The Zoo's manager and zoo specialist dropped by Scovill Zoo for ideas to enhance Ochsner Park Zoo. One of these is an interest in acquiring tufted deer. Wisconsin zoo visitors on trail for tips at Scovill
Two snowy owls went on exhibit in November. Snowy owls now in rare public exhibit at Ochsner Park Zoo
The snowy owls moved into the former bobcat exhibit, which was renovated in October. The bobcat now lives at the Wildwood Park Zoo. Along with the snowy owls, the zoo acquired three Barred Owls. All three birds had injuries that prevented them from being released. They are currently housed next to the Great Horned owls.
It is amazing how long it takes for a small zoo to raise the funds in order to add a new exhibit. I visited this place in 2014 and there was a series of signs advertising the upcoming North American River Otter enclosure even back then!
An Article of the upcoming otter exhibit. Th exhibit is built* (not completed, picture included in the article). The zoo needs more funds for a pool for the exhibit, but hope to have otters by fall this year. Baraboo zoo hopes to have otters by fall
Two river otters are set to arrive this spring from Montana - males Curly and Larry. On a side note, another male from the same facility, Moe, will be heading for Milwaukee’s new exhibit. Baraboo zoo acquires otters
According to the zoo's Facebook page, the zoo will open a concession stand this summer. Also, the White-Tailed Deer/Canada Goose/Tundra Swan exhibit has been expanded to twice the size of what it was. These animals now have a whole acre!
Update on the new deer exhibit: The majority of the perimeter fence is in and designs are being finalized for the overlook area with construction to begin on that soon. This spring there will be some minor landscape work inside the exhibit to include some taller grasses and more natural plantings. The project is expected to be complete in late July and have a dedication ceremony in early August.
Another article on the new deer exhibit: Deer get new home at Baraboo zoo I wonder what will become of the current deer exhibit once the animals are moved to the new one...
Did anyone else notice that this means two new species are coming to the zoo! Ochsner Park in getting Wild Turkeys and Sandhill Cranes!
The otters have arrived!!! Unfortunately, the otters will not be be able to be in their outdoor exhibit for 3-4 weeks. Staff are still working on the otter exhibit and will not be finished for a week or so. At that point the otter exhibit will still not be complete. In the fall, a rock work workshop will go to the Ochsner Zoo and during this time you will be seeing 20-25 zoo professionals from around the country in the otter exhibit learning the rock sculpting technique. After the rock work is complete in fall, the otters will go on exhibit. The zoo'd facebook page with post bi-weekly pictures and video updates on the otters. -I visited the Ochsner Park Zoo for the first time in the autumn of 2014, and even then they were adverting and fundraising for this otter exhibit. It's so nice to see it finally being completed and filled with otters! It also gives me perspective. People talk about how long it takes for things to change and be renovated at my local Milwaukee County Zoo. Smaller zoos like Ochsner Park work on "simple" exhibits for 5+ years! I'm very excited to visit Ochsner again, hopefully soon.
One of the zoo's pot-bellied pigs, Polly, passed away this week. The vet diagnosed her with a diaphramatic hernia. This is apparently something she was born with, and is very difficult to diagnose without invasive surgery. She lived at the zoo for 13 years.
The zoo has received a pair of Sandhill Cranes (32 and 33 years old) from the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, and they will go on exhibit with the deer in the new 1 acre exhibit when that is completed. There is also on unknown number of prairie dogs born at the zoo! More information on the babies will be announced in the next few days once they find out more.
Is the zoo AZA-accredited? I remember visiting with my cousins, as the zoo isn't very far away, and the exhibits weren't that bad. The wolf exhibit was also very nice. Does the zoo also plan on trying to expand to a bigger zoo?
They are not currently AZA accredited but that is their goal. I'm not sure if there is a plan to expand the zoo as a whole, but I know for the past decade they've been renovating, expanding, and building new exhibits to be very nice (black bears, lynx, and now otters soon)
Lots of updates: - Bubbles the skunk can now go outside in the barred owl exhibit. The skunk is blocked off in an area set up as an exhibit within an exhibit. After the barred owls get accustomed to a skunk as an enclosure mate, the zoo may be able to give her the run of their entire exhibit. - Henrietta, one the great horned owls, is being retired from educational handling and now lives in the tall trees of the bear exhibit. She is flightless yet can climb tree branches well! - Also, the deer have moved into their new two-acre exhibit! And on Sunday, August 5 at 4pm is the ribbon cutting for the new deer exhibit. This new exhibit is twice the size of their current exhibit and has many more trees, a pond and will include 2 sandhill cranes and (soon) a bald eagle! -- I'm very curious to see how a bald eagle will be incorporated into the exhibit (likely flightless). The zoo seems to have several multi-species exhibits due to lack of space/funding to build entirely new exhibits for new animals. I am planning on going to Ochsner Park later this month, and I will update then.
The set up of the deer exhibit with both sandhill cranes and bald eagle certainly gets the mind going. Love to know what you can find out there!
