Latest news with #ZooMiami
CBS News
4 days ago
- Health
- CBS News
Zoo Miami mourns loss of 17-year-old lion Jabari
Zoo Miami is grieving the loss of one of its lions that had to be euthanized Friday after worsening health conditions, according to zoo officials. Jabari, a 17-year-old male lion, was known for leading a pride and fathering cubs. For several years, Jabari suffered from chronic arthritis, primarily in his upper spine, which restricted his mobility and comfort, officials said. Despite extensive treatments to manage pain and maintain his quality of life, the lion's condition deteriorated recently, leaving euthanasia as the only humane option. Officials said that at nearly 18, Jabari surpassed the typical lifespan of a male lion in the wild, which rarely exceeds 12 years. Jabari arrived at Zoo Miami in November 2008 from the Racine Zoo in Wisconsin, alongside his brother, Kwame.
Chicago Tribune
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Bachelor gorillas, endangered spider monkeys make debut with Brookfield Zoo Chicago's new primate habitat
Brookfield Zoo Chicago opened its new Tropical Forests primate habitat Friday, featuring an expanded space for the zoo's first troop of bachelor gorillas and endangered black-handed spider monkeys rescued from wildlife trafficking. The bachelor troop is made up of two silverbacks — Shango, 36, and Barney, 31 — who lived at Zoo Miami before coming to Brookfield Zoo Chicago earlier this year. The James & Elizabeth Bramsen Tropical Forests habitat, the largest project in the zoo's history thus far, is built along a trail intended to give visitors the feeling of finding the animals in their natural habitats. It features four areas, one for spider monkeys, two gorilla forests (one for a family troop and another for the bachelor troop) and one for Bornean orangutans, who are not yet visible to the public as they are still settling in, said Kim Skelton, director of primate care and conservation. Construction began in March 2023 on the $66 million redesign, which is an expansion of the old Tropic World building from the 1980s. At three acres, the Bramsen Tropical Forests habitat is about 125,000 square feet and is one of the largest outdoor primate habitats of any accredited zoo in the U.S., Brookfield officials said. Dozens of visitors stood outside the exhibit's entrance Friday morning, waiting to be among the first to visit the animals. Chicagoans Joyce Jablonski, 74, and husband Gerry, 72, the first ones to enter the exhibit, were most excited to see the spider monkeys. They had been anticipating the habitat opening for a while, and have been supporters of the zoo for about 45 years, Joyce Jablonski said. 'When we had kids, we decided, well, this is our favorite place to go,' she said. 'We've come here since we (ourselves) were kids, so we brought them, they enjoyed it, and we continue to support the zoo.' Brookfield Zoo Chicago announces $66 million Tropical Forests for primates as part of major redesignThe floor of the trail is imprinted with the footprints of the pygmy hippo and the duiker, a type of antelope. Bamboo poles and vines were installed in the habitat to encourage the natural behaviors of the animals and to make them feel like they're in their natural environment. 'Watching the animals come out into the spaces for the first time and explore the yards, and to see them just comfortable (and) lying on their backs in the sunshine has been wonderful,' said Mike Adkesson, president and CEO of Brookfield Zoo Chicago. To reach maturity in the wild, male gorillas typically go out on their own or buddy up with another male gorilla, and the zoo had not been able to provide that for them, Adkesson said. The new habitat allows the two bachelors to socialize with each other first, and then they will move into the family troop of six gorillas. 'It's just really a neat way for us to let our guests see another side of gorillas and to really experience those silverbacks up close,' Adkesson said. The new habitat has short tunnels that allow guests to get an even closer view of the animals. The habitat also includes glass viewing panels for guests to interact with the animals up close and other interactive stations, including one where visitors can compare the size of their hands and feet to those of primates. One of the goals of the project was to incorporate more advanced technology to care for the animals while also maintaining environmental sustainability. New automated feeders dispense food at regular intervals throughout the day, and an energy-efficient lighting system minimizes energy consumption. Gorillas have their own indoor conservation centers. One is two stories and is visible to the public, and another is a private area where the zoo staff can interact with them and other monkey species. Also on the second floor is an area for the King Conservation Leadership Academy, a program for students who are interested in learning about conservation. Students volunteered at the opening by answering visitors' questions and handing out swag giveaways. Brookfield Zoo Chicago said the project's economic impact includes $69 million generated in labor income, $182 million contributed in economic activity and $24 million generated in combined federal, state and county tax revenues. 'The construction process over the last two and a half years has generated around a thousand jobs,' Adkesson said. Oak Park resident Laurie Conley, 42, and her children went to the new habitat Friday. Her daughter Alice, 12, has been running a lemonade stand to raise money for the gorilla habitat since she was 9. This year Alice earned $509 from her lemonade stand, the most she's made so far. 'I just felt sad that some of the gorillas had never seen the sun, the grass, the breeze before in their life,' Alice said. 'I felt like it would be amazing if they got to see that.' The Tropical Forests habitat is the first phase of a transformation that will continue into the zoo's centennial in 2034. Adkesson said the next thing he's focused on is the northwest corner of the zoo. The scope of that next project will be more than 10 times the size of this one, with Adkesson expecting a 35-acre footprint. 'We're looking to reimagine into these large immersive open habitats for multiple different species of animals,' Adkesson said. 'So this one kind of sets in motion a vision for what we want that to look like in terms of these big, open habitats, a lot of landscape design that will start to replicate that natural environment feeling as it comes into maturity.'
CBS News
19-06-2025
- General
- CBS News
Turtle rehab program shut down at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca Raton
Dozens of rescued sea turtles in need of new home after nonprofit pulls out Dozens of rescued sea turtles in need of new home after nonprofit pulls out Dozens of rescued sea turtles in need of new home after nonprofit pulls out There's change ahead for the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca Raton. The 20 acre oceanside fixture which offers visitors a raised boardwalk, tower, aquariums and the Florida Atlantic University Marine Research Center will no longer have a turtle rehabilitation facility. The nonprofit The Coastal Stewards, which has operated the turtle rehabilitation program for decades, announced it was shut down last Friday because of financial trouble. The gift shop was also closed. The move does not affect any other part of Gumbo Limbo, manager Leanne Welch said. The nature center received more than 200,000 visitors a year, most from South Florida. There are 13 injured turtles being treated at the rehabilitation facility and Welch said treatment will continue. There is no timeline when the injured turtles may be moved. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will decide where they are sent. Some may be transferred to Zoo Miami. The manager of Zoo Miami's turtle program said they have two tanks currently occupied but they have worked with Gumbo Limbo before. Other possible locations for transfer are in Juno beach and Marathon.
Scottish Sun
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Tortoise becomes oldest new father in the world after becoming dad for first time… aged 135
Goliath is believed to have hatched around 1890 SHELL SHOCK Tortoise becomes oldest new father in the world after becoming dad for first time… aged 135 Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A TORTOISE slow to become a father has had his first child — aged 135. Goliath, a Galapagos tortoise weighing 517lb, had never had kids despite trying with a number of females over the years. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Goliath with long-term zoo keeper Ron Magill Credit: Jam Press/Zoo Miami 3 Proud parent Goliath with his first child Credit: Jam Press/Zoo Miami 3 Goliath and Ron back in 1981 Credit: Jam Press/Zoo Miami But one of eight eggs laid in January by his long-term partner Sweet Pea hatched just in time for Father's Day after 128 days of incubation. The hatchling was born at Zoo Miami in Florida on June 4. It is the first Galapagos tortoise to be bred there. The zoo is now hoping Guinness World Records will recognise Goliath as the oldest first-time dad. With Sweet Pea possibly aged 100, she may be the oldest first-time mum too. Goliath is believed to have hatched in the Galapagos around 1890. He was acquired by New York's Bronx Zoo in 1929 before moving to Zoo Miami in 1981.
The Sun
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Tortoise becomes oldest new father in the world after becoming dad for first time… aged 135
A TORTOISE slow to become a father has had his first child — aged 135. Goliath, a Galapagos tortoise weighing 517lb, had never had kids despite trying with a number of females over the years. 3 3 3 But one of eight eggs laid in January by his long-term partner Sweet Pea hatched just in time for Father's Day after 128 days of incubation. The hatchling was born at Zoo Miami in Florida on June 4. It is the first Galapagos tortoise to be bred there. The zoo is now hoping Guinness World Records will recognise Goliath as the oldest first-time dad. With Sweet Pea possibly aged 100, she may be the oldest first-time mum too. Goliath is believed to have hatched in the Galapagos around 1890. He was acquired by New York's Bronx Zoo in 1929 before moving to Zoo Miami in 1981.
