Saint Louis Zoo Saint Louis Zoo news 2008-2012

okapikpr said:
From my records, their rhinos may just be to young yet. They will both turn 5 years old in the fall. Be patient, calves will come with time.
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Yes okapikpr is right. The one Black rhino there is quite old, and the other two are both around 4 years old, so breeding won't happen for a couple years. I think St. Louis has one of the best black rhino exhibits.
 
BlackRhino said:
Yes okapikpr is right. The one Black rhino there is quite old, and the other two are both around 4 years old, so breeding won't happen for a couple years. I think St. Louis has one of the best black rhino exhibits.
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Do you know which individuals are we talking about (Sex, DoB and origin)?
What about the old St. Louis lineage: has this been preserved in the current SSP programme (F Betsy was mega important)?
 
They have a male named Toto who is 33 years old and his lived at the St. Louis Zoo for most of his life. They have another male Abaju, born at the San Diego Wild Animal in 2006 and he is 4 years old. Lastly they have a female named Kati Rain, who was born at the Sedgwick County Zoo in Kansas. She is also 4 years old.
 
What about the old St. Louis lineage: has this been preserved in the current SSP programme (F Betsy was mega important)?
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Betsy could probably be considered a founder since she was the only offspring of two wild caught black rhinos. Toto, her mate, was wild caught and a founder, too. Their bloodline is represented by their only living offspring, a male Werikhe at the Oklahoma City Zoo. He has yet to produce any offspring.
 
Is planning to import 1.1 Horned Guans from Africam Safari in Pueblo, Mexico.

Applicant: Saint Louis Zoo, St. Louis, MO, PRT-201169
The applicant requests a permit to import one male and two female
captive-born horned guans (Oreophasis derbianus) from African Safari
Park, Puebla, Mexico, for the purpose of enhancement of the species
through captive propagation and conservation education.
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Taken from the US Federal Register.
 
Rani is pregnant, again, what great news for the Asian Elephant population. I remember when Rani was a newborn at the Jacksonville Zoo with her mom Ellie.
 
The zoo is doing a good job breeding especially with these two females elephants. I will miss the two elephants from the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. I hope the two babies will be born healthy and strong.
 
New exhibits in the plans for the zoo:
06/04/2010 - St. Louis Zoo plans new bear, sea lion exhibits - STLtoday.com

St. Louis' animal kingdom is about to undergo some major renovations. The St. Louis Zoo plans to build new homes for its bears, sea lions, elephants and red pandas. The digs offer more space, bigger pools, shady trees and grassy lawns. The first project, Sea Lion Sound, is set to open in 2012 and will feature an underwater viewing tunnel, expanded saltwater pools and a new, 850-seat sea lion arena.

The new exhibits are part of "The Living Promise," the zoo's $120 million capital campaign. The money will also go toward new bathrooms, sewer and water lines, a maintenance facility and other infrastructure improvements as well as the zoo's growing endowment. The zoo already has raised some $74 million, including $5 million from Emerson — the single largest gift in zoo history. The zoo is continuing to seek money from corporations and individuals to meet its goal. Parking lot improvements and work on the elephant area are already under way.

"There are no 'wouldn't it be nice' projects here. These are all fundamental needs," said Jeffrey Bonner, the zoo's president. "After 100 years, there are some things like water lines and sewer lines you don't repair anymore, you replace. This campaign will guarantee that we remain the best free zoo in the world well into the future."

Sea Lion Sound will provide a 1.5-acre complex for the zoo's California sea lions. Currently the zoo must drain the 90-year-old sea lion pool every other week for cleaning. That won't be necessary at the new Sea Lion Landing; divers will clean the new pool. Steve Bircher, zoo curator of mammals and carnivores, said Sea Lion Sound's improved facilities will allow the zoo to add harbor and gray seals to its collection.

"The underwater viewing tube is a first," Bircher said. "Sea lions are curious about humans, and it will be exciting to be just inches away."

The zoo also will reconfigure its many bear exhibits, doubling the size of the grizzly and polar bear pits. The zoo no longer will house black bears, which have increased their numbers in the wild. The zoo's lone black bear has already surpassed its life expectancy and is not likely to be at the zoo when the new bear exhibits open in about five years or so.

"The bear pits are the second-oldest exhibit here at the zoo, and they have a lot of history. They were among the first cageless exhibits and were a real model for other zoos. But they are no longer state of the art," Bircher said. "What we have planned will be better for the health and psychology of the animals."

At the new Grizzly Ridge, natural grass and vegetation will replace the concrete floor, but the bluffs, modeled after rock formations in Herculaneum, will remain.

The new polar bear pit, named Polar Bear Point, will feature a chilly "ice cave" where visitors can watch polar bears swim underwater in a simulated arctic environment. While Bircher hopes the polar bear exhibit will be finished in five years, when polar bears will return to the St. Louis Zoo is a more complicated question. Bircher would like to obtain a breeding pair, but other zoos already have new exhibits that need to be populated. Polar bears come from zoo breeding programs and, in some cases, the wild. However, the government has restricted the relocation of wild bears to zoos. The zoo lost its last polar bear in 2009 to cancer. In 2005, two polar bears died — one after surgery to remove cloth and plastic that somehow got into pit; the other suffered an infection. The USDA fined the zoo in those cases.

The Andean Bear Ridge will open near the capybaras and giant anteaters in River's Edge while the popular Malayan sun bears will move to Sun Bear Forest near the Asian elephants. A pair of red pandas, which resemble raccoons, will move to the current sun bear habitat.

The zoo also plans to add a fourth elephant yard, which will double the elephants' outdoor enclosure. Only viewable from the Zooline Railroad, Elephant Woods will accommodate the zoo's growing herd. Two elephants at the zoo are expecting calves next summer. Animal rights activists have protested that the zoo's 1.25-acre habitat is far too small for animals that roam for miles and miles in the wild. Bonner insists the current yard is adequate but says the addition will allow keepers to better manage the herd.

"It gives us more flexibility," Bonner said. "It's a very rich environment because of the terrain. There's a ravine with water and trees they can tear into. It will be great fun and exercise."

The zoo closed its last capital campaign less than a decade ago. It raised some $71 million for Fragile Forest, the River's Edge and Penguin and Puffin Coast, wildly popular exhibits that boosted annual attendance to 3 million visitors.
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They also released three virtual tours:
Take a virtual tour of Grizzly Ridge
St. Louis Zoo unveils plans for new exhibits
The St. Louis Zoo Sea Lions will get new home
 
All of these plans certainly sound exciting, and it is interesting that the capital campaign to raise $120 million comes amidst an economic recession. Thanks for posting Mario!
 
Here is a funny video

Apparently they do this every Sunday at 2pm in the winter

!

Dont they do this at Edinburgh?
 
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I'm not really sure about the article, but they march them outside when its cold
YouTube links aren't working

ANd on the rhino, this baby will live in the best exhibit for its species in the country, congrats St. Louis!
 
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