Very sad to hear. I believe the zoo was planning on getting Jozi a mate once Mimi passed. Possibly in the next couple years.
An iconic southern black rhino female has passed away. Some might think she would live forever, but that is alas not how it goes. BTW: At her age of 34 it is not unexpected really, although quite a few black rhino have surpassed this age bracket. The remaining eastern black rhino female will be recommended for breeding in future.
An article on the passing of Mimi: The Zoo Says Goodbye to Rhino, Mimi | Milwaukee County Zoo The article says that she has had three calves at other facilities, which I did not know and am happy to hear, especially because she was a wild-born rhino. She was always one of my favorites to take pictures of, always seemed to know to pose for the camera She will be missed.
From a quick search of old Black Rhino Studbooks, it appears that her calves are: Ibala (485), a male at Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo, Australia; Limpopo (681), a male at Fort Worth Zoo; 1 female still birth in 1995 (570)
Update on Belle. She's been introduced to Brittany and introductions continue: Update on Elephant, Belle: May 2020 | Milwaukee County Zoo
It’s sad to see Themba passing but that brings hope for a new male to come in a possibly have cubs. Milwaukee County Zoo on Twitter
It's been a tough start of the year: The zoo is closed, we lost Mimi, and now Themba, both of which have been longtime favorites. Hopefully once the zoo is open again (or sooner!) we can get some good news.
I'm dying to go back to Milwaukee, I just wish it was closer. Do you guys think that the death of Themba could possibly make room for either one of Henry Vilas Zoo's two males?
An article about the zoo during the shutdown. The article mentions that the zoo will soon be receiving a male bongo from the San Fransisco Zoo likely in the summer. The zoo hopes to reopen around Memorial Day Weekend with limited visitor capacity and indoor exhibits closed. 'It's 'a little eerie': Milwaukee County Zoo animals don't seem to mind peace and quiet during shutdown
With all the indoor areas closed, the bulk of the zoo's collection will not be visible. It will still be nice to have it open, but I'm not sure I want to travel 2 hours to the Milwaukee zoo and not see the aviary or the AARC.
I honestly this is the best course of action. I know that this is less then what everyone would like but at least they are opening up again (hopefully). The zoo director wrote in the Milwaukee Business Journal that he has planned staged reopening plan. He really wants to reopen the zoo, just as many of us want to get back to "normal" complaining about the guests and the unruly kids banging on the exhibits. However, there is currently a new normal that we have to deal with until we can get back to somewhat post virus normal. The best thing we can do is support the zoo by going when we can and donating things that the zoo needs. They have been closed for months and in the past if they don't have a strong March or April it affects how much they will loose overall, and since they have been closed they are hurting for funds. I realize that may mean we may not see our favorite exhibit that is in the Aviary or in the AARC or even in the primates building, however every single person going will help the zoo. I know that this is less the ideal and many of you already know this and are sadden because the zoo won't be 100% back, but it's a start. Plus with what happened at the Bronx Zoo it's also for the welfare of the animals that so many of us deeply care about. It will be the summer and many of the animals will be outside, and some that we typically can't even see during the late fall/winter/early spring due to the temperature be so cold. We will get a chance to see these animals now even though some of the buildings will be closed. Also, the hippo exhibit will be finished and that is an outdoor exhibit as well so we will be able to experience phase II of Adventure Africa. My hope and desire is that the zoo will be back to somewhat normal by August. The bright side in all of this is that the zoo is heading towards opening so that is a plus!
Well said. I couldn't agree more. By the time they reopen in (hopefully) late May or June, there is still a lot there that's outside: Bears and North America, All the exhibits in the central zoo, and we're not to forget that lots of inside building animals can be viewed in their outdoor exhibits; the cranes, flamingos, Macaque Island, orangs, the new(ish) colobus monkey exhibit, and of course all of the felines. Perhaps more slowly and complicated than we would've liked, but it's the best thing to do for the zoo and all of its visitors.
Some good news, it looks like they are moving ahead on phase 3 of Adventure Africa. They will be (hopefully) sending out bid requests. They are looking to spend about $900k on this process. Here’s to them hopefully giving it a green light to proceed.
New black rhino complex taking up the existing pachyderm mall, rhino exhibit(s) and the old elephant and red river hog exhibits. A new indoor hippo exhibit may also be added, along with a new exhibit to replace the old dall sheep mountain possibly.