Elmwood Park Zoo, part 5

 Leaving the Trail of the Jaguar, I decided to go along the upper path and then double back around to see the middle portion of the zoo.  During the last visit, the first habitat was identified has home to wolves, but no wolves were present at that time.  Nor are they part of the present zoo's offering.  Instead there is a little pack of javelinas, Chacoan Peccary.  The habitat looked upgraded.  

From here it is a straight shot to the zoo's most traditional species: Reticulated Giraffes and Hartmann's Mountain Zebras.  All of which are males.  The zoo holds bachelors and is not designed breed either species.  The design of the space allows you to get up pretty close to the animals.  

Working toward the center of the zoo you first come to a traditional looking barn.  It the home of a pair of miniature Mediterranean Donkeys, a handful of goats, and a couple of Jacob's Four-horned Sheep.  An adjacent building behind the barn keeps a flock of chickens.

Finally, running up the middle of the zoo are a couple of small buildings with a few reptiles, amphibians, small mammals including Red Panda and a colony of African Straw-colored Fruit Bats, plus some small primates, tamarinds and saki monkeys.

Chacoan Peccary

One of the three Reticulated Giraffe.

One of the two Hartmann's Moutain Zebras

The farmland barn anchor of the zoo's children's farm.

Mediterranean Miniature Donkey

A pair of Emperor Tamarind

Chuckwalla

Bumblebee Poison Dart Frog

Blue Poison Dart Frog

Elmwood Park Zoo, part 4

 Once you leave the eastern edge of the America Bison habitat, you come to a fork in the path.  Both straight ahead and the alternative fork to your right will get you back to the entrance.  While deciding which to take, just turn to your right and explore the little sloth/tropical aviary AND/OR the most recently completed capital project complex "Trail of the Jaguar".

With the memory of the sloth painting fresh in my mind, I couldn't help but notice the Lego sloth perched on a branch outside of the Sloth/Tropical Bird Aviary.  Decision made.  

There is a limited number of people allowed in the space at one time, and so it was necessary to wait in line.  Fortunately the line was short and moved quickly.  Once inside, you are in a sort of vestibule with one glass enclosed habitat where the sloth can choose to hand out.  It was there.  But hard to see with the glare on the glass and the level of lighting which was tuned to be tropical jungle undergrowth shade level.  All the better for the sloth--and the reason I have no photos to prove its existence.

Once inside of the actual aviary you have a single path the goes around a water feature and then exits.  There are exactly 5 different species of birds and one tortoise to see.  My cadre included a father and young son, and then a family grouping with grandfather, parents, uncle and two young boys--one of whom was clearly autistic and over-stimulated.  There was a keeper inside to troubleshoot and answer questions.  She spent the first portion of my visit gently asking the family group to not allow their son to go into the water, and not to touch the tortoise.  Both expectations lead to there expedient visit.  I lingered and asked her about the birds.  She seemed more than happy to chat about that--a respite from various acts of crowd control.

Next, was a walk to the adjacent "Trails of the Jaguar" multi-species complex.  It has a multi-habitat interior with viewing to 3 large exterior habitats.  There is also an exterior garden with a lovely mosaic and pair of restrooms.  Of the exterior habitats, one was unoccupied, one was home to both Golden and Bald Eagles (moved from their former habitat now absorbed by the construction at the zoo's old entrance), and the third was home to an Ocelot.  

Lego Sloth!

Interior of the Tropical Aviary

Yellow-footed Tortoise

Sunbittern

Scarlet Ibis

Plush-crested Jay

Trail of the Jaguar complex

The last time I visited, this habitat was home to White-nosed Coatlmundi

Now, it's home to Golden and Bald Eagles.

The Jaguar on exhibit was sleeping against the glass which made getting a photo challenging.  And yet, isn't she exquisite?

The third exterior habitat was home to an Ocelot.

Sleepy kitty!

Elmwood Park Zoo, part 3

 I'm not sharing images from every part of the zoo, because some are just picnic areas, playgrounds, or had no animals present.

Following the pathway along the Stone Creek side all the way to the south entrance the major species habitat belongs to the American Bison.  When I visited in 2017 there were four animals.  Now, there is just one.  I asked a keeper about this wondering if letting the dwindle was part of the Master Plan which intends to relocate the North American wildlife habitats across Stone Creek in what is a wooded undeveloped area of the park today.  She said, no.  It's that the others reached the end of their natural lives, and was deemed too unsettling to introduce younger bison to the lone older one.  

At the very end where there had been a Black-tailed Prairie Dog colony, the habitat was closed.  Instead there was an open air art exhibition called "Project Holocene" by Russell Ronat.  The large mixed-media works are part of a much larger set.  These 10 were selected because they represent animals within the zoo's collection now or in the near future.  Elements of the exhibit have been displayed at many other zoos over the years.

Returning north toward the entrance across from the American Bison habitat is a wooded area with an Elk habitat and a zip
line course.  The future, this entire area will be transformed into a series of Asian Animal habitats including Amur Tigers, Malayan Tapirs, Red Panda, Komodo Dragons and a species of Hornbill.  The funding is largely in place, and construction will begin once the new entrance complex is finished in early 2024.

The American Bison habitat is flanked by a covered platform meant to look loosely like the platform of a train station, and a caboose that contains a mini-museum of artifacts, interactive displays telling the story of the American Bison's history and biology.

"Project Holocene" by Russell Ronat

I think the sloth was my favorite.

Red Pandas and Jaguars are among the zoo's most popular animals.  The zoo participates in the SSP (Species Survival Project) for both.

Just as I was walking away, and extended family of a young girl, her parents and a set of grandparents entered.  I then overheard the following conversation:

"What do you think it is?"

"I don't know...an owl?"

"Maybe an eagle?"

"No wait, come over here.  It might be a bee."

"OH, yeah.  I think you're right."

And I thought...keep walking.

Elmwood Park Zoo, part 2

 With all of the construction at the entrance, I immediately recognized that some things inside the zoo had changed from my previous visit, chief among which was a new gift shop.  But other things were quite familiar.  

The Elmwood Park Zoo reminds me of two other zoos right off the bat: The Brandywine Zoo (in Delaware) and the Salisbury Zoo (in Maryland).  All three are built against a creek/river in what is basically a flood plain.  All three are in the center of moderately sized cities.  All three have older habitats that harken back to a time when zoos were more about exhibiting animals than caring for them in the modern sense of species survival plans, etc.  At the Elmwood Park Zoo you can almost feel the evolution in terms of the various "areas".  With a modern state of the art Jaguar centered multi-species habitat in one section, and then there's this little set of habitats centered around a square space in the center with rectangular habitats on the outer edges.  Guests access it via a raised boardwalk.  

It's home to North American River Otters, North American Porcupines, an American Alligator, a pair of Nene Geese, and a couple more smaller mammals.  One of the habitats that I am most critical of at any zoo I visit are those where North American Otters call home.  These unpretentious little critters could probably be happy in a dumpster, but I am spoiled by the Maryland Zoo's habitat.  By my standards the space allocated for the little otter here is inadequate.  The proposed new habitat under the Master Plan is amazing!  Clearly they are moving in the right direction.

A word to the mascot of the zoo.  I get why it's the Jaguar.  Very sexy animal, exotic and beautiful.  However, if they were to choose a new mascot based on their collection, it would be the North American Porcupine!  I have never seen so many porcupines at any zoo.  They have so many that they actually divide them up and have two separate habitats where guests can see them in two different areas of the zoo.

Near the entrance to this area, a zoo keeper was giving an animal talk with one of the zoo's ambassador animals, a curious and sweet Striped Skunk.  From here the logical progression of a visit is counter clockwise.  A new and generous habitat for Alpaca sits on what used to be a former playground that featured a little train for the toddler class to ride.

This is gist of the North American River Otter's habitat.  Over compensating with toys for lack of natural enrichment.

The sole inhabitant was happily swimming and running around.

At one point the otter became obsessed with exploring in the rocks along one edge of the habitat.  I assumed some morsel had been hidden there for its delight in discovery.

A beautiful pair of Nene Geese.  I've never seen them at a zoo before and don't recall them being here back in 2017.

One of the many North American Porcupines who call the zoo home.

An adolescent porcupine sacked out in the afternoon heat snoozing on a log.

Skunk chat anyone?  She is beautiful.

The new Alpaca barn is beautiful and space of the habitat generous.  

Elmwood Park Zoo, part 1

 I start this serious of posts about my recent visit to the Elmwood Park Zoo not with animals or amenities, but with their Master Plan.  I am a fan of the Master Plan.  It demonstrates a desire to be relevant.  A recognition that in order to thrive a zoo must be willing to grow.  Now, growth doesn't always mean becoming larger.  Some zoos can't.  They are hemmed in by the circumstances of their locations.  The Philadelphia Zoo (our nation's oldest) is the prime example of this, and yet it's constantly up-grading its habitats and inventing new ways to expand and enhance the range of experiences available to their animal treasures. 

Just north and west of this zoo is the Elmwood Park Zoo.  Definitely modest by comparison, but growing in both size and depth in one of the most exciting re-imaginings currently happening in the AZA (Association of Zoos and Aquariums).  The new zoo is beginning with a multi-million dollar ground up make-over of it's entrance.  Formerly a modest building with a driveway loop designed for the off-loading of school busses and guest with mobility concerns.  The new structure will be multi-use with an interior entrance flanked by administration offices and a new animal clinic/wellness center.  Much of the building's skeleton is already in place.  

When I arrived the lower lot was full, so I drove up to an auxiliary lot on the ridge top above the zoo.  The sign said that it was also full, but as I pulled in four cars were leaving.  I found a place right next to the boardwalk that leads down to the entrance.  This is when the full extent of the new work became apparent.  A make-shift path was built around the lower edge where a group was entertaining visitors by making huge soap bubbles for the kids to chase.  It had been six years since my last visit.  I was curious to see how things had changed.

An artist's conception of the new entrance presently under construction.  The top image looks left from the guest entrance to the administration wing, and the image below pans right from the entrance to the animal clinic/wellness center.

Coming down the boardwalk toward the entrance.

The frame of the admin wing

The clinic/animal wellness side

Greeted by bubbles!

Flight Behaviour by Barbara Kingsolver

 I haven't posted a book review in a long time.  If you enjoy entering into the lives of complex, imperfect people who's shared bonds both bring strength and constriction creating little prisons--little cocoons--from which the brave escape, you would enjoy this book.  Barbara has a way of connecting the dots in the lives of connected people and events that feels revelatory.  And she's adept at revealing the universal truths inherent in the human condition we call life.  

Lehigh Valley Zoo, part 5

 The eastern end of the zoo is home to various animals native to North America from Mexico to Canada.  A collection of small mammals includes Porcupines, Gray Fox and Martens.  Nearby a pair of small wildcats; a Bobcat and a Canadian Lynx.  At the farthest end of the zoo a generous habitat is home to a modest pack of Mexican Gray Wolves.  

A series of large aviaries line the final pathway on our journey.  Resident are species of, Eagles, Hawks, Vultures, and Owls, along with Ravens and Peregrine Falcon.  

Sleepy Gray Fox

Lynx and Bobcat habitats

Canadian Lynx habitat.

Sleepy Bobcat

Can you see the Mexican Gray Wolf

There he is under the pine tree in the back

Aviaries for the raptors

One last look back