Zoo Highlights of 2014!

[Milwaukee Man]

For me, it's between these two:

*At the Milwaukee County Zoo, the animal collection (in my opinion) went through the biggest changes in quite a while. Acquisitions include: the return of cheetahs in July (after the last one died in February), the return of caracal (after a 10-year absence), sandhill cranes, the return of king cobra (after the last one died in 2013), and the addition of the first-ever red river hogs. Births include: jaguar cubs, a snow leopard cub, the first-ever harbor seal pup, and a tree kangaroo joey. In addition, the second entrance project was announced back in May, and will include a brand-new river otter habitat.

*My first visit to the Denver Zoo - home to Tropical Discovery (so far my favorite rainforest complex), Toyota Elephant Passage (easily one of my all-time favorite zoo complexes), Predator Ridge (one of the greatest zoo first impressions in my opinion), Primate Panorama (a great primate complex), and several other sections. This was also the visit where I saw my very first aye-ayes, okapi calf, and clouded leopard cubs.

 

[Hix]

I'd be really interested to hear how the two Tanzanian places are looking - I last saw them a decade and a half ago, and I'm sure a lot has changed in the intervening years!

I should be getting the Tanzanian blog going again shortly, there'll be a review of both the snake parks with pictures, but it will be a few weeks yet (although pics will probably go up before the review).



Hix

 

[Shorts]

I had to scale down my visiting plans due to an operation/recuperation at the start of the year but still managed a modest 36 visits to 29 UK collections.

The collections I visited ranged from the smallest to the largest and were over a significant range of the UK.

When I stop to think of highlights for 2014 the overriding theme for me was not individual animals or incidents (though there were a few highlights in these areas) but the fact that just about everywhere I visited was improving existing and/or developing new enclosures on a scale not seen in recent times. After a fair few years of stasis and inertia, undoubtedly brought on by economic conditions following the financial crash, it's truly heartening to see zoos being feeling confident enough to improve themselves and having the ambition and drive to do so. As a result of these changes I think my UK visits in 2015 are going to be even better (not least Islands). Charge!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Hix]

I visited a total of four collections this year, two of them new to me.

1. Mogo Zoo
2. Ugandan Wildlife Education Centre (formerly Entebbe Zoo)
3. Meserani Snake Park (TZ)
4. MBT Snake Park (TZ)

This would probably be the first year since 1976 that I haven't visited Taronga Zoo at least once.



Hix

I forgot, I also popped in to

5. Western Plains Zoo

for an hour or so in February.



Hix