Racine Zoo Racine Zoo News

brown bear 555 said:
Made a stop at the Racine Zoo today with a few updates:
- I can confirm that Fong, the elderly Sun bear that was brought to Racine in 2023 to live out his golden years, has passed away. a sign at the Andean bear exhibit confirms his passing, although it does not seem shocking since he was at an old age that went beyond the average sun bear longevity
- The lesser adjutant stork aviary still has a tufted deer, and the indoor aviary viewing panel is closed
- The fennec fox exhibit next to the black rhinoceroses was barricaded, meaning that either they moved their fennec fox or it passed away
- The eastern screech owl exhibit that stood close to the entrance is completely gone, and was replaced by a rhinoceros statue
- The former west caucasian tur mountain, now abandoned for a few years, has new barriers up and a new indoor building. I overheard from a train conductor that they are likely to be bringing back mountain goats. While I do not believe it is west caucasian tur, since those were extremely rare, I feel like the mountain could exhibit Rocky Mountain goats, bighorn sheep, or even ibex
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Did it say when he passed ? I know he was behind the scenes.
 
brown bear 555 said:
Made a stop at the Racine Zoo today with a few updates:
- I can confirm that Fong, the elderly Sun bear that was brought to Racine in 2023 to live out his golden years, has passed away. a sign at the Andean bear exhibit confirms his passing, although it does not seem shocking since he was at an old age that went beyond the average sun bear longevity
Click to expand...

Thanks for confirming. I was actually gonna attempt to go today since he reportedly was only out on hot sunny days so I was going to give it a try on one of the last hot sunny days of the year. Thanks for saving me the trip. Wish I would have had a chance to see him, unfortunately he was a no-show every time.
 
brown bear 555 said:
Made a stop at the Racine Zoo today with a few updates:
- I can confirm that Fong, the elderly Sun bear that was brought to Racine in 2023 to live out his golden years, has passed away. a sign at the Andean bear exhibit confirms his passing, although it does not seem shocking since he was at an old age that went beyond the average sun bear longevity
Click to expand...
I'm really sorry to hear this as I was looking forward to and hoping to see Fong at least once before he passed, but I'm also not entirely surprised - not only due to his age, but the fact he wasn't coming out much and that they acquired another bear for display hinted to me he wasn't in the best shape.

brown bear 555 said:
- The lesser adjutant stork aviary still has a tufted deer, and the indoor aviary viewing panel is closed
- The fennec fox exhibit next to the black rhinoceroses was barricaded, meaning that either they moved their fennec fox or it passed away
Click to expand...
When has anyone here last seen Fennec fox in that habitat? I thought I was told last year it was empty. Interesting they have only now added a barricade.

Perhaps they could receive Milwaukee's fennec foxes when the Small Mammal building closes.

brown bear 555 said:
- The former west caucasian tur mountain, now abandoned for a few years, has new barriers up and a new indoor building. I overheard from a train conductor that they are likely to be bringing back mountain goats. While I do not believe it is west caucasian tur, since those were extremely rare, I feel like the mountain could exhibit Rocky Mountain goats, bighorn sheep, or even ibex
Click to expand...
I'm really glad to hear this exhibit in particular has been filled up and that would get me back to the facility. I can't wait to see what they add! I had heard from multiple sources they were still interested in goats.

If they can just figure out a solid replacement for the stork and foxes, they could at least take care of a lot of the empty space.
 
Visited this park very recently, and I have some words to say, first off, I am hoping with the mountain is home to a species not in the nearby zoos, one of the main draws of Racine for me is the more obscure species for the range, which also made me consider Red Crowned Cranes for the Stork Avairy, not a stork but it seems like one of the simplest choices, and when I walk through the zoo, I really do wish some of the patches of grass between exhibits could have more animals, especially between Land of the Giants and the rest of the zoo
 
Jambo said:
It's been announced on socials that Black Rhino bull 'Kianga' will soon be moving to a new facility (presumably Milwaukee).
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He indeed did move to Milwaukee.
92 reactions · 11 shares | We are thrilled to announce the safe arrival of two Eastern black rhinos as we prepare to open the Ladish Co. Foundation Rhino Care Center. Zuri, a 16-year-old female arrived from Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden and is described as sweet, sassy and affectionate. The male Kianga, traveled from nearby Racine Zoo, is 22 years-old, enjoys training with his zookeepers and was well-known in Racine for blowing raspberries. Both rhinos will be in a quarantine period in their new habitat before the building opens to the public. Zuri and Kianga came to MCZ on a breeding recommendation for the Eastern Black Rhino Species Survival Plan® (SSP). Eastern black rhinos are classified as Critically Endangered according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Rhinos in their natural habitat are threatened by multiple factors, including poachers, who kill them for their horns, and habitat reduction. Learn more about the pair and watch the moments they arrived: https://mkezoo.com/RhinosReturn | Milwaukee County Zoo
 
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