Lion
Hey, Chicago! 👋 The Air and Water show is this weekend, here's what you should know:
- Due to our close proximity to North Avenue Beach, we anticipate large crowds and traffic. If you're visiting the zoo this weekend, we highly encourage biking, walking or taking public transportation! The zoo is near two accessible "L" lines (Armitage and Fullerton) and a number of bus lines.
- Parking is available for pre-purchase in the zoo's lot at 2400 N. Cannon Drive. You can get a spot here: https://bit.ly/3LNO3L0. Pssst: You save when you pre-purchase parking.
- Choice is vital to promoting animal welfare. This means that animals with outdoor habitats have access to indoor or behind-the-scenes areas and can choose where they'd like to be during the Air and Water Show.
- Curious about how the animals at the zoo react to the sounds from the Air & Water Show? Our scientists have studied that! Check out our blog here to learn more: https://www.lpzoo.org/sounds-and-stressors-how-does-the-air-water-show-affect-zoo-primates/
Murray Brachiation
Murray swingin' into a new week 😌
White-cheeked gibbons use a highly specialized form of locomotion called brachiation! This means that instead of grasping at branches with their fingers, their hands form a loose hook around branches, enabling them to swing through the trees using a hand-over-hand motion.
Deep breath in, now breathe out 😮💨 Turn your sound on for a mini sound bath courtesy of nature.
From rushing water and a breeze through the grass, to chirping birds and city sounds, we quite enjoy the symphony of sounds on grounds. This is a beautiful example of how our urban environment melds with the natural ecosystem!
Alanis
You, you, you oughta know that many animals at the zoo participate in voluntary positive reinforcement training! Training benefits animals by giving them learning opportunities, strengthening their bond with their keepers, and allowing them to participate in their own healthcare.
Here's Alanis, Queen, Miranda, and Sonny participating in target training.
Ice, ice, bunny 🧊 Crescent the bunny keeps cool with an ice treat on a hot day.
📸 Mike Skidmore
Magadi with Grapevine
I heard it through the grapevine 🎶 that today is World Chimpanzee Day! If you're visiting the zoo today, be sure to stop by Regenstein Center for African Apes for some fun activities.
To help protect chimps in your every day life, take action with us: https://www.lpzoo.org/conservation-science/take-action-with-us/
Xiaobo with Snack
🚨 Xiaobo eats a snack🚨
📸 Chelsea Vann #FromAKeeper
Welcome to the zoo’s two newest arrivals, Harriet and Oscar! These North American river otters are new to the zoo, but are older in age. Oscar is an 18-year-old male who arrived from Saint Louis Zoo, while Harriet is a 17-year-old female from ZooTampa at Lowry Park. The veterinary teams at Saint Louis Zoo, ZooTampa at Lowry Park, and Lincoln Park Zoo worked together to create a care plan for these older animals, ensuring that they are in the best place for optimal wellbeing during this geriatric phase of their lives. Harriet and Oscar will be companions for the rest of their lives here 💚
Birch Playing
Chicago ❤️ its bears! A certain 'Bear' just came out of hibernation, but this bear has been playing with enrichment items, splashing in the river, and soaking up the sun for a while now. Every second counts--make the most of your summer by visiting Birch at Pritzker Family Children's Zoo!
🐻 Birch, American black bear
🎥 Bryan Summerford
Xiaobo ASMR
Monday pick-me-up for ya: Here's Xiaobo enjoying some snacks behind the scenes!
📸 Claire Hajek
It’s #PollinatorWeek! We’re celebrating the pollinators that play a vital role in our ecosystem. From bumblebees to butterflies, pollinators keep nature going! They take pollen to and from plants to allow for fertilization. What’s your favorite pollinator?
Kwan with Djeke
Happy Father's Day, Kwan!
Kwan has a big job managing his family group! The 35 year old is father to 6 gorillas, including Amare, Nayembi, Patty, Bella, Mondika, and Djeke! Here's a throwback of Kwan playing with his youngest son Djeke back in 2021. 🥹
📸 Dianne Mohr
Blue grey tanager
🎶 They need semi open spaces
Room to make their big, deep, cup-shaped nests
They need new faces (they thrive near human settlements)
They know the highest stakes (they often feed at the tops of trees) 🎶
🐦Blue grey tanager
Mosi and the camera
Please enjoy this video of western lowland gorilla Mosi exploring (read: trying to destroy) a remote camera. Spoiler alert, he doesn't succeed because the camera has been gorilla-proofed, but this is an awesome window into Mosi's distinct personality.
Mosi has been described as laid back, playful, curious, destructive, and a gorilla who moves at his own pace and does his own thing. Jesse Leinwand, a Lester E. Fisher Center researcher, noted that most of the behaviors seen in this video are great examples of Mosi being relaxed and inquisitive as he tries to find a way to be a little destructive.
Today, we have another question: why do you care about wildlife? Why should others?
The Urban Wildlife Institute’s Senior Director Seth Magle, PhD, shares his 3 main reasons to care about wildlife:
🐀 There will be conflicts between humans and wildlife. Understanding urban wildlife can help us to reduce these conflicts. Whether it’s a racoon that knocks over your trashcan at night, or a deer you spot while driving at night, an encounter is almost guaranteed, so we should strive to understand.
🏙️ Cities aren’t separate from nature, they’re a part of it. No matter where you live, anywhere on the planet, you live in nature. Urban wildlife are our neighbors, sharing our environment with them is a fact of life.
🌎 Biodiversity is important. Our planet is urbanizing, which means cities are growing and more and more people live in urban areas. We can’t afford to think about places where wildlife live as only being forest preserves or large green spaces, because the fact is, they live all around us. We need to protect wildlife in urban areas to truly protect biodiversity worldwide.
We shared a while ago that we would be testing different African lion groupings based on shifting pride dynamics due to aging male cubs and the pride has let us know that they’re ready to evolve. The lion habitat at Pepper Family Wildlife Center was designed with future prides in mind and can be divided into two separate lion habitats. You may see the cubs (Pilipili, Sidai, and Pesho) on one side while the adults (Jabari, Hasira, Cleo, Zari) inhabit the other. Right now, the cubs are on the east side of the habitat while the adults are on the west.
Lomelok will continue to remain behind the scenes as he heals for the time being.