San Diego Zoo Safari Park San Diego Safari Park news 2012-2013

Anybody? Where are all the San Diego regulars when I need them?
Otter Lord?
Betsy?
Washaw?
Djaeon?
SanDiegoMaster?
Wespen01?

Hello... anybody home?

 

Sorry, I don't know where they are. I was planning to go yesterday but it was cold, wet and windy. I will try to get there next week.

 

I was there last weekend and I didn't see the black footed cats. Maybe they are going in before the zoo's cat days coming up next month.

 

Thanks - keep us updated!

 

Hey Arizona,

I went to the park today and everyone I asked didn't know anything about the black footed cats. If I hear anything I will inform you.

 

Much appreciated. I also sent an email via the zoo/park generic reply form (of which I am sure they get hundreds), so maybe I will get a reply soon and maybe not.

 

My cousin is at the park today and spoke with a cheetah keeper about the black footed cats. They currently have one female that is off exhibit in the cheetah breeding compound. They are seeking a male to pair with it. No word on when or where the pair will be exhibited.

I know San Diego Zoo Global has been supporting a field research/conservation project for black footed cats in southern Africa for several years. So I think this is an important species to display to educate the visitors about what they are doing. (Or maybe I am just saying that because I want another place to photograph small cats ).

 

I think it's both. I think displaying Black Footed Cats would be an amazing education tool about their existence and the measures being taken to keep their numbers up in population...plus it gives cat nuts like us another place to photograph small cats. I have only been to one zoo, Santa Barbara Zoo, that I knew housed Black Footed Cats and even with tips on where he liked to hang out, I never saw him. Hopefully WAP will choose to exhibit theirs. Thank you for the information!

 

Zoo celebrates birth of condor chick | FOX5 San Diego ? San Diego news, weather, traffic, sports from KSWB

 

More info and photos about the Condor-chick :First Condor Chick of Season at San Diego Zoo Safari Park

CondorFeeding_001_LG

Wesa, a two-week-old California Condor chick, hatched on February 24, 2013, making this chick the first of the season at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Wesa has maintained a healthy weight and has quite an appetite according to keepers, eating up to 15 mice daily.

Ron Webb, a San Diego Zoo Safari Park senior Condor keeper, has been monitoring Wesa closely and has been puppet rearing the chick as part of preparing Wesa to be released into the wild one day.

COndor-SD-Zoo

CondorEggCandled_001_LG
Photo credits: Ken Bohn, San Diego Zoo Safari Park

"The puppet is like a fancy glove," said Rob Webb, senior Condor keeper, "It covers our hands so the chick does not get any beneficial experiences from people. We do not want it imprinting on people or getting used to us when it goes out into the wild. We want it to be a nice, wild animal, not relying on people for food."

Wesa is a part of the San Diego Zoo Safari Park's highly successful California Condor breeding program. Since the California Condor Recovery Program began in the 1980s, when there were only 22 condors left in the world, the Safari Park has hatched 173 chicks and released more than 80 birds into the wild. Today, there are over 400 condors, half of which are flying free at release sites in Baja California, Mexico, California and Arizona.http://www.zooborns.com/.a/6a010535...m/.a/6a010535647bf3970b017d41da466f970c-popup
source : Zooborns

 

Southern White Rhino Calf Charges Into San Diego Zoo Safari Park - ZooBorns

 

Butterfly Jungle opened today.
Butterfly Jungle opens at SD Zoo Safari Park - San Diego, California News Station - KFMB Channel 8 - cbs8.com

 

Butterfly Jungle closed on April 7th.

 

New additions to the park's bird show include, Victoria crowned pigeons, plush crested jays, painted storks and a secretary bird.

Bird Show at San Diego Zoo Safari Park Grows - Scoop San Diego: Local News

 

Some exciting/not so exciting exhibit news. First off, there is construction at the gibbon exhibit to turn it into a ring-tailed lemur exhibit. Second, if anyone has not heard, the Tiger exhibit is going through construction, they're changing grades right now. It has been redesigned for the 3rd (at least) time with only tigers. I have pictures of the both plans and they will be uploaded to the gallery soon.

 

Are they sending the gibbons to the zoo?

 

I am not sure. They have room to at the zoo probably. Perhaps in the old enclosures by Absolutely Apes? Or the new but significantly worse enclosures in Bear Canyon?

 

Aren't there offspring of the WAP animals living in Monkey Trails at the zoo already?

 

The Safari Park opens up its new Lemur Walk tomorrow the 15th. There is a video of it on youtube and its mentioned in their Summer Safari video on the website.

 

I have a hard time believing an AZA accredited zoo in the litigious United States is going to let people have lemurs hanging on them like that.