Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium News 2024

DesertTortoise said:
On my visit in August, I checked Gorilla Valley twice (first thing in the morning and a couple hours before closing), and the gibbons were on display both times. This makes me think they typically only have one primate group on display in that exhibit each day, but I don't know if that is always the case. That exhibit is also outdoors, so if the weather is cooler, there might not be anything on display. The exhibit should rotate between Geoffroy's spider monkeys, Angolan colobus, and the agile and buff-cheeked gibbons (which are displayed together). The macaques have been gone for a few years.
Click to expand...

MGolka said:
You may be surprised to find all animals outside during the winter months as I have gone mid-December and caught almost all the animals out and about at various times over the years. I’ve even seen some gorillas playing in snow!

I’ve talked with a primate keeper about that rotational exhibit and they let the animals decide if they are outdoors so it can really be hit or miss what you see. She said the primates don’t hold back in showing if they want to be inside or outside. That would be an interesting thing to see behind the scenes.
Click to expand...
Thank you both again for the advice as despite the cool weather, I did manage to see the Agile and Buff-cheeked gibbons today on my second stroll past the exhibit, which were one of my main target species. Chatted with a nice fellow at Gorilla Valley as well.

It was also such a treat to see the gorilla/colobus mix! I wish the colobus had been a bit more active but the gorillas more than made up for it.
 
A couple of updates from visit today:
  • Lied Jungle continues to have a portion closed for repairs to roof do to hail damage. Only a short portion from the last cave to the final South American island is closed. But annoying you have to back track a long way through the upper path entering through the normal entry point.
  • The Golden Silk Orb Weaver spider exhibit in Lied Jungle is under construction at the moment.
  • The Egyptian Fruit Bats in the Lied Jungle were REALLY active within the first and second cave complexes. Got a nice bat buzz in one of the caves.
  • I know it has been posted before, but I'm not a fan of the spider monkeys in the original white-handed gibbon exhibit, my personal opinion.
  • Cairo Spiny Mouse no longer on display in Mutual of Omaha Wild Kingdom Pavilion, in fact even more terrariums are no longer occupied at the moment.
  • A couple of the aquarist picks aquariums are getting changed out in the Scott Aquarium, so looking forward to what new things they come up with.
  • The aquarium tank that had Harlequin Tusk in it along with some Clownfish is getting updated. This is the tank right after the moral eels/lionfish tank, and before the garden eel tank.
  • Might have been posted before previously, but there are some new unsigned snakes in with the Togo Slippery Frogs. Not sure what they are.
Did meet up with @JVM and had some great discussions on zoos around the country as well as some foreign zoos and I divulged a bunch of Omaha's history as we went around the grounds.

The biggest surprise of the day is we solved the years long running mystery of the Chinese Goral. Today I spotted the horns of the elusive caprid in the fenced path from the off show barn to the exhibit and low and behold, it is still there!

11 Sichuan Takin, Chinese Goral.JPG
 

Attachments

  • 11 Sichuan Takin, Chinese Goral.JPG
    11 Sichuan Takin, Chinese Goral.JPG
    238.2 KB · Views: 209
@MGolka was a very gracious tour guide with lots of cool historical info and providing some neat context, and helpful for spotting some rarities. Very glad to be there for the rediscovery of the goral! I always love learning about the history of zoos when I visit them and it added a lot of life to the long path from Sea Lion Shores up to near African Grasslands! Great way to add to experiencing a fantastic facility! :)
 
The zoo has officially announced plans for a new 32,000 square foot Animal Hospital. It's slated for completion in 2026.

Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo building new animal hospital

EBGGCOYZVBC7XMOAYHUQVINLQY.png
 
PercideRolo said:
BIG!
Location beyond lion rocks and camp?
Click to expand...
It's behind Asian Highlands and Stingray Bay, essentially behind the Red Pandas/Sloth Bear. The zoo announced the hospital a year or so ago and started construction in 2023. I think they were finally showing off more details what it will look like today. I got a foundation email with the image above looking for donors to finish the funding. I'm a little surprised KETV is just now posting this.
 
Yeah, construction is very well underway, the building is very visible. I was so confused when I saw it, wondering what the big secret project was until @MGolka filled me in... truly this zoo never takes a break!
 
Yeah, it’s been under construction for a long time now…looks great so far though! Can’t wait to see what comes next (hyenas please lol)
 
Here are a few updates from my visit today (November 25, 2024).

Desert Dome
  • A blue-bellied roller is on exhibit with the spotted thick-knees. The exhibit appears very cramped with both species of birds.
  • The hyrax exhibit is now only signed for the rock hyrax; the bush hyrax signage has been removed.
  • There are at least two Angolan garter snakes (Elapsoidea semiannulata) on display in one of the tanks that recently housed Namib giant ground geckos. The geckos still occupy one tank nearby.
  • The terrarium that housed the juvenile perentie for a while is now home to what I believe is a coastal taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus), which occupied this tank before the perenties. The tank, however, is still currently signed for the perenties.
  • What looks like a woma python has replaced the king brown. The king brown is also still signed.
Lied Jungle
  • The frilled lizard and blood python tanks in the first cave on the canopy level are being worked on. The frilled lizard is currently in the Home's hingeback tortoise tank, with the signage for that tank being completely removed, and the blood pythons are living in the plumed basilisk tank; the basilisks are still signed.
  • I was surprised to see three black-and-rufous sengis on display, as I have only ever seen two at the zoo before.
Black-and-rufous Sengi (Rhynchocyon petersi)

Black-and-rufous Sengi (Rhynchocyon petersi)

Lied Jungle - November 25, 2024

Asian Highlands
  • I saw the goral for the first time ever, and there were two of them! I was under the impression that there was only one goral, so that was a nice surprise.
Chinese Gorals (Naemorhedus griseus)

Chinese Gorals (Naemorhedus griseus)

Asian Highlands - November 25, 2024
 
DesertTortoise said:
The terrarium that housed the juvenile perentie for a while is now home to what I believe is a coastal taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus), which occupied this tank before the perenties. The tank, however, is still currently signed for the perenties.
Click to expand...
Seems the zoo is transferring their juveniles out. One went Toledo and I’m sure more went elsewhere, I believe there were 5-8? Glad you saw the sengis and goral :D
 
On September 4th, the zoo announced they bred and released 4,431 western boreal toads into the wild.

Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium

On December 5th, it was announced that the zoo transferred an ocelot to the Oklahoma City Zoo in Oklahoma.

Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden

On December 6th, the zoo announced they acquired a (1.0) generic giraffe named Geoff from an unspecified facility in the Southeast which is now on exhibit.

Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium
 
Smaggledagle said:
On September 4th, the zoo announced they bred and released 4,431 western boreal toads into the wild.

Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium

On December 5th, it was announced that the zoo transferred an ocelot to the Oklahoma City Zoo in Oklahoma.

Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden

On December 6th, the zoo announced they acquired a (1.0) generic giraffe named Geoff from an unspecified facility in the Southeast which is now on exhibit.

Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium
Click to expand...
Geoff was transferred from White Oak Conservation Center and has a breeding recommendation with three of the zoo's females.
 
Smaggledagle said:
On December 5th, it was announced that the zoo transferred an ocelot to the Oklahoma City Zoo in Oklahoma.
Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden
Click to expand...

This is interesting because they sent a 1-year ocelot, which to me almost implies that Omaha must have been successful in breeding an ocelot. This is totally my speculation since I don't believe anything was ever formally announced, I can't find anything otherwise.

Since I'm not too knowledgeable about animal transfer best practices, but it would seem odd for a zoo to acquire a very young individual only to ship them out within a year?
 
MGolka said:
This is interesting because they sent a 1-year ocelot, which to me almost implies that Omaha must have been successful in breeding an ocelot. This is totally my speculation since I don't believe anything was ever formally announced, I can't find anything otherwise.

Since I'm not too knowledgeable about animal transfer best practices, but it would seem odd for a zoo to acquire a very young individual only to ship them out within a year?
Click to expand...
I believe the zoo has a breeding pair: Aztec (1.0) and Enia (0.1). I would assume Cusco, now at Oklahoma, is their offspring.
 
California Sea Lion Raiden (b 06/17/2017 @ Omaha) moved from Omaha on 11/23/2024 to Riverbanks Zoo and Garden. Ownership was also transferred from Como Zoo to Riverbanks.

According to the most recent MMIR (12/07/2024), Omaha has 2.2 California Sea Lions and 2.0 Harbor Seals.

California Sea Lions (2.2):
1.0 Chino (b ~07/15/2004)
0.1 Nova (b 06/05/2016)
0.1 {no name on MMIR} (b 10/1/2017)
1.0 Fluke (b 06/12/2019)

Harbor Seals:
1.0 Milo (b 05/30/2018)
1.0 Monty (b 08/04/2018)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top