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Zoo Blog Welcome to the Minnesota Zoo’s blog! From animal updates to photos to video, go behind-the-scenes with Zoo volunteers and staff to find out the latest news.
Zoo Day at the Capitol
The Zoo went to the State Capitol on Tuesday, March 9 for a free day of fun at "Minnesota Zoo Day!" We were joined by many in thanking legislators for their support! The Rotunda was "crawling" with critters from the Zoo! Take a look!
When the lights go out, and everything is dark, most people don’t worry about animal activity in their houses/buildings. But if you do want to see if you have unexpected “visitors,” nighttime is best for checking on things that go bump in the night. “Pest” 1. An annoying person or thing; nuisance. 2. An injurious plant or animal especially one harmful to humans. 3. A pestilence.  Read more.
We have monitored and controlled the unwanted pest population in the Tropics building since the Zoo opened in 1978. What pests, you may wonder? Cockroaches and mice. They were never on the planned exhibit list for the Tropics, but they can manage their way into any building. In large numbers, these creatures can create health and other issues for the animals. I remember my early days as a zoo keeper, some exhibits seemed to be moving when you were cleaning! The roaches were in such large numbers that you had to be careful not to take any home with you because they would run up your pants leg looking for a place to hide. If you had a problem with bugs back then you either got over it quickly or left the Zoo. Fortunately those days are long gone! If pests are problems, how do you know if a problem exists? You have to look for “pests” when they are visible…night patrols are ideal for “pest” viewing. The Zoo’s Biological Programs department takes turns every month to host “Bug Patrols” with a pest control company after the Zoo closes and the lights go out. At 9:10 p.m. on a February night, it was my turn to walk the darkness of the Tropics building, searching for unwanted pests (not the sort of thing a person unfamiliar with the building would want to do). On this particular night we had an unplanned advantage, the Zoo was switching out some of the electrical supply to the Tropics building so it was darker than usual. Taking care not to disturb the resident bird population and any other animals still on exhibit, we entered the building. Three professional pest controllers and I, armed with flashlights, patrolled looking for any unwanted visitors. The Zoo’s Tropics building is ideal for supporting all kinds of life forms that weren’t planned for in the original design concepts. We are constantly bringing in large numbers of plants that have been living outdoors. Those plants can carry a variety of unwanted passengers looking for shelter. After about an hour the patrol was over and a tally was taken. Did we find pests? Yes, we did. High numbers of pests? Not really. The large numbers of yesteryear are gone (good thing)! The pest management staff is very good at what they do and have been keeping numbers in check for many years. Many people have job tasks that are out of the ordinary. Even though it requires late hours, that may have planned for leisure activities, it’s a task that needs to be done. It helps keep the animal collection and environment in good condition. Besides, how many people do you know that can say they go on Bug patrols in the Tropics building? Helping to keep the “pests” in low numbers,
Many of you have heard “Minnesotans for a Great Zoo” but might not know what it is all about or how it is linked to the Heart of the Zoo project. The Zoo offers something special for everyone. More than 1.3 million people visit the Zoo every year. Nearly 50,000 residents—many in Greater Minnesota—are visited by the Zoomobile and other education outreach programs. And almost 1,000 people volunteer their time at the Zoo. Read more.
We think it’s important to make our Minnesota Zoo a great Zoo, ensuring that it continues to be one of the state’s best gathering places, most important educational institutions and a global leader in conservation efforts. But, we can’t do it alone. We need your help. By joining Minnesotans for a Great Zoo, you’ll be a part of something great! You’ll receive periodic updates along with easy tools to show your support to the state. With the support from Minnesotans for a Great Zoo, the Zoo will be able to move forward with its Heart of the Zoo project, which includes adding an African Penguins exhibit and much more! For more information or to show your support of the Zoo’s efforts, please visit www.ourmnzoo.org and sign up. Dolphin Pregnancy Update: Allie is Getting Bigger!
Our mother-to-be dolphin, Allie is doing well. After her ultrasounds in January and last Friday, Feb. 5, we have been able to detect a fetal heartbeat. The chest and head measurements have increased over the past few months. Based on those measurements we can tell the fetus is continuing to grow. We can also estimate that the delivery date will be sometime mid-summer 2010. Read more and see ultrasound photo.
Dolphins typically eat about 4 to 6% of their body weight daily. Allie's appetite has been good during her pregnancy. She eats about 26 pounds of fish right now! We of course anticipate increasing her amounts in the next month, as the fetus continues to grow. If you look at her closely, you’ll notice that she is becoming larger as her girth continues to expand. To keep Allie and her calf safe, we have retired some of her more energetic behaviors, such as spins and tail walks. It is becoming obvious that these activities are a little more difficult for her to display while carrying her calf.
Friends of the Minnesota Zoo Event was a Success!
About once a month, the Minnesota Zoo Foundation hosts an event for Friends of the Minnesota Zoo. Sometimes they’re behind-the-scenes tours, access to Farm Babies or a new exhibit without the huge crowds of a regular Zoo day, and sometimes it’s more of a lecture. On Friday, January 22 we tried a new event with a group of 120 Friends – “Soar with the Bird Show.” Read more.
The Bird Show staff always does an amazing job, and it’s obvious that they had a great time. One at a time, they brought Alex the African Grey Parrot, Gandalf the hyacinth macaw, and Elvis the blue-throated macaw on stage. Instead of their regular routine, they gave us “the inside scoop” on the cues used for both birds and people; that Alex doesn’t like working with men; and that Dave has traveled to Bolivia to work on a blue-throated macaw conservation project. They answered questions from the crowd, realized we could have filled the entire two hours with just a question and answer session! Our adult Friends asked about things like breeding programs and conservation projects, while the kids asked things like how old are the birds. One serious boy asked, “If the bird’s feathers all fall out, do they get cold?” A girl takes the opportunity to share, “I really like birds!” After a short break to stretch our legs and grab another snack, the Bird Show folks bring out the “big guns” – birds that aren’t ready for the regular Bird Show yet. The snowy owl, Oz (as in “The Blizzard of Oz!” Dave enthusiastically explained), has been with the Zoo for about a year and a half, but every bird goes at his own pace and he’s not yet ready for the Show. But Oz performed beautifully, flying between the two perches several times. High-fives were exchanged – it may not seem like much, but this was a huge step in Oz’s training. Lastly, Tempest the bald eagle was brought out and everyone had the chance to take their picture with her. Tempest occasionally told everyone that it is HER theater with her scream, but she’s posed nicely for pictures. For more information on becoming a Friend of the Zoo, go to http://www.mnzoo.org/donate/donorCircle_friends.asp.
Have you Seen Our Cuttlefish in Discovery Bay?
We received four European (also know as “Common”) cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis from the National Resource Center for Cephalopods in October. Read more.
If you watch them closely, you may see them start changing colors! Cuttlefish can adjust their color and texture to mimic their surroundings and act as camouflage, attract a mate or send messages to others. The Minnesota Zoo has exhibited Cephalopods (meaning octopus, squid, cuttlefish, and nautiluses) for several years. Octopus and cuttlefish are the easiest to acquire and maintain in captivity. Europeans even keep cuttlefish as personal pets! The cuttlefish are enjoying their new home and can be seen towards the bottom of the tank near Shark Reef in Discovery Bay (they spend a lot of time on the floor, swimming mostly when they are hungry or meet another cuttlefish). It's the Grizzly Bears' Birthday at the Minnesota Zoo!!
Come and join the fun this weekend at the Minnesota Zoo as we celebrate the Zoo's brown bears Sadie, Kenai and Haines Fourth birthday. In the wild, Grizzly bears are born in very secretive earth dens in January, so it's impossible to know their exact birthdays. The bears came to the Minnesota Zoo as orphans, and though they were raised as "siblings," they came from three very different parts of Alaska. Read more.
We don't want any of the bears to feel slighted by sharing their birthday with the others, so we will celebrate one bear's birthday on each day of this holiday weekend. Haines' is on Saturday, Kenai on Sunday and Sadie on Monday. The party will start each morning at the bear exhibit of Russia's Grizzly Coast at 9:45 a.m. You will want to make sure you get there on time! What 4 year old wants to wait for their party to start? The cakes wont last long. What's in a Bear's Birthday Cake? Yum Yum....bet you wish you could have a piece!
Our gibbon infant was born December 27, 2009 and it’s a girl! Today she is a week old and is doing well. She weighed 515 grams at birth and is now up to 540 grams (2.2 pounds = 1000 grams). She has not gained as much weight as we would like to see, but she has a good appetite and is otherwise doing well. The animal care staff is providing around-the-clock care for her during her first few weeks. She is currently eating every 2-3 hours, although feedings overnight are a bit more spaced out. Read more.
The baby's mother, Tia, continues to show little interest in her. Animal care staff is putting Tia and the baby together twice a day for 30 minutes in hopes that the mother will start to show some interest. They cannot be left together during the day because the baby needs an external heat source to maintain her body temperature (which mom would usually provide through body warmth), however, the baby is housed directly next to her parents so they can see each other all day long. Zoo staff hopes that as the infant becomes more mobile, her and Tia will begin to interact.
What is under the animals' trees this year?
Each year after the holidays, the Zoo receives left over trees for animal enrichment from Pahl's Market in Apple Valley. Throughout the winter you can expect to see the trees in many of the exhibits. Read more.
Unfortunately the Zoo cannot accept used trees (due to ornament hooks and tinsel concerns). But you can enrich the birds and squirrels in your own backyard by redecorating your tree with strings of popcorn or pine cones rolled in peanut butter and seeds. The animals will appreciate the sanctuary from the cold winter weather and enjoy the treats! What requests do tigers, monkeys and bears put in their letters to Santa? The animals, of course, have been good all year! Their gifts come from helpers like you, staff, and volunteers. Their list is a tongue-twister but the shopping is easy on Amazon.com. You'll find things like silicone baking molds to make frozen fish and fruitcicles for the bears. There are also balls with fun names like "Run-About Balls" for chinchillas and "Safari Balls" for tigers. The KAYTEE Bird Show stars asked for new "Comfy Perches" and toys. The primates hope to find "Kongs," "Nobbly Wobblys" and "Tornadoes" in their stockings. And on almost every list are essential oils and extracts like banana (a favorite of the tapir). The animals usually play with their "toys" in their off-exhibit spaces. But as a thank you to our members and all of those who purchased gifts for the animals, the keepers will be putting some of the toys on exhibit Monday, February 1, 2010. It’s not too late to grant a wish. Use this link to see what's on the animals’ enrichment wish list and who knows you just might see it in action in February.
Gibbons are off exhibit in preparation for the new arrival Read more.
They have adjusted to the new holding area and are doing well. It took them about three days before they started singing, which signifies they are feeling comfortable in their new home (or to them - territory). This is good news for the gibbons, but not such good news for the keeper staff trying to work right next door! In the wild a gibbon's call can be heard over two miles away, so imagine being in a small office trying to talk on the phone with a gibbon singing 15 feet away! The keeper staff is continuing to work on preparations for the birth both in helping them be successful parents and in the event the offspring has to be hand-raised. The Tropics staff hopes you have a wonderful holiday and please stay tuned for updates as we get closer to the due date. Please stay tuned for further updates as we get closer to the due date!
Gibbons are off exhibit in preparation for the new arrival Read more.
Some of you may remember our male gibbon, “Henry,” born in 2004. Henry was the first offspring of our adult pair, but unfortunately they did not provide adequate care for him. We made several attempts to reintroduce him back to the adult pair, but were unsuccessful. The keepers and veterinary staff hand-raised him until he was able to be sent to another zoo to be paired up with a surrogate mother, “Muffy,” who could teach him how to behave and interact as a gibbon. We were able to confirm the current pregnancy through hormone analysis in September. Since that time, the animal care staff has been working very hard preparing for the birth. Our gibbon keepers have been doing maternal training with both Tia and Bailey to help prepare them for the offspring. They have also been getting materials and supplies ready in the event that they need to assist with the rearing of this offspring as well. We are very hopeful that Tia and Bailey will be successful raising the offspring on their own this time, but the animal care staff is preparing for all scenarios. It is our hope that the gibbons will be back on exhibit with their offspring by late January or early February, but it is possible they will be off exhibit for much longer. Please stay tuned for further updates as we get closer to the due date!
The Hornbill exhibit will be closed as of Monday, December 7 to December 14, 2009. We are excited to be introducing our female Rhino Hornbill to our male in early January 2010. Before we introduce the two, the horticulture staff will be working on some repair work to the exhibit, including repairs in the netting. We will also check to make sure the nest box is ready. We are hoping the birds will be a successful pair and choose to nest together. If they do, we could have eggs as early as February, 2010 (which is the normal hornbill nesting time). When the exhibit is fully ready, we will introduce the female to the exhibit first because she has never been in this specific exhibit. After a couple of weeks, we’ll bring the male to the exhibit with her and hope for a successful match. M We started working on an import of Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata) in the summer of 2007. These conversations started for two reasons: Read more.
Our youngest adult female is 18 years old, so it was decided to import some additional females as well as males. We worked with the Japan Zoo Association (JAZA) to acquire zoo (captive) raised macaques, that would be new genetic founders (new lineage) to the AZA population. So why did it take over two years? The main answer is permits and government processes. As Japanese Macaques are a U.S. listed Threatened Species and a CITES appendix II species, permits were needed by both Japan and the U.S. for approval of the permit. And, as they are primates, they are also required to go through a CDC quarantine upon their arrival in the states. After two very long years of effort, on November 4, 2009, a Minnesota Zoo staff person flew to Japan to assist with the transport and they were put on a plane to Chicago. The monkeys had a very long day of being on a 16 hour plane ride from Tokyo to Chicago and then a 5 hour drive to CDC quarantine. The macaques will be in CDC quarantine for 30 days and then will be transferred to the Minnesota Zoo for an additional quarantine period before being introduced to our troop of 16 animals. The zoo quarantines all animals entering our collection to screen for diseases such as Tuberculosis and other potentially harmful diseases. The macaques are doing well in CDC quarantine with just a few minor issues and they will be transferred to the Minnesota Zoo in early December.
Minnesota Zoo is Expecting a Dolphin Calf! November 13, 2009 “Allie” is due in summer 2010. The Minnesota Zoo’s Atlantic bottlenose dolphin “Allie” is expecting a calf in the summer of 2010. The pregnancy was confirmed during an ultrasound this morning, Friday, Nov. 13, 2009. Read more.
Allie, 22, arrived at the Minnesota Zoo in January 2008 and is on loan from the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago. Father-to-be “Semo” has been at the Zoo since 1991, and at age 45, is thought to be one of the oldest male dolphins in human care. “We just completed the ultrasound and are excited that the calf is growing and has a strong heartbeat,” said Marine Mammal Supervisor 
Allie’s last calf was born deceased in March 2009 from complications during labor. Dolphin calves face a perilous first year: only 70% survive their first 30 days. As they do with all pregnancies, the Zoo’s marine mammal staff and veterinarians will carefully monitor the health of Allie and her unborn calf during the pregnancy. Besides Allie & Semo, the Minnesota Zoo is home to dolphins “April,” 42 and “Spree,” 7. The Zoo is also temporarily housing three dolphins from the Brookfield Zoo while their oceanarium is being renovated. The most familiar of the 37 species of dolphins, adult Atlantic bottlenose dolphins range in length from 8 to 12 feet and weigh between 400 and 600 pounds. Their prominent rostrums or beaks account for the name “bottlenose.” They inhabit warm and temperate seas worldwide and may also enter harbor bays, lagoons, estuaries and river mouths. |
What Happens When the Lights Go Out?
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What is Minnesotans for a Great Zoo?
Gibbon pregnancy update: It’s a Girl! 
Gibbon Pregnancy Update: Moving Day!
We’re Expecting!
"New Couple Rumor: Rhino Hornbills Receive Exhibit Improvements for Possible Nesting"
onkeys on a Plane!
