Sedgwick County Zoo sedgwick county zoo

[Mr.Ivory]

African elephant Stephanie has now completely lost her final set of teeth

''Elephants have four large molars and go through six sets of them in their lifetime. Over the past ten years, Stephanie's final set of teeth have been deteriorating from the inside out, which is quite unusual for elephants. In order to prevent complications or infection from food being trapped inside of her teeth, the Elephant Care Team designed a process of cleaning her teeth using flavored water in large syringes to flush out the holes and canals. Last week, Stephanie lost her final tooth. Her diet has been altered over the years to adjust to her dental needs and the team will continue to monitor her eating habits with her newest tooth loss.''

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[Ituri]

Sedgwick County Zoo announced on their facebook page the birth of another clutch of Angolan Garter Snakes.

 

[John Marchwick]

Premature twin chimpanzees die at Sedgwick County Zoo

A premature set of chimpanzee twins have died at the Sedgwick County Zoo

 

[wild boar]

On December 22nd, the zoo announced that the chimpanzee, named Kucheza, passed away.

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Premature twin chimpanzees die at Sedgwick County Zoo

A premature set of chimpanzee twins have died at the Sedgwick County Zoo

It is so sad for the zoo to have lost three chimpanzee infants in less than two months. I hope the keepers and the troop are coping well.

 

[Smaggledagle]

On February 17th, the zoo announced that a (1.0) American bison named Boomer passed away at age 13 1/2 due to unspecified severe health issues.

Sedgwick County Zoo
Farewell to a Beloved Zoo Icon: Saying Goodbye to Boomer the Bison – Sedgwick County Zoo

 

[Smaggledagle]

On February 22nd, the zoo announced they reopened the Tropics Building after it was closed for a year due to avian influenza.

Sedgwick County Zoo

 

[TinoPup]

Renee, the forty-four-year-old African Elephant at the Toledo Zoo is pregnant through AI, and is due in the spring of 2024.

The father of the calf is SCZ's fourteen-year-old bull "Titan". This means that any of Sedgwick's elephant cows except for Stephanie might be pregnant through breeding or AI but no announcement has been made.

Why does it mean that?

 

[TinoPup]

I have edited the post slightly to show what it might mean.

Okay... why is it a reasonably good possibility?

 

[Smaggledagle]

On March 17th, the zoo announced they transferred a (1.0) Mexican grey wolf named Angus to the Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center in Arizona.

Sedgwick County Zoo

 

[TheGerenuk]

The zoo has announced on social media that Chinese alligators have hatched recently. No word on exactly when or how many have hatched.

 

[MGolka]

Visited this zoo for the first time over the weekend and I feel like this zoo doesn't get talked about enough around here. There is very little here that isn't well done, and has some very high quality throughout. The bird collection here is well worth the price of admission.

The one disappointment here was that most of the species in the South American side of the of the Australia/SA walkthrough area were off exhibit due to various construction. Most of the small exhibits inside the walkthrough portion were all currently unoccupied, and work is going on in the Giant Anteater and Maned Wolf enclosures (at least according to the map).

Giant Anteater:


Giant Anteater/Maned Wolf (the two of these exhibits seem like they might be getting merged together?)


It also appeared that the Mexican Gray Wolf exhibit is getting an extension to the already huge yard, or it is a side yard.


Also, can confirm that Togo Slippery Frog is on exhibit in the Reptiles and Amphibian building. There is a pair in the Chinese Alligator Hall, in a terrarium with a Egg Eating Snake. I will post a picture later from my camera roll.

 

[pachyderm pro]

Also, can confirm that Togo Slippery Frog is on exhibit in the Reptiles and Amphibian building. There is a pair in the Chinese Alligator Hall, in a terrarium with a Egg Eating Snake. I will post a picture later from my camera roll.

Very neat addition. This makes the zoo one of only three known holders of the species and one of only two that exhibit them. It's likely we will be seeing more of them in the coming years both in the US and Europe.

 

[ThylacineAlive]

Very neat addition. This makes the zoo one of only three known holders of the species and one of only two that exhibit them. It's likely we will be seeing more of them in the coming years both in the US and Europe.

We can hope, but they're not quite as easy as the Lake Titicaca Water Frog. The slippery frogs obviously breed pretty well in captivity, but are not nearly as prolific as the water frogs have been. The US population still only sits around 80 animals I believe, vs the water frogs which should be in the low hundreds. They also have a bit different requirements. Despite coming from West Africa, they require colder water temperatures than you might think, and this means optimal breeding set-ups involve actively cooling the water. Additionally, this species generally makes for a really bad exhibit animal. They're super shy and skittish, and Sedgwick has succeeded in exhibiting them primarily by simply reducing the number of hiding spaces the habitat has to offer. From my understanding, Brookfield has struggled to convince zoos that investing in a chilled exhibit for a mere frog that hardly anyone will ever see is worthwhile. Fingers crossed more take on this super cool and highly endangered species, but it definitely has quite a bit working against it.

~Thylo

 

[Coelacanth18]

they require colder water temperatures than you might think, and this means optimal breeding set-ups involve actively cooling the water.

From my understanding, Brookfield has struggled to convince zoos that investing in a chilled exhibit for a mere frog that hardly anyone will ever see is worthwhile.

The Titicaca Water Frogs require cool water too, don't they? Is the calculation just different for them because they are much more visible?

 

[ThylacineAlive]

The Titicaca Water Frogs require cool water too, don't they? Is the calculation just different for them because they are much more visible?

I'm not sure to be honest. I imagine both visibility and how well they populate are the primary factors here. They're also a fair bit smaller.

~Thylo

 

[Nile Hippo Expert]

The Titicaca Water Frogs require cool water too, don't they? Is the calculation just different for them because they are much more visible?

I'd say Titicaca Water Frogs don't require cool water, but I would say it is definitely recommended.

 

[Ituri]

I think the distinctive look of the Titicaca Water Frogs makes them a more attractive display as well. As cool as I think the slippery frogs are, they just kinda look like basic frogs.

 

[pachyderm pro]

Additionally, this species generally makes for a really bad exhibit animal. They're super shy and skittish, and Sedgwick has succeeded in exhibiting them primarily by simply reducing the number of hiding spaces the habitat has to offer. From my understanding, Brookfield has struggled to convince zoos that investing in a chilled exhibit for a mere frog that hardly anyone will ever see is worthwhile.

Thanks for the input. Their skittish nature is something I've heard about as well and I understand why that has turned many zoos off from acquiring them. Apparently even the large number kept off-exhibit at Brookfield can be quite elusive to keepers. It seems the best bet is to mix them with another species from the same region so something will likely be visible, just as Sedgwick County has done

I think the distinctive look of the Titicaca Water Frogs makes them a more attractive display as well. As cool as I think the slippery frogs are, they just kinda look like basic frogs.

I reckon this is the biggest factor. Titicaca's are one of the most goofy looking species I've ever seen, which is why they're a personal favorite and popular with Joe public.

 

[nczoofan]

I swear I’ve never seen a tank of Titicaca frogs where at least one pair isn’t breeding. That alone explained their rise in popularity to me

 

[Great Argus]

I'd say Titicaca Water Frogs don't require cool water, but I would say it is definitely recommended.

They do require it - average water temperature in Lake Titicaca is about 10C (50F) with a variance of about +/-4 C. So while they're definitely tolerant of some temperature variations they are still cooler than many. They are adapted for cold water as well with their slow metabolism. Remember for a great many amphibian species the easiest way of accidentally killing them is heat - even as low as 80F can be lethal to many well-known species.