When the Asian Domain exhibit first opened in 1979, there was an Asian lion exhibit. It wasn't until several years later that one of the keepers told me that they were African lions posing as Asians and that the genetics between the two cats was so similar that there wasn't that big of a difference. She also told me that most "Asian" lions in U.S. zoos are really Africans or at least a hybrid of the two. If this is the case, exhibiting them in an African setting would be the simplest (and most honest) approach. I'm not sure how readily available Asian cheetahs are at this time but my guess is few and far between. Also, how different could they be genetically?
Video of the breeding of the African wild dogs : https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10154207560738843
I'll be at the zoo during a vacation to New Orleans at the end of the month. I'll post lots of pictures especially of the new orangutan and elephant exhibits. Are there any question you want me to ask staff members while there?
I'm on vacation to New Orleans and visited the zoo this afternoon. I posted several pictures already, including many of the new orangutan and Asian elephant exhibits which haven't been put on the gallery yet. More will be added and I will be posting a detailed review this week. Overall my opinion of the zoo is it's very good and solid if largely unremarkable and a bit dated in terms of design in many places. It should be up by the end of this week.
Hey GraysonDP, glad you enjoyed the visit! If anyone has any questions about the zoo/animals, feel free to ask me. I've been interning/volunteering there a lot lately. I've always meant to get some updated pictures in the gallery, but all I've got is a cell phone camera... Anyway, looking forward to your review!
Thanks for the pictures. The new elephant exhibit looks much better than the one it replaced, at least in photos. Are you visiting the Insectarium and/or the aquarium also?
King Zulu, the white Bengal tiger, passed away. https://www.google.com/amp/amp.nola.com/v1/articles/20270699/king_zulu_audubon_zoos_white_b.amp
A very sad day for all of New Orleans, as he and his brother were iconic members of Audubon. A personally very sad day for me as I was lucky enough to work with him in some capacity.
A colobus monkey was born, and has been named Ua. https://www.usnews.com/news/best-st...for-ua-audubon-zoos-fuzzy-baby-colobus-monkey
Two great apes are off to new homes: male gorilla Casey is moving to Louisville Zoo, and Berani the male orangutan will be going to Denver. WVUE : Two popular Audubon Zoo animals are leaving for other zoos
