With the addition of sea lions, the facility has become an accredited member of the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums. Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums
The zoo will be co-hosting (along with Bearizona) this years annual ZAA conference in November. Conference
The Facebook page has seven photos of the progress of the new Safari Park extension. 15 acres which it says will open in January 2014. Photos do not show a whole lot of interest except for the safari vehicles. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.576304199059642.1073741827.258857657470966&type=1
A jaguar and tapir were born. http://www.azcentral.com/community/...zoo-welcomes-birth-of-endangered-animals.html
Interesting that all 3 of Rocco and Inca's cubs have been melanistic. It seems like since the birth of Fitz, she's been pregnant pretty regularly. First Fitz in Dec 12 then Hiccup in, what, March 13 and now this new cub. I wish they would at least give her an opportunity to raise her cubs, but babies sell admission, so...
According to their Facebook page, they have received two new female jackals! This is huge news as I do not know of any other jackals in the United States. (There may be some somewhere, but I have never seen them anywhere in my two decades of zoo travels). Species is not listed in the announcement and I could not follow the hotlink because I am not a Facebook member.
New photos they added on Facebook suggest that they're Black-Backed Jackals. https://www.facebook.com/WWZAq/posts/687163344640393
Brief article on more new arrivals for safari park area: black backed jackals, olive baboons, white lion. Suburban Phoenix Wildlife World Zoo welcomes new faces - ktar.com Looks like the only animals that have not yet arrived are the cheetahs. (Too bad because those are some of my favorites and I am going up there in a couple days).
I'm waiting on the arrival of the cheetahs, too. I have a coworker who's never been out there and doesn't like to drive far distances so I told her when the cheetahs come we will go together and I will drive. WWZ is claiming to have the only white lion (the ktar article linked captioned her as a white tiger) in the southwest, but isn't Las Vegas considered part of the southwest? Far as I know, Siegfried and Roy still have white lions...
Still no cheetahs, but I did find a little information by doing a very deep and highly specified internet search. I am not sure if I should post it publicly, so I will refrain. If anyone is familiar with the zoo and really needs to know (cough - azcheetah2 - cough), they can send me a PM. Also, the Feline Conservation Federation convention that is being held in Scottsdale (Phoenix) on June 19-21, 2014, will include an optional post-conference trip to Wildlife World on Sunday, June 22.
Hahaha. Yeah, if it's burried that deep it's probably best not to post anything publicly yet. I still need to get on that FCF convention. Thanks for the reminder!
New California Sea Lion exhibit is open (indoor area only): Sea lions make a splash at Wildlife World Zoo & Aquarium | azfamily.com Phoenix
Clarification: This is NOT a brand new exhibit. The video is just a behind the scenes look at how they prep one of their animals (in this case sea lions) for the day. They have been there in the indoor exhibit for many months, perhaps a year. I saw the outdoor yard construction when I was there in March. It looks like there will be a viewing area like a replicated ship, plus some stadium seats. Overall area seems a bit small IMO, but I did not see the final pool area so hard to tell at this point.
Didn't that pair of sea lions arrive in early 2013? They said the outdoor space would be completed in the fall. And the way they've been talking about it on the news, this is a brand new pair. Still waiting on the possible cheetahs. Hahahahaha
The empty cheetah exhibit in the new safari expansion will soon be filled. Here is the quote from the zoo Facebook page. After months of permit processing delays including a federal government shutdown, we finally have approval to bring a pair of (now) adolescent cheetahs, the fastest land mammal, to our all new Safari Park. Look for more updates in the coming weeks!
Well, that's good news...sorta. I'm torn about the whole thing because of where they're going. Thanks for the update. I can't find their facebook page.