ABQ BioPark Zoo ABQ BioPark Zoo (aka Rio Grande Zoo / Albuquerque Zoo)

It is a substandard zoo in my opinion, barely worthy of its AZA accreditation. Of course, it is the only MAJOR zoo in New Mexico, so if you are a zoo lover and you are there anyway, you may as well stop in. But as someone who has been to dozens of zoos in every part of the country, I find it disappointing.

 

Somehow I missed this announcement. A pair of snow leopard cubs were born on July 21, 2011. (That was just a couple weeks after my last visit - not that they would have been on display yet if I had waited a few weeks to visit.)

Zoo's Snow Leopard Twins on Exhibit — City of Albuquerque

 

Here is another news item. The reptile house is closed for a complete renovation of the heating and cooling system. To reopen in March or April 2012 perhaps? The end of the news release has a very vague statement that this is the first of many renovations for BioPark facilities, but no mention of what renovations or even which BioPark facilities. (For those unfamiliar, the BioPark is an umbrella city organization that consists of the zoo, the aquarium, the botanical gardens (next to the aquarium), and Tingley Beach, which is a park that runs along the river and connects the zoo to the aquarium/gardens.)

Reptile Building Closed for Renovations — City of Albuquerque

 

Reptile House Is Open

The Reptile House is now open, and on August 5 the zoo will be openning an Amphibian House in the zoo which will be housing rare Coqui Frogs!

 

Zoo Guests Can Now View Long-Time Residents

Tree kangaroos and wattled cranes recently moved into new habitats at the ABQ BioPark Zoo. Guests can now view the tree 'roos in Australia and the cranes in Africa.

The pair of Matschie's tree kangaroos (Dendrolagus matshiei) arrived at the Zoo in 2005, but cold and hot temperatures kept them indoors and out-of-view much of the time. Now these New Guinea natives live inside the Koala Creek building in Australia. Like their koala neighbor, they prefer a calm and quiet atmosphere--especially because they spend half their time sleeping. Catch the 'roos awake, and watch them "hop" up trees as they hold onto trunks with their arms.


"Meri, the female, and Omeo, the male, have had two joeys," said Shelly Dicks, Mammal Supervisor. "Since tree kangaroos are endangered, this breeding success is important. The joeys both live at other zoos now."

Across the Zoo, a new exhibit in Africa features wattled cranes (Bugeranus carunculatus). At more than five-and-a-half feet tall, these majestic birds are the largest and rarest aquatic crane in Africa. While both birds have been housed behind-the-scenes for a few years, they haven't been in the same exhibit yet.

"This new exhibit actually has two sections, which allows us to introduce the birds slowly for possible future breeding," said Peter Shannon, Curator of Birds. "We hope the pair might nest, lay eggs and raise chicks in the future."

In the wild, wattled cranes and tree kangaroos are both threatened by habitat loss and illegal hunting. To learn more about these species, visit
them in their new Australia and Africa homes. The exhibits are included with
regular Zoo admission.

 

A paralyzed seal has arrived.

ABQ zoo gets rescued paralyzed seal - AP State Wire News - The Sacramento Bee

 

New Lemurs at the zoo

The zoo has four new Lemurs on display in the old tree kangaroo exhibit on the side of the night animals exhibit. If I remember correctly eight or nine years ago the zoo housed Lemurs in this very same exhibit. I was around nine so they could have been in a different exhibit but i doubt it. The species are a pair black and white ruffed lemurs and a pair blue-eyed black lemurs.. They both arived from the Bronx Zoo. The zoo used to have black and white ruffed lemurs and I believe red ruffed lemurs.

Rio Grande Zoo welcomes four lemurs

Lemurs Leap Into the Zoo — City of Albuquerque

 

Price Jump

The zoo has changed admission prices. Entry to the zoo or aquaruim is now $10 an adult and $4.50 a child or senior. Previose precies were $7.00 and adult $3 a child or senior.

Combo tickets to both attractions also took a jump from $12.00 an adult to $16.00 and $6.50 a child or senior.

 

New White Rhino Calf arrives at ABQ BioPark.

Baby White Rhino Arrives at the ABQ BioPark - YouTube

2.2 Protobothrops mangshanensis arrived at the BioPark on November 3rd.

 

Why is a baby rhino that is only two weeks old being shipped anywhere? And where is its mother?

 

Apparently rhino was born at White Oak Conservation Center to one of their females and sired by one of Albuquerque's males on loan to them. Still does not explain to me why they are pulling it from the mother and shipping it at only two weeks? Especially since article says it will not go on exhibit in Albuquerque for several months.

 

It was a situation where the calf was born on a very cold night and in the fray, did not bond right away with mom.The staff at White Oak decided to intervene and hand-rear the calf.

 

I had to Google it. Those are mang mountain vipers for those of us who do not have reptilian taxonomy memorized.

 

Rare alligator moves into Albuquerque zoo exhibit - seattlepi.com

The New Male Chinese Alligator at the ABQ BioPark Zoo - YouTube

 

ABQJournal Online ABQ Zoo Welcomes new Koala

 

There are 3 new Red Kangaroo joeys on display.

 

A female Jaguar was euthanized.
Jaguar at Albuquerque zoo euthanized due to cancer - SFGate

 

It has not been a good start to the year for the ABQ bio park with the loss of three older animals.
They also lost Zaki their koala Zaki the Koala Dies at Rio Grande Zoo | ABQ Journal
and Ginger the capybara ABQ BioPark Saddened by Death of Capybara — City of Albuquerque

 

A baby Orangutan should be born soon.
Zoo expecting bundle of furry joy

 

Finally big news and progress at the zoo.

A new Gator Swamp is needed indeed in the near future because the gators are getting large and are kept behind the scenes. An insectarium will be great because they have only used the my big back yard space three times that i can recall and i visit the zoo multiple times a year. Looking foward to the future river otter exhibit which hopefully goes near the sea lion exibit now that they have done away with the camel rides, an expanded jaguar yard because they have the smallest exibits of all there big cats, and an African bird aviary which would be a nice touch to the africa section. The biggest attraction I am looking foward to is Penguin chill, which plans on bringing Gentoo and King penguins, which could hopefully be the zoos main attraction, because in honesty the zoo does not have a signature exibit that blows people away.


BioPark Breaks Ground on New Projects — City of Albuquerque

Capital Campaign - Penguin Exhibit | NMBPS