San Diego Zoo San Diego Zoo News 2024

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pachyderm pro

pachyderm pro

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Visited the zoo twice for the first time in years this past week and had an absolutely amazing time. Here are a few updates that I don’t believe have been mentioned:

Unsigned nicobar pigeons and wompoo fruit doves now inhabit the secretary bird aviary in Elephant Odyssey. The secretary birds are currently off-exhibit as a result, temporarily I imagine.

The aye-aye crib cages are now blocked-off to visitors, although they are still viewable through a hole in the fence. The other two cages that can still be viewed hold surplus ring-tailed lemurs and Francois langurs.

It appears the zoo is down to just one Tasmanian Devil, a female named Quirini.

The flamingos at the front of the zoo have once again moved to the covered marsh enclosure due to Avian Influenza, even though the flock in Urban Jungle is still in their similarly uncovered enclosure… and the Caribbean flamingos at the Safari Park…
 
pachyderm pro said:
The aye-aye crib cages are now blocked-off to visitors, although they are still viewable through a hole in the fence. The other two cages that can still be viewed hold surplus ring-tailed lemurs and Francois langurs.
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Is the entire side avenue blocked off or just blocking view to the cages?
 
Kudu21 said:
The side street is blocked off before the back two cages, but you can still walk between the first two cages.
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Do you know what their plans are for this area?

Also, has anybody seen anything concrete from the San Diego Zoo about the possibility of giant pandas coming back in the foreseeable future? The Chinese government has said it is happening, but they are not a reliable source of information much of the time.
 
DavidBrown said:
Also, has anybody seen anything concrete from the San Diego Zoo about the possibility of giant pandas coming back in the foreseeable future? The Chinese government has said it is happening, but they are not a reliable source of information much of the time.
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Nothing concrete, but there is information trickling out that the intention is somewhere in California by the end of this year. SF is making a bid as well, I made a post in the Panda thread today.
 
Cat-Man said:
When you’re dealing with the Chinese government nothing is concrete until it’s on the ground abd you’ve seen it with your own eyes. And even then that’s not always enough!
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Given historical links and good scientific and multi-level cooperation bi-partite I am quite convinced the outcome will be that only San Diego Zoo will once more receive a breeding pair of giant panda.
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
Given historical links and good scientific and multi-level cooperation bi-partite I am quite convinced the outcome will be that only San Diego Zoo will once more receive a breeding pair of giant panda.
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Yes, it is clearly the most likely destination.
 
Piece of December 2023 News Not Mentioned:

On December 31st, it was announced that the zoo acquired a (0.1) West African slender-snouted crocodile named Adjoa from the ABQ BioPark Zoo in New Mexico in October.

ABQ BioPark 2023 Year in Review — City of Albuquerque

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On January 4th, it was announced that they transferred a (1.0) fossa named Jeff to the Greensboro Science Center in North Carolina.

Greensboro Science Center

On January 6th, the zoo announced that a (0.0.1) Schmidt's guenon was born.

New at the Zoo: sweet, little simians De Brazza's monkey: Recognized for their long, white facial hair, which resembles a beard, they prefer the safety of the canopy but can be found submerged in bodies of water, giving them the nickname “swamp monkeys.” Schmidt's red-tailed monkey: Also known as Schmidt's guenon, the red-tailed monkey is known for its white nose and long chestnut-red tail. Their large cheek pouches can store almost as much food as their stomachs. Squirrel monkey: With orange-ish feet and a tail as long as their body, these small monkeys are one of the most vocal primates, communicating with calls including barks, purrs, screams, peeps, and squawks. #Monkey #Infant #NewAddition #SanDiegoZoo | San Diego Zoo | San Diego Zoo · Original audio
 
I noted that someone added domestic Bactrian Camel as a current holding for the zoo to ZTL, citing signed and seen on Jan 6, 2024 - I thought the last Bactrians left the zoo over a decade ago? Only camel I see in the wealth of recent photos is Dromedary. Has the zoo actually brought back Bactrians or is the listing erroneous?
 
Great Argus said:
I noted that someone added domestic Bactrian Camel as a current holding for the zoo to ZTL, citing signed and seen on Jan 6, 2024 - I thought the last Bactrians left the zoo over a decade ago? Only camel I see in the wealth of recent photos is Dromedary. Has the zoo actually brought back Bactrians or is the listing erroneous?
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No, only Dromedary Camels are at the zoo, but the Safari Park has Bactrian Camels so that is why they may have listed the zoo as having Bactrians.
 
Great Argus said:
I noted that someone added domestic Bactrian Camel as a current holding for the zoo to ZTL, citing signed and seen on Jan 6, 2024 - I thought the last Bactrians left the zoo over a decade ago? Only camel I see in the wealth of recent photos is Dromedary. Has the zoo actually brought back Bactrians or is the listing erroneous?
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Sorry, that was me. I almost always see bactrians so that was probably out of instinct. I’ll go correct that now if it hasn’t been already.
 
Finally able to visit after months, here are some updates:
  • 2 unsigned Mexican Alligator Lizards are at the old reptile house.
  • A Red Panda is exhibited in the ambassadors section of the Basecamp.
  • As mentioned previously by @pachyderm pro only having seen signage, saw a Blue Duiker is now on exhibit in the Gerenuk yard. Is separated from the Gerenuk vía a fence.
  • 2 new reptiles at Cool Critters, an Hispaniolan Boa and a Fiji Island Boa.
  • Saw a new bird species in the Hummingbird Habitat, appeared to be Cuban Grassquit based on Google image search. Will upload photos for verification.
  • A terrarium at Spineless Marvels had Touch Me Not Stick Insects.
  • In one of the outdoor hards of the old reptile house, there was a Cuvier’s Madagascar Swift.
 
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Update from today's visit:

Panda Trek and the former Giant Panda Research Station have been blocked off. A sign reads, "This area is temporarily under construction while our team creates new experiences for wildlife. Please visit the red pandas at Wildlife Explorers Basecamp." This could be a possible sign towards giant pandas returning to San Diego.

Asian Leopards remains open, however, golden takin, red panda, and Mangshan pit viper, are either off exhibit or have been relocated.

The southern ground hornbill pair is back on exhibit in the Kopje of Africa Rocks.

Owen's Aviary, Ituri Forest (Hippo/Okapi), Angolan colobus exhibit, Black mangabey exhibit, and Arctic Aviary, still remain closed or under construction. The sociable weaver aviary and Sun Bear Forest aviary are also under construction.
 
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