Detroit Zoo Detroit Zoo

Snyder heads to China; will he bring back pandas?

 

Construction is well underway on the Polk Penguin Center its looks huge.They are currently working on the foundation which appears to be immense.The zoo is conducting a study of how the penguins currently utilize the current facility vs how they use the new one.

Renovations are being made to the snowy owl exhibit in Arctic Ring of Life.

New skylights are being installed in the Chimpanzee dayrooms.

The zoos female Polar Talini has denned up and the zoo is hopeful for cubs.

Team Tapir223

 

A wild female gray seal has arrived at the zoo after becoming too used to people following her rescue.

New Jersey seal bound for Detroit zoo after becoming too used to humans | Daily Mail Online

 

New webcam for the penguins.

Live Penguin Cam: Watch How Detroit Zoo Penguins Spend Their Days | Huntington Woods-Berkley, MI Patch

 

8 smuggled lizards from Mali have found a new home at the Detroit Zoo. The species are Sahara Spiny-Tailed Lizard and Egyptian Mastigure Lizard.
The Detroit Zoo offers sanctuary to 8 smuggled African lizards | MLive.com

 

New gentoo penguins arrive at Detroit Zoo

 

Wanda, the last elephant from the Detroit Zoo, dies at 57

 

As long as lazy media continue to quote seriously flawed and out-of-date scientific studies on captive elephant husbandry than we will all believe what is printed in earnest.

Elephants have a life-span of 50-65 years in captivity. What the maximum age in the wild is a matter of serious debate without much substantiated and representative age-related scientific research on wild elephants available. In any case, tooth wear and patterns of replacement of molars ensure wild elephants simply do not survive long after they lost their final teeth .....! Truthfully, in middle- and later life as IS the case with Homo sapiens too elephants will develop age-related afflictions and diseases. That should be no surprise.

For what it is worth: elephant - indeed pachyderm - welfare is somewhat comprimised by concrete flooring. A feature that is now more frequently done away with and access to soft floorings or rubber matting is provided thus improving their overall care and wellfare. It is called progress in zoo husbandry, management and design. We can only learn by our mistakes.

Finally, last thing I heard it was not going so well with elephants in the wild both in Africa and in Asia. Goodness forbid that we might have to say in 50-60 years time that - thanks to the good works of a sanctuary like PAWS in California - here (at PAWS) we have the only one left in captivity, in the wild they are extinct.

To me, it remains a sorry, sad state when these facilities continue to pride themselves in investing so heavily and IMO so disproportionally in the captive care of the happy few middle-aged or with medical issues individual elephants they care for while they do not constructively nor substantially support or fund in any manner the stabilisation of elephant numbers and herds in the wild in range countries, nor do they actively advocate and support amelioration or improvement of captive husbandry, care and facilities of elephants in zoos in the Americas. Overall, dramatic declines in wild populations of elephants continue unabatted.

The policies of institutions like PAWS are sadly such a far cry from assuring in situ conservation of both formidable and magnificent pachyderm species - I mean the 3 elephant species here - taxa well into the future for all future generations of Homo sapiens to enjoy!

 

Yeah! I strongly dislike paws, and its cronies and I would just as soon wake up tomorrow and find out the whole place had shut down.

 

She and the male ( I forget his name ) were favorites of mine when I was a child and I am sad to see her pass. I hope nobody criticizes Detroit for the elephants "shortened" lifespan, though. I can see where this could go.....

 

Male Grevy's zebra foal:

Detroit Zoo's newest zebra, Enzi, on display

 

Warthog piglets:

Detroit Zoo shows off new warthog piglets

 

New wolf habitat opening next week. Any visitors with "wolf" or anything similar in the name will get free admission.

Are you a 'wolf'? Get free admission to Detroit Zoo to mark exhibit opening - Crain's Detroit Business

 

Wolf habitat opens at Detroit Zoo

 

Brand-new zoo map, now including the 2-acre Wolf Wilderness exhibit (top left corner):

http://www.detroitzoo.org/images/Map/dz-map-fr-w.jpg

 

If you visited the zoos gift shop between Mar 23 and Jun 25 your credit card may have been compromised to to a security breach.

Detroit Zoo says credit card info stolen from gift shops - Windsor - CBC News

 

It seems like no one is safe from these card breaches, at least in this country. According to one of my sources fraudsters such as these are in overdrive due to the impending introduction of chip cards in the United States (which can't come fast enough as far as I am concerned); they know they won't be able to commit this method of fraud much longer (or at least it will be more complicated) and they are packing as much in as they can while they can.

https://krebsonsecurity.com/2015/07/credit-card-breach-at-a-zoo-near-you/

 

Wow, that is not something that is making me feel too good right now.I'm glad the introduction of the chips will eliminate that problem.

Also, on a side note, does anyone know if the zoo still has White Lipped Deer?

 

Does anyone remember what was in the spot where "The Arctic Ring of Life" is now, prior to its construction? I've asked some friends and everyone has a different answer. I found some old maps which list "Cloverleaf Lake" in that spot, but haven't been able to find one newer than the 60s. Did Cloverleaf Lake survive into the late 90s? I don't seem to remember it, but I was still young at that time.

Here's the maps I've found:

1932 Map

1947 Map

1967 Proposed Development


Also, if anyone has anymore old maps, I'd love to see them! Thanks.

 

The lake did indeed "survive" until the construction of the polar bear display.