Philadelphia Zoo Philadelphia Zoo 2021 News

I'm happy to hear that the Travancore Tortoise is still present at the zoo. Perhaps I'll have to make a trip sometime in June once everything's reopened. Is there a date given for that yet?

~Thylo

 

Aww....I'm sorry that millions of people dying is an inconvenience to you ....maybe try having some empathy?

 

I visited the zoo today and saw some changes:
1. Wings of Asia has reopened, but only walk-through due to covid. Feedings may reopen later this year.
2. Several babies have been born, including a gibbon, mongoose lemur and sloth.
3. Latte, the female sloth is in Small Mammal House with the new baby. She and Jabba have been separated due to the baby and Jabba still lives in RACC.
4. Two of the gorillas got into a fight so they were off stage, the colobus monkeys were in the exhibit today. Motuba and Honi got into their first fight a few days ago and got into their second one last night. It’s possible that Honi and Amani will move to another zoo due to the fight, but that might not be happening with covid and things. If they move, it leaves the zoo with 3 gorillas.
5. The squirrel monkeys are in the old mongoose lemur exhibit in PECO Primate Reserve. The mongoose lemurs now live where the black and white ruffed lemurs used to be. From what I heard the two groups are now combined into one.
6. Batu, one of the orangutans moved to Washington state. That leaves the zoo with two orangutans.

Not sure about trancavore tortoise, but it’s probably still there. They can live a long time

 

I guess not a lot of choice regarding where orang Batu was sent out to, most probably, Woodland Park, Seattle!

 

I would like to take this moment to apologize to anyone I offended in regards to my complaints about the masks. The past year has been hard for all of us and I pray for the families who lost their loved ones due to this virus.

 

I just informed my mother about Batu leaving and she's very upset about it. She's concerned that Batu will have behavioral issues due to being separated from her family who she's lived with her whole life up to this point. I told her though that orangutans only stay with their mothers for eight years and her time has come to likely find a new mate and have babies of her own.

 

That's wonderful news! I assume that the Small Mammal House is still closed to the public?

 

Yes

 

Strange since the building is just one long hallway at this point, fairly easy to make a one-way. Is the RACC open?

~Thylo

 

Yes. The only buildings that are open are the Rare Animal Conservation Center, lower floor of PECO Primate Reserve, and Base Camp and Safari Theater in Big Cat Falls

 

Same with the herp building but that's still closed, too

 

From what I heard that maybe in a few weeks to a month the reptile and bird houses may reopen. From the reptile house, I have peeked inside the doors and the most popular animals still live there, like the anaconda, reticulated python, crocodile, giant tortoises and king cobra. There is only one green anaconda left. I’m at least glad the zoo is now gradually reopening, Wings of Asia feedings will open later this year, they are working on attractions and aye-ayes in Primate Reserve may open late summer or fall. I think Small Mammal is being worked on too, the problem is the ventilation system that dosen’t create enough air for covid

 

The zoo has welcomed two new Grants Zebras named Laverne and Shirley. They will be joining the zoo’s Burchell’s Zebras Susie and Laura.

 

Now there's four zebras and one rhinoceros in an exhibit.

 

Here's hoping that they will MOVE THE RED RIVER HOGS OUT OF THE PHASE AND BRING IN SOME NEW HOOFSTOCK. Addra gazelles and lesser kudu would be nice, maybe a wildebeest or two. SOMETHING.

 

Does the zoo still have the Mhorr Gazelle in the phase? Any other animals in the phase?

 

I think there is one Mhorr gazelle in the phase, there are red river hogs, a saddle-billed stork, and white storks.

 

Is the Mhorr gazelle an old individual (as the SSP/AZA concentrates on Addra dama in North America)?

 

Moira Abby is very old, and honestly I doubt she'll be alive for much longer. That said, 3 hogs and a stork... whoopee. (Insert jacksfilms' 3 Dicks On A Bench jingle here).