Banyan Wilds (Malayan Tigers and Sloth Bears) opens on May 2nd and this link has additional details about the upcoming exhibit complex: Tiger Home Page - Woodland Park Zoo Seattle WA The elephants are one step closer to leaving for Oklahoma City Zoo: http://www.zoo.org/document.doc?id=1556 Maned Wolves make their debut next week: http://www.zoo.org/document.doc?id=1553
They haven't made an appearance on the zoo map yet, but is it reasonable to assume the Maned Wolves are moving into the enclosure the Cheetahs vacated? And nicely expanding the South American zone. Looking forward to your thoughts on the bears and tigers exhibit when you visit it SL.
How many other roadblocks are there keeping the Elephants from leaving now? Or are their none? Also, is there likely to be an announcement a few days before they leave or could the departure be sprung at any moment?
Maned wolves, Vinny and Lana have made their debut. Woodland Park Zoo’s new maned wolves make debut - Seattle's Big Blog
Chai and Bamboo have departed for Oklahoma. May their trip be uneventful. May the lawsuit fail. 2 Elephants Leave Seattle Zoo for Oklahoma City Zoo - ABC News Most of the same information, but with helicopter photos. Seattle zoo elephants on the way to Oklahoma This came following the denial of an injunction earlier today. Here is the zoos statement regarding the injunction. http://zoo.org/document.doc?id=1559
Chai and Bamboo have been diverted to the San Diego Zoo due to inclement weather. They were forced to change their route in Salt Lake City. This will keep them from having to spend an extra day in the crates. They are reported to be in good condition but with muscle stiffness by the SD Zoo vets. They will be allowed to rest in the meantime. It is not yet known how long they will be there. They are in quarantine of course. OKC Zoo press release: INCLEMENT WEATHER REROUTES WOODLAND PARK ZOO ELEPHANTS - Oklahoma City Zoo WPZ Q&A regarding the diversion: http://www.zoo.org/document.doc?id=1562
Chai and Bamboo are doing well, there is not yet a timetable for their continuing on to OKC. Timetable for elephants' arrival to Oklahoma City Zoo not determined | Oklahoma City - OKC - KOCO.com
"Animal Activists" are calling for an "investigation" of the transport of the Elephants. It just goes to show you how hypocritical these people are in my opinion. They weren't calling for an investigation with the way the Toronto Zoo Elephants were transferred. They way I see it they know they have lost this round and want to do everything they can to cause trouble for the zoo. Animal activists call for investigation into Woodland Park Zoo's | www.kirotv.com
On the same day the elephants left, one of the lion cubs escaped into a service area after a keeper left a door open. Lion cub escaped from zoo exhibit on day of elephant move | The Seattle Times
Jane Goodall has sent a statement to Seattle mayor and council supporting the move of the elephants to Oklahoma City Zoo (reversing a previous statement she issued). Goodall reverses stance on Seattle zoo elephants
I wouldn't say she reversed her statement, but instead she readdressed it. Woodland Park Zoo Blog: Elephant update: a letter from Dr. Jane Goodall
If she issued a statement without adequate analysis of the situation or thought and then issued a new statement contradicting the first, then semantics aside, she backpedaled. She is placing her credibility at stake, which is a terrible shame Jane Goodall backtracks on elephant sanctuary, says zoo is fine | The Seattle Times
The zoo has produced a brand-new map that has many significant changes from the format that had been present for many years. Banyan Wilds (Malayan Tigers and Sloth Bears) is now open to the public and so that zone needed to be added; Maned Wolves are also new; Asian Elephants are gone; and many species have been added to the map along with colour-coded geographic regions. I have a collection of approximately 1,200 zoo maps and I really like the look of the new Woodland Park map. One minor pet peeve is that the zoo still continues to call the Reptile House (with around 40 terrariums of various sizes) a "Day Exhibit". Why not simply "Reptile House"? Other than a solitary tree kangaroo every animal in the building is cold-blooded. http://www.zoo.org/document.doc?id=1582
The elephants have now left San Diego on their way to Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweeping down the plain, according to this update posted on Woodland Park Zoo's Facebook page:
Its not a bad map, but the colours are a bit strong. I quite like the idea of geography-based colours, they work well, for example, on Auckland Zoo's map, but here they overwhelm it a bit. Apart from that it is a great map. What was the Maned Wolf exhibit like? Had they changed the yard at all from when it held Cheetah?
The yard that briefly held Cheetahs is identical in appearance but now hosting a mother/son pairing of Maned Wolves.
There was an attempt to file a temporary restraining order to keep the Elephants from continuing on to the OKC Zoo. It failed, obviously. http://www.okczoo.com/sites/okczoo/...it_Appeal_Federal_Favor_Statement_pr_5-15.pdf
I posted a review of Banyan Wilds on this link: http://www.zoochat.com/22/banyan-wilds-review-409892/ I was obviously disappointed with the new exhibit complex and due to the fact that the 2-acre zone cost $20 million and was a two-year phased project expectations were high. Others have sent me private messages agreeing that while the Malayan Tiger exhibit has its nice elements, overall the entire area is a tad disappointing. It is important to remember that Woodland Park's glory days of the late 1970's and early 1990's continued through the 2000's. The decade of 2000 to 2010 saw the opening of Dragons of Komodo (2000), African Village (2001), African Wild Dogs (2002), the superb Jaguar Cove (2003), Willawong Station (2005), the $10 million indoor play area Zoomazium (2006), Historic Carousel (2006), Flamingos (2008), an award-winning Humboldt Penguin exhibit (2009) and an awesome new west entrance with many visitor amenities (2010). That was a terrific decade for the zoo. Since then one could argue that Woodland Park has lost its mojo, right around the same time of the economic crisis. Temporary summer displays of animatronic dinosaurs (2011) and elderly cheetahs (2014) were boring; the year of 2012 saw Visayan Warty Pigs, Kune kune pigs and Warthogs added although technically none of the animals were in brand-new exhibits; and the Banyan Wilds complex with its birds, otters, bears and tigers is simply adequate. Cool species like Red-Flanked Duikers, Sun Bears and African Wild Dogs have been lost, plus the Nocturnal House closed down (2010) and the Asian Elephants left this year. I have no idea what the zoo has planned for the future but the several acres that made up the Asian Elephant Forest will have to be repurposed for either Indian Rhinos or several other Asian animals. The long-awaited Asian Highlands loop to complement the Northern Trail section of the zoo would cost an absolute fortune. What will be next?
