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Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Garden Mesker Park Zoo News

Discussion in 'United States' started by snowleopard, 19 Jan 2012.

  1. snowleopard

    snowleopard Well-Known Member 15+ year member Premium Member

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    Has anyone purchased the zoo's history book? It was published less than 6 months ago and thus must be quite up to date.

    [ame=http://www.amazon.com/Pictorial-History-Mesker-Park-Zoo/dp/193472954X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326999747&sr=8-1]Amazon.com: A Pictorial History of Mesker Park Zoo (9781934729540): The Evansville Zoological Society & Willard Library: Books[/ame]
     
  2. jusko88

    jusko88 Well-Known Member

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  3. snowleopard

    snowleopard Well-Known Member 15+ year member Premium Member

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    I purchased the Mesker Park Zoo history book (published in 2011) for about $27 Canadian from Amazon.com as it has recently been reduced in price. There are over 500 photos in the 210 pages and the book is large, glossy, and a must-own for any zoo enthusiast. About half of the book is devoted to an introductory overview and the time period from the zoo's inception in 1928 to the late 1940's, and thus there are many black-and-white, historical photos. I visited the zoo in 2010 and while overall I was not that impressed the new rainforest building and entrance are both excellent.

    Odds n' Sods:

    - Monkey Ship held mandrills, macaques, spider monkeys, capuchins and squirrel monkeys over the years and at one point had over 60 primates!
    - An aging Asian elephant ("Bunny") and an elderly Nile hippo ("Donna") spent a lot of time together in the 1990's. Bunny was sent to the Tennessee Elephant Sanctuary in 1999 and she was the last elephant to reside at the zoo.
    - The zoo actually lost its AZA-accreditation in the 1990's.
    - A recent revival saw the 2008 opening of a brand-new Entrance and Amazonia: Forest of Riches, which is a 10,000 sq. ft. Rain Forest Complex. The entire project cost $15 million and saw a rise in attendance and community support.
     
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  4. JBZvolunteer

    JBZvolunteer Well-Known Member

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    The zoo gained a lot of new additions over the summer:
    3 male coquerels sifaka
    a pair of sichuan takin
    and the hatching of a hyacinth macaw!
     
  5. jusko88

    jusko88 Well-Known Member

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  6. BeardsleyZooFan

    BeardsleyZooFan Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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  7. vogelcommando

    vogelcommando Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Young Mexican Grey wolfs at the zoo :
    May 23, 2013
    Endangered Mexican Gray Wolf Pup Pair Hand Reared at Mesker Park Zoo

    Wolf 7 days old FB2

    A litter of Mexican Gray Wolves, the most Endangered wolf species in the world, came to the Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden -- and not by conventional means. They arrived on a LightHawk* flight at Tri-State Aero, Inc. and were immediately given into the care of zoo staff. The pups are doing well.

    Born on May 8 at the Wolf Conservation Center in New York, the pups were pulled within hours of their birth with the goal of being in the care of the Mesker Park Zoo within 24 hours. There they have experienced Wolf parents standing by. The plan is for the pups to be partially hand reared and then, within a few months, be fostered by the resident Wolf parents. This is considered their best chance for surviving and contributing to the genetics of this Endangered species.

    Wolf nurse front crop

    Wolf pup 7 days hold crop
    Photo Credit: Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden

    Although their genetically important birth mother was successful with one litter in her lifetime, her other litters have been totally lost or large portions of her litters lost within the first few weeks of life. The reasons behind these deaths are not known so the arriving litter is considered fragile by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and Mesker staff. The decision was made to pull any pups she produced this year and foster them to an experienced pair was reached in July by the USFWS and the Mexican Gray Wolf Species Survival Plan in consultation with Dr. Susan Lyndaker Lindsey, Animal Curator at Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden and Behavioral and Husbandry Advisor to the USFWS Mexican Gray Wolf Recovery Program and the Species Survival Plan.

    Read more after the fold:

    Wolf nurse 2

    Wold nurse 3

    Wolf 1.5 days crop

    Dr. Lindsey has previous experience rearing wolf pup litters that are not socialized to humans and fostering them to adult wolves to form packs.

    Selection of the initial wolf parents for Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden was based upon the need for an experienced pair of wolves and the unique conservation contribution that Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden could offer to the future of this critically Endangered wolf. The male Wolf, Nagual, was born on May 4, 2005 at Wild Canid Survival and Research Center in MO. On May 22, 2009, he was transferred to a USFWS Sevilleta Wolf Management Center, Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, NM. Dr. Lindsey fostered two orphan wild born pups to this male later that year. The female was born on April 22, 2007 at the California Wolf Center near Julian, CA. She was transferred to the USFWS Sevilleta Wolf Management Center, Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, Socorro, NM on Nov. 23, 2009 and later placed with Nagual.

    This pair had pups in 2010 and 2011 and raised them all successfully in a large pack. They have proven to be excellent parents.

    There are only approximately 300 Mexican Gray Wolves in captivity and 60-70 in the wild in Arizona and New Mexico. These wolves have also been recently released in Mexico.

    *LightHawk provides donated flights for conservation related organizations and others working on natural resource issues. All flights are arranged through the generosity of LightHawk volunteer pilots. For more information about this nonprofit and unique group of conservationists visit: LightHawk | Volunteer Pilots Donating Flights to Elevate Conservation.
    Source : Zooborns
     
  8. Milwaukee Man

    Milwaukee Man Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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  9. Kifaru Bwana

    Kifaru Bwana Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    Potential PR issue .., not to mention a rare bloodline might have been lost.
    Thankfully as the article mentions the wolves have been recaptured within a few hours.
     
  10. Milwaukee Man

    Milwaukee Man Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    TZFan Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    vogelcommando Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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  13. Milwaukee Man

    Milwaukee Man Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    BeardsleyZooFan Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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  15. Milwaukee Man

    Milwaukee Man Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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  16. Milwaukee Man

    Milwaukee Man Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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  17. Milwaukee Man

    Milwaukee Man Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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  18. vogelcommando

    vogelcommando Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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