Oglebay Good Zoo News

6647

6647

Well-Known Member
Hello.

I just joined ZooChat, and I work at the Oglebay Good Zoo. Because of the zoo's small size and odd location (located in the interior of Oglebay Park in Wheeling, West Virginia), the zoo is not well known by any standards. However, the zoo is special in many ways, and being the only AZA accredited zoo in the state of West Virginia, I think it deserves noticing. It may be small, but it is rapidly expanding.

Since there are Zoo News Threads for other zoos, like the Columbus, Cincinnati, and Toronto, I thought I might as well start one for the Good Zoo. I will update this page with various bits of news regarding the zoo and its animals.

First though, I will list the animals and exhibits of the zoo for those who would like to know.
 
Must you make a new post for every exhibit? It would be better for put the rest of your exhibits in one large post.
 
The two African Wild Dogs exhibited at the zoo is part of an SSP for them. Once they breed, they will all be shipped out to other zoos for further breeding and conservation purposes.

Meanwhile, if everything goes as planned, the former canid exhibit (which housed red wolves in the past, and wild dogs currently) will be turned into a mixed-species multi-level South American rainforest exhibit. This enclosure will be able to house arboreal, terrestrial, and semi-aquatic animals from the Amazon. This includes spider monkeys, agoutis, and capybaras. A tapir may also be exhibited here.
 
MrOkapi said:
Meanwhile, if everything goes as planned, the former canid exhibit (which housed red wolves in the past, and wild dogs currently) will be turned into a mixed-species multi-level South American rainforest exhibit. This enclosure will be able to house arboreal, terrestrial, and semi-aquatic animals from the Amazon. This includes spider monkeys, agoutis, and capybaras. A tapir may also be exhibited here.
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that's sounds pretty cool. What species of Tapir do you think the zoo will get if they go with the plans? the zoo could always turn that into a Maned Wolf exhibit as well.
 
jusko88 said:
that's sounds pretty cool. What species of Tapir do you think the zoo will get if they go with the plans? the zoo could always turn that into a Maned Wolf exhibit as well.
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Probably a Brazilian Lowland Tapir. It could be Baird's as well, but it's less likely.
 
Scratch that, it'll most likely be a Baird's. Apparently, zoos really like their SSPs nowadays. Good for them. :)

For some not-so-important news, new labels have been added for interactive things in the Discovery Center, like the snakeskin belt and gatorskin boots.
 
A red fox has been spotted on Zoo grounds recently.

He was seen on the patio in front of the Main Building about 3 weeks ago. Mako the Blue Gold Macaw has been put inside for the time being, for his safety.

Since then, everyone seemed to think he had left. However, last Saturday, shortly after replacing the hay and stray for the donkeys and chickens at the barn, I noticed the fox poking around behind the Barn Area. He was sniffing around on the sidewalk, and after noticing me, he stayed for several more minutes before trotting off up the meadow hill.

I've decided to call him Red, and it's a good thing we had the chickens in one of the indoor barn stalls that day.

Anyway, the zoo is now working on a new graphic system. Along with the traditional picture and information mini-billboards, there will be mini television screens on some of the exhibits. Also, they've taken all of the signs down for the African Wild Dogs, so you can probably expect the new South American animals sometime soon.
 
Why does this zoo want to get rid of the wild dogs? Do they feel that it is not a popular enough exhibit?
 
Hi david, if im correct i think the zoo is sending there wild dogs to the nearby WILDS facility to breed with other african wild dogs.

Now that im thinking about it, How would Spider monkeys work in that exhibit? they would have to put a netting top over the enclosure? but it's not high enough. and it would be so hard to see the agoutis and the monkeys lol. capybaras and tapirs would be suitable for this exhibit but they would have to put some source of water in the exhibit which it's lacking. your looking down at this exhibit for one. the painted dogs were always sleeping in the corner on my 2 visits but i will be honest, i dont think that was a good exhibit for wild dogs to begin with. it is a decent size but nothing to get excited about. I personally think they should put andean bear in this exhibit. its a decent size plus theres a big tree in the exhibit it could climb for enrichment purposes.

Any news on bringing any more african hoofstock for the zebra/ostrich exhibit? I hope they would bring back Tigers and Giraffes one day. maybe even more animals :)

Oh btw one more ? Mr.Okapi. Is the zoo trying to breed the red pandas? i saw 2 on my last visit. and Did the zoo recently have baby Ostriches?
 
I'm assuming netting will be used for the spider monkeys. More trees will obviously be added, plus a source of water, but I'm not sure how the whole exhibit will play out. Only time will tell :).

And yes, the wild dogs are only temporary, and they are being sent to the Wilds.

As for the African Plains section, at least one species of antelope is planned to live here. If not this year, they will arrive definitely be sometime next year.

No plans for breeding the Pandas are in place as of now, perhaps in the future, and the zoo did not recently have baby Ostriches.
 
MrOkapi, what is the closest zoo to the Good Zoo that has the standard zoo megafauna (giraffes, elephants, big cats, rhinos, etc.)? Would that be the Virginia Zoo?

Do you think that the Good Zoo might eventually get some of these larger species?
 
@ David Brown, for those animals I would say that Pittsburgh and Maryland are closer zoos than Virginia.
 
DavidBrown said:
MrOkapi, what is the closest zoo to the Good Zoo that has the standard zoo megafauna (giraffes, elephants, big cats, rhinos, etc.)? Would that be the Virginia Zoo?

Do you think that the Good Zoo might eventually get some of these larger species?
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Pittsburgh is the closest. Then Columbus, then Maryland.

And I've talked briefly to my boss about new animals, and I've looked over the Master Plan countless times, and I was surprised to see that none of the "zoo standard" animals are currently included in any of the zoo's plans.

However, I've been told the zoo is waiting for the right time to obtain these.

The species included in the actual plans include tapirs, capybaras, agoutis, antelope, colobuses, more birds, penguins, and gibbons.
 
MrOkapi- I would consider penguins to be a zoo standard species. They are extremely popular with the public and many new penguin exhibits seem to be opening up every year.
jusko88- Sorry to bust your bubble, but the zoo will almost definately not get Galapagos Penguins. Since I believe the penguins will be placed in the outdoor otter exhibit if I'm correct, then they will probably be either Africans or Humboldts.
 
@ Beards - The penguins will be Humboldt penguins. Plus, I forgot all about penguins being standard. I guess you could include Meerkats and Gibbons in there too, but not everyone knows what they are. :)

Looks like we have a new Three Banded Armadillo. Our current armadillos Rocko and Virginia have mated to produce a baby male. :D
 
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