Article today in the world herald about artificial insemination efforts at the zoo. Highlights: Southern White Rhino Marina was artificially inseminated "this spring" but the effort was unsuccessful. I'm guessing this article was written a while ago and maybe held on to for a slow period since its definitely still winter here. (6-9" of snow tonight) They have pioneered a new collection method for the male Philippine Crocodile and are continuing research to hopefully inseminate the four females.
Maryland Zoo Welcomes 2 New Cheetahs I'm not sure if these are the two brother cheetahs that were originally on display in the African Grasslands or the two males from the litter of 6 cheetah cubs went on display in the exhibit last May. The article mentions that the brothers are 4 years old but its not entirely clear which pair of brothers it is referring to as in return a pair of brothers, Refu and Wgasa, will leave the Maryland Zoo for the Cheetah Breeding Facility at the Wildlife Safari Park in Ashland.
The zoo posted on instagram today that the new concession area which is replacing Red Barn Park will be called Glacier Bay Landing and will be opening in April. "Greetings from Alaska, the home of Glacier Bay Landing—opening this April! This mural is located at the heart of the Alaskan-themed village, which is situated on the north side of the Zoo near Sue’s Wildlife Carousel and Alaskan Adventure. Visitors will be able to kick back and relax, take a restroom break, grab a bite to eat, let the kiddos burn off some energy or find some privacy if you’re a nursing mom."
The zoo recently requested a permit to transfer a male Siberian tiger from the Moscow zoo. A Cape Thick Knee chick was hatched in the Desert Dome on March 14. (Pics and more info here)
Article from the World-Herald with updates on the Asian Highlands expansion. There are some great pictures of the progress in the article but not a lot of new information in the article besides that they are nearing completion. Edit: Can't figure out how to link images myself here so you'll just have to click the link.
Wasabi, the female Red Panda who arrived at the zoo last year has moved to the John Ball Zoo. Wasabi just arrived at the zoo last February from the OKC zoo. Last year the zoo brought in Wasabi, female Tofu and male Sabal but with Tofu's passing and Wasabi's transfer it appears they are down to just the one male currently.
2 whooping cranes joining Wildlife Safari Park Not sure if we have a separate thread for the Safari Park but I couldn't find one so I thought I'd post here.
The brand-new guest services complex Glacier Bay Landing, which looks to be a rename of Carousel Plaza, opens in a couple days. Henry Doorly Zoo's new Glacier Bay Landing will be a hub for families with young kids
Asian Highlands is set to open tomorrow, and BOY, does it look amazing. Henry Doorly Zoo unveils its finished Asian Highlands exhibit Friday. Here are the animals you'll see
I guess that it wasn't enough for the zoo to unveil the $9 million Glacier Bay Landing area this year, but Asian Highlands: Phase Two cost $22 million and looks spectacular. The mountain-themed exhibits for species such as Sichuan Takin, Chinese Goral and Snow Leopard really do look impressive, and the Sloth Bear and Amur Tiger habitats also appear to be excellent. The architectural touches and immersive flourishes are enough to elevate this new complex into world-class status and the photo gallery link shows exhibits that are even better than I could have predicted. I spent an entire day at Henry Doorly Zoo last summer, from open to close, and now with this extra set of exhibits a day out would be jam-packed. Is Omaha done for a while now? Nope. Next up the zoo will spend at least $22 million on a California Sea Lion exhibit that will open next year. A condensed timeline of the zoo's recent history under Director Dennis Pate: 2012: Scott Aquarium - $6 million in renovations to an existing aquarium 2016: Alaskan Adventure Waterpark - $14 million 2016: African Grasslands - $73 million 2017: Children's Adventure Trails - $27 million 2018: Asian Highlands: Phase One 2019: Glacier Bay Landing - $9 million 2019: Asian Highlands: Phase Two - $22 million for both phases 2020: Coastal Shores - $22 million Plus more than $10.5 million has been spent on the North Gate entrance, visitor pathways, signs around the zoo, various other amenities, etc. The 40-year era with Lee G. Simmons as Zoo Director was phenomenal, but the decade under Dennis Pate (he took over in 2009) has been just as astonishing. Also, the zoo is a giant in the field of conservation, particularly in Madagascar. Directly through the zoo's efforts, more than two million trees have been planted in Madagascar and many new lemur species have been discovered. Lastly, anyone who has not visited the zoo in the last few years would scarcely recognize it! Many of the pre-existing buildings have seen species added or removed, and almost 45 acres of new exhibits have been built. For example, the African Grasslands zone was an overhaul of 28 acres of zoo land.
Although I can't really judge about the past, I absolutely share @snowleopard's opinion about the presence (and probably future) of this zoo. I for myself count it to the top 5 zoos in the US.
Even though I have family in Omaha and other parts of Nebraska - to someone this side of the pond these numbers read like a childs fairy tale, and make me wonder if we are actually on the same planet...
What project do you think Henry Doorly will do next assuming they still have some space? I honestly think they could do an Australian section next, or alternatively another go at a south american exhibit.
@Andrew Swales Some of the big American zoos have exhibits that cost a staggering amount of money, often funded by private donors and gate receipts but in many cases via local bond issues or taxes. Point Defiance Zoo, in the state of Washington, just built a brand-new aquarium for $51 million, voted on via a local bond issue. Essentially, ordinary citizens in the community help pay for improvements at their local zoological park. Fantastic! @Yi Qi Equatorial Africa, a 1.7-acre slice of land near the gorilla complex, was part of the last Master-Plan, and so hopefully that is still a possibility. A lot of money over the past decade has gone to exhibits, but also to basic visitor amenities now that the zoo has 2 million annual visitors. One of the very best things that Omaha has done is put all of the family-friendly parts of the zoo into the left-hand corner...which eases congestion elsewhere. At this point there are many zoo nerds that consider Omaha one of the very best zoos in the world and the facility shows no sign of slowing down. However, there is always room for improvement and some of the current exhibits (all-indoor lemur cages in Expedition Madagascar, gorilla exhibits, some of the Desert Dome mammal enclosures, etc.) could be overhauled.
