be going out on exhibit in the Tiger Lair today and will be out daily at 10 am (weather dependent)! Come and say - "Hello!"
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On the link below is an interesting 8-page report analzing the economic impact of the zoo. On page 7 of the report is a breakdown of the many upcoming construction projects and the cost of each, and there are lots of stats and facts within the report that might interest some zoo enthusiasts.

Study: Minnesota Zoo is an economic dynamo | StarTribune.com
 
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