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Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium Pittsburgh Zoo News 2013

Discussion in 'United States' started by jusko88, 30 Dec 2012.

  1. jusko88

    jusko88 Well-Known Member

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    I figured Will start a new thread for my hometown zoo.:) Recently the El Paso Zoo participated in an Amur leopard transfer with 2 zoos in Pennsylvania. The AZA's Amur leopard SSP recommended that the El Paso Zoo send Candy to the Pittsburgh Zoo as a potential mate for Dima the young male. In exchange, El Paso Zoo will be getting "Tya" from the Erie Zoo.
     
  2. jusko88

    jusko88 Well-Known Member

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    So recently the zoo posted in the current zoo letter that they received 4 baby Aldabra Tortoises from the Tulsa Zoo. This is exciting because in The Top of the World plans there will be a large reptile house. The zoo has not come out and said anything bout the new reptile house but my guess would be that it will be the next thing built at the zoo. as you know also the zoo has acquired 2 juvenile komodo dragons last year and they are a species listed in the new large reptile house as well as a Bredding center for the species. Phillipine crocodiles are also mentioned which the zoo has off exhibit and a new species to the zoo the chinese Alligator. The zoo also has stated that it wants to put a large emphasis on endangered amphibians throughout the new reptile house. They also have plans to dedicate a section of the reptile house to threatened herps of Pennsylvania, such as the hellbender and massasauga rattlesnake.

    In other News, The zoo has a red panda off exhibit and is most likely going to put her out on exhibit. she will go where the current Komodo Dragon exhibit is. This is another reason why i said that the zoo will most likely start building and planning for the new reptile house.
     
  3. TeamTapir223

    TeamTapir223 Well-Known Member

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    Has the zoo done any modification work to the old Komodo exhibit or do they have any plans to?Do you know of a timeline for the red panda exhibit?

    Team Tapir223
     
  4. jusko88

    jusko88 Well-Known Member

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    Idk bout the modifications i haven't been to the zoo in a while. but the timeline i do know. sometime either in march or april.
     
  5. TigerValley98

    TigerValley98 Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    The Komodo females are still small for the outdoor exhibit, so I can understand them waiting for the reptile building. The reptile building is next. The public portion of the hospital is to open this year. The location of the new tree kangaroo exhibit in Kids Kingdom has still not been discovered yet. I will be interested in finding out what will happened to the zoo's new cownose rays since they were removed from the sand tiger shark exhibit. The biggest question will be what changes will be made to the painted dog exhibit along with who will live there.
     
  6. BeardsleyZooFan

    BeardsleyZooFan Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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  7. jusko88

    jusko88 Well-Known Member

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  8. TigerValley98

    TigerValley98 Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium-born Kiazi Kitamu has given birth at Gladys Porter Zoo. Here is the press release from Facebook:

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    It’s a Girl: Zoo Welcomes Kiazi’s First Baby


    BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS- FEBRUARY 1, 2013- The Gladys Porter Zoo is overjoyed to announce the birth of a baby female Western lowland gorilla. She is the offspring of 14-year-old female, Kiazi and 29-year-old silverback male, Moja. Kiazi gave birth at 11 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 29.

    Kiazi showed no motherly instinct after the first hours following the delivery of her first offspring. Although this first-time mother lacked maternal instinct toward this baby, it does not mean she will react the same to future offspring. In cases such as this, zookeepers step in and rear the infant until she can be reintroduced into the group.

    In the past Martha, the dominant female, has taken on motherly duties when the staff has reintroduced hand-reared babies. Kiazi joined the Gladys Porter Zoo’s gorilla troop in October 2011 as part of a Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP) breeding recommendation. She came to us from the Pittsburgh Zoo but is on breeding loan transfer from the Cincinnati Zoo. The SSP is a cooperative population management and conservation program for selected species that manages captive breeding in order to maintain a healthy self-sustaining population that is genetically diverse and stable. Through this breeding loan, this baby female gorilla belongs to the Cincinnati Zoo. The Gladys Porter Zoo, Cincinnati Zoo and SSP coordinators will decide if the newborn will stay and be reintroduced into our gorilla troop or be relocated to Cincinnati for introduction into their gorilla troop.

    Zookeepers report that the baby gorilla is doing well and currently weighs 4 pounds and 8 ounces. She is being fed baby formula and alerts zookeepers to feed her when she starts fidgeting and making sucking noises. Her temperature and food intake are being recorded around the clock to make sure she is healthy.

    The public is welcome to visit this baby gorilla in our nursery inside the Small World section of the Zoo.

    http://www.facebook.com/gladysporterzoo
     
  9. BeardsleyZooFan

    BeardsleyZooFan Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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  10. TigerValley98

    TigerValley98 Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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  11. TigerValley98

    TigerValley98 Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    FYI. After Labor Day, PennDOT will begin demolition of the Heth's Run Bridge on Butler Street near the Pittsburgh Zoo in Highland Park, maintaining traffic on a temporary roadway to be built on the edge of the zoo parking lots while a new $16.7 million span is constructed.

    PennDOT getting the orange barrels ready - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
     
  12. TigerValley98

    TigerValley98 Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    One of the zoo's female orangutans, either Ember or Kimberley, will move to the Jackson Zoo according to the Orangutan SSP's Facebook page. A female named Dumplin will move from Jackson to Columbus.
     
  13. jusko88

    jusko88 Well-Known Member

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  14. jusko88

    jusko88 Well-Known Member

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    From a source on facebook. the painted dog overlook is now gone. It was completely removed and a fence replaced it. The zoo still has not made a decision yet if the dogs will be sent to the ICC/another zoo or stay at the zoo.
     
  15. TigerValley98

    TigerValley98 Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    According to the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium's Zoo Insider, twin ring-tailed lemurs was born in late February in the Tropical Forest Complex to 8 year old Clara.
     
  16. jusko88

    jusko88 Well-Known Member

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  17. jusko88

    jusko88 Well-Known Member

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    went to the zoo today. here's the updates.
    1) the red panda is on exhibit but only in the indoor glass viewing. the female red panda came from the Dakota zoo.
    2) There's a sign in front of the flamingo exhibit saying renovation. it looks like there building a indoor holding building. im curious cause the curator at the zoo told me they plan on putting the young komodos on exhibit. im wondering if they are going in there going in the flamingo exhibit.
    3) There's Tufted Capuchins now on exhibit. There in the white faced saki/sloth exhibit. But recently the sloth has been taking off exhibit. idk what happened there. if he passed or got moved. same with the saki monkeys.
    4) All the signs have been torn down all around the painted dog exhibit. the deck where the accident happened has been completely removed and there's bamboo sticks boarded up against the glass viewing windows.
    5) aquarium has new species and remodeled some of the exhibits. There's a sign now saying California big eyed Octopus. is that the same species as Giant pacific octopus.

    and as me and my gf were walking at we over heard a guy giving a behind the scenes tour that there currently working on building a new reptile house and should be up summer 2014.
     
  18. TigerValley98

    TigerValley98 Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    The California (North Pacific) big-eyed octopus is Octopus californicus. The giant Pacific octopus is from a different genus, Enteroctopus dofleini.

    The red panda is from the Red River Zoo in Fargo.
     
  19. DeydraOZ

    DeydraOZ Well-Known Member

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    Well..that kinda sounds like they're not going to be keeping their wild dogs if they took all of the signs down...unless they're getting new signs.
     
  20. BeardsleyZooFan

    BeardsleyZooFan Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    With the deck being completely removed and glass viewing boarded up as well, I doubt that it's for new signs. It's a shame an endangered species has to leave the zoo because of an incident that is really not the zoo's fault. And trust me, the attack was horrific to me as well, but with some renovations the wild dog viewing area could be made safer.