More info on the African penguin exhibit: Penguins making a comeback at Lincoln Park Zoo - Chicago Tribune
The question is, what polar bear will be selected to move to the zoo? I am pretty sure their female, Anana, is staying put in North Carolina for a bit to continue to mate with their male, Nikita.
I know Toledo has a baby, Or maybe Anana could come back along with Nikita. Are the Diana monkeys still at the zoo? I don't rember any signage regarding them. They are listed on the website in the mammals section but are not listed in African journey.
I would be surprised if Anana and Nikita move to Lincoln Park; they are already together in NC, and might as well stay. Spare polar bears are in short supply. San Diego has 1.2, and 1.1 are siblings, so that's a possibility. Albuquerque and St. Paul both have twin brothers, any of whom could serve as the males or as placeholders. One of the Madison siblings could go there as well, and they are relatively close geographically. Tacoma has two males, both of whom are unrepresented founders. Then there are the many polar bears living in Canadian facilities like the 6 wild-born at Winnipeg. And then yes, the female baby at Toledo. (All of this, of course, is conjecture). It seems that finding a reproductive female may be the more difficult part; most reproductive-age females in North America are already paired off. That being said, Lincoln Park may spend some time as a placeholder for a single male bear, as Saint Louis currently is with Kali.
According to Louisville Zoo's facebook, their male polar bear, Siku, is going to be the resident of the new polar bear exhibit.
I don't think we have a date, but articles on the penguin renovation have suggested November for the polar bears.
Thanks for the info. Do you have any info On how the exhibit will be layed out? (If there is more then 1 exhibit, And overall lay out.)
I'm not completely sure, but from the sound of it, there will be at least two full exhibits, only one of which will be open to the public, so that male and female bears with cubs can be separated when necessary. There will be a viewable cave and underwater pool viewing as part of the larger exhibit space. The zoo released the below layout some time ago, but I've personally not been good at turning it into a practical visualization:
I visited the zoo today and have interesting updates. In The hoofstock area some things have been changed around. The ostrich/Grants yard is being used by a zebra now. The grants are no where to be found but the ostriches where found in the old white lipped deer exhibit. However now that the savannah has reopened their is signage for the ostriches but no grants, yet the birds are still in the hoofstock loop. I thought I would give a little review of Penguin cove while I'm at it. Firstly it turned out better then what I expected. It is a nice size and has good viewing spots. It could be bigger but Still good. I don't like the concrete walls across from the exhibit That look very ugly. Their is not much viewing either but what they have is pretty nice. I love the zoos mock rock work and this exhibit is no different. The penguins seem at home and are enjoying this exhibit. Lastly I thought they picked the perfect location for this exhibit Right between their genre (The bird house) And their geographical location (African journey) and blends into the savannah well. Overall this exhibit turned out pretty good but I have higher hopes for the Artic Tundra coming next month.
The opening date has been announced: November 17th. Lincoln Park Zoo Announces Opening Date for New Polar Bear Exhibit | Lincoln Park Zoo
Tomorrow from 9-11, Members will get a sneak peek at the artic tundra video of male bear Siku. Ted Cox on Twitter
New Polar Bear exhibit opened today. Here's a few articles. New Chicago bear? Lincoln Park Zoo opening new polar bear exhibit Meet Chicago's most eligible 1,000-pound bachelor: Siku, the polar bear Polar Bear Siku Makes Big Splash In Lincoln Park Zoo Debut