Zoo Atlanta Zoo Atlanta 2008-2011

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They filled in a shallow moat along the fence line. Now there is a concrete barrier with plants in the top. They did have an old demo yard that was fenced off and not used. It is located near the elephant house entrance and has been reopened with new fencing and they are using it again for demos. The actual space was not expanded and is still less than an acre including the Elephant house, barn and paddock.
 
Zoo Atlanta had re-named Carnivore Complex to Trader's Alley which will be home to Tanuki, Sun Bears, Wreathed Hornbills, Sumatran Tigers, and Clouded Leopard. This exhibit will open on June 11.
 
The most interesting aspect of Zoo Atlanta's upcoming Carnivore Complex is the addition of raccoon dogs. ISIS lists Atlanta and the Red River Zoo in North Dakota as each having 1.1, and that is all of that species for the entire United States! However, I can remember seeing the species at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo in 2008 but perhaps they have either died or been transferred away since then.
 
The orangutan born earlier this year was euthanized recently due to a life deterioration
 
Zoo Atlanta had released their new Tanuki(Raccoon Dog) out on exhibit and it is a female too. The female came from the Henry Doorly Zoo and it is a nice change for her to be outside :) .
 
Zoo Atlanta Saves Rare Tortoise and Gets a Surprise - 11Alive.com | WXIA | Atlanta, GA

Zoo Atlanta Saves Rare Tortoise and Gets a Surprise

Posted By - Marc Pickard
Last Updated On: 9/22/2010 7:30:50 PM

ATLANTA -- By the looks of it, there is nothing particularly impressive about the "impressed" tortoise from Southeast Asia -- other than it would have tasted good to the Chinese palate.

It is literally being eaten out of existence.

It is one of the rarest, most endangered animals in the world.

There might be 2,000 left in the wild.

Zoo Atlanta intervened on behalf of one "impressed" tortoise and helped it beat nearly impossible odds. It was confiscated by Chinese authorities and brought to Zoo Atlanta, under the care of curator of herpetology, Dr. Joe Mendelson.

"Everything indicated that this turtle would have been boiled in a pot of soup many, many years agio," said Zoo Atlanta's curator of herpetology Dr. Joe Mendelson.

"We were doing these x-rays to look for any evidence of internal abnormalities and lo and behold," said Zoo Atlanta veterinarian Dr. Sam Rivera.

Lo and behold, inside the so-called "impressed" tortoise Dr. Rivera found... rocks.

"You can almost see the individual rocks and grit within the stomach and also in parts of the intestine," he said, holding an x-ray up.

"It was scheduled to be sold...per pound...on the food market, which is why it was full of rocks," Dr. Mendelson said. " This is a take on the butcher's thumb."

Dr. Rivera and his staff decided surgery was the only way to remove the rocks from this extremely rare, extremely sick tortoise.

"We almost used like a spoon and basically spooned the the rocks out of the stomach," Dr. Rivera said.

It took a year for the tortoise's shell to heal. And a long time after that to know if the animal itself would survive.

And it did.

The Zoo Atlanta team would have been thrilled just by the fact that the tortoise made it. End of story.

Except it's not the end of the story.

"This year we celebrated, and she laid her first clutch of eggs," Dr. Mendelson said.

Twenty three eggs.

An animal that had endured so much is not likely to lay fertile eggs -- but she did.

Seven of her eggs are alive.

And Wednesday morning, one of Dr. Mendelson's staff discovered something wondrous. One of the baby tortoises had begun to emerge.

"It is very rewarding to us," Dr. Rivera said. "And we can help them not only survive, but down the road to reproduce and have progency."

Of the remaining 2,000 "impressed" tortoises, one has done her part.

Despite barbarous treatment and risky surgery, she has ensured that there will be at least one more generation.

The tortoise wins another race.
 
Zoo Atlanta welcomes two new eastern bongos
Rare antelopes on exhibit now

Newly on exhibit at Zoo Atlanta is a species now more numerous in zoos than it is in the wild. Matilda, a 2-year-old female eastern bongo, has joined the Zoo family from the Great Plains Zoo in Sioux Falls, S.D. Matilda’s future companion, 2-year-old male Tambo, is a recent arrival from San Diego Wild Animal Park.

Found only in Kenya, eastern bongos are among the world’s largest and most arresting antelope species, displaying deep, striped reddish coats and long curved horns. Matilda and Tambo also now rank among Zoo Atlanta’s rarest mammals. Eastern bongos are critically endangered, with only 103 believed to remain in the wild. The pair has been recommended to breed by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (AZA) Species Survival Plan, which seeks to maintain a self-sustaining, genetically diverse population within North American zoos and has reintroduced captive-born bongos to the Mt. Kenya area of eastern Africa.

As bongos are an example of a forest species, Matilda and Tambo add yet another fascinating complement to the diversity of African wildlife and habitats represented at Zoo Atlanta. Their habitat is situated between the African Plains – inhabited by giraffe (including popular giraffe calf Zuri), zebra, waterbuck and ostrich – and the lush Ford African Rain Forest, home to the nation’s largest collection of western lowland gorillas.
Click to expand...
 
So did they renovate the elephant enclosure? Is Kelly at 27, too old to breed? If she is in good health it shouldn't be a problem. Are they planning on acquiring a female to replace Dottie?
 
No. They didn't renovate the elephant enclosure. They just reopened a demo yard that had been closed and filled in a shallow moat along the barrier that separated humans from the elephants. According to the keepers, Kelly was not a candidate for breeding because of illness. She had a skin disease a few years ago that was almost fatal and yes, both she and Tara are too old for breeding. I hope they don't bring in another African elephant. The enclosure is already too small for 2 Africans.
 
Giant panda born at Zoo Atlanta
11-03-10

Lun Lun delivers the only cub born in the U.S. in 2010

ATLANTA – November 3, 2010 – Lun Lun, a 13-year-old female giant panda at Zoo Atlanta, gave birth to her third cub on November 3, 2010. The cub, born at 5:39 a.m. in a specially-prepared birthing den in the Zoo’s giant panda building, is the only giant panda to be born in the U.S. in 2010.

Lun Lun appears to be providing appropriate care for her cub, which is roughly the size of a cell phone. The Animal Management and Veterinary Teams will continue round-the-clock monitoring of mother and cub, and a preliminary veterinary checkup will be performed as soon as staff is able to remove the cub without disrupting maternal care.

“We are extremely excited about welcoming Lun Lun’s and Yang Yang’s third cub, and proud of the success of Zoo Atlanta’s giant panda program,” said Dwight Lawson, PhD, Deputy Director. “This is a joy we share with the City of Atlanta, our colleagues in China, and our counterparts at our fellow zoological organizations housing giant pandas in the U.S.”

Zoo Atlanta Members and guests can expect to meet the cub in spring 2011. The cub’s father, 13-year-old Yang Yang, and older brother, Xi Lan, remain on exhibit and will not be introduced to their new family member. This separation is normal for giant pandas, which are solitary in the wild.

The newborn is the third offspring for the Zoo’s famous panda pair. Born September 6, 2006, their firstborn, Mei Lan, has lived at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding since February 2010. Born August 30, 2008, the pair’s second cub, 2-year-old male Xi Lan, remains one of the Zoo’s most popular and precocious animal stars. As is the case with Lun Lun’s tiny newest arrival, both Mei Lan and Xi Lan were the only giant pandas born in the U.S. in their respective birth years. All three births have been the products of artificial insemination.

The birth is a significant achievement for global efforts to save a critically endangered species. Fewer than 1,600 giant pandas are estimated to remain in the wild. There are approximately 280 individuals living in zoological institutions, only 11 of which reside in the U.S.

In the months leading up to the cub’s debut, images will be available on monitors at the Zoo’s Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation Giant Panda Conservation Center and on PandaCam presented by EarthCam. PandaCam streams daily, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fans are encouraged to stay abreast of all things panda by following Zoo Atlanta on our website and on Twitter, joining the Zoo Atlanta Facebook community, and registering for biweekly eUpdate newsletters.
 
elephantking said:
Complex CarnivoresZoo Atlanta is adding a new exhibit with bush dog, binturong and fossa.
Click to expand...

Wow! I thought that last summer's carnivore lineup of Sumatran tigers, clouded leopards, sun bears and raccoon dogs was awesome, but adding species such as fossa, bush dog and binturong is fantastic. I've always had fond memories of Zoo Atlanta from my 2008 visit, and with giant pandas, at least 11 orangutans and 20 gorillas it all adds up to a mouth-watering list of animals in decent exhibits.
 
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