August is a transition period for many zoos. Some are transitioning out of their seasonal summer exhibits and preparing for fall. Others will soon be transferring animals to or from their zoo before the unpredictable weather conditions that come with the winter months. Like last week, elephants are one of the hot topics as we go around the country in News of the Zoos.
- Will China Demand its Pandas Back – Due to the political turmoil that comes with the trade war with China, some are speculating that pandas in U.S. zoos may need to be returned. There are currently four zoos in the U.S. that can house giant pandas, but only three of them currently do. The Memphis Zoo, National Zoo (Washington D.C.) and Zoo Atlanta currently have pandas on display. The San Diego Zoo just returned their pandas in May, 2019. China technically owns the rights to pandas, so zoos that have them only have them on loan. Per the article, Memphis has a contract through 2023, while the National Zoo’s contract expires in 2020. Read more here.
- Milwaukee’s Elephant Herd Expanding – We’ve talked a lot about the new “Adventure Africa” exhibit at the Milwaukee Zoo this year. The zoo spent a lot of time and money renovating their elephant yard for a new state of the art yard and elephant barn for resident elephants Ruth and Brittany. AZA regulations state a minimum of three elephants should live together. The zoo announced this week that they will be adding a third member of their herd soon. Read more here.
- Kansas City Announces $10 Million Elephant Habitat Renovation – The Kansas City Zoo currently has seven elephants. They announced plans this week that will enhance both their current facility, and the walking paths around it. According to the article the renovations, which include a new pool and waterfall, should be complete by 2020. We haven’t yet visited this zoo, so we’re excited to plan a trip once the renovations are complete! Read more about the announcement here.
- Michigan Zoo Replaces “ZooBoo” Event – This is a trend we’d like to see catch on. The Binder Park Zoo in Battle Creek, Michigan announced this week that they will discontinue their “ZooBoo” event this fall. Instead, the zoo will host several different one-day activities in what they’re calling “FALL into the ZOO”. While Hallaween-centered events are fun, they are typically over-crowded. The article says that zoo leaders were worried their visitors were growing tired of this event, and decided to switch it up. You can read more about this here.
- Baby Dolphin – The Indianapolis Zoo announced that a baby dolphin was born this week! Read more here.
- Baby Seal – The Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines, Iowa, announced the birth of a baby harbor seal last week. You can read more here.
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