Possible. It's better than some of the guesses I read. One lady, on the Instagram page, guessed hippo or rhino. Last I checked the zoo doesn't even own either species.
And won't hold either those two at their current location. Here's my logic: looking at the footage, if it's due next week it's no giraffe, zebra or antelope. Okapi are both male, meerkats are all female. Ape or big cat would have been announced would be my thought. Kangaroo and wallaby are born tiny, and wouldn't need an ultrasound. Ruffed lemurs and Red River Hogs normally have more than one. Snow Leopard and Wolf's Guenon have had babies in the recent past. They haven't had much luck with their anteaters, can't ever remember their gibbons breeding. That leaves sifakas, Mongoose Lemurs, sakis, otters, Red Pandas. Of the five, I suspect the Mongoose Lemurs or otters are most likely.
Not news, but does anybody know what the deal was with African Pygmy Falcons? They appeared and disappeared from the zoo's website three times during the early part of Small Wonders. Got to puzzling over it again and thought I'd see if anybody knew.
When I was at my interview at the zoo yesterday I tried to see if I could get someone to spill the beans on what animal is pregnant but I was unsuccessful. Curses!
Interviewing for a teen volunteer position. I don't want to jinx it but I think the interview went very well. Most interviews apparently only last for 10 to 15 minutes but I guess I was interesting enough as mine went for nearly 30.
More coverage on the zoo's relocation plans. Sacramento Zoo is looking for its new home. These three neighborhoods lead the pack
Is any relocation project not hugely costly and not without its own challenges and showstoppers? I do not see where the funding would be coming from (as it specifically signals this ... has not been addressed for now!
And more opposition to the zoo's relocation. Sacramento has real problems to solve. A new $150 million zoo is not one of them
The unknown ultrasound was of a red panda (Ailurus fulgens). Cub was born yesterday to parents Amaya and Benjamin. Sacramento Zoo on Twitter
I'm browsing the article at the moment and I like how the author conflates hippos and elephants with... baboons; an amusing stretch to be sure when the zoo houses chimps and orangutans already. Ignore the lions too. There's a lot of projection too. To ape the author's argument: who needs any of Sactown's terrible golf courses (in a heavily drought prone area) when Pebble Beach is "just down the road"? A living text book is a far better use of land than the water suck that is a golf course.
I thought the authors were unnecessarily snarky and caustic in some of their arguments, but they did make valid points when it came to cost and the city's intentions. Tabling public housing projects and investing $150 million into this when other pressing issues remain unfixed may not be prudent. And while I hate to think that younger generations will turn on zoos (because I am of that generation), I know enough people my age who are anti-zoo to agree that it's a possibility. One thing that stood out as weird: "The new zoo director [...] asserts that our current zoo could possibly lose its accreditation from the AZA, and we wouldn't get to have larger species." Has this zoo been at any risk of this happening, and is it actually related to enclosure size?
Not that I've ever heard... they just got Okapi, so I wouldn't think so. I know the zoo has stated here and there they won't house species like elephants, rhinos, or hippos at their current location, acknowledging that their current space is too small to provide appropriate space.
Cities should be increasingly cautious of investing in public housing. Oakland recently opened a "publicly assisted rental" complex that took roughly 20 years to complete and cost ~$28-million. How many units did that beget the city? 28. A million bucks a unit is not some sort of thing to be applauding. Sactown's $150-million isn't going to get you substantially more; let alone "fix" the housing crisis. No, the long-lasting solutions to California's housing crisis require a vast cultural shift; one that begins to revalue actual labor, stops subsidizing homeowners and corporations via Prop 13, and makes genuine effort in diversifying its transportation network. So long as NIMBYs hold an outsize sway in the permit process most of these things amount to useless sloganeering and/or virtue signaling. That said, it's become practically de rigueur to use a sports arena of some kind to revitalize brownfield sites. San Francisco did this with AT&T Park (sorry, Oracle Park); Oakland is trying to do this at Howard Terminal; Denver did it with Coors Field; and Baltimore began the trend with New Camden Yards. Could a forward thinking city council do something similar with a zoo? Think of the popularity of overnight camps at zoos. Disney charges a fortune to stay in one of their rooms over looking the savanna at the Animal Kingdom. If Sactown built the ne plus ultra of field exhibits would people want to look out their back door and see elephants and giraffe doing elephant and giraffe things? I'd put money on a willing group. Some of them are probably on this site. For lack of better term, this 'Zoo Disctrict' could support a mixed use development including retail and hospitality. I'd need to look deeper at the transit network, but I don't see why a light rail spur and/or transit hub can't be included as well. Buses that occupy the same right-of-way as cars isn't going to cut it. See SF's Muni lightrail outside of downtown as to why. This could be an entire thread of its own.
Visited today, 6/27/2019, and here are some things I noticed: The zoo has a new train. There appears to now only be one American pelican (and it tried attacking my mom, but that's besides the point). The recently renovated jaguar exhibit it now open: Recently renovated jaguar exhibit - ZooChat, Recently renovated jaguar exhibit - ZooChat, Recently renovated jaguar exhibit - ZooChat. Former king vulture exhibit it gone. The coati is back on exhibit. Also here is what the exhibit looks like as no one else has yet to post a picture of it: White-nosed coati exhibit - ZooChat. The southern lions are off show as their exhibit is being expanded to include the former Sumatran tiger habitat: Lion exhibit renovations - ZooChat. One interesting thing to note is I assumed the wall between the two exhibits would be coming down but it appears they're keeping it up and instead removing part of the path to connect the two. I suppose it saves money this way. There is a new pond the African spurred tortoise exhibit: New pond in the tortoise exhibit - ZooChat. There is new signage in around the okapi exhibit, including but not limited to: New okapi exhibit entrance sign: "Okapi Trail" - ZooChat, New signage comparing giraffe to okapi - ZooChat. Black-crowned cranes are only in with Forest and not both okapis. There are once again two tawny frogmouths. Yellow-billed magpie is still empty so yeah it's definitely dead. Reptile house changes I noted here: Home-Made Map of Sacramento Zoo's Reptile House [Sacramento Zoo]. The climbing wall was moved over back on the lawn again.
Good riddance. Have you seen the coati? I've yet to. Wonder if the other okapi has been aggressive towards them. Not surprised knowing its history. Was getting old.
I agree 100%. That exhibit was probably my least favorite. Yes twice actually. Today was cool as he was really moving around because a keeper had just spread enrichment treats around the exhibit. I wish you luck on being able to see him this Saturday!