Thanks for your last couple of excellent posts @nczoofan and North Carolina is one of two state-owned zoos in the USA (the other being Minnesota) and it's fantastic that North Carolina Zoo surpassed 917,000 visitors last year. The zoo has not made a lot of changes in the past decade, with the major two exhibits being an expansion for Polar Bears and a new Ocelot enclosure. The upcoming Asian loop (2023) and then a small Australian section (2025?) will surely see the zoo surge past a million annual visitors and then hopefully that number remains stable at the new, higher level. If the continental additions are as excellent as the rest of North Carolina Zoo, then I see no reason why this facility couldn't arguably become one of the Top 5 zoos in the USA. It's amazing that the zoo is an hour and a half from Raleigh, an hour and a half from Charlotte, and 45 minutes from Greensboro...and yet the establishment is on the cusp of a million annual visitors. Extraordinary! There are zoos in heavily populated urban centres that have the same attendance numbers as North Carolina Zoo.
Yet another Southern White Rhino has been born. "Stormy" and "Kit" are the parents. New baby rhino born at North Carolina Zoo
This is great news. It has been exciting these past 2 years seeing young rhinos enjoy there 35 acre home.
It would be massive joy if all 4 female rhinos would reproduce. However, I think that the close family connection of one of the parent dam's is suppressing her daughters' from reproducing. The best would be to break them up and sent offspring out and bring in some unrelated female rhino.
NC has been having unseasonably hot temperatures this past week, so I took a visit to the zoo today. It was the most crowded I have ever seen in it in the offseason. A lot of construction was going on at the zoo as well, likely due to the Connect NC bonds funding for deferred infrastructure. Updates: Construction continues on the grizzly bear habitat. One of the open-air viewing areas is becoming glass viewing, while an additional viewing point is being added for demonstrations I believe. The construction in the aviary is complete, yet the tortoises are not back on exhibit yet and currently unsigned. The Desert Dome was closed for maintenance, which has been occurring on and off for the last few months. The South elephant yard was empty, as it is currently being regraded. Therefore most of the elephants, except for Artie were off display. I have not seen C'sar on exhibit in a while. I hope he is doing well considering his age and health. All of the rhino herd except for the bull, new-born calf, and mother were on exhibit. Also happened to see the Sitatunga for the first time in probably a year.
One other thing. Zoo Parkway, the road being built to connect the zoo directly to the highway, has opened. This is great considering for decades this large attraction has been on a small road, that could not handle the traffic.
The zoo going to be the focus of a new Nat Geo Wild series. https://www.google.com/amp/s/abc11.com/amp/5861511
I am loving the amount of viewers these zoo docuseries have been getting and the amount of spinoffs that are being made indicates that these big networks are seeing major profits from them. I hope they attract people that are on the fence about zoos and show them how these amazing facilities work.
That's what I'm hoping will be the outcome of all these shows, as well, especially considering how the animal rights movement is trying to turn people away from zoos and aquariums forever.
I have the potential to go to NC Zoo this year (either May or August). Would it be worth it go now, or should I wait a year or two? I'm going to be getting a dog from a breeder near Durham, so I'll likely be occasionally going to NC in the future.
I don’t see any reason to hold off visiting this year. All of the zoo should be open at that time. The next exhibit opening will be Asia, but that won’t be opening til 2023.
Make sure to budget at least five hours for the North Carolina Zoo as, at 500 developed acres, it's a lot of walking.
So a few pieces of news: Asia should break ground before the end of the year. The African Pavillion is finally coming down this year. I know they were having issues with the bidding for it. Another polar bear breeding season, means the pair are being mixed. A 2 year old female giraffe will be joining the zoos herd. Lastly a new male elephant will be coming to the zoo for breeding First of all I doubt the zoo can hold 3 adult bulls given its current setup. Which leaves the question of which bull elephant will leave? Almost certainly it will not be C’Sar as he has been at the zoo for decades, is partially blind, and likely would not survive transit. So that means Artie is likely going. Now the unanswered questions are where is Artie going, and who is coming to replace him? https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.courier-tribune.com/news/20200213/zoo-council-loses-3-members-adds-4%3ftemplate=ampart
Will the zoo maintain the outdoor exhibits surrounding the pavilion? There's one right next to the baboons that looks like a potentially amazing exhibit that could look over the Watani Grasslands, along with the existing (and empty) eagle cages. (Either painted dogs, bat eared foxes, hyenas, black backed jackals or meerkats/aardvarks could potentially inhabit this space *with expansion for the formers*, IDK)
The link below is from November, but it mentions at least 10 minor construction projects that are ongoing at the zoo. I looked it up and North Carolina Zoo is AZA accredited until September 2020 and so the zoo is completing a long list of refurbishments this year before the continent of Asia starts construction in approximately 6 months. NC Zoo getting much-needed repairs
I do not think any of the habitats will remain. They are attached to the building and would add complexity to demolition. The one exception is the currently occupied baboon exhibit. The baboon holding area is in the pavilion, hence the contractor must first build a 4,000 sq ft holding area attached to the gorillas (on the other side of their habitat), before demolition. The zoo has more than 20 baboons, one of the largest groups in the nation and did not want to disperse them. Also the pavilion is one of the walls of the baboon exhibit, therefore a new rockwork wall will have to be built. Overall its an extremely complicated site. Recently the zoo has replaced the HVAC in both Desert and the Aviary. Modified the walkway in the aviary. Changed the viewing barriers at the lions and polar bears to not allow a child too fall over. They redid the streamside building, in the process updating the water systems. And now are renovating the grizzly bear exhibit. They are also regrading the south elephant habitat. So thats a lot in a year, a lot of it linked to deferred maintenance that is now being covered by the ConnectNC bond.
What exhibits made the final plans for their Asia zone besides tigers, Komodo dragons, and red pandas?
I believe vultures, cranes, hornbills, primates, visayan warty pigs, small-clawed otters, and chinese alligators, according to this concept map art. Honestly I would have expected more from the NC Zoo, like a big enclosure for hoofstock such as rhinos, banteng/guar/anoas or blackbucks, a la Prarie and Watani Grasslands.
