Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden What's Gnu at the Cincinnati Zoo - 2016

It is, honestly, hard to say. The capuchinbirds were acquired at the request of the previous curator, and with that person no longer working for the zoo, and with the bird house being without a curator and having been short a keeper for several years now, I don't know whether the remaining bird will be met with a mate or even whether or not she will remain at the zoo. Being short a keeper and curator, the bird house staff has been trying to reduce the collection size because it just isn't manageable with current staffing (one team leader, six full-time keepers, and two part-time keepers). While the capuchinbirds were still in holding, the staff was strongly considering getting rid of them, but they kept them because they ended up being able to get them onto exhibit... So, really, only time will tell! If I find anything else out about it, I will be sure to let you all know!

Also, update on the painted dog pups!:
http://blog.cincinnatizoo.org/2016/12/07/dog-log-pack-pecking-order-and-personalities/

 

The Przewalski's Horses and the Bactrian Camel are now sharing all three paddocks in Wildlife Canyon.

 

This is an interesting development! I'm glad that Baijkit (the last Przewalski's horse at the zoo) will finally have some company after her companion passed earlier on this year (something that the zoo has been trying to figure out what to do about). I'm sure that it will also be quite nice for her and Humphrey and Saarai as well to have access to space provided by all three of those yards.. This makes me wonder about what the future of Wildlife Canyon will hold, knowing a few ideas that have been circulating about the exhibit's future.

 

How old is Baijkit? Does cinci have any plans for getting a breeding pair?

 

She will be 16 in January, so she's a middle-aged horse. As far as breeding goes, Cincinnati has served as more of a retirement home for Przewalski's horses, taking in small numbers of horses that are no longer a part of breeding herds. They don't have the room to house a breeding herd.

 

Naming the African painted dogs :
Cincinnati Zoo’s Painted Dog Pups are “Cheese-tastic”!

 

The female tufted deer from Mast Farm (formerly exhibited at the zoo many years ago in the current emu exhibit in Wildlife Canyon) has been moved into Rhino Reserve, and a new male Mexican grey wolf named "Jack" has arrived to provide company to our resident elderly female, "Sedona".

 

I'm guessing they were moved into the current crane exhibit(?), which would be the reason for the recent "construction" (also an "?")

 

I honestly do not know for sure; however, the former zebra yard (most recently housing the East African grey crowned crane, yes) would be quite an expansive exhibit for a single 23-year-old tufted deer.. With the zebras having moved to Mast Farm for whatever construction is going on, and the zoo's website says that they will be back on exhibit in the spring, what I'm currently thinking is that the construction is to renovate the former zebra yard to better suit the needs of the zebras, leaving the smaller yard that the zebras were occupying open for the tufted deer to live out the rest of her days in peace... This would also leave that yard (a former rhino yard) intact and able to house rhinos again in the future, if necessary (which is why the pool was not filled in when it was renovated to house the zebras). Apparently there isn't a master plan in place for Rhino Reserve, so literally anything is possible, and they're trying to keep things flexible. With the zoo currently in the process of moving its off-site operations to its new location at Bowyer Farm in Warren County, I know that they've been trying to figure out what to do with the last remaining non-cheetah residents (this tufted deer and the pair of Siberian cranes)... There were talks of building facilities for the cranes at the new site (which has perfect crane habitat), but I imagine that with only the single elderly deer left, they wouldn't want to go through the effort... That said, it's still hard to say what exactly is going on, and we very well might just have to wait until spring to find out.

 

Polar Bears Little One and Anana were introduced on exhibit for the first time today

 

From the video on facebook*, it looks like the introduction went well. When Anana first arrived at the Brookfield Zoo a few years ago, she wanted nothing to do with their male, Hudson, and constantly hid from him. It took her until the following mating season to finally warm up to him. She was actually exhibited with Hudson's father, Aussie, her first summer, and that didn't go well at all. I am glad to see her boldness and acceptance of Little One.

*I am sorry I cannot post the video; I am on a shared computer that has blocked access to facebook.

 

Here is the video straight from YouTube

 

The painted dog pups ventured outside today.

 

A new Mexican grey wolf named wolfman jack has arrived to be a companion for the zoos 14 year old female

 

Does the zoo still have a bobcat in the collection? I know there was a elderly female but I can't remember if she had passed away or not.

 

Yes, there is still a 13-year-old female in the collection and on exhibit in Night Hunters.

 

Does anyone know if any of the 2016 SSP recommended transfers for bonobos have taken place?