Minnesota Zoo Minnesota Zoo News

snowleopard said:
I believe that all of the Hawaiian monk seals in San Antonio will be going to Minnesota Zoo.
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That's what the Monk Seal Foundation is saying. Are the SA ones even on display? The information the Minnesota Zoo is offering is saying that their exhibit will be the only one holding the species in the continental US.

As a kid, my family used to travel to Minnesota every summer and I loved this zoo. I haven't been to Minnesota in years, I wanna visit again sometime soon, and these seals are really motivating me. I'm a sucker for rare marine life.
 
Two Amur Tigers will be coming to Minnesota from Dvur Kralove in the Czech Republic shortly. This will allow Dvur to go out of Tigers in favor of an exclusively African collection as well as enriching the SSP population with new bloodlines
http://www.zoodvurkralove.cz/cs/
 
I think they may have tried harbor seals very early with the beluga whales, but it didn't go well. The MMIR would tell for sure though, as I may remember wrong, it was so long ago!
 
The article states that $7 million went in to renovating the dolphin exhibit for seals. That's a lot more than I expected - any ideas where the money went?
 
That is an excellent question, Devilfish.

Looking at pictures of the re-opened exhibit, I am rather disappointed. I was expecting some significant changes, however it would appear only the most minor of modifications were done.
 
from this earlier (2013) article it sounds like $5 million was needed for repairs to the tank itself, and $2 million for renovation of any surrounding areas.
Minnesota Zoo's seal pool on hold, monorail out - TwinCities.com
Visitors hoping to see Hawaiian monk seals swimming at the Minnesota Zoo will have to hold their breath a little longer.

Lawmakers' unwillingness this session to pass a $800 million bonding bill for public works projects across the state put on hold plans to complete renovations to the million-gallon tank that would house the seals in Discovery Bay.

The zoo needs another $1 million to finish renovations of the tank before the endangered seals that officials hope to acquire can move in. Yet another $2 million is needed for other updates to Discovery Bay.

......

Zoo leaders asked lawmakers for $7 million in 2012 to repair the saltwater tank that housed dolphins and received only $4 million. The dolphins were moved permanently to other zoos for the repairs, and Ehmke said it likely will be two years before monk seals replace them.

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also, from this 2013 article:
SunThisweek | Minnesota Zoo seeks $15 million slice of bonding bill
Discovery Bay – Discovery Bay was first built in 1997 and after 15-plus years of salt water exposure and ongoing use, it has been in need of significant repairs. The zoo last year received $4 million of the requested $7 million to undertake critical maintenance. It’s is now asking for $3 million to complete this task. Part of the repair work will help the zoo accept a group of five or six Hawaiian seals, the most endangered seal in U.S. waters. Only 1,100 are left in the wild. The exhibit will be above water and below water.
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The tanks were stripped and resealed for waterproofing. All the acrylic is new as is the mesh barrier. The decking behind the pools was stripped and redone. HVAC work as well. Mechanical upgrades. The rest of Discovery Bay was refreshed. The underwater viewing area was refreshed and they brought in jellyfish and such. New signage was added. Sounds like Seven million well spent.
 
MidwestFan said:
I think they may have tried harbor seals very early with the beluga whales, but it didn't go well. The MMIR would tell for sure though, as I may remember wrong, it was so long ago!
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I didn't know they ever had belugas. Must've been a long time ago.

Anyway, yeah, it sounds like the tank needed a lot of repairs. They originally planned on keeping the dolphins and they got extra money to repair the tank for said dolphins, but for whatever reason they decided to just phase the dolphins out and use the tank for something else.
 
I'm heading up to Minnesota for a quick trip this weekend, and one of the things on my itinerary is a first ever trip to the Minnesota Zoo! :D

One of the things I'm looking forward to is seeing these four species for the first time ever: musk ox, dhole, sea otter, and of course, the brand-new Hawaiian monk seal exhibit.

Considering the enormous and lush habitats, does anyone have any advice? Like bring binoculars or try seeing certain areas first before anything else to ensure I see certain animals?
 
I have not been since last August, but I do recommend spending the whole day there if you want to see everything. If not, the Northern Trail is what I find to be the most interesting part of the zoo.
If you wish to see the bison, you might check back regularly. We passed the exhibit several times that day and never saw them. To me, avoiding feeding time in the Discovery Bay is a must. The kids get knee deep and it is impossible to sit and enjoy the puffers and sharks in peace.
 
Memo said:
I have not been since last August, but I do recommend spending the whole day there if you want to see everything. If not, the Northern Trail is what I find to be the most interesting part of the zoo.
If you wish to see the bison, you might check back regularly. We passed the exhibit several times that day and never saw them. To me, avoiding feeding time in the Discovery Bay is a must. The kids get knee deep and it is impossible to sit and enjoy the puffers and sharks in peace.
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Thanks for the advice! :)
 
Milwaukee Man said:
I'm heading up to Minnesota for a quick trip this weekend, and one of the things on my itinerary is a first ever trip to the Minnesota Zoo! :D

One of the things I'm looking forward to is seeing these four species for the first time ever: musk ox, dhole, sea otter, and of course, the brand-new Hawaiian monk seal exhibit.

Considering the enormous and lush habitats, does anyone have any advice? Like bring binoculars or try seeing certain areas first before anything else to ensure I see certain animals?
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If the zoo is like I remember when I was a kid, go early. It's a pretty large zoo and they took down the monorail a few years ago, so you're gonna need a lot of time to see everything. Also, I remember the bird show being pretty cool.
 
Just got done with the Zoo, and I gotta say, it exceeded my expectations. :)

I'll post a review and photos in the next day or two - stay tuned!
 
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