Piece of January / May / September 2025 News + 2 Pieces of August 2025 News Not Mentioned:
On August 7th, the zoo announced they acquired 3 Nigerian Dwarf goats named Biscuit, Jam, and Jelly, from an unspecified farm in Oregon, which are on display in the Family Farm.
On January 15th, it was announced that the zoo received a critical violation from the USDA after a naked mole rat was critically injured and euthanized after getting caught in between 2 structures inside the exhibit in August 2024. The situation was corrected at the time of inspection*.
On May 28th, the zoo announced they acquired a male (1.0) Virginia opossum named Nigel from Chintimini Wildlife Center in Oregon, which is an ambassador animal.
On August 25th, it was reported that the zoo will start construction on a new entry plaza and a large covered event shelter (between Polar Passage and Growler's Pizza) in January 2026, with construction ending in August 2026. It was also reported that the zoo will start construction on a smaller covered shelter (between Growler's and Elephant Lands) in February 2027. Finally, it was reported that the zoo is planning on renovating various areas of the facility, starting with the sea otter/harbor seal/Humboldt penguin exhibits.
On October 9th, the zoo announced that 2 California condors that hatched at the zoo's Jonsson Center for Wildlife Conservation in 2024 were released into the wilds of Arizona.
This weekend marks the last time Nora the polar bear will be on display. She’ll move to Henry Vilas shortly after, with male Kallik moving in from St. Louis soon after.