Same here. I assumed they had new babies or something so it was closed off for a little bit, but it had been closed for so long.
I just realized that the old prairie dog exhibit may go where the old badger exhibit was. It would be a good use of the space. They also have a little room around it where they could add some interesting things to the exhibit.
The zoo's last prairie dog moved to the zoo in Baraboo. All but 1 prairie dog at Henry Vilas Zoo did not survive winter due to flooding, extreme cold Only Vilas Zoo prairie dog to survive winter transferred to Baraboo zoo
Henry Vilas Zoo Updates: - Red-Footed Tortoise Enclosure was torn down. - Meerkats were not visible, they had a paper covering over all the glass in their indoor exhibit. Must be introducing new members. - Emperor Tamarins were taken off exhibit in the vet building. Couldn’t find them anywhere else. - Old Ostrich exhibit has an open door so the Somali Wild Asses could go into the exhibit. - Rainbow Boa and Boa Constrictor are now cohabitated in the Herp Building - New tank in the Discovery Center, there were no animals in the tank. - One Leaf-Tailed Gecko in the empty box turtle tank in the Discovery Center - The two penguin chicks were looking very large! The sprinklers were on in the enclosure and the penguins were loving it! - New signs in the aviary talking about the roof getting repairs soon, so the birds were gradually being taken off exhibit. The roof is said to be done by August. - There was paper on the Golden Lion tamarin exhibit in the aviary saying the new tamarin was still adjusting
Security Check Required According to the zoo's facebook, their aardvark Aayla will be having an outdoor area build where the old red-footed tortoise enclosure use to be. Seems a little pointless to me due to the fact that Aayla is asleep in her nest every time I've ever visited. I think they'd have more luck turning her indoor area into a nocturnal exhibit rather than build her an outdoor area. Anyone think they will add other animals to the exhibit to make it more interesting?
The Aviary is temporarily closed so they can work on the roof, apparently, it is going to be more Eco-Friendly.
According to the zoo's facebook the aviary roof has been finished and they also added a sloth exhibit into the free-flight area.
Updates From 8/29/19 Visit - The zoo is currently working on the outdoor enclosure for their aardvark. The pathways near it were taped off. Surprised they decided to do this, as their aardvark is nocturnal and always sleeps in the same spot whenever I visit. - The paper has been taken down from the glass in the indoor meerkat exhibit. They added some dirt and mulch. - The Indian Crested Porcupines were active! It was a pleasant surprise. - They added a canopy to give their goats some shade. - The new bee display area is very interesting. It has an indoor hive, as well as two outdoor apiaries. - The large enclosure in the Herp Building is no longer empty! It now houses a Rhinoceros Iguana. - The Standing's Day Gecko was no longer visible in their gecko enclosure, but there was about 10 Uropatus Sikorae! - Harmon the Rhinoceros now has access to the old tapir enclosure. - The two Reticulated Giraffes had spoons hanging from a pipe as enrichment. I thought that was pretty interesting. - The Golden Lion Tamarins are back in the vet center, with their old enclosure in the aviary being empty. I'd assume that the Emperor Tamarins will be reintroduced to the exhibit. - The new sloth structure in the aviary is adorable! - The new roof on the aviary is very similar to the old one, but I had much better luck seeing the birds. - A lot of the old terrariums in the aviary had been covered up. - The Harbor Seal pool was drained due to maintenance reasons.
The zoo remains an AZA member. Henry Vilas Zoo accreditation will continue, national organization decides
In my last visit recently I saw it, didn't get the best look at it due to half of the exhibit being covered
A nice video of Beefcake the bison enjoying the snowfall: Henry Vilas Zoo’s bison captured frolicking in the snow
Several new flamingo and a bison have arrived at the zoo. Henry Vilas Zoo adding new flamingos, bison
I'm a little disappointed, but what can you do! I was really hoping that it would be something new.. or at least something a little more interesting.
