Oklahoma City Zoo Oklahoma City Zoo News 2025

Summer Tanager said:
I agree with @Okie that it will be great to have Pronghorns at the Zoo and to finally resolve the dead end that's been created between the Veterinary Hospital and the Indian Rhinoceros exhibit and all of the back-tracking that it's created. I hate to admit that I was wrong, but I visited the Zoo this afternoon and looked more closely at the Centennial Grove. Assuming that the proposed new trail is a wide boardwalk (it almost has to be a boardwalk because of the steep-sided ravine), I think it's more feasible to work between the trees than I thought because there is some spacing between the biggest trees. And, there is a gap in the stand of original trees between the Aviary and the Grizzly Bear exhibit. The oak trees that I was thinking about (11 of them) are farther to the west (closer to the Bison yard) and would become part of the new crane exhibit. The only trees between the two exhibits are some ruderal mulberries and four sugar maples that were planted when Oklahoma Trails was opened (these could be limbed up or removed). I'm indifferent about having a better American Alligator exhibit (I'd rather have Tomistomas or Gharials) but the current alligator exhibit is pretty mediocre and not particularly safe for the alligators because people can easily throw things in the pond. There are definitely more merits to the plans for the revamped Oklahoma Trails than I acknowledged this morning, and time will tell which of these changes get implemented. I hope they put the Pronghorns in the yard with the Bison, and I hope that they leave the Whooping Cranes in the expanded exhibit for White-tailed Deer and Elk.
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Yeah, the part about seeing what’s actually implemented is definitely an issue. With the cuts to Shore to Sea and ever-increasing costs, part of me wonders if they finish replacing the wood on the boardwalk and just end up leaving Oklahoma Trails as is.
 
 
Summer Tanager said:
I agree with @Okie that it will be great to have Pronghorns at the Zoo and to finally resolve the dead end that's been created between the Veterinary Hospital and the Indian Rhinoceros exhibit and all of the back-tracking that it's created. I hate to admit that I was wrong, but I visited the Zoo this afternoon and looked more closely at the Centennial Grove. Assuming that the proposed new trail is a wide boardwalk (it almost has to be a boardwalk because of the steep-sided ravine), I think it's more feasible to work between the trees than I thought because there is some spacing between the biggest trees. And, there is a gap in the stand of original trees between the Aviary and the Grizzly Bear exhibit. The oak trees that I was thinking about (11 of them) are farther to the west (closer to the Bison yard) and would become part of the new crane exhibit. The only trees between the two exhibits are some ruderal mulberries and four sugar maples that were planted when Oklahoma Trails was opened (these could be limbed up or removed). I'm indifferent about having a better American Alligator exhibit (I'd rather have Tomistomas or Gharials) but the current alligator exhibit is pretty mediocre and not particularly safe for the alligators because people can easily throw things in the pond. There are definitely more merits to the plans for the revamped Oklahoma Trails than I acknowledged this morning, and time will tell which of these changes get implemented. I hope they put the Pronghorns in the yard with the Bison, and I hope that they leave the Whooping Cranes in the expanded exhibit for White-tailed Deer and Elk.
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I would like / love to see OCZ to be part of the California/Mexico Peninsular Pronghorn breeding consortium....
 
Ituri said:
From what I understand, they are less cold hardy than the nominate subspecies. Sedgwick County Zoo two hours north of OKC had peninsula pronghorn for a short time but they did not thrive.
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OK, somehow that does make sense. Even if they acquire the more regular or nominate subspecies ..., it remains a great and welcome addition.
 
King of Komodo Dragons said:
9 Bibron's Agamas have hatched.

Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden
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Thank you for posting this!! I'm thrilled to see that another nine Bibron's Agamas have hatched! I've been meaning to post some photos that I took in November of the first hatchlings that they raised last year. On my trip to the Zoo in November, I noticed that there were six or seven smaller agamas in the exhibit in Expedition Africa, so I asked one of the keepers and he told me that a couple of the females had laid clutches of eggs in the exhibit and they excavated and raised them behind the scenes. He also told me that they were monitoring a couple of gravid females and were going to try to excavate their eggs and raise the hatchlings again - it looks like they succeeded with at least nine of them! When I was at the Zoo last Thursday, I noticed that there are now 17 Bibron's Agamas in that exhibit. From November of 2023 through March of 2024, there were consistently seven adults in the exhibit, so it looks like they raised at least ten hatchlings in 2024, and have done it again with nine more in 2025!
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
OK, somehow that does make sense. Even if they acquire the more regular or nominate subspecies ..., it remains a great and welcome addition.
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I would love to see Pronghorns of any subspecies at the Zoo - it's amazing to me that we haven't had any before. We have the nominate subspecies of Pronghorn in the Oklahoma panhandle (Antilocapra americana americana) and the population there fluctuates between about 1,100 and 1,800. They are fairly sedentary for a large mammal, but the panhandle is only 34 miles wide from north to south so there is a lot of movement of the Pronghorn between southwestern Kansas, the Oklahoma panhandle and the Texas panhandle.
 
Thank you for posting this. It is bittersweet, but it sounds like it will be a good move for both orangutans. I noticed in the Master Plan that was posted last fall, that in the long term the zoo wasn't going to house orangutans so that more space could be devoted to gorillas. I'm sure that plan was 15+ year away, but maybe the time frame was moved up because this pair didn't have a lot of breeding interest in each other?
 
Summer Tanager said:
Thank you for posting this. It is bittersweet, but it sounds like it will be a good move for both orangutans. I noticed in the Master Plan that was posted last fall, that in the long term the zoo wasn't going to house orangutans so that more space could be devoted to gorillas. I'm sure that plan was 15+ year away, but maybe the time frame was moved up because this pair didn't have a lot of breeding interest in each other?
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I understand the ambivalence here. From the comments by the Asst. Curator it seems Elok and Negara never hit it off .... really as a breeding pair. So, Elok will be moving in May 2025 and Negara some time later this year.
 
The Oklahoma City Zoo transferred ownership of two California sea lions, 0.1 Pearl and 1.0 Xander, to the Memphis Zoo on March 24th, 2025. The pair, both rescued in 2003 by the Pacific Marine Mammal Center and long-time residents of the OKC Zoo, were transferred to Memphis on December 12th, 2022.

The OKC Zoo no longer owns any California sea lions, a decision previously stated by zoo leadership in January: OKC projects could see setbacks due to extreme costs
 
The zoo received a 1.0 Red Panda named Jupiter from Idaho Falls Zoo. He is around 10 months old. He has not yet been introduced to their adult female red panda Khyana but they plan to in the future

7.3K views · 396 reactions | Say hello to the newest member of our animal family, Jupiter, a male red panda! Jupiter is a 10-month-old red panda who recently relocated to the OKC Zoo from the Idaho Falls Zoo, a fellow Association of Zoos and Aquariums accredited zoo. Jupiter has been exploring his new spaces, both inside and outside. While he is still young, red pandas will often venture off from mom at about this age, so this is the perfect time to welcome him to OKC! Jupiter and our other adult red panda, Khyana, have not been introduced yet but will be in the future. On your next visit to the Zoo, make sure to stop by Sanctuary Asia to catch a glimpse of Jupiter and give him a warm welcome to our family! | Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden
 
On June 12th, the zoo confirmed that the Galapagos tortoises that hatched in July 2024's mother is Ellie, confirming the Volcan Alcedo subspecies, which @Kifaru Bwana should be thrilled at.

8.6K views · 321 reactions | Our five Galapagos tortoise hatchlings have already gotten so big, well...relatively! These 1-year-old tortoises may be growing slowly every day, but they are already showing personalities. We have some exciting news to share about our baby Galapagos tortoises! When they were born, we knew their dad was Max, but we were unsure exactly who their mom was. Thanks to our fantastic vet team, we were able to do blood tests on all five tortoise hatchlings and it's official, their mom is....ELLIE! The OKC Zoo is the only Association of Zoos and Aquariums accredited zoo to have successfully bred this exceedingly rare subspecies of Galapagos tortoise and while it will take some time, we're excited to see these little guys grow! First-time mom, Ellie, is recognizable among our scoot of Galapagos tortoises as the saddleback tortoise, or the one whose shell curves inward instead of rounding out. The five hatchlings are growing so fast (or as fast as a tortoise does) and have already doubled in size from when they first hatched! On your next visit to the Zoo, head to the Herpetarium to see these five in their brand-new habitat near the rattlesnakes. | Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden
 
Smaggledagle said:
On June 12th, the zoo confirmed that the Galapagos tortoises that hatched in July 2024's mother is Ellie, confirming the Volcan Alcedo subspecies, which @Kifaru Bwana should be thrilled at.

8.6K views · 321 reactions | Our five Galapagos tortoise hatchlings have already gotten so big, well...relatively! These 1-year-old tortoises may be growing slowly every day, but they are already showing personalities. We have some exciting news to share about our baby Galapagos tortoises! When they were born, we knew their dad was Max, but we were unsure exactly who their mom was. Thanks to our fantastic vet team, we were able to do blood tests on all five tortoise hatchlings and it's official, their mom is....ELLIE! The OKC Zoo is the only Association of Zoos and Aquariums accredited zoo to have successfully bred this exceedingly rare subspecies of Galapagos tortoise and while it will take some time, we're excited to see these little guys grow! First-time mom, Ellie, is recognizable among our scoot of Galapagos tortoises as the saddleback tortoise, or the one whose shell curves inward instead of rounding out. The five hatchlings are growing so fast (or as fast as a tortoise does) and have already doubled in size from when they first hatched! On your next visit to the Zoo, head to the Herpetarium to see these five in their brand-new habitat near the rattlesnakes. | Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden
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Thanks @Smaggledagle, for posting this great news and yes I am absolutely thrilled. It may be the breakthrough that the Species Coördinator (along with the recent Philadelphia success with the Western Santa Cruz giant tortoise C. porteri) had been looking for all along. And yes, it is essential to have confirmation of all maternity for the 2024 hatchlings... Redouble efforts with Miss Elie and Max and hopefully the other 2 ladies (Isabela and Mrs. B) tug along too and do the decent thing and then go on to nest and lay their eggs....

I do hope all this will encourage and inspire the OKC herp staff, Reptile Dept. Curator and senior management and to unconditionally pursue the further breeding of their Chelonoidis vandenburghi (Volcan Alcedo giant tortoise) with even more gusto and vigour. I am confident if they would that even these 100 year old giants will reward them with much more.


IMO: It is absolutely imperative that any US zoos with pure-bred Galapagos giant tortoise species from the good old Townsend or pre import ban redouble their efforts to have their giants breed to correct species and that it makes sense to invest in the "oldies". I really would advocate that some of the other males C. vandenburghi yet in the US zoos outside Oklahoma City Zoo may get added on to increase the stimulus for breeding...!!!

Of course with the extra investment to maintain the sexes separate to give the females a well deserved rest from the attentions of the male(s) as would happen on their native Galapagos islands and the females get ready to start vesting and egg-laying. Loose soil areas to dig and water bodies and good vegetation cover and separation barriers to keep sexes separate... Plus extra facilities to maintain multiple males and one corrida area where they can run into one another to increase testosterone...levels. Hey, this is complete and natural giant tortoise ecology and behaviour for you.


NOTA BENE: Any news on any egg clutches and new egg-laying and the breeding activities of both other females (Isabela and Mrs. B.) in the group. Sure enough that good old Max is the sire ..., no doubt about that ever!
 
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