Philadelphia Zoo Philadelphia Zoo News 2025

Piece of July 2025 News Not Mentioned:

On July 11th, it was announced that the zoo transferred (5.1) Humboldt penguins to Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium in Pennsylvania.

Game Changer: Humboldt Penguins and Brown Pelicans Are Joining Our Lineup - Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium

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On October 19th, the zoo announced they acquired (1.1) striped skunks named Koa and Violet, which are now ambassador animals.

21K views · 1.4K reactions | Everyone say hello to Violet the striped skunk! Violet recently joined the Philly Zoo family along with her brother, Koa, as part of our Ambassador Animal Program. As ambassador animals, they help our guests learn about a native species that’s often misunderstood. Skunks play an important role in the ecosystem by helping with pest control and seed dispersal. | Philadelphia Zoo
 
Antimony96 said:
There are now two tammar wallabies in the mixed paddock with the red kangaroos and emu, a male and a female. Per signage and construction this is set to be converted into a walkabout.
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Andrew Mazza said:
Work on the upcoming wallaby walkabout is slowly underway. The new double door entrance has been constructed, but not much else yet. I did see one of the new Tammar wallabies! I also want to take a moment to say that I’m very excited for this new exhibit! I feel that kangaroo walkabouts get a little hate from zoo nerds and I will never understand that. For one thing, We in New Jersey, and maybe even the entire Northeast United States, have been DEPRIVED of a kangaroo walkabout ever since Prospect Park Zoo got rid of their kangaroos and wallabies several years ago.
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On October 29th, the zoo officially announced they acquired (1.2) tammar wallabies named Maaka, Grace, and Mavis, which are on exhibit. The zoo also announced that the walkabout is still in its early phase, with the exhibit closing on November 30th to undergo further work to reopen sometime in 2026.

12K views · 509 reactions | Welcome to The Walkabout at Outback Outpost! Meet Maaka, Mavis, and Grace—our new Tammar wallaby family and one of the smallest species of wallaby! Step into their habitat (and the kangaroos’ too!) in our new Walkabout experience, open daily as a pilot program through Sunday 11/20 before closing for the final phase of construction. These wallabies are here on an AZA Species Survival Plan, so fingers crossed for baby news sometime in the future! Learn more: https://bit.ly/3LyuwBq | Philadelphia Zoo
Philadelphia Zoo Welcomes New Marsupial Residents and Pilots New Animal Experience at Outback Outpost
 
A couple of updates from today's visit:

Outback Outpost
- Overall, I found the new walkabout lackluster. The zoo put up a chain-link fence and black tarp to divide the exhibit in two and separate the emus. The guest section of the walkabout is tiny, allowing guests to step about ten feet into the exhibit. Both times I was there, I got better views of the kangaroos/wallabies from outside the walkabout. Hoping with some more work the exhibit can standout.
Reptile House
- There is a black emo skink (emoia nigra) in the former red-eyed crocodile skink exhibit (signed, not seen).
- There is a spearpoint leaf-tailed gecko (uroplatus ebenaui) in the mantella exhibit (signed and seen).
- The Weber's sailfin dragons our off-display and the exhibit is undergoing renovations.
- The west african dwarf crocodile exhibit is undergoing renovations. The crocodiles have been moved two exhibits over, to occupy the former alligator/crocodile exhibits.
McNeil Avian Center
- The great blue turaco is no longer signed.
- There's a pair of Cabot's tragopan in the golden weaver exhibit.
- There's a European serin (unsigned) in the coffee exhibit/
- There's a yellow-fronted canary (unsigned) in the Indian white-eye exhibit.
Peco
- The aye-aye exhibits are re-opened.
 
I gave my sister, brother-in-law, and their baby niece on a tour this past week, might go myself one last time before the year is out next week.
Short-Giraffe said:
A couple of updates from today's visit:

Outback Outpost
- Overall, I found the new walkabout lackluster. The zoo put up a chain-link fence and black tarp to divide the exhibit in two and separate the emus. The guest section of the walkabout is tiny, allowing guests to step about ten feet into the exhibit. Both times I was there, I got better views of the kangaroos/wallabies from outside the walkabout. Hoping with some more work the exhibit can standout.
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Yeah, it's nothing to write home about it at the moment. Assuming that the full walkabout will be ready for 2026.

Signage for the fire salamander is gone entirely, so I assume he's passed. Also gone for the dwarf caimans. There is signage for Cuban crocodiles, which are supposedly coming next year.
 
Antimony96 said:
I gave my sister, brother-in-law, and their baby niece on a tour this past week, might go myself one last time before the year is out next week.

Yeah, it's nothing to write home about it at the moment. Assuming that the full walkabout will be ready for 2026.

Signage for the fire salamander is gone entirely, so I assume he's passed. Also gone for the dwarf caimans. There is signage for Cuban crocodiles, which are supposedly coming next year.
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CUBAN CROCODILES? That is a pleasant surprise! The caiman exhibit seems a bit snug for them - would the Cuban crocodiles go where the old West African crocodile/American alligator exhibits are?
 
Short-Giraffe said:
Overall, I found the new walkabout lackluster. The zoo put up a chain-link fence and black tarp to divide the exhibit in two and separate the emus. The guest section of the walkabout is tiny, allowing guests to step about ten feet into the exhibit. Both times I was there, I got better views of the kangaroos/wallabies from outside the walkabout. Hoping with some more work the exhibit can standout.
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That sounds like it makes sense for a new exhibit - even though the 'walkabout' concept is becoming pretty commonplace, wallabies can be pretty shy animals and I've been in some longstanding walkabouts and still seen most of the mob hiding off to the side. They probably kept a short path so the animals have some time to adjust to having strangers walking through their habitats. They'll need time to see where they are most comfortable in the exhibit so they can balance the animals' privacy needs while also letting them be visible to the public. I know some facilities measure the animals' stress levels during stuff like this, too. Once/if they successfully adjust, the tarp and fence can be removed and they can construct something more permanent, hopefully before spring, although it will take some time to find out how comfortable they are. Here's hoping it's not long! I love a good walkabout.

- There's a European serin (unsigned) in the coffee exhibit/
- There's a yellow-fronted canary (unsigned) in the Indian white-eye exhibit.
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Did you talk to a keeper about these or identify them personally?? There's very few European native species that ever show up in American collections, and if it's a correct ID, they would be the only ones on display in the United States. Maybe the lack of signage is pending identification?

- The aye-aye exhibits are re-opened.
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Excellent news, I look forward to seeing the Aye-aye there next year! They've really become one of my favorites.

There is signage for Cuban crocodiles, which are supposedly coming next year.
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A very exciting addition! Did you photograph the signage? I assume there will probably only be one crocodile unless someone from the zoo says otherwise, as I've always hard Cuban crocodiles are particularly aggressive don't seem to always play well in groups.
 
Antimony96 said:
I gave my sister, brother-in-law, and their baby niece on a tour this past week, might go myself one last time before the year is out next week.

Yeah, it's nothing to write home about it at the moment. Assuming that the full walkabout will be ready for 2026.

Signage for the fire salamander is gone entirely, so I assume he's passed. Also gone for the dwarf caimans. There is signage for Cuban crocodiles, which are supposedly coming next year.
Click to expand...
The arrival of Cuban crocodiles is very exciting! I do hope they go for a breeding pair or maybe the AZA program has selected Philadelphia Zoo for a nursery location for growing Cuban crocodiles. Any news about where the crocs may be coming from?

As for the mentioned former holdings, West African crocodile/American alligator exhibit... What happened to the former crocs there? Did they get sent elsewhere, passed away or something?
 
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
The arrival of Cuban crocodiles is very exciting! I do hope they go for a breeding pair or maybe the AZA program has selected Philadelphia Zoo for a nursery location for growing Cuban crocodiles. Any news about where the crocs may be coming from?

As for the mentioned former holdings, West African crocodile/American alligator exhibit... What happened to the former crocs there? Did they get sent elsewhere, passed away or something?
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I think the alligator passed on, I do know that the West African crocodile was on loan/has been returned to her original home.
 
Birth of 2 Pied Tamarins in mid-September.
Philadelphia Zoo on Instagram: "BABY ALERT!!!! We're excited to announce the birth of another (that's right, another!) set of critically endangered pied tamarin twins! The babies were born in mid-September, and our animal care team says they are healthy and growing appropriately. The sex of the infants has not yet been determined and the Zoo has not chosen names. These babies are now the third and fourth offspring of mom, Whitney, and dad, Napoleon. Pied tamarins practice alloparenting, where multiple family members help to care for the infants. In fact, in pied tamarin families, it's the dad who primarily carries the babies on his back! Everyone give them a warm welcome to the Zoo, and come see the whole family inside the Rare Animal Conservation Center!"
 
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