Columbus Zoo and Aquarium Columbus Zoo News - 2015

Do you know if all the ponies have been moved up there? I always felt bad for them in that small area they had in the back.

 

One of the tiger cubs has succumbed to pneumonia.

One of three baby tigers at Columbus Zoo dies of pneumonia | The Columbus Dispatch

 

Just returned from a rainy (but accordingly uncrowded) brief visit to the Columbus Zoo. Bypassed the shores section for time, but otherwise saw most everything. As is often the case, the animals were far more active in the overcast, sporadically rainy, cooler weather, making for a great visit.

The two surviving Amur tiger cubs are on exhibit in the (former?) education building; they each weigh over 10 pounds now and seem to be in much better health. All four elephants and both rhinos were outside and active (which is uncommon). No Pallas cats visible - I've not seen a cat in my last several visits, and I'm not sure that they're still on exhibit regularly. No sign of the moose calf on our visit; also, the new reindeer exhibit was empty and unsigned - the reindeer sign and new baby announcement was on the former reindeer exhibit (which had been used as an extension of the moose exhibit), but no reindeer (or moose) were to be seen there. New pony ride on Bison hill looks nice; all the ponies seem to have been moved over there. Saw the new yards at Habitat Hollow for cows, etc., but rushed by due to a heaver shower. The former timber wolf/black bear habitat in North America is now home to sandhill cranes (at least three of them).

The Heart of Africa looks great - signage is now up for spotted hyena, though warthog were out on exhibit during the time we were there (the scheduled cheetah runs are sometimes cancelled during inclement weather, so I'm not sure if the cheetahs ran today; if not, I've known the zoo to often leave the warthogs out much of the day). Outside of the field exhibits at the San Diego Safari Park and the Wilds, I can't think of many traditional zoo exhibits where binoculars are more useful - I always take them to the Columbus zoo now and highly recommend them to all. Animals were in high spirits today; not often you in a zoo can see wildebeest, zebra, kudu, ostrich, and giraffe running at high speed for a significant distance (the gazelle species were much more tranquil - the slender-horned had settled in the high grass at the back of the exhibit that they were visible only through binoculars, and then only by their horns sticking out from the grass). Although some may disagree with the zoo's decision to close this section of the zoo for five months, it certainly allows the grass to recover and the exhibit looks even better than last year.

Back in North America, there were two mountain lions on exhibit. One looked full-grown and was the normal tawny color, the other may have been smaller and may have been a sooty gray color - with the weather and the cat's location it was impossible to get a good picture (maybe next time), so I could not be sure if this was the darker cub rescued last year. Two very active wolverines were out on exhibit. Trumpeter swans are tending eggs; may be cygnets later this season.

Bernadette, the young colobus monkey, has almost fully grown into her adult coloration. Neither Kamila nor Colo were on exhibit when we passed through the gorilla area, though we did see 10 of the other gorillas out in two troops (which may be all but one of the gorillas save the oldest and youngest).

New Pirate Island is, to my mind, a poor man's "Pirates of the Caribbean" with some laughable animatronics (my partner and I joked how many of the "pirates" looked like females in bad male drag). I was particularly bothered by some of the animatonic animals - while many represent the species found in the Islands exhibits, there were also macaws (wholly out of zoogeographic place) and a rhino which appears to be a black rhino missing a horn (clearly not any asian rhino species). It bothers me that a permanent exhibit designed for the zoo with a purported conservation message contains these inaccuracies (of course, the whole premise of the attraction - the battle between purple pirates and green pirates - is hardly based on truth - but it might be nice to see some more attention to detail in the fake animals portrayed in the exhibit). The ride is attracting people, to be sure, and the zoo has added five new boats to alleviate the anticipated waits. To my mind, though, I have more problems with zoos adding animatronics of living species in the collection than I did with the animatronic dinosaurs that populated this section the past two years.

Otherwise, the black swan exhibit by the boat loading area now has a sign for painted stork (a new species for the zoo), though no storks were to be seen today. No changes in the roadhouse beside the addition of tawny frogmouth to the kiwi exhibit and an unsigned duck species in the aviary in addition to the lesser whistling duck (it looked as though it might have been a Chestnut teal).

 

Thank you for the update, jibster! I do hope to make it up there sometime soon!

 

I thought the new male tiger was Jupiter? Maybe they just have the same name?

 

That makes much more sense... My apologies!... But there /are/ talks of a new male rhino.

 

A second tiger cub as succumb to pneumonia. Its so heartbreaking.

https://www.facebook.com/columbuszoo/posts/10152952540947106?comment_tracking={"tn":"O"}

 

Truly awful news. Less than a week ago, both remaining cubs seemed to be in good health (and were said to be by the docents working the exhibit). Hopefully the last one will be able to pull through.

 

A renewal levy may be placed on the November ballot.

Zoo board likely to place renewal levy on November ballot | The Columbus Dispatch

 

A baby pygmy slow loris was born on June 9th to first-time parents "Gouda" and "Muenster".

 

A video on the enrichment work the zoo does for its orangutans:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ4GiEiYurE

 

Started my annual Columbus/Cincinnati trip today. It rained the whole way down from Akron but cleared up to dizzily overcast for the majority of the day. It never poured, poured while we were there but unfortunately it meant the humidity was really uncomfortable.

There were three black-backed jackal pups on display in the viewing area of the eduction building. I was told they would be going to Heart of Africa when they were old enough but I did not have a chance to ask where exactly in HoA they would be going because of the crowds pushing in to see. All the bears, lions, and tigers barely budged all day, I can't even imagine what it felt like to be in that humidity in fur! The only cats I saw up and awake were the cheetahs that were in the cool down yard after doing the cheetah show. The new My Barn additions look very nice and it seems like a less crowding space now that the pony rides have been moved. In North America the new moose calf was out and having fun splashing around in the puddles that formed around his pen.

In Asia, both rhinos, Rosie and Kulinda, were out in their yards. Ive never seen them out at the same time, even of they were in separate pens it was a cool thing to see for me. Young elephant, Beco was alone in the side yard, banging on the door with his feet to be let back in the building. if I had to guess why he was alone it might be that hes getting to that point that Hank isn't tolerating him in the herd anymore. Correct me if Im wrong about that. Saw two adult tigers in the main tiger exhibit, both sleeping but I think one was the new male because I didn't recognize the face markings. And on the way into the Asia Quest building I noticed the yard to the right was empty of its cranes.

Eventuality made my way to the Islands, and as expected it was packed due to the new pirate ride. It was really annoying and cheap looking in my opinion. With the constant popping of fake cannons and pistols and the loud robot pirate dialogue and stereotypical pirate music I can imagine its giving the animals more psychical damage than the previous rides did. -_- No changes really to mention about Australia besides getting a dark look at the new Slow Loris baby. Same thing to be said about the African Forrest, not anything really new. Did get to see baby gorilla, Kamina, passed out in the gorilla house, spread eagle with her feet up on the glass with an empty food bowl in her hand which was pretty cute! Over all had a pretty nice visit, heading to Cincinnati Zoo tommorrow!

 

Thank you for the update on the zoo, SamMetz! I've been really meaning to get up there sometime soon...

The news of the black-backed jackal pups is /very/ exciting! They are so incredibly rare in captivity nowadays... I'm glad that Columbus is keeping with their trend of housing unusual and rarely kept species... I was beginning to worry with the loss of the tiger quolls and banded palm civets and the rather run-of-the-mill hoofstock collection in HOA, but with the addition of painted storks, spotted hyenas, and now black-backed jackals... It's looking up!

It is unfortunate, though, that it is likely that they will only be a part of the Watering Hole rotation... Some of the most intriguing and unusual animals in the collection for HOA are a part of the rotation... Aardvarks, warthogs, spotted hyenas, and now, most likely, black-backed jackals... I'd really like to see the zoo work towards providing permanent exhibits for these species so it isn't purely luck as to whether or not you see them. I understand that's sort of the purpose of the Watering Hole, not knowing what will be on exhibit upon your visit, but still...

 

Totally agree, I don't understand having these great animals in your collection just to have them displayed for a few hours. And if you really wanna seen a certain animal thats on rotation you would have to stay there the entire day. Ive only been to HoA twice since it opened and I think its great but I do have my problems with it. Both times Ive been Ive only seen the warthogs in the watering hole never anything else besides the tail end of the cheetah show. (Which I only got to see the cheetah for a second because you couldn't even get close to the rail it was so busy) I like the whole savanna vista thing they were going for and its a sight to behold but its also has a lot of wasted space in my opinion. Ive only ever seen the animals stay on the left side of the savanna where they're fed so that may be a space to expand more exhibits later on? There would have been room for smaller exhibits if they hadn't focused on certain things. I don't think the camel rides or the extra gift stands were good choices but they make money so…I don't even feel that the restaurant is that useful considering it serves almost the same menu items the smaller places in the zoo does. I really like HoA but in my opinion it could have been better if they didn't try to disney-fi it.

 

I must agree that I am also a bit frustrated by the species rotation in the Waterhole - from a viewing perspective, that is, as I think the animals have a large exhibit and the rotation gives great enrichment. As many times as I've been to the zoo, I've still only seen the cheetahs (in the show), the silvery-cheeked hornbills (in their free-flight demonstration following the cheetahs), the warthogs, and the lesser flamingos. No sight of the aardvark or the spotted hyenas. Oh, and one time the waterhole held the herd of zebra and the ostriches. I love the idea of a flex habitat, but the greedy zoo nerd in me wants to see all the species! The jackals are most likely to join the rotation, though I would rather see them improve the cheetah exhibit and move the jackals in there (both because of the opportunity for better viewing and because the cheetah exhibit is the most disappointing exhibit beside the camel yard).

As for the use of space in HOA, I have to disagree. I've spent significant time at the exhibit and I've seen the animals in all portions of the exhibit. Much of the fun of visiting the exhibit is seeing how much of the space the animals use and how things never look quite the same. My guess is that the sheer size of the exhibit may allow the continued successful inclusion of the zebra in the main exhibit with the rest of the hoofstock. I also think the zoo is hoping to grow all its population of all the species it currently holds (to my knowledge, the two dama gazelles are as of yet the only births among the species in the main exhibit).

As to the shops/food stands in the area, while there are quite a few, I don't begrudge the zoo its opportunity to profit from the new exhibit. I wish the cheetahs and camels would get some more room (and updated exhibits), but otherwise, it's hard to say that too much of the space is given up to visitor amenities when there is so much devoted to the animals. I know many have wished for more, but what is there is well done. I hold out hope that the zoo will eventually expand/complete HOA - while I'm not really expecting the zoo to ever add the once-promised African elephants, I'd love to see hippos, wild dogs, permanent exhibits for the hyenas and jackals, and some attempt to add more of the smaller species that inhabit the African savanna.

 

Went to the zoo with my wife and son today.

First off, Heart of Africa is spectacular. The main exhibit is on par with any savannah exhibit I've seen despite the relatively common species exhibited. I can't put it ahead of DAK, Busch, or SDWAP based on that fact alone, but watching the wildebeest herd was quite a sight. The overall activity level of the inhabitants was really neat to see. The warthogs were in the waterhole exhibit, so sadly no hyenas. Maybe next time. If the exhibit remains in it's current state, then it's still a fine setup, but I'd love to see a few more species added, so I suppose I'm like other Zoochatters in this thread.

Polar Frontier was a neat themed area, but a bit of a bust for us as the polar bears were nowhere to be seen. The grizzles were under their shelter and pressed up against the window, which my son loved (Brown Bear is his favorite book). I don't think he realized how imposing a actual brown bear is in real life, haha.

North America was no disappointment. We saw the baby moose being quite active in his little pond. The wolverine was moving around quite a bit as well. The mountain lions were being given something in a syringe by the keeper, so they were pretty easy to see, too. I've always loved this set of exhibits. They really stand the test of time, and the collection is fairly comprehensive.

Overall it was a great visit. Highlights for me were the wombat and the amur leopards. This zoo is hard to beat in terms of quality exhibits and collection.

 

Does anyone happen to know/ have examples of the cheetahs facial markings? Im trying to tell the difference between Edward, Jacob, Bella, and Moyo so i can identify which animals are in the pictures I got of them on my last visit.

 

A new male koala has arrived from the Riverbanks Zoo on a breeding recommendation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HrGBlk6SGw

 

A man has been charged with trespassing after he jumped the barrier at the cougar exhibit and petted both cougars. Luckily he, and more importantly the cougars were not harmed. Why do people think it's a good idea to try and pet zoo animals?

Man charged, accused of jumping cougar exhibit at Columbus Zoo | The Columbus Dispatch

 

I saw this video yesterday and was planning to post something after my visit to the zoo today; thanks for posting it, TZfan. My amazement is not so much that someone did this (there are far too many stupid, entitled people who violate rules set up for the animals' or visitors' safety to surprise me of this) but that someone then chose to post the video of such flagrant, dangerous wrongdoing. Kudos to the zoo for pressing charges.

I visited the zoo twice in the past eight days, last Friday (when I declined to post after groundskeeper's post) and again today. Just a few things I noticed:

The window in the education building formerly home to the Amur tiger cubs and the black-backed jackals (which I have not yet managed to see) has been home to a young red river hog (last Friday) and a pair of young swift foxes (soon to be trained as animal ambassadors - this is a new species to the zoo's collection).

The helmeted guineafowl flock in the Heart of Africa, which I have not seen out since early May, have been off exhibit most of the summer due to bird flu concerns; there is no information as to when or if this situation might change, but I would guess we are unlikely to see the guineafowl return to the exhibit this season (last season, the species was held off-exhibit before the exhibit closed for the season, so in the event that things change, it would likely be only for a brief time).

I have finally managed to see the painted stork on each of my last two visits - it seems there are two birds in the lagoon in the Islands exhibit. I'm so glad the Columbus zoo added this uncommon species to its collection.

It's a great time for primate lovers to visit the zoo - babies for almost all species, with two colobus monkeys, a pygmy slow loris, and a vervet monkey born in the last few months, and a gorilla and a bonobo in the last year, no to mention two very active juvenile mandrills. I've managed to see all of the babies on each of my last two visits.

Despite the common knowledge that zoos can be best on cooler/overcast days, today's hot, humid, sunny day, provided some of the best animal viewing I've had this summer - particularly of the Amur tigers and the bears, of which I saw five bears and three tigers making swimming and making full use of their pools.

This year's scheduled daily keeper talks/enrichment seems a much-improved (and very popular) program. I would encourage any zoo visitor to attend as many of these programs as possible, as they are very informative and afford great opportunities to see the animals.

While I have yet to put together any consistent schedule of species for the Waterhole in the Heart of Africa, it seems that most mornings the ostriches are held in the exhibit until shortly before the first scheduled cheetah run (10:30). Seeing the keepers attempt to "herd" the ostrich out of the exhibit can be an amusing way to spend the morning. For prime viewing of several species in the area, I recommend starting one's day in North America, catching the lion's 10:00 keeper talk, watching the herding of the ostrich, catching the very beginning of the 10:30 cheetah run, and then hightailing it over to the end of the 10:30 polar bear presentation.

I hope to corral a docent during my next visit to get as much information as I can about any schedule of Waterhole rotation (I hope to catch the aardvarks or spotted hyenas out this season), and I will post anything I find out. One thing I do know is that the scheduled cheetah runs are not held during rain or immediately after the rain and that thus weather can and does change this schedule often (particularly in this very rainy central Ohio summer).