2 baby gibbons were born at the zoo; one a pileated gibbon, the other a white-handed gibbon. Wildlife World Zoo welcomes two baby gibbons to park
The zoo has a clouded leopard cub in the nursery. This is their first clouded leopard, so it was not born there, but I do not know which zoo it came from. Apparently also bobcat kittens in the nursery. (They did have a pair of adult bobcats so not sure if this litter was born there or not).
The zoo opened a 5 acre expansion of its Safari Park area filled with plenty of new species, including pygmy hippos. Wildlife World Zoo opens five-acre Safari Park expansion | blooloop
According to the very brief article, expansion species are pygmy hippo, Grevy's zebra, onager, caracal, clouded leopard, red-billed blue magpie, nilgai, sarus crane. Clearly geographic theming is not their strong point. Or taxonomic theming or habitat theming or theming of any kind.
I also checked their (somewhat lengthy) Facebook announcement that says "For the first time in the State's history, pygmy hippos now call Arizona home." Umm, no, Reid Park Zoo had them for a long time.
A damn good collection of species to add regardless mind you. I thought they already had Sarus Crane, though? ~Thylo
It is possible they had sarus crane in another area and either moved them here or put some here and have some in the old location.
A female reticulated giraffe was born March 7, 2020. She joins two other baby giraffes born in previous weeks/months.
Here is an article with an interview of the zoo's director: Wildlife World Zoo | encouraging an appreciation of nature | blooloop
As of late July, 2020, zoo remains closed to public due to Covid 19 (Arizona is currently one of the hardest hit states in the USA). The zoo is building an expanded tiger exhibit that will include their first indoor, climate controlled den area. Births this spring/summer include (but not limited to): bobcats (note: No AZA facility breeds bobcats due to an endless supply of wild orphans) ring-tailed lemur seriema sika deer blesbok nyala American bison colobus monkey black-backed jackal
Recently learned that this zoo supplied animals to a roadside zoo I once visited in PA. Specifically a tiger cub that did not receive a vet check up or vaccines, and then disappeared before the next USDA inspection. So I can only imagine where those bobcats will end up And I guess many of the other animals as well.
They had a bobcat born last year as well and who knows where it went. I have a feeling they will sell their animals to any zoo willing to pay.
A quick google search yielded results about a tiger going to the roadside zoo in PA (and 13 cubs being born over several years, with no mention of where they went), USDA citations for inappropriate handling of cubs (using them for tv interviews), 5 new guinea singing dogs going to Joe exotics roadside zoo in Oklahoma, and several claims that they send hoofstock to hunting ranches regularly. The last claim is not proven by anyone but I don’t think any of us would be shocked to see these animals end up in canned hunts.
The USDA records don’t show that, which sadly is not shocking at that facility. But they do show the park did not provide medical care to a greatly-underweight singing dog in 2012. Among a million other violations.
Considering how much bad stuff has been shown in the USDA’s inspections, they should have been shut down long ago. Wildlife world also has some pretty bad inspection reports. But the USDA is weak as if stands. Hence why AZA accreditation at least provides standards that many other zoos repeatedly fail to meet like vet care. Imo its imperative to speak out against these bad practices of certain zoos and to actually push for some more reasonable regulation of animal facilities, because in my opinion the current regulations are lacking if a place like Tiger Kings zoo can exist for 2 decades, with these atrocities in the government record.
