So this story popped up on a news feed. Decided to post it just because no one had yet, even though its a bit old: Chahinkapa Zoo earns AZA Accreditation http://www.wahpetondailynews.com/ne...cle_6f3b910e-6393-11e5-b0bb-77ddbd7735ab.html It was already accredited, but it says in the article there is no such thing as "re-accreditation so I guess its just aiming for correctness by making it sound like it didn't already have it.
Two male Southern white rhinos will arrive next month! Chahinkapa Zoo in Wahpeton adding Southern White Rhinos
This is stunning news as I was not very impressed with Chahinkapa Zoo when I visited in 2014: A fairly poor zoo that is reminiscent of Roosevelt Park and in love with chain-link fencing. There is a lot of advertising for “North Dakota’s first ever great ape”, which is a hybrid male orangutan by himself in a large metal cage that is Howletts-style in appearance. It is more than adequate but the hype is not worth it. Tigers, grizzly bears, cougars, bobcats and a snow leopard all have cages that are less than impressive but at least chain-link works well for primates (3 lemur species plus gibbons and spider monkeys) as they can use the fencing for rapid movement. Bison, elk, Dall sheep and llamas have spacious yards, a Tortoise Town area encourages visitors to touch the “gentle giants” and there are 200 animals of 70 species in this rather disappointing zoo.
The zoo's bengal tiger Hobbes has passed away at age 16 from unnanounced causes. Chahinkapa Zoo's Bengal Tiger, Hobbes, Passes Away - KVRR Local News
The Chahinkapa Zoo re-opened yesterday, May 9: Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! Bismarck, Minot zoos reopen May 9
Leucistic Bison calf born: A white bison born at Chahinkapa Zoo The Chahinkapa Zoo now has two white bison! A leucistic bison was born Wednesday, May 27, to mother Aiyana and father, Ska, the zoo’s other white bison. Zoo staff did not get close enough to the baby to determine its sex yet. Source: Chaninkapa Zoo
AZA announced that Chaninkapa Zoo did not pass accreditation review. They could appeal. AZA Accreditation Commission Grants Accreditation to 22 Facilities
Other news in 2021: On January 11th, 2021, it was reported that a (1.0) alpaca named Eragon Jr. was born on January 6th. E.J., newborn alpaca, already a world traveler On February 22nd, the zoo announced that a (1.0) llama named Reese passed away due to a spine injury. He passed away on February 14th, and was 4 years 10 months old. Log into Facebook On October 4th, it was reported that a (1.0) Bactrian camel was born on October 3rd. Boy camel born Sunday at Chahinkapa Zoo
The AZA had concerns about the zoo's solitary orangutan, the acquisition of two cheetahs, lack of fire alarms and the prominent chain-link fencing: Animal treatment, conditions not factors in loss of accreditation at Chahinkapa Zoo | INFORUM The zoo will not appeal the loss of AZA accreditation: Chahinkapa Zoo will not appeal loss of AZA accreditation - KVRR Local News
Since when did the AZA not like zoos using chain link fencing? Are there any ways other than aesthetics where chain link fencing should be a reason for concern?
Thanks for posting this. I'm a bit pleased to hear AZA is cracking down on member zoos getting cheetahs from some places, though that doesn't seem to be implemented across the board. Columbus has multiple from the same place, and Turtle Back's all came from there, as well (3 of the 4 have since moved on). Unfortunately it won't slow down these non-AZA breeding centers, so the species is going to continue to turn up in places that really shouldn't be able to get it
From what I've seen looking at a lot of photos of the place, it's entirely chain link, except for a bit of glass for underwater viewing of the otters. The few photos I've managed to find of the cheetah exhibit are awful.
The rhinos an issue? I did not believe that, I thought it was in accordance with AZA staturory policy on placing surplus malens.
Former zookeepers are speaking out about events at Chahinkapa Zoo: Former zookeepers at Chahinkapa Zoo speak out about their experiences