Living Desert has found a new director. Zoo touts its latest addition: New chief | MyDesert.com | The Desert Sun
Zoo News No real news, but the zoo has a new website: The Living Desert - Zoo and Botanical Gardens - 47900 Portola Ave., Palm Desert / Indian Wells - Coachella Valley, California,
Blackduiker By coincidence, my wife and I should be paying a visit to the Living Desert this very weekend. We'll be in the Palm Springs area from January 23-25. The Living Desert should be the first of my "proposed zoo visits" for 2010. That's excluding the LA Zoo of course, which I visit quite regularly. I'll try taking as many photos as possible, weather permitting. It looks like there will be a lull in the recent rain we've been experiencing all across California.
I just noticed that I made this thread in the wrong zoo section. This thread is meant for "The Living Desert" in California not the "Living Desert Zoo" in New Mexico. Can a moderator please move this thread to the correct section.
The Living Desert has posted photos on their Facebook page of three male greater kudu that are now living with their reticulated giraffes.
My cousin was there last week and the caracals are gone. A serval is in their exhibit. I think it is the same serval that used to be in the tiny cage by the sand cats, so this is an improvement for that cat. But I wonder what happened to the caracals - did they die or just moved off exhibit?
This link contains an interesting interview with the director, but sadly no mention of the long-rumored lion exhibit: Living Desert chief Stacey Johnson plans new projects, growth for zoo | The Desert Sun | MyDesert.com
Nice article. I did not realize their jaguar was brought up from Mexico. I wonder which zoo it came from?
They have started daily camel rides. Just like every other zoo camel ride, a keeper walks it by a leash in a small circe. Just really boring - I wish some zoo would come up with a more interesting route both for the camels' sake (they must get bored) and for the riders' sake (so they actually get their money's worth).
To bad they didn't charge like $10 more and take you on the camel ride through the savannah exhibit. One can dream
There is a new Jaguar on exhibit that was rescued from Panama. Rescued jaguar debuts at The Living Desert | News - Home
Nice - I have never heard of a zoo breeding ringtails before. I assume the few zoos that have them are all wild caught. They are strictly nocturnal and in my experience do not make a very good display animal. Being able to see hand raised cubs is a rare treat. When I first moved to Tucson I actually saw a wild one during a moonlight tram tour up Sabino Canyon.
BeardsleyZooFan mentioned in the ZooAmerica thread last week that a 1 year old Ringtail named Acacia from The Living Desert is now on exhibit. She and Rambo (the current male) are an excellent genetic pair, so the zoo hopes they will breed.
Roma Zoo ( Italy ) bred them 1959 but at the moment the species is only kept in 1 European collection : Burgers Zoo in Arnhem.
Burgers Zoo bred them regularly untill 2006, unfortunately after then no births and the European population is down to 3.1 animals, all in Burgers Zoo. They hope pair will breed....
Roma Zoo - Italy - bred them in 1959 but at themoment only one European collection has the species - Burgers Zoo in the Netherlands.
After only four years on the job, the new director is leaving to take a job with San Diego Zoo. http://www.livingdesert.org/press_pdfs/SJAnnouncement.pdf
