Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Garden Mesker Park Zoo News

Mayor appoints zoo director

 

An interesting article about the Monkey Ship:

History Lesson: Mesker Park Zoo's Monkey Ship

 

A male Indian rhino named Rupert arrived.

Meet Rupert, Mesker Zoo's new Indian Rhino

 

Evansville's Zoo adds giant anteater

 

Clementine the giraffe arrived from the Dickerson Park Zoo.

Evansville's Mesker Park Zoo welcomes its third giraffe, Clementine

 

What this breeding an AZA recommendation or accident? I know that the AZA manages both the mother and father giraffes as "generic," but seems maybe they would try to maintain some genetic lines??

 

The famed Monkey Ship has been newly renovated, and seems to be the centerpiece of a bumper boat pool.

New paint, old memories: Evansville zoo's 'monkey ship' lives on both in imagination and reality

 

What a slice of history, renewed and repurposed respectfully!

 

I visited this zoo last week and really enjoyed it, although I wasn't prepared for the hills and hot weather! Certainly some things could be improved, but the Amazon area was very well done and if everything new follows suit the zoo will only improve. Currently a parakeet feeding aviary is being built, and I believe that a penguin exhibit will be the next thing that gets worked on. I also found plans online for an extensive renovation of the African area of the zoo, however this would likely not occur for a long time due to the amount of money needed for it (or scaled into multiple phases). Has anybody seen these plans before? https://www.southwestindiana.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Mesker-Park-Zoo-Improvements.pdf

 

I heard this zoo has a walk through Sitatunga and White Stork exhibit. Is it still functioning as a walk through because if so I will definitely be planning a visit there in the foreseeable future. They also have Greater Kudu, Takins and Rupert the new Indian Rhino!

 

Their website now lists Springbok on their map.

 

A baby Coquerel's sifaka has been born.

Mesker Park Zoo has a baby Lemur

 

The zoo has opened a walk-through aviary for budgies.
Budgies reluctant in Mesker Park Zoo aviary debut

 

This is from a few weeks ago, but the Zoo’s planned “Penguins of Patagonia” received a major donation and will likely break ground later this year.

Major donor announced for Mesker Zoo's Penguins of Patagonia

 

Beliza the jaguar has been diagnosed with cancer.

Mesker Park Zoo's jaguar, Beliza, diagnosed with cancer

 

Construction has began on “Penguins of Patagonia” - set to be completed next summer.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.courierpress.com/amp/5355498002

 

All time favorite Patagonia exhibit was at SeaWorld of Ohio with penguines and Commersons dolphins! Sadly, that will probably never be seen again in the US.

 

That's the kind of thing they had to offer?! That's amazing! I was just born a few good years late to see Seaworld Ohio ... But yes, sadly we may not see a Patagonia exhibit on that par ever again in the US.

 

Kiah, the zoo’s 29 year old female Giraffe has died.

Kiah, Evansville zoo's popular giraffe, dies

The Zoo now has only one giraffe, three year old, Clementine who arrived two years ago.

 

First captive breeding of Eastern hellbender:

Mesker Park Zoo achieves 1st Eastern Hellbender breeding in captivity

In early October, employees at Mesker Park Zoo discovered a nest full of Eastern Hellbender eggs in an artificial breeding stream during their morning checks.

According to Purdue officials, this marks the first time that Eastern Hellbenders, the largest salamander in North America, have bred in captivity.

The breeding resulted in 68 fertile eggs, which will take 72 days for those eggs to hatch into larvae.