Hudson participated in the first ever CT scan of a polar bear today. He also had semen collected for artificial insemination - Berit of the Henry Vilas Zoo today, and Nan of Brookfield tomorrow. Brookfield's polar bear Hudson gets a rare CT scan — and a semen extraction for a lady polar bear in Wisconsin
One of the bear keepers said Hudson and Nan mated the natural way today. Hopefully this will be the year for a cub or two!
The zoo's wombat joey made its first public appearance. Brookfield Zoo's wombat joey finally makes first appearance
I did not see anyone post about this yet, but the Brick Safari temporary exhibit has opened to the public from May 11 to September 29. The display reportedly has 40 or so life-size lego sculptures of various animals including elephants, orangutans, lions, macaws, and leopards. Chicago Zoological Society - Brookfield Zoo Showcases Life-Size Animal Sculptures at Brick Safari
A white alligator will be on exhibit at The Swamp through September. Meet Snowflake: A Rare Albino American Alligator Vacationing At Brookfield Zoo This Summer
Brookfield Zoo is trying to import 3 bottlenose dolphins from Bermuda. All three are captive born, but the anti's are trying to block the import.
Well, if activists failed twice to block African elephant imports, they might just fail this time, too.
It could depend on the time of day. Sometimes the dolphins will have quite a few enrichment items in the main pool for a certain amount of time, other times it could just be the number of dolphins (they will rotate pools and groups several times a day).
From what I understand about dolphins and their exhibits, decorations such as rocks, or fake corals don’t have any effect on the animals’ well-being. After a while, they ignore it. In fact, these decorations might deteriorate or break and become a hazard to the dolphins over time. This is why enrichment programs are very important and strictly followed by keepers. Items only are with the dolphins for a short period of time because they lose interest so quickly. If things are left in the exhibit for too long, the item loses value to the animal. Even in the future if the item is used again at a later date. It’s also good to note that what looks barren to us, is actually replicating the open ocean especially in pelagic zones where there are no features as far as you can see.
Thanks, I've always wondered why dolphins don't have decorations or enrichment in their exhibit, I was also thinking that it was meant to be the open ocean
Some new changes: An Ornate Flying Snake was added to Feathers and Scales A Carrot-tail Viper Gecko replaced the Philippine Praying Mantis exhibit in Feathers and Scales
