North Carolina Zoo North Carolina Zoo News 2024

USZOOfan42 said:
I do plan on walking the whole zoo and skim through the other sections, and if I have extra time try to visit stream side and the swamp areas. I did not realize the desert dome had the bettongs, are they often viewable?
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When I visited in April, I had to wait for about 30 minutes total across two stops through the desert dome before the bettong emerged. It was definitely worth it, especially considering that it's a species I'd previously missed out on at other zoos and I got to see it "kangaroo hopping", but I can't comment beyond my one anecdotal visit.
 
What are the other species on the watani grasslands besides rhinos, waterbuck and bongo? I knew a few years ago they had many other species.
 
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USZOOfan42 said:
What are the other species on the watini grasslands besides rhinos, waterbuck and bongo? I knew a few years ago they had many other species.
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This was the current species lineup for the Watani Grasslands as noted from my Feb 2024 exhibit (it should still be current as no changes have been reported since earlier this year).
  • Addra Gazelle (Nanger dama)
  • Bongo (Tragelaphus eurycerus)
  • Defassa Waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus defassa)
  • Fringe-eared Oryx (Oryx beisa callotis)
  • Greater Kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros)
  • Southern White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum simum)
  • Thomson's Gazelle (Eudorcas thomsonii)
The exhibit also had Sitatunga and Ostrich up until recently. The Sitatunga were sent away to another facility, and the zoo currently has no ostriches (although the obtaining of new individuals for the latter is in the works last I checked).
 
Astrotom3000 said:
This was the current species lineup for the Watani Grasslands as noted from my Feb 2024 exhibit (it should still be current as no changes have been reported since earlier this year).
  • Addra Gazelle (Nanger dama)
  • Bongo (Tragelaphus eurycerus)
  • Defassa Waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus defassa)
  • Fringe-eared Oryx (Oryx beisa callotis)
  • Greater Kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros)
  • Southern White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum simum)
  • Thomson's Gazelle (Eudorcas thomsonii)
The exhibit also had Sitatunga and Ostrich up until recently. The Sitatunga were sent away to another facility, and the zoo currently has no ostriches (although the obtaining of new individuals for the latter is in the works last I checked).
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Thanks, real shame about the ostrich and sitatunga, it still holds many species to its great size.
 
Astrotom3000 said:
This was the current species lineup for the Watani Grasslands as noted from my Feb 2024 exhibit (it should still be current as no changes have been reported since earlier this year).
  • Addra Gazelle (Nanger dama)
  • Bongo (Tragelaphus eurycerus)
  • Defassa Waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus defassa)
  • Fringe-eared Oryx (Oryx beisa callotis)
  • Greater Kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros)
  • Southern White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum simum)
  • Thomson's Gazelle (Eudorcas thomsonii)
The exhibit also had Sitatunga and Ostrich up until recently. The Sitatunga were sent away to another facility, and the zoo currently has no ostriches (although the obtaining of new individuals for the latter is in the works last I checked).
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I would hope the change to a threatened ostrich taxon like either Somali blue or North African red ostriches. Note: they are not the same species (genus / species)!!!!
 
Few notes I noticed,
-Reptiles and Amphibians in terrariums at Cyprus Swamp were closed
- Seems gibbons and Komodo dragons have arrived saw lizard in desert and gibbons while on tram(in mesh structure)
- Many baby baboons
- Many animals active like polar bears, ocelot, grizzlies and bettongs.
-Visited whole zoo within 2 hours
Edit- missed stream side and black bears due to closure
 
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USZOOfan42 said:
Few notes I noticed,
-Reptiles and Amphibians in terrariums at Cyprus Swamp were closed
- Seems gibbons and Komodo dragons have arrived saw lizard in desert and gibbons while on tram(in mesh structure)
- Many baby baboons
- Many animals active like polar bears, ocelot, grizzlies and bettongs.
-Visited whole zoo within 2 hours
Edit- missed stream side and black bears due to closure
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Doing the whole zoo in 2 hours, even considering that you used the tram and skipped the Black Bears and Streamside, is quite impressive. NC Zoo is a full day experience for me; last time I went there, I entered at rope drop and didn't hit the last exhibit until it was less than 30 mins from closing time!

Also, Streamside is closed again? Did you see anything that might indicate why? They closed it for a period last year to install a new glass barrier at the River Otter exhibit.

They have had their current Komodo Dragon for a while now, yet I haven't seen him because they were taken off exhibit every time I visited (I believe he was in the current beaded lizard exhibit previously, then moved out, and then moved into his current enclosure just a few months ago).

The Sandhills exhibit in the Cypress Swamp being closed is also interesting. I know the Hognose snakes and Gopher Frogs they had in there have been missing for a while.

Also, I believe NC is home to the largest troop of Hamadryas Baboons in the country. They do indeed have quite a few babies in there.

USZOOfan42 said:
Sadly not, it was very far away but seemed to be black or brown. It may have been another Asian primate.
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OkapiFan said:
Darn. Every official piece of news about them has just said Gibbon, I guess we'll have to keep waiting for the mystery of the species to be revealed
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Actually, the Asia page on their official website specifically lists White-Cheeked Gibbons among the prospective animals. Most likely, the species in question will be Northern White-Cheeked Gibbon (Nomascus leucogenys), since the gibbon @USZOOfan42 saw was black in color and thus a male. I am unsure if the Southern species (Nomascus siki) exists in the AZA.
 
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